I start my days excited to teach my students. They inspire me with their enthusiasm, kindness and work ethic. We are a team with a general understanding that I do my level best to provide them with engaging hands-on lessons. There is a general excitement in the air whenever we are in lab mode.
My students are highly motivated.
They come from economically challenged homes. Most of my students view education and opportunities as gifts. They know the value of education as a tool that can take them from poverty to a higher standard of living.
My school is a huge melting pot of cultures. You can walk down the hallway on a typical day and hear several different languages being spoken. I would like to say that our school was free of violence but that is not the case. We have a fair amount of students that do not value education and disrespect every aspect of the school they attend. All students are thrown together. It is within this mixture that our motivated students have to deal with a darker side of life. They do so with much grace and remain focused on their goals.
Many of my students are interested in entering the medical field. They have selected colleges based on these interests. The science department in our school is severely underfunded.
My Project
Since the beginning of the year in my AP biology course(99% seniors) I have been emphasizing to my students that we will all be working extremely hard to obtain knowledge, learn important laboratory skills and pass the AP biology exam.
After the exam most teachers plan some sort of independent work like a presentation on a particular topic. I would like to use the 5 weeks following the AP biology exam to perform a series of dissections. I think this will provide them with a meaningful experience whose value will extend beyond high school.
We will start with the fetal pig dissection. I plan on emphasizing all body systems as students work through the dissection.
After the fetal pig students will dissect cow eyes. This will enable us to take a closer look (no pun intended) at the optic system because it is quite a bit larger than the fetal pig's eye.
Our senior students have not had dissection opportunities due to a lack of budget so this will be their first dissection lab!
If you could sit in one of my 2 AP biology classes and look at their excited faces when they are engaged in hands-on activities I would not have to try to put into words how this will change their lives.
Many of my students want to be doctors and what better way to pave the way to a medical career than to delve into a living organism and see and feel the miraculous materials that make up life.
I cannot wait to be able to tell them we will be able to dissect the last 5 weeks!
Nearly all students from low‑income households
Data about students' economic need comes from the National Center for Education Statistics, via our partners at MDR Education. Learn more
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