This week at Pathfinders the kids finished up the drilling and marching honor. Since we will not have our next meeting until two weeks from now we decided that we wouldn't start anything new until we get back from our break. After the opening exercises and a quick Spanish lesson of colors, the kids were sent to the gym to show that they knew the skills of marching to be able to pass the honor. Afterwards we had a marching contest by class and the winner from each class got a prize. I was a judge for the competition because I know the marching techniques from when I was a kid at pathfinders. It is required that all kids learn how to march correctly, so this honor was a good refresher for some and a vital lesson for others. Overall a great meeting.

This week at Pathfinders we did not do much.  We started off with the Spanish honor led by the woman who has been teaching it for the past few weeks.  We then helped pack up some equipment for the church and the camping trip that the kids will be taking this weekend.  Unfortunately I cannot go on the trip because of my involvement in a program this weekend and the homework that I already know that I will have (and maybe more).  Next week the kids will be starting the bicycle honor. I am not sure who is teaching the honor though.

Since my explanation of the meeting was short I will go into some of the other details of what I have learned and how I have "grown" from my project.  The experience of my project has given me a new stance on teaching and school in general.  I used to be frustrated with how teachers ran things but I understand now why certain things happen in certain ways.  Teaching, while seemingly matter of fact, is very difficult.  Many times, things do not go as they were planned.  It is the teachers job to be able to improvise and pool their own knowledge and resources to work with a class in such occasions.  I have learned that you need to plan well in advance to make sure that every plan and everything needed for instruction is available.  Often when I didn't plan until a day or two before I found myself in a panic to get everything that I needed.  I feel that I have grown as a person in my speaking as well as in my knowledge.  Teaching in front of a class has allowed me to build up my speaking skills a bit so that I am not as nervous to talk to people.  I have also found that by teaching, I have reinforced my knowledge.  I have actually learned more about the subjects that I have taught and have retained the knowledge.  The best way to learn something is to teach it to someone else.  Overall I am satisfied with the results of my project so far and look forward to see the end results as it comes to a close.  On another note I am starting to put a slideshow of pictures together for my presentation.  I don't know if my speaking skills have gotten that good that I can speak in front of a group of around 20 or more people, but hopefully I will be able to come out of the presentation feeling that I did well.

Great end to a great honor

This week at Pathfinders I finished up the genetics honor with my group.  We started off the night by first finishing up a worksheet that I had made.  The last question, what are some genetically inherited disorders, was the only thing that we had left to fill in on the sheet.  After that we then went in to some fun and scientific genetics.  With the help of my mentor I was able to buy some Genetic Taste Paper from the school's science supplier.  Don't worry, its not toxic.  If the paper was toxic then why would they sell it to those who would taste it? Anyway, I had two types of genetic taste paper: Sodium Benzoate and Phenylthiocarbamide (PTC).  Sodium Benzoate is a paper that appeals to different tastes.  A person who tastes Sodium Benzoate will either get a distinct sweet, salty, bitter, sour, or no taste.  The dominant trait for the group seemed to be the bitter taste.  The next paper, PTC Paper, has only two possibilities: either you taste it or you don't (and believe me you don't want to be able to taste it).  PTC is a common chemical found in broccoli and kale.  The ratio of tasters to non-tasters is about 3:1, meaning that 75% of people can taste and 25% cannot.  We did have 3 people in our group who could not taste it.  Everyone else welcomed the horrible taste of the PTC with a grimace.
 The final activity of the night was actually a project that my mentor does in her Biology classes.  The basic idea is to make a baby (I know what you are thinking and no not that way).  We divide the group into pairs, one boy and one girl, and they flip coins to see which traits their fictional "baby" would have.  Since this was just a quick activity we only flipped for eye color, hair type, hair color, nose shape, and ear attachment.  Below are some pictures of some of the "babies" and how they would look.  All in all a great class and a great way to end this honor.

                                                                                                          

Deoxyribonucleic Acid and other fun things

This week at Pathfinders I started teaching the heredity honor.  The group of kids that I am teaching consists of 14 kids of ages 12-16.  This age range is more preferable to me because the kids are close to my own age.  Middle school age children tend to be hyper and very loud, so the high school group was a better fit for me.  Basically, the honor consists of questions that the kids need to answer.  They will not be tested on this but they should to be aware and retain at least some of what they have learned.  This is a big challenge because only 10 percent of what is learned in a class is remembered as they leave the classroom.

I got through a lot of the topics that we needed to discuss, mostly with the help of a worksheet that I created for the honor.  We got through most of the "boring" stuff such as mitosis, meiosis, and chromosomes so that next week we can maybe do some fun stuff.  I am working on a mini project that my mentor uses in her biology classes which have relevance in the area of heredity.  I am also looking for some pictures or a movie that shows some heritable traits.  I am in the process of asking my mentor for a "scientific" way to show genetics at work.  I know a very fun way to use science to see if a person possesses a dominant or recessive trait of taste.  I am even trying to work out a game for them that will provide physical activity while they are learning.  It has been very difficult to come up with a game, but I may have an idea.  I will not post the idea until I am sure, or not sure, that I will implement it into my class.  And now for your amusement, here are some pictures of myself as well as some students from my class this week.

*UPDATE*: Today, around 10:30, I ordered some specific types of genetic paper that will let the kids see what type of gene they have according to what they taste.  Hopefully the paper will be in by Wednesday.

Planning, Planning, and More Planning

This week has been a very hectic week at school.  Many assignments are due this week and there have been many visitors at school.  So you can imagine that not having a Pathfinder meeting this week was amazing to say the least.  This week, instead of helping out at Pathfinders, I went over the material that I will be teaching soon.  The Heredity honor consists of lessons about genes and how they play a role in the appearance and processes of the human body.  I will most likely be teaching the older kids (probably 7th-10th Grade) so they should have at least a basic knowledge of what a gene is.  I am excited that we have just started studying this concept in my AP Biology class so I can refresh my memory on what needs to be taught.  The basic process of this honor will be to create a worksheet that addresses the suggested areas of the honor to let the students write the answers as I teach.  The students that do not complete the sheet will not get the honor.  This is not a test to see what they have learned, it is just a way to make sure that they are paying attention and hopefully learning something.  I think that there will definitely be a challenge in teaching the kids (about 10-15 or so) because of the size of the group.  I am trying to make the lesson interesting so that I will be able to keep a hold of their attention and teach them something that they maybe have never learned before.  Prospective start date for the honor is next week, but it may change.  I will be ready either way.  This will be the second honor that I have taught in addition to classwork, so I feel like I am getting used to teaching the kids.

Nothing much this week

This week at Pathfinders the lady who was teaching the flower arranging honor was sick.  The kids continued with their Spanish lesson and got an update on the girl they had made cards for.  She was very happy to get the cards and to know that we cared.  The instructor who made the air cannons shot them off to show the kids.  We then put the water spongy balls into the cannon and fired them into the air. The kids enjoyed trying to find the balls and getting a bit wet.  We then had an ice cream party for our inspection grade. Next week there will be no meeting and the following week is my prospective start date for teaching my second honor. I am in the process of preparing to teach again at this time. I am going to try and make this honor fun for the kids so they will learn well and have fun. Coming up with lesson plans is difficult because they are dependant on the age of the kids, the subject, and the amount of time. Making the lesson plans is my current challenge. Otherwise nothing much else is happening.

Cartas para alguien con cancér. (Cards for someone with cancer)

This week in Pathfinders, the kids took some time off of the flowers and such to make some cards for a girl with cancer. This girl has been basically shut in to her house because her immune system is so low that she cannot go outside because of the possibility of her catching something. The girl is a Spanish speaker and for this reason the leader of the Spanish honor decided to let the kids make cards in Spanish. The teacher, another Spanish speaker, and myself helped the kids to translate what they wanted to say to the girl in Spanish. I was glad that I got to help them to be able to communicate with someone who deserves it. Next week the kids will continue the flower honor. The following week there will be no meeting. I will be starting my honor a week or two after this break.

From my experiences in Pathfinders so far, I can understand why teachers get frustrated. Middle school age children can be very stressful, but if this experience has taught me anything it is to be a bit more patient and to be more attentive to their needs of learning. I have worked with the younger kids and soon I will be working with the older kids. It will be different but I feel that since I am around their ages I will be able to create a better understanding with them.