Carroll Lane Elementary - October 28, 2009

Cotton Candy! Pickles! Popcorn! People were lined up at the door an hour before the event even started!! It was a GREAT evening at Carroll Lane Elementary with families and students ALL enjoying themselves!

"The one thing I will remember at this event is how many children actually showed up....especially because of the economical background I heard about that school. I thought it would have less family involvement because the parents were busy with work. I felt that they were really thankful that we came out to their school. I really enjoyed Family Science Night this time around! It was so much fun!!"

"I felt that the parents were as eager to do the activities as the children. I had many parents comment that our activity was interesting and that they were going to try this activity at home."

"I was shocked that some of the students said they have never seen a full moon....I have to remember to take in consideration that everyone has a different experience or different background that they bring to things."

"I noticed that many parents were timid to become involved and I soon realized that many of the parents spoke Spanish as their fist language.....This was the most interesting part of the night because it was so incredible to see such loving and intellectual conversations between parents and their children."

"Seeing how many parents showed up that night showed me how much they really care about their student's education."

"I have learned that EVERY DAY the students need to be actively involved and interested in the education they are receiving, EVERY DAY they need to feel motivated to attend class, and EVERY DAY they need to learn something new."

"There were so many children and parents; it was truly a family night."


"As I went to sleep I found myself thinking that it would be an amazing experience to teach the students new aspects of science everyday."

"It was awesome to see how much these kids love science and how interested they are in it. Every opportunity like this reminds me why I am going to school to teach and just how rewarding of a profession it really is!"

"The parents of this school seemed to be a community. The principal knew the parents and students by name. The teachers did too. It was obvious that these people have built a community and we were invited to contribute...it was a honor to be here."

"...when I was observing the parents, they didn't give their child enough time to think about how to do the activity. They jumped right in and did it for them....My lesson learned for the future is to be patient and give the students time to think on their own....I never really thought about giving the students time to think as being part of the process of instruction."

"I saw grandparents, cousins and many parents interacting together from station to station....I even saw Dads taking pictures. There were so happy to be there and so excited for their students to be learning something new and especially something that can be connected to the real world."

"As I was teaching [the student], a man walked up and said, "there you are son, I knew I would find you somewhere around fish!". I smiled and asked him if they were fishermen and he answered with an excited "yes". He looked towards his son and I could just see all the love that he had for him. He then walked up to him and gave him a big hug and told him that he loved him. It was so wonderful to see just how caring and loving this man was toward his child. It made me feel absolutely wonderful to know that this family was going to take everything that I taught them and apply it in the real world. Words cannot explain how I felt at this point. I was absolutely ecstatic."

"Clearly, Carroll Lane Elementary supports their students and families, and shoots for the highest when it comes to their success."

The staff, students and their families at Carroll Lane Elementary showed me what a school community looks like."