Students: (All hands raise emphatically)
UW: "Do you know where we got these lessons?"
Students: "COLLEGE! You learned them in college."
UW: "Exactly. We took classes on things you learned this week like stream restoration, how to identify macroinvertebrates, geologic history, water conservation, and the salmon life cycle, and brought them to you. As 10 year olds, you just learned college-level material!!"
Students: Smiles and gasps started happening all around the room. "No way! We’re only 10!"
UW: "So if you liked this week with all the college lessons, what else do you think might you like? COLLEGE!!"
We all taught on this day, but it was great to see the students internalize that science can be fun, and doesn’t have to be rote memorization out of a text book. Our rowdiest students were the most engaged during our lessons, and students who were normally quiet had started asking questions in front of the class. Student self-confidence grew so much by the end of the week! The students felt inspired and capable after we told them they had learned college level material this week. And that was the goal! These kids are so intelligent and able that we wanted them to know what future possibilities lie ahead for them.
-Bridgeport Teaching Team