Discussion Post 1

 

Hi classmates, my name is Jilly Woodhouse from The Bronx, New York. I am currently an 8th grade science teacher at a charter school in the South Bronx. I earned my BS in Biobehavioral Health and Neuropsychology at The Pennsylvania State University. Then, with the hopes of becoming a doctor, enrolled at The University of Pennsylvania, majoring in Biomedical Sciences, when I realised my projected career path was not fulfilling the heart. I decided to take a break from my studies and quit my job as a lab assistant and became a teaching assistant in the science department of a high school. Unbeknownst to me, what was just a job,  became a passion. My tenure at Empire State, I hope to attain a graduate degree in Curriculum and Instructions. 

Middle school science was my favourite part of my curriculum. My experience during middle school is what ignited my love for the sciences. In middle school science was FUN, we learned about EVERYTHING. During that time, EVERYTHING just makes sense, even with minimal experiments. My middle school science teacher from what I remembered, did not do anything special, she just TAUGHT and our job was to LEARN. There were no special activities, experiments, assignments etc. In hindsight, her mission was to connect our reality to science and somehow make sense of the world around us. She had this fun and enthusiasm about her whenever she taught, and that I think that was what sparked my curiosity and excitement for science education. 

I am excited to be back on this journey and hope I can be that extra spark to other educators and students as my middle school science teacher did for me.