When I go back to school the Friday after our monthly session, I tell my students about the cool things that we did and learned. They in turn get really excited about the upcoming session that will get to experience. During the outreach programs, my students are engaged and excited. They thoroughly enjoy the programs and can't wait for the next one. I am also amazed at the amount of information they retain from these programs. The other day we were talking about density and they were able to recall that they used this term with the soil sample program. They remembered that the denser the type of soil, the more quickly it would settle to the bottom. I thought that was pretty cool.

My experience with the outreach programs has been an eye-opening one. I enjoy the way the students become engaged through dialogue and conversation with the program facilitator. By listening to the types of questions asked by the facilitator and the guided conversation that occurs, I have learned to utilize some of their techniques when teaching science. My participation in the programs has varied from just passing out supplies to actually recording data and helping groups. The experience has definitely made me more confident to use inquiry-based teaching in my classroom. I have been taking notes during the programs for myself to use in years to come when teaching certain topics. Overall, I am so happy that I chose to apply to the pi r2 program. I am thankful for the opportunity to learn from others with the intention of becoming a better science teacher.