This is my second externship experience and my first with the Lincoln County Youth Center (LCYC). During the school year, I am a 7th-12th grade science teacher in Lincoln County, but for the summer, my focus has been working directly with the pre-k to 5th graders. As an extern, I am teaching STEM to each age group on a rotating basis with an emphasis on making it fun and not school. The LCYC services about 75 students a day with about 8-10 per age group from Richfield, Shoshone, and Dietrich. The overarching theme for the STEM camps was the four elements: Earth, Wind, Fire, and Water.

This externship experience has allowed me to bring a new approach to teaching in the coming school year. I have a greater understanding of the level of support our younger students need. I have a new sense of classroom management. I am developing differentiated material based on the needs of students who will eventually be in my classroom.

I am working more toward project-based learning as I am seeing the direct results of students benefiting from asking their own questions and guiding them to the answers, rather than just giving it to them. I have learned new STEM skills throughout this externship due to this approach. Due to some of the projects and ideas students want to explore that are outside of my comfort zone, I have learned more about engineering and tech that I can now bring back to my own classroom.

I am honored I got the opportunity to work for the LCYC this summer and look forward to partnering with them throughout the school year.