Prospective Biology Teacher
Jordan Woodman
Service Learning
MonarchTeach Student Organization Collaborating with First Star
The MonarchTeach Student Organization (MTSO) was my Old Dominion University passion project. Having started at ODU during the decline of the COVID-19 pandemic, the MTSO had faded away as many student organizations did during this trying time. The preservice secondary education students in my program came together in the Fall of 2021 to revive the organization and I assumed to responsibility of president. I believed that the MTSO would be an opportunity to grow as a future educator by collaborating with other preservice teachers and connecting to the community through volunteer opportunities. I acted as the president from the Fall of 2021 to the Spring of 2023.
​
The MTSO sought opportunities to connect with the Norfolk community. As preservice teachers, we recognized the importance of supporting the community of the students we were teaching in our undergraduate education program to improve the community circumstances and gain an understanding of the lives of our students. We were also eager to promote interest in STEM fields using the knowledge we gained from our undergraduate education program. One way we connected with the community to promote STEM fieldswas through an MTSO collaboration with an organization called First Star. First Star is a public charity that works with kids in foster care to provide numerous opportunities for growth and paths to success in adult life.
When First Star reached out to the MTSO advisors inquiring if we would be able to host a STEM day for their students, we were eager to accept. The First Star representatives explained how it can be challenging for kids in foster care to receive consistent, quality education. They were interested in providing experiences in STEM fields that were highly engaging while still providing learning opportunities to create an interest in STEM careers. The MTSO decided to provide this by hosting events that offered stations where students participated in experiments and investigations that incorporated skills in STEM fields.
As president of MTSO, I worked with my executive board to plan event logistics, recruit volunteers, and brainstorm the station ideas. In my time as president, I also led two of the stations that the First Star students participated in. The first station I led was a lab where students used household items to extract DNA from a strawberry. This lab is a great way for students to see something they have most likely only heard about in textbooks. DNA is typically thought of as microscopic, but since strawberries have a particularly high amount of DNA it can be easily extracted and observed. In this lab, I also opened a dialogue on cells and how we were able to break into the cells of a strawberry to access the DNA.
The second station I led was a starfish dissection. This was my first time participating in a dissection as the teacher and hosting this station with the First Star students greatly boosted my confidence as an educator. This lab required the First Star students to be prepped in laboratory and dissection safety practices, a valuable thing to know for anyone interested in STEM. The students were all very excited to investigate the parts of the starfish and learn about its anatomy and physiology. We had great conversations about the traits of a starfish and the roles they play in marine ecosystems while the students followed along with my dissection instructions.
Though I could not continue in my role as president of MTSO this semester due to my academic internship (apprentice teaching), I know that the MTSO has continued collaborating with First Star to provide engaging STEM opportunities and will continue to do so in the near future. The MTSO reached its goals of connecting with the community to promote STEM education by forming a hopefully long-standing partnership with First Star. There were other volunteer opportunities I participated in during my time with the MTSO that connected me to the local community such as volunteering with the Norfolk Public Schools Science Fair or participating in the Virginia Beach Girls Rock event, but my experience with First Star is one of my proudest accomplishments and an experience where I experience substantial growth. I hope this event continues to benefit the Norfolk community and the preservice teachers at ODU for years to come.
