On the move

How many teachers get to use Gorilla Glue at work? My office manager is always shaking her head at the receipts I submit for reimbursement. She has given up making sense of what I am buying but she knows the kids are enjoying it. My latest project involved a limited number of items (18 large Lego baseplates, Gorilla glue and a caulk gun) and a lot of STEM integration. I started by asking a group of 5th-grade math students, how many Lego baseplates we could fit on a wall? These questions were followed up with how much would that cost and what are some compelling reasons for putting Lego baseplates on a wall? The students had to find the answers to these questions by doing research and writing persuasive statements. I had given them a budget of $300 for the project. They created Google slide presentations to convince our principal and custodian that this was a really good idea. (The students didn't know that they had agreed with the idea.) Our custodian did have some concerns ab

Year 5 of the McKinney Summer Program started today. I was anticipating some complications and changes because of the large construction project on our campus and the loss of the hard-wired computer lab. I was not planning on a completely dark library and makerspace. Thankfully, the students and staff were able to adapt and we pulled off a great first day. We were able to use other parts of our building for the summer program. Our old computer lab would not have been much help today since it was also in the area without lights. The transition to using Chromebooks made today much easier since we could roll the cart to another part of the building. I truly appreciate my staff members which included some Americorps Members who are new to McKinney. Everyone pitched in to make the day a success. Thankfully, the district electrician came to solve the light problem so tomorrow will have a much smoother start. Legos are always a hit! All the students wanted to show off their creations.