What Happens Inside The Classroom Is Just As Important As What Happens Outside The Classroom

This past week in Sharon J. Lynch’s book, Equity and Science Education reform, we read about how a student’s family, peers and surrounding community all influence student learning. We arrived at the understanding that science equity goes beyond the day-to-day happenings within a classroom. Who students interact with outside of school is just as important as who students interact with inside of school. As educators, it is important for us to be as aware as possible of the life our students live outside of school. We are sometimes quick to judge a situation, but we need to remember to take a step back to understand where the child is coming from. Children are products of their environment. A child with a tougher home life may not be as “put together” as other children. Understanding each child is a big part of the foundation of creating a classroom environment that supports equity. The most important thing for us to do is show the students we care. My principal's motto is "kids don't care how much you know until they know how much you care." If our students know that we care about them, then they should look forward to coming to our class each day. Some students spend more time with their teacher(s), peers and other staff more than they do with their own families. The classroom may be where they receive the most guidance, support and structure. Whether or not a child in need decides to seek out his/her teacher for help in a time of need is unpredictable, which is why showing the students we care is so important.

On another note, here are some common questions (and my answers) asked by those interested in the Science in Education online experience…

Do you feel as though you could have done the work you have had in your classes without being a classroom teacher or would it have been difficult?

Certainly, it does help to have your own classroom while completing the online courses, but it is definitely doable without one. Do you know of any elementary or middle school aged children to work with if you don’t have your own classroom? A relative? Family friend? The work done in the classroom setting can easily be done with students around the same age in a different setting. Working with students does not take place each week. It ususally happens toward the end of the course. You use what you've learned and then apply it to working with children.

Have you found that you have fostered relationships with people in your classes, without having met them, easily?

YES! During the first course I took (Try Science) I exchanged numbers with a few of the girls in my group to talk about an assignment. As it turns out, we all don't live that far away from each other so over the Christmas break we all met for lunch. It was so nice to put a face with a name! It's been great... we call each other often when we have questions, comments, concerns... I love it! We all began at the same time and have signed up for the same courses since.