Letter+to+Parents

Dear Parent:

When I tell people that I am a chemistry teacher they often shudder and remember what a horrible experience it was for them as a child. I want to make sure that doesn't happen to your son/daughter.

I plan to use chemistry as a way to teach students skills that they will need for success in the 21st Century. These skills include critical thinking skills, problem solving skills, research, peer collaboration, and the use of technology to produce evidence of learning. These skills will be taught through a student-centered curriculum using inquiry (watching something interesting and then generating questions for research) and projects (learning activities that appeal to all students of all abilities).

This website is designed to keep student up to date on what is going on in class, serve as a place where they can discuss what is going on in class, and allow them to review and comment on each others work. This is where you come in. By continuing to check the website you can stay up to date on what is going on in the class and can even see some of the work that our students have produced. I encourage you to try to make connections between the skills we are learning in this class and your daily life/work routines and to share those connections with your child/children. When students can make the connections between the real world and school, they begin to see the value of what they are learning.

I would also like to encourage you to become a part of this class. What I mean by that is for you to feel free to set up an appointment to come see the students in action, or to share something with the class that relates to what they are working on. If you, or someone you know, has an experience that you feel will benefit the students, please contact me and we can work something out. The best way to contact me is via email, which I check a few times a day. My email is wgswan@bmsd.org. I will respond within 24 hours (usually sooner). I can also be reached by phone at (570) 366-0511 x2223. Feel free to contact me about coming to visit, or any questions or concerns you may have about this class or website. I look forward to hearing from you.

Sincerely,

Bill Swan