What I've learned from my teacher here

While being here, especially without any resources, I’ve learned how to discuss physics.  We read physics in class!  It is incredible.  Mr. Sedacy has shown me how to allow the students to create their own notes rather than copy notes from the board.  After we read, the students take a moment to makes notes summarizing what we’ve read.  Then, we discuss.  The students share with one another, in their own words, their view of what we’ve read and discussed.   I’ve learned to make them discuss in such a way that they assume whomever they talk with knows nothing of the topic. 

The old school cut and paste

I’ve also learned tactics for improvising.  The schedule changes everyday and sometimes we have random assemblies that throw off the entire day.  The copy machine hardly works.  Once, all the tests were missing four lines in the page.  We had to reprint that section multiple times and do the old school cut and paste with scissors and glue.  Another thing I learned is to make reference to their culture to make what we learned applicable to their lives.  We discussed nuclear energy and had a debate in class on the advantages and disadvantages of putting a nuclear power plant on the island.  It was quite entertaining to see the students go back and forth changing each other’s and their own minds constantly.