By Emily Stanislawski
When I told my friends and family back home in Wisconsin that I had accepted this job as a Program Instructor here at WMSI, many were curious as to my “why”. As in: “Emily, WHY in the world are you moving halfway across the country by yourself for a job?” And, honestly, though I had some ideas forming, I didn’t really know myself. All I knew was that I had a feeling that good things were happening at WMSI and that I wanted to be a part of them. I took that feeling and ran with it and after a long drive filled with twisty back roads and plenty of podcasts, I made it safely to 23 Ammonoosuc St for my first day of work.
That’s me!
Now, I do have a background in STEM and in education, but I have generally focused on ecology. Working with coding, robots, and electronics is all relatively new to me. So, my first few days I took some time to familiarize myself with the materials. I made a game in Scratch using a controller I made with Makey Makey. I made a stop-motion movie. I built several LEGO models using SPIKE Prime- all using the same lessons that we use with WMSI students. Even better, later in the week I tagged along to observe that programming in action- and learned even more about the lessons from the students themselves.
With those observations, I completed my first week. Through these experiences I have been able to start putting to words just what it is about WMSI that drew me here- my “WHYs”.
WHY: The mission.
I’ll let you read it here: “At WMSI we strive to excite kids and teachers about STEM knowledge and skills and help them grow as creative problem solvers.” I have seen this mission be put to action in every interaction I have seen so far and it is clear that everything is done with the mission in mind. The words “excite” and “grow” give space for learners to truly engage with the materials without having to focus on an end product- an important part of process-focused learning and definitely how I want to learn and teach.
WHY: The people.
From my new coworkers, to the interns, to the teachers, students and everyone in between, each person who I have met through WMSI has been a joy. I have seen so much curiosity, creativity, kindness, resiliency, and drive- how can you go wrong with that?
WHY: The culture of change.
My first day, I was shown some tables that were built so the white-board covered tops can come off and nest in the rolling base (see below) so that they store nicely when they are not being used. Much of the space was intentionally designed to move, change, and constantly be a work in progress so that it can fit the needs of the myriad programs that are held here. And, that attitude is not limited to the physical space. Even in just a week, I have heard so many conversations about how to keep bettering programming, community interactions, and more. Reflection and evaluation make progress and it is great to see it in action.
How neat are these tables? Useful and efficient!
I know that as time goes on and I start to settle into my new role, I will be able to add more “whys” to this list. There is so much more to come, and I am so excited to continue to grow as both a teacher and a learner with WMSI.
A token of welcome from the team.