When the cosmos lines up for a natural spectacle, San Antonio and Cleveland classrooms are turning the total solar eclipse into a hands-on educational event. North East ISD kept their doors open on the day of the eclipse to make sure students didn't miss the chance to witness the rare event, as KENS 5 reported. Safety glasses were distributed for safe viewing, ensuring that the only thing that could dampen the day would be the weather. Michael Engelhardt, a 6th grader, expressed his excitement to KENS 5, saying he hoped it would "get a lot darker."
While focusing heavily on STEM subjects, schools are aiming to impart an appreciation for the natural world to their students. Portville, New York, made the decision to rearrange school hours to drive students into the path of totality, as Superintendent Thomas Simon mentioned to Express News. Simon wants his students "to leave here that day feeling they’re a very small part of a pretty magnificent planet."
This 'once in a lifetime' experience, as many of the students have dubbed it, inspired schools in San Antonio and Cleveland to break out of conventional classroom teaching. In Cleveland's Riverside School, Nancy Morris got her students up and physically engaging with the subject matter through a mix of crafts and games, telling Express News, “They really were not realizing what a big deal this was until we really started talking about it." From homemade dioramas to eclipse-themed T-shirts, students took ownership of their learning in creative ways.
Down in Texas, the Dallas-based Lamplighter School didn't want to just simply acknowledge the event. They planned to bring their entire pre-K through fourth-grade student body outdoors to watch the eclipse, proposing to take advantage of an educational moment that a student told KENS 5 doesn't happen often. Anita Orozco, a science teacher, stressed the importance of the event, stating, "We want our students to love science as much as we do," while acknowledging that wrangling young children may prove to be a challenge.
Moreover, the cultural aspects of the eclipse are not to be overlooked. University at Buffalo professor Noemi Waight highlighted the importance of understanding various cultural perspectives surrounding the eclipse, something future science teachers will need to consider in their own classrooms. Meanwhile, State University of New York Brockport's STEM Friends Club led students in activities meant to ignite an early interest in the sciences. Christopher Albrecht from teacher Hill Elementary School saw the heightened student interest as a perfect chance to not just teach science, but also to blend in literacy, fostering a complete learning experience.
