Of Budgets and Makers

The budget crisis is over!  Schools across the nation have received MORE than adequate funding to properly outfit their classrooms, facilities, and faculties with the tools needed to make learning relevant for students and get them interested in not just the class at hand, but their futures as productive members of society!  Literally everything gets better!

And then we wake up and remember that sadly, we don't live in such a society (yet...).  Teachers are often resorted to begging for tablescraps when it comes to anything leaning outside of the textbook mandated curriculum, so is it any wonder so many give up on the idea of going outside the box to challenge and intrigue students?  It's hard enough to fully and thoughtfully develop a hands-on, interactive, creative lesson plan without ALSO having to worry about how you will find the money to fund it.  But the truth is this:

No student ever found their passion from a worksheet.

This is my new mantra. This is what will get me up in the morning, will get my creative juices flowing, will be my rock when I feel all is lost.  

No student ever found their passion from a worksheet.

With such a simple but clear statement to guide my path, I can now face the daunting task of building a maker space with more resolve and determination.  As with most things, it's best to start small, and grow with progress.  In my hometown of Pickerington, OH, one of the school's most acclaimed events was Karaoke Biology*.  Every spring the AP and honors biology classes would put on mini stage shows, singing popular songs they'd rewritten to explain different aspects of biology.  This started as a simple, silly activity held within the classroom, with just a few neighboring classes invited in as an audience.  Within five years, it became a full fledged event; a platformed stage was set up in the library, students made their own costumes and props, choreography was added, digital backdrops designed, and of course, the songs were still amusing, informative, and catchy as all get out.  Elementary school teachers would plan field trips to it, students would duck out of lunch early to catch a show, and honors and AP biology were The Place To Be.  

This is all to say you don't have to start a Maker's Space with the 'top of the line' technology.  Start small, with free, local, donated, recycled materials.  Once you have a mission and vision in place, it will be easier to to garner funds from such places as The Administration, and crowdfunding websites like Donors Choose.  There are people more than willing to help, they just need to know what they're helping, and to what end.  

*Disclaimer: videos linked are not necessarily that of the school referenced, just examples of Karaoke Biology collected from YouTube. 

Sources:

Stager, Gary (2014, Winter). What's the Maker Movement and Why Should I Care? Retrieved June 28, 2016, from http://www.scholastic.com/browse/article.jsp?id=3758336