May 11, 2008
The final stop in New York on the Science Boot Camp tour was a great way to wrap up our twelve city tour. I always enjoy working with east coast teachers (there’s an edginess to their sense of humor) and this group of highly motivated teachers was no exception. And not all of the workshop participants were from New York. I was honored to have teachers from all over the east coast, in addition to a number of non-teachers.
One non-teacher participant introduced herself as a Chinese art dealer from New York who found out about the workshop through our website and wants to be a “science mom” at her child’s school. I’m seeing more and more of this type of hands-on parental involvement on this year’s tour than ever before. Maybe it’s a sign of great parents or maybe it’s an indication that parents are worried that we [teachers] are allowing science t
o become an extra-curricular
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May 8, 2008
We just wrapped up the final leg of our teacher boot camp tour with workshops in Pittsburgh and New York. While everyone on the team is exhausted, the one thing that keeps the energy high is meeting other teachers who are truly making a difference. I met teachers in both cities who paid to come to boot camp on their own – no funding from their schools or the district. I asked the same question you’re probably asking, “Why did you do it?” One self-funded teacher in the Pittsburgh workshop described answered with this…
I’m a professional who believes that training is important. I think that teachers who isolate themselves to their classroom never grow. I really enjoy teaching science and I came to the workshop to find new ways to get my kids fired up. Once my Principal sees the results, she’ll support more and more. I know it.
It’s tough to believe that we work in a profession where our leaders don’t believe in or support professional staff development, but I can’t help but be inspired by her dedication to teaching and to her students.
I also
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