July 25th- Question Week #6

Reflect on what the experience has meant to me, what will I take with me to the classroom, and how the experience could be made better.

     The experience has been great! I was leery of taking a summer job because teaching several different lab-based science classes at a small high school during the year keeps me at work late and most days requires me to do a couple of hours work at night. I am an outdoors person and really need an hour or two outside every day even in the winter and when I don't get that, it makes me crazy! So getting to go out to test at actual sites was not only great for allowing me to utilize my lab skills, but also because I got to be outside! I will be able to talk to my Chemistry classes about using their lab skills to solve real-world problems such as water quality issues. I can help students discover how they affect the quality of water and how that water quality affects them- a perfect example of an interaction we have with the environment.
    As far as how the experience could be made better, getting paid would be nice! I know we will get paid at some point, but that quickly became a problem for me. Budget cuts at the DNR  caused them to have a shortage of computers to use and when I used my school laptop, the hard-drive crashed. I had to share with another extern and then buy a netbook so we could both get work done.  I would like to see externs get the option of a computer to use if the business they are working with cannot provide them this. I think it would encourage more businesses to participate. I also had to buy some camping supplies for Project AWARE (athough people were very generous, letting me borrow some things). I don't mind having bought them, just paying credit card interest on them as I wait to get paid! I also think the unit lesson should be simplified a little. There were so many similiar things, I had trouble distinguishing the difference (essential questions, content questions...).
     Overall, my summer extern experience has been great. I got to learn new things, work outside and benefit the environment as well as get more ideas to implement in the classroom!