9NEWS Anchor Bob Kendrick introduces us to Jim Reiner, the October 2007 9Teacher Who Cares
Jim Reiner - Lewis Ames Elementary
OCTOBER 2007
posted by: Randy Barber , Writer
You won't find too much text book reading in Mr. Reiner's science class. Instead, his students are often huddled together, learning about the mysteries of science through hands-on experiments.
Last week, the 5th graders were learning about electricity by making their own circuits. "That's the only way that students can really learn, by touching what they're learning, explained Mr. Reiner. "It sticks with them a lot longer than for the next test of the next quiz."
Oftentimes, he focuses on finding simple ways to make somewhat mundane concepts more exciting. For example, instead of writing in journals, the students keep entries in their "Dangerous Books of Science." "It's a matter of finding where their interest is and then bringing some of those things that they may not always enjoy… There's a whole lot more buy in with dangerous, if you put that in there, then suddenly it's like–we've got to do this. They all decorated their covers with dangerous things, like snakes and broken glass."
Mr. Reiner says the experiments and experiences the students write about in those books are not just about science, but also about themselves. During last week's experiment on electricity, he told the group that girls can't do science and that the project is just too hard for the guys–as they tried to connect a battery to wires and a bulb. When the teams proved otherwise, their self esteem rose visibly. The girls will even disagreed, with Mr. Reiner, when he told them tongue-and-cheek that they couldn't do it, saying "I don't think that's true, because we keep proving him wrong."
"They learned how to stand up for themselves. It's important for me to know that they'll take the lessons they've learned here in class and be able to apply them in middle school, so (it won't affect them) if someone says: 'you can't do it or you're too slow, or you're just a boy or just a girl.' I try to fight these stereotypes as much as I can."
Mr. Reiner hopes that proving stereotypes wrong now, will help the boys and girls realize their full potential as they grow up. "That effort of going back and trying again and not just letting one negative experience stop their learning (is what is important).
Even Mr. Reiner has had to break through stereotypes, including that men shouldn't be elementary school teachers. "I lucked out and have some wonderful role models that I had as I was growing up, which also happened to be men. They broke down those stereotypes for me."
Please join 9NEWS, CollegeInvest and Metropolitan State College in congratulating Jim Reiner, the October 2007 9Teacher Who Cares.
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