2020 Emergency Community Support Fund Grant recipient.
Scientists in School brings Virtual STEM Education to Dufferin County.
Despite the many unforeseen difficulties our charity experienced this year due to the teacher labour action in Ontario and the COVID-19 school and community closures, I am proud to share that our amazing team of presenters and staff have truly risen to the many obstacles thrown our way. Over 5,000 young scientists took part in our new virtual STEM experiences over the summer months, with 70% of those children being from vulnerable communities where COVID has widened learning opportunity gaps even further. Our virtual classroom workshop program has launched with one topic per grade to an avalanche of inquiries and close to 200 workshops booked to-date! These are such big accomplishments. While we have our hands more than full now, COVID and social distancing restrictions in schools have provided a rare opportunity: a chance to add another rich and engaging new workshop stream that isn’t restricted to children and schools where we have regional presenter hubs located.
I want to leave you with a story shared with us last spring by a Grade 4 teacher. I feel that it truly demonstrates the far-reaching impact you have helped create, long after our workshops end:
“When I first started teaching, I was afraid of science. I was scared that I would not be able to explain the concepts to the kids. I was unable to understand so many concepts myself. But it all changed when I booked my first Scientists in School workshop about forces. The presenter had so many experiments that were fun and simple enough for kids to do, and those difficult concepts became so easy to understand. I was excited myself, but [the] kids absolutely loved it. This workshop was the highlight of the whole unit. Even parents wrote to me how their kids enjoyed the workshop and how it made them curious to explore the scientific concepts further at home. I started using the same teaching style of doing experiments and making these experiments relevant to the kids’ lives. Ever since then, science became my favorite subject to teach. Moreover, it became my strongest subject because the way I taught made kids excited and curious about science. I continue to book workshops because they bring to the classroom more than I can offer: more expertise, more resources, and more explorations and inquiry.”
– A Grade 4 teacher after a Don’t Take Rocks for Granite workshop
