Laura Bischoff's students, at Broad Creek Middle School, are intrinsically motivated to solve problems because they are curious and the content is engaging.
"My classroom setting is anything but a traditional classroom setting. The Paxton/Patterson labs create an atmosphere where the room is alive with students using real tools in real-world activities, like using a ProScope to solve a “crime” in Forensic Science or learning from tutorials presented by professionals like in Biomedical Engineering to create a plaster mold for a prosthetic limb."
"Seeing my 6th-8th graders enter the classroom and pull out their activities even before the bell rings puts a smile on my face everyday. Watching my students - no matter the ability level - so excited about what they are doing is a teacher’s dream!"
"I see students take away not only the hard skills of the many career options we have available for them, but also grow soft skills like communication, team building, creativity, and critical thinking. An observation of an administrator was that: 'I was able to observe evidence of student engagement in higher level thinking skills as they worked their way through online and hands-on learning in various career fields.' The development of both these hard and soft skills will definitely help guide and support the students in their transition to high school, post-secondary school, and ultimately chosen future careers.
"As a licensed Reading, EC, ELEM, ELA, and Science teacher, I’ve worn many hats, but I have to say - I feel that this is truly the best job in a school! I see all curricula come together and be used with purpose."
Laura Bischoff
College & Career Ready Labs - STEM Instructor
Broad Creek Middle School
What do students think of
College & Career Ready Labs?
"I enjoy all the hands-on activities Paxton/Patterson has for us. I feel that I learned a lot about all the different career choices out in the world available for us. I would recommend to be open minded and to give each module a fair chance even if you think you will not like it, it may surprise you."
Kaylin F - 6th grade
"I am learning that having a job is hard work...don’t give up because some of the activities are hard."
Kayleigh A - 6th grade
"I have enjoyed the hands on activities because they really give me experience and knowledge for what I might do in future careers. Thinking about your future is very important. My favorite module so far has been Health Science because I do enjoy diagnosing patients and things like that and the activities are very fun, such as the pipetting."
Sean C - 7th grade
"I liked the forensic science because my grandpa was a detective so I can learn what he does."
Marvin S - 7th grade
"My favorite module was Energy and Power because I got to take apart an engine and learn the certain parts of it and how it works and starts."
Tyler T - 7th grade
"I really most enjoyed Paxton Patterson labs because you get to actually do things instead of writing on a paper. I like working with partners, making new friends or learning things you will need for the future."
Andrew D - 8th grade
"One of the most important things that I learned from the lab experiences is all of the different careers that I could go into based on that module/interest."
Emma G - 8th grade
"The modules really go into depth about what they are talking about and referring to and I have even learned how to use a needle and draw blood. My favorite module was the Intro to Health Science module because it really helps me understand what I need to know when going and dealing with health science careers and the health science clusters."
Haley M - 8th grade
