Keeping it short

Hey there!

Last week I had the pleasure of introducing myself and engineering to 3 classes of Gr. 5 students. For the rest of the school year I am going to be working with them on their science curriculum, doing experiments and generally giving an engineers view on how what they learn is being applied all around them.

Let me say that I got a lesson in being organized and focused on the key points. I knew basically what I wanted to say but as soon as I got in the class, most of that went out the window! Once you give the kids a chance to ask questions, they can lead in you in so many different directions! After the first class, which I didn't do too bad for time, I thought I was prepared for the next! NOPE! During the second class I blew my time budget and by the third group, I was at the school for about an hour longer than I had planned!

Since the first part of the curriculum I would be helping with is about structures and forces acting on them, I knew we would be talking a lot about bridges. I decided to tie this in with the Iron Ring that engineers in Canada wear BUT I just wanted to give them an idea of what was to come. No, Gr. 5's want the info NOW. Plus, they are proud of their parents and want to tell you all about what the parents do! And the students want to show off what they know!

All in all, it was a lot of fun and I had a good time. I did learn though that I really need to think about what my key lessons are that I want to share, the amount of time that I have to share it in and how the audience best receives it. Then I need to reduce it by half because the kids will have too many questions! It is kind of like when you pack for a trip!

Lastly, I gained a new admiration for teachers especially in how they can politely, without putting children down, stop the questions and move on to the next topic.

I am so looking forward to building bridges, solar ovens, and doing lots of other fun with the kids! There is nothing like spending time with a class to get back to what is really important in life and refresh your own desire to learn more!