Human Anatomy for Youth at Ravenswood Middle School
I have always loved learning Biology, Chemistry and how our body works. I enjoy talking about what I have learnt and like teaching.
One of my hobbies is playing the South Indian Drums called Mridangam. I go to San Jose to learn this skill. There I met Ankith Maremanda, one year senior to me and we became friends. I was going to enter my Junior year at Burlingame High School and Ankith was getting ready for Senior year at High School.
He had started the HAY program (Human Anatomy for Youth) and gave me the opportunity to teach at the middle school afterschool program at Ravenswood Middle School. This fit right in with my goal of wanting to get kids interested in Science.
Human Anatomy for Youth - After School Class
Having received the baton from Ankith, I taught this afterschool class every Friday evening (Sep 2018 till June 2019). The classes would be 45 minutes long starting at 5pm. Ankith made me President of East Palo Alto Chapter, allowing me to manage the classes there.
Topics I Taught:
Skeletal System
Muscular System Cardiovascular system
Respiratory System Digestive System Nervous System
Props and Methods Used
In order to teach the class, I used informative PowerPoint slides, YouTube videos on Anatomy and a Human Anatomy Model Set.
Incentives for Engagement
- Quizzes at strategic time points during class
- More correct answers = more prizes
Progress
As of now, I have successfully completed the course, having taught two cohorts of students, with the first group (12 students) from September 2018 - February 2019 and the second group (14 students) from March - June 2019.
Impact on students
As the classes continued, I noticed in the students, an increase in passion for science, critical thinking, knowledge and retention. These are critical life skills that I was able to foster in them.
Fundraiser
Over the months of conducting the Human Anatomy classes, I observed the dedication of the after school staff and the impact the after school program had on the education of middle school students. That inspired me to combine my passion for teaching science and my musical talent in percussion arts to organize a fundraising concert for the Ravenswood Middle School After School Program on 19th May 2019, 4 - 7pm. I was fortunate to bring together leading professional South Indian Classical Instrumentalists to play with me at the Concert with the support of many well-wishers. It was an amazing feeling, bringing together my love for drumming, playing for a good cause and making good music with expert musicians. Christina Owens, the Founder and Director of Get Involved Foundation, also came to the concert, which made me really happy.
With many people’s support, I was able to raise $1204 for the Ravenswood Middle School After School Program.
On 23rd May, I presented the check to Ms Cheadle, the After School Program Coordinator, at the Board meeting of East Palo Alto School District. Ms Christina Owens also graciously attended the event. I hope that the money would contribute towards technology support and improving the after school curriculum.
Next Steps:
I hope to spread Human Anatomy for Youth (HAY) to other schools as a fun way to learn science.
Key takeaways from conducting HAY:
Some of the key takeaways from doing HAY was that I found it inspiring and rewarding. I was also able to develop a good work ethic, improve my communication skills, further my organizational skills and develop discipline to regularly go on the round trip journey to the school every week from Burlingame, during rush hour traffic.
My sincere thanks to:
Ms. Cheadle, After School Coordinator, Ravenswood Middle School, East Palo Alto
Ms Christina Owen, Founder, Get Involved Foundation
Students who attended HAY Ankith Maremanda for providing this opportunity and putting his trust in me.