Dear friends,

I just finished my job as a teaching assistant at the Hollingworth Science Camp. This year's camp-wide theme was Astronomy. My group of co-teachers focused on teaching flight and aerodynamics to third-fourth graders.


It was a great summer and I miss all of my campers! Have a great summer and see you next year!

At camp, the students engage in lots of science explorations and experiments. They go swimming at least three times a week and have outdoor play (organized outdoor activities) everyday. There is also a parade of their art that each grade has been working on throughout the month. Our art that we made for the parade were hot air balloons (See pictures above). I think it's pretty neat because it combines both science investigations with physical activities, which is distinct from summer camps that only focus on physical activities.

The camp has a lot to offer and I've copied the link to their website for parents of students looking for a great science camp for their children below.


Hollingworth Science Camp: http://www.tc.columbia.edu/centers/hollingworth/index.asp?id=Hollingworth+Science+Camp

Dear friends,

We had our first annual "Teach-In" conference today at Teachers College, Columbia University. The theme for this year was "Nurturing Activism." It was our program's hope that we connect current teachers with fellow alumni of our program to create a broad network of activist teachers.

There were many great sessions including one that discussed how to create a thought-provoking and critical curriculum that culminated into a puppet show at the end of the year for students.

Mary Cowhey--author of Black Ants and Buddhists, a community activist for 14 years and a teacher for 12 years--gave opening remarks at the conference. I loved her book which talked about integrating activism, creativity, and responsibility into one's teaching.

In her talk, she stressed that teachers should focus on the three Rs:

Rigor
Relevance
Relationships

Teachers, when teaching lessons, should always think about whether this is rigorous? Is it putting high expectations on the student? Is it relevant to what they are doing in the classroom? Relevant to the education standards set forth by the state? Relevant to the diverse backgrounds and cultures of your students? And finally, is the lesson fostering relationships? Is it fostering a community besides just your classroom?

I thought her talk was excellent. Below is a picture of me with Ms. Cowhey.