Teaching in the public education system has its trials and tribulations; days where you wonder if anything is working and why am I doing this? Today was a day of total exhilaration, a day that makes all others worthwhile. In a previous posting, I wrote about teaching the endocrine system to my eight grade students and their project, a presentation to the class must include a technology component. I was not prepared for the lack of technology skills among some students in an age that I thought they knew more than I. Some of my students are still using two fingers to "peck" and a number had never made a web page, PowerPoint or video before; others, however, were very savvy. The division was very notable; probably due to socioeconomic backgrounds and ability levels.
Rather than telling my students how to learn, I encouraged them to work together and experiment with different tools. To my surprise and astonishment, an autistic young man pulled up his chair to a young lady that had no idea how to begin in developing a PowerPoint. In a very positive and supportive way, he helped her get started while working on his project. The smiles on their faces, the delight of success in her voice, was more than money could buy!
That's awesome! It is moments like these that drive us to stay in our profession.
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