My MEL Experiences

• Hands On- I really enjoyed my high school science classes because they involved many hands on projects. My favorite memories were in my ninth grade Foundations of Science class. We used projects and research to learn, but we also created mouse trap dragsters, rockets, and toothpick bridges to keep science lessons fun. In Physics we used to spend a great amount of time outdoors using trees and other objects help us find out how tall objects are by using their shadows. In Marine Biology, we created cardboard boats to learn about boat design. We then took them to the YMCA to see if we could paddle them to the end of the pool and back without them sinking.
• Interest- Through high school I had always been really interested in the human body so I decided to take Anatomy and Physiology. I loved this teacher because even though we did not do a whole lot of hands on activities, she did fuel our interest by asking questions and having us think on our own. Every few weeks we had to find an article relating to what we were studying, summarize it, and write down questions and concepts that interests us. We did case studies, and she would always show us some pretty awesome films or images. This really kept my interest alive.
• Helping Students Succeed- I had one teacher who had been involved in my life since the age of nine. I grew up performing in her plays and singing in shows. Finally when I got older, she thought that she would guide me into being a music "star." Her expectations for me seemed higher than they were for others, and even when I was really terrible, she still had the confidence that I would succeed. This continued for years and eventually, my hard work-and hers- paid off.
• Context- My English classes in high school were the worst because many teachers never were able to show us how certain projects could be used in the real world. More time was spent reading Lord of The Rings or the Book of Virtues than editing papers and honing our writing skills. What Frodo did with the ring was not useful in the real world.
• Student/Teacher Relationships: I have had many great student/teacher relationships throughout the years that I have been going to school. Many teachers in the younger levels really use positive reinforcement to encourage the students. I think, though, that my best student/teacher relationship that I have is with a professor here. The environment in his classroom is always positive and students would constantly look forward to going to his class because we would wonder what he was going to do next. I still drop by because I know that he is always there to help and always there to talk to.