Pivot on a Dime
3/26/2021
One of the beauties of my job is that I can make it up as I go. OK, that is not entirely true, but what I mean is that I can choose how and what I teach based on the students, what is happening in the world, and meeting the standards adopted by the school. Before spring break, upon completing the US History Museum Project, I gave students a choice of what direction they wanted to go in science. Cell Biology or Environmental Science. Secretly, I wanted to understand the science and the risks behind vaccines because I knew I would be able to get one soon. Vaccines were just rolling out to more and more people and also there was a lot of misinformation floating around, I wanted to be informed and I wanted the students to be informed. I was particularly curious about the new mRNA type of vaccine and how it worked. After quizzing students on their knowledge of cells, vaccines, climate change, and related topics, I asked them to think about what they would like to know more about. I gave them a night to research and think about it. In the morning, they voted for vaccines. Yay!! I promise I did not lead them there! To understand vaccines, students have to understand cell structure and function which is what we have been learning since spring break - soon we will be on to vaccines! This gets me thinking about how thankful I am to be able to work in a place that allows me and my students the opportunity to choose what we want to study. In fact, that is part of the PNA overall philosophy. I also appreciate how easily it is for me to switch directions to meet the needs and interests of my students as long as I am teaching them the content standard adopted by PNA. I think back to when I expectantly had the opportunity to take my students to Utah this spring. At first, I hesitated, specifically due to Covid. But then, as I processed this chance, I picked up the phone to the Head of School (during spring break) and asked if this was something I could possibly entertain during this Covid Year. The answer, with Covid mitigation planning, was “Yes.” Pivot on a Dime. The agility of PNA makes this school an awesome place to teach. But more importantly, it makes PNA an awesome place for students to learn and grow. Comments are closed.
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Sarah Mariner
Ms. Mariner earned her Bachelor of Science degree in Biological Science from Colorado State University, and was awarded a teaching certificate through the University of Alaska, Southeast. Her varied background includes being an environmental education field instructor in Massachusetts, Colorado, and Baja, Mexico. She also served two years as a Peace Corps volunteer in the Dominican Republic. Archives
April 2021
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