Cohort 16 Welcoming Event at Lincoln Center

I had no idea that cohort 16 would fill Avery Fischer Hall at Lincoln Center. I was totally astounded and how large we all looked together. That's probably good considering the number of kids who need a higher quality education in NYC. Part of the point of the event was to further inspire us and I say job well done.

Students from different schools performed. I was very glad to see that our welcoming event was utilized to give students a chance to showcase their work in such a grand venue. I really needed no further reason to attend. I was especially happy to see the audience give a standing ovation to the students from District 75 following their performance of Hard Knock Life from "Annie." District 75 is the city-wide district for special education students. I can only hope that our warm ovation helped seal that experience of performing at Lincoln Center into their memories for the rest of their lives. After all, we are here to make a change for the better.

Aside from more sentimental thoughts, I was also glad to Chancellor Joel Klein for the DOE speak. He was very eloquent, passionate and articulate. Although he is a cog in the machine of NYC administration, I truly believe his heart lies with NYC's students. If not, he did a very good job making me believe it.

I think the Welcoming Event is a great way to begin training, to inspire new fellows and create a sense of camaraderie amongst fellows. We are all here (or should be) for the same reason of improving kids' lives through teaching. The Welcoming Event did a good job of conveying that message and further inspiring us to be great teachers.

Turning up the heat...

Okay, this isn't so much teaching related, but it is definitely part of the experience. The weather for the past four days in NYC has been consistently above 95 degrees. Walking to the train in the morning and evening, the heat is stifling. Waiting for the train in suffocating. I am so glad I purchased an AC two weeks ago before the heat became unbearable. Besides that, I've pretty much kept inside to prevent heat stroke.

Otherwise, I had a midterm yesterday. It took the methods and concepts we learned in the past week and asked us to apply them to novel situations. Also, a sign of effective instruction and a good assessment: an open note exam that is still challenging. I hope that I will be able to challenge my students in the same way.

It is funny that I have a midterm and a final in the same week. I guess that's why it's called *intensive* training. I genuinely believe it is rigorous training for teachers, not just going through the motions to get a certification. This stuff is challenging, stimulating and inspiring!

This coming Friday concludes our Science Immersion training. Next Monday is the Welcoming Event for all ~1500 fellows at Lincoln Center. The two-hour welcoming ceremony will be a nice break from this 6 hours of daily coursework. Plus we get a free monthly metrocard, an $81 value! Woohoo!

End of the First Week of Immersion Training

I have to say, training has not been as taxing as I expected it to be.  While they activities require constant and undivided attention, the days are relatively short compared to a typical 8 hour work day.

Fortunately, I am somewhat familiar with some of the pedagogical methods being presented such as Bloom's taxonomy, inquiry based learning and the 5E/6E model.  While I have learned about those methods themselves before, for the majority of my undergraduate education, my professors have utilized those methods more often than not.  I can personally vouch for their efficacy in my own experiences.  The real trick will be implementing them with my own students.

On the more social side of things, there are a few fellows in Science Immersion who are trying to get a group together to head to a local bar or pub after the week concludes this evening.  During the day, we are in the same small group, which limits our ability to socialize with many of our peers.  I think a nice post-first-week-of-training-pub-expedition may remedy that.

The week has gone very fast.  I imagine that means I am either working very hard or having fun, or I might hope, both.  I look forward to the Welcoming Event on the 16th where ALL fellows (not just math and science immersion) gather at Lincoln Center for a formal welcoming to the program, all 1,600 of us.  Until then I will continue soaking up all the useful information I can about teaching science.