Slauson PLTW teacher flies a plane to enhance her lessons next year

Slauson Project Lead the Way teacher Kim Jaster this summer got to check flying a plane off her bucket list and she hopes doing so as part of Air Camp in Dayton, Ohio will ultimately be a benefit to her students.

While having a certified pilot instructor turning over the yoke of the plane they were in was the highlight of the Air Camp experience, Jaster says the teachers attending the camp learned a lot about the history of flight, experienced simulators and studied how a plane actually lifts off the ground.

As middle and high school teachers attending the camp learn about flight, they also collaborate and develop ideas about lessons, units and resources they can share with their students. The ultimate goal is for teachers to return to their classrooms with a newfound perspective of how to demystify the STEM fields for their students, build self confidence in their abilities and encourage their curiosity.  By encouraging students to effectively analyze each failed attempt as a means to discover the correct answer they can help shape collaborative leaders who will succeed in STEM career fields in the future.

Jaster says the camp is another way to connect with students. “My teaching mindset is that any activities and experiences I can attend, that relate to my curriculum, give my students insight into the possibilities that exist for them for today and the future,” she says. “My excitement about my experiences certainly helps to capture their attention and allows them to vicariously live a little through me, at least momentarily until they are old enough to build their own journey.”

“As a woman, I hope to encourage young females to set goals for occupations that are underrepresented by our gender,” Jaster adds.

Sponsors covered the cost of the camp that Jaster applied to attend on the advice of a PLTW teacher she works with from Kentucky. She’s continuing on her ultimate goal of getting a courtesy ride with the Blue Angels. “I’m currently chasing that dream even though I’m aware that I could either get sick or pass out during the flight,” Jaster says. “It would be so worth it!”