Elementary Science Day

My friend, Shruti Jamindar summed up today perfectly... 


"SOOOO proud of everyone for getting through Elementary Science Day today! Whether you had a great time or experienced challenges, you got through it and remained character, sanity, and patience! I'm proud of you all!!!" 


Today, was Elementary Science Day. This means that all of the lovely ELE majors taking Math and Science 2 this semester had to go out to Union Elementary School in Pembroke to teach our science lesson plan that we had already planned. 


Here's where the problems were... 
1. When we were assigned this lesson plan three weeks ago, we were not told that we would be teaching it. Last semester we got to choose which lesson we wanted to teach. So, naturally, everyone thought the same for this semester. 
2. EVERYONE chose 3rd grade for their lesson plan. Let's be honest here, over half of the people that I'm in class with aren't big fans of 3-6th grades. I myself am more of a 1st, 2nd, 3rd girl... (but will take any teaching job once I graduate...) We've just never had experience with the upper grades until this semester. 
3. Since everyone chose 3rd grade, when the time came for classroom assignments at Union Elem., Our teacher had to move a lot of us around. So, for example, my friend Kelsey went from 3rd grade, to teaching 6th grade. (WHAT?!)
*I had written my lesson for 4th grade... and got 4th grade.*
4. There was a lot of re-writing lesson plans this past week. If you didn't get your grade level that you wrote your lesson on, you basically had to re write it. Because a 5th grader was not going to think that playing with glue or running around pretending to be a gas molecule. (just being honest). 
5. It was pouring down rain today when we arrived at Union Elem. 
6. The teacher I had was not there, there was a substitute, and there was nothing left telling the sub that I was going to be coming. 
7. The kids were terrible: I am so mad that I even have to type that. I absolutely adore children. I love teaching. It's truly my passion... but theses kids today had to be from another planet. (*In a way they were... they're from Pembroke). I will give them the fact that it was Friday, and it was nasty and rainy outside. But have some respect! 
8. The substitute had to fill out my evaluation of the lesson. It's a grading scale 1-5, 5 being the best, and 1 of course, being the worst. 
 -Professional attire: 3... Now, this didn't make sense. I had on dress pants, a nice shirt, dress shoes, and I had even STRAIGHTENED my hair. Which is a HUGE deal for those that know me and my hair... and I was dressed BETTER than half of the other people at the school... and the majority of the people I'm in class with.... 




So, needless to say, it was a fail. But, for all of the amazing experiences that I HAVE had in a classroom through UNCP, this is one of TWO that have been terrible. So it's not too big of a deal. Although telling me that at 12noon today when I was leaving the school practically in tears would have probably made me slap someone... But.. that's the only lesson we have to teach for Math&Science this semester... our "math" aspect of class will be our "Family Math Night" at the same school... but it's a class-wide thing. We'll all be participating in that together. 


So, my first attempt at 4th grade was not what I expected. But I'm willing to try again... at a different school... with a nicer teacher... Perhaps next time I'll wear a tuxedo so that I'm really dressed up.