My best day in education happened recently. I normally teach reading to the students with the lowest reading skills, but for one week, I was teaching some science lessons. One lesson that I was doing with the students had to do with static electricity. We put a small mound of salt on the table and mixed in ground pepper. We then took a plastic spoon and rubbed it against a towel to create static electricity. We placed the spoon slightly above the mound of salt and pepper, and the pepper “flew” up and stuck to the plastic spoon. The students really liked the experiment and tried the spoon at different levels to see what worked and what didn’t. At the end of the lesson, I told the students to try the experiment at home, and that they can take the spoon. The overwhelming response from the students was, “WE CAN TAKE THE SPOON HOME?!?” The students were SO excited to take the plastic spoon home so they could show their parents the experiment. I was very surprised that such a small thing can make them so excited. 

This reminded me that a great lesson does not need to be expensive or involved for students to really be engaged. Students can love a lesson when it is hands-on and something that relates to their everyday lives. They see plastic spoons everyday at lunch, but now they have a new perspective about them. When the students were so excited to take the spoons home, it really reminded me why I am in the field of education. I love to help students be excited about learning!

Andrea M