This week was an incredible teaching experience, and I learned a lot about teaching and lesson planning. I learned even more about the local community of Brewster. This community was amazing - the kids, teachers, and other people that we met were all so welcoming and friendly. I loved how the students were genuinely interested in our lessons and eager to learn. When I saw this on the very first day, it made me even more excited to be there and much less worried about my day of lead teaching. There was so much to prepare beforehand that I was a bit worried about how well the lessons would go, and how much the 6th graders would actually learn from and enjoy the lessons. They seemed to have learned a lot about different local ecosystems and organisms by the end of the week, so hopefully they will continue to be interested in these concepts in the future. I have taught about environmental science before, but this was a more formal setting. It is an important time for learning, as the kids are getting ready to transition from elementary to more intense classes, so I hope that they were able to see science as something fun that can enable them to spend time outside and learn more about the environment around them. I also really hope the kids stay interested in learning in general, and they are so kind and respectful that I am sure they will do well in the future.
We were able to interact with the local community in many different ways, and these interactions made the experience so much more than I expected. We visited local sights like the Grand Coulee Dam and Dry Falls, and got to know each other better while hiking at Echo Ridge in Chelan and running along the Columbia River. This was a great way to explore the area, and these were some of my favorite moments. In Brewster, we also had amazing experiences every day. We walked around the town and met local business owners, went to the high school soccer game, and gave college talks to 7th grade classes, a Junior class, and the high school soccer team. We also had a great dinner at a locally-owned Mexican restaurant, and we went to the newly opened Boys and Girls Club and helped kids of all ages plant seeds in recycled milk cartons and cups. The community members of Brewster were so sweet and welcoming that it was very sad to leave after only a week.
-Mikayla Richardson