photo challenge: work

How fun!  I discovered the Becky Higgins work photo challenge at her blog (link here).  I'm too pregnant and busy to worry about perfect photography, but I love the idea of photo journaling a day of work.  So I grabbed my camera and got to it:

Shortly before 7 a.m. I arrive at my secret gate.  The coveted key to a lock that's just steps between my truck and classroom.

And here we are, Science.  No classroom number - just SCIENCE.  A safe and happy place to learn.

The white board.  Curriculum materials.  Lab group roles with matching colored clothespins. Signs spelling 'UNIFORM' for earning free dress days.  Science inquiry posters. Lab safety expectations. Talking level posters.

Notice the lack of paper towels.

 Goggle madness.

Lab boxes (but really, this is California - I have nine lab groups).

 Chemicals a go-go.

 

My classroom during prep - does it look like I get a relaxing break without students?

Producing oxygen gas in an exothermic reaction. (8th grade)

 These kids are cool. (8th)

 Bubbling gases through bromothymol blue to test acidity. (8th)

Good kids, good times!  I've taught 6th grade through teacher prep, and I can definitely say I'm happy and lucky to be right where I am.

xoxo,

Christy

teaching again

After five years out of the classroom working as a high school science resource teacher, and nine years since teaching middle school – I find myself back again. I'm teaching 6th grade Earth science, 7th grade Life science, and 8th grade Physical science at a K-8 school south of San Diego. I have a huge, climate-controlled room with all new desks, chairs and equipment. The kids are great and we're all enjoying ourselves.

My first two classes are 7th graders, who've been growing 30 day seed-to-seed Fast Plants:

I have one 7th grade class with a RIDICULOUS size of 45 students. It's 1st period so they're half asleep, but still a sea of tween hormones:


I have one mid-day 6th grade class - small but with 1/3 ESL/special ed. Here they are learning about erosion using stream tables:
Sometimes they get over-eager, like this note-taking incident here:

My last two classes are 8th graders, doing parallel and series circuits here:

And electromagnet fun here:
Great kids, really. As long as you keep em busy ;)