Students from the Methodist Children’s Home (MCH) charter
school in Waco flew through the air and faced their fears during a field trip
they will never forget. Juniors and seniors from Leisa Patterson’s financial
math class learned lessons in velocity and engineering during their visit on
April 3 to iFly, an indoor flying experience in Austin. The charter school is
operated in partnership with The University of Texas-University Charter School
system and is located on the Waco campus of MCH.
Patterson planned the field trip with the help of her
student Roger who initially suggested the trip. Patterson said Roger and his
classmates were very excited for the opportunity to “fly.”
At the iFly center, students first attended a class to learn
about the science and math behind being able to float, having to calculate the
area of their body and then use that, as well as other scientific measurements,
to estimate the amount of wind speed necessary to keep them afloat. After the
lesson, they learned hand signals they would use to communicate during their
flight. Finally, each student suited up in a flight suit, helmet and goggles to
take their turn with a flight instructor in the wind tunnel.
“Most of the students did very well and all the students at
least tried it,” Patterson said. “This was very big for them because many were
hesitant and scared to try, but they all did. Overcoming their fear was a huge
milestone for many.”
At the conclusion of the trip, the students received a
goodie bag with a shirt and other items to remember their experience.
“I am very thankful for being allowed to take my financial math
classes on this field trip,” Patterson said. “It not only gave each student a
new experience to remember, but it helped them face and conquer their
fears. More importantly though, they were also able to see how the
math and science are applied in the real world which is something we are
always striving to impress on the kids.”
No comments:
Post a Comment