Here We Go!

Finally, weeks upon weeks have been leading up to this moment. The time has finally arrived, the stage is set and its showtime. Time to survey the students. It has been a long time coming and I am going to break down the weeks prior to this day.

Of course I came up with a topic- Scientific Inquiry Instruction in the Classroom and its benefits. This idea worked perfectly here at MLC since scientific inquiry is a major criterion for their IB curriculum and the students take inquiry quizzes that help to mimic the strands seen on the CAPT test. Then a wrench was thrown (come to think of it, they do this on Survivor) and I had to think of my research through the lens of social capital. At first that was hard to do, but what's the fun if everything is so easy, right? I tell my students that ESPECIALLY when I do inquiry labs and well, I have to take my own advice. So I came up with some working definitions of the three components of social capital as you have read in a previous post and made a survey.

Now making the survey was hard. Forget the whole part of me trying to figure out formatting (I have had this Mac since the summer), but I really wanted my questions to ask what I wanted them to ask. I never thought I had to be so calculated during this step of this thesis process but I definitely needed lots of instruction and guidance. I got great feedback on all parts of this survey, from its presentation, survey items, and how to introduce this so I get what I needed. Well I was ready to hand out this survey but time seemed to pause here at MLC. I kept moving but I was the only one that was not stuck in the mud....it was CAPT testing time (cue gloomy music). I couldn't make a move, I couldn't hand out surveys, I couldn't even use the microwave because it might make to much noise. I understand that the students were stressed during this three week testing period, but SO WAS I! Finally CAPT was over and I was able to hand out my surveys, but I decided to go to the US Virgin Islands, well because I planned to almost a year ago, when I had no idea this was the fate of my future. Of course I had fun in the sun, saw dolphins by Buck Island, and drank fresh coconut water all day but all I could think was, maybe I should email the teachers and have them hand out the surveys, but I wanted to be there so I had to wait. I come back, my planes were super delayed and I lost my voice. I have to hand out the surveys.

Well today I handed out some surveys and will finish the rest tomorrow. The students and teachers were great and I was smiling so hard because the time is finally here. The weight of this survey has been lifted, but only for a few because now I have to input the data to Excel. But that is neither here nor there. Today after I gave my survey speech for the 3rd time I told the students "Thanks for your precipitation (I take Meteorology 101) oops I meant Participation, and I am starting on my next step which should be smooth sailing, but if its anything like those little hopper planes I took on vacation, it will be a bumpy ride.

Next Steps:
Organize and analyze data