Cheryl Glowacki – Science Teacher

Our science classrooms are constantly evolving, and with the expansion of our Urban Garden Program, the Rhode Island Training School (RITS) is excited to build upon our experiential learning opportunities.

My classroom allows students to take their subject matter and to not only learn by “studying” the material, but also by doing, watching, and discussing. Students participate in creating the path, where possible, for their personal science educational experience.

By using our blended learning model and a variety of teaching tools such as Grad Point, Scholastic Science World, outdoor garden time, and in class experiments or projects, students can meet content expectations and/or can recover missing science credits. My goal is to support students feeling successful in school and to create a classroom where students are learning and doing.

My purpose as a teacher here at the RITS is to be sure that my students have experiences that stick out in their minds to help them retain the necessary information and to remember facts. Science is all around them and I hope that their time in my classroom is meaningful enough to guide them towards their science credit completion or their successful passing of the science GED test.

Key skills that I am hopeful each student leaves with: advocacy for their science education and experience, dedication to expanding their knowledge base, observing the current state of science in the world around them, how you communicate what you’ve learned, proper note taking, independent study skills, critical thinking and skepticism of information, as well as, how and where to navigate for accurate information.

Students are graded daily for their in-class participation and assignment(s) using a 100-point system. Grades will be averaged to attain their quarterly grade. Missing assignments are always allowed to be made up by the end of each quarter. Classroom behavior and school behavior points may be impacted daily dependent on the infraction.

Success in my classroom is a collaboration between myself, the student(s), our faculty/staff, and the family/community support for our youth. A few examples of these successful collaborations are our planning, planting and harvesting of the school garden; our care for our farm animals, creating personal natural/organic hygiene products and how to turn a DIY science project into a home-based business.