16 scalpels.
16 crayfish.
32 eyes staring.
16 students waiting for their next instructions.
Campbell University biology major, Nate Johnson, is teaching biology lessons to high school aged homeschoolers. Campbell is allowing Johnson to use their facilities to help foster good relationships with the community.
“I love teaching and offered to help out when the home school group was short-handed for the biology lessons,” he said. “From there it grew from teaching one lab session to teaching several sessions.”
Johnson had been homeschooled his whole life and was familiar with the way the curriculum was structured. His lesson come from “Exploring Creation through Biology,” and then uses his knowledge from his past classes such as zoology. With the help of fellow student Kristen Fischer and the support of teachers like Dr. John Bartlett, assistant professor of biology, Johnson has learned how to develop lesson plans and clearly present information to students.
“This whole experience has been rewarding,” he said. “Not only do I pursue my teaching passion, but I get to review information that I have pushed back in my mind. I think the students are enjoying the experience of working in a legitimate lab.”
Johnson and his 16 students have dissected a crayfish, earthworms and perch. He enjoys working with the students and said they have a great sense of humor. The most challenging lesson he explained was dissecting the crayfish because it was difficult to distinguish the organs because everything looked the same, but the students were smart and figured it out.
“Not everything the students do is the correct procedure, but we always learn something from it.”
Although his time with this particular set of students is over there are other homeshool groups seeking his services, and he hopes to work with them next semester.
Photo Copy: Campbell University biology major, Nate Johnson, is teaching biology lessons to high school aged homeschoolers.