For this month’s feature, we wanted to highlight our Building Block Club (BBC) Program and two STEAMbassadors that are leading this program for the first time, this fall.
Jessica Cervantes, new to teaching, used to be a student at PE and she is carrying this legacy forward. Learn about her insights, what it is like teaching a bilingual class, and her keys to success.
Devontae Mitchell has been a veteran STEAMbassador with PE, ever since he joined in 2021. At the core of his work is connecting with students; learning about BBC’s Coding Mice, and what keeps him going in this work.
These past two weeks, the Kindergarten through second grade have been building relationships and learning how to use coding mice! See this blog post with photos from the activities.
Coding mice are an intuitive and fun way to practice coding. But it’s also a sport; and in fact, the challenge goes all the way up to a global competition called Micro Mouse. If you’re curious about the robotics and idea behind this craze, watch this video by the YouTube creator Veritasium video to learn more!
This transcript has been edited for length and clarity.
Cervantes: My name is Jessica, and my favorite thing about Chicago is that there’s a variety of places I can go and explore around the city.
Mitchell: I’m Devontae Mitchell, I’m 21. My favorite thing about Chicago is the weather. I know a lot of people don’t like it, but I love it..
What brought you to Project Exploration?
Cervantes: What brought me to Project Erustration was I was in sixth grade. I was interested in the program and I started coming to the program as a student. I really enjoyed being here and the community was very welcoming!
Can you define the acronym STEAM, and share what being involved in STEAM means to you?
Cervantes: So the acronym, STEAM, stands for science, technology, engineering, arts and math. Being in the STEM field community means being in a community where I can explore science on a deeper level—science has always been something that catches my attention and something that I’ve been really interested in.
How would you describe your students’ level of engagement so far?
Cervantes: The students have been engaging very well. They’ve been participating, and they always seem excited to learn something new
Mitchell: The students they’ve been loving what we’ve been teaching. They always stay engaged. They stay on task, the majority of time. But most importantly, they seem to like what we teach them, and so that’s a great thing.
Can you share some of the challenges you’ve faced while teaching and engaging the youngest age group that Project Exploration serves?
Cervantes: I think one of the challenges is sometimes getting them to pay attention. They’re always very active and interested in the variety of things that we have around. So sometimes it’s very complicated to get them to focus on the activity we’re currently working on.
What are some of the strategies you use to address that challenge, or what advice would you give to a STEAMbassador facing a similar issue?
Cervantes: I think the piece of advice would be: trying to get them all to pay attention to the front of the classroom. And then giving them a few minutes of quiet time so that they can focus and relax—and then come back to the activity we’re doing.
What are coding mice?
Cervantes: Coding mice are an easy way for the kids to start getting involved in coding. It’s a little mouse that has the basics: move forward, move back, turn right and turn left. We focus on teaching them, first, what the mice would do when we have a certain code, which we then allow them to create.
Mitchell: A coding mouse is a robot mouse that has coding buttons on it. And it comes along with a maze they can use. For the majority part, they love it. I know sometimes—like we spoke on before—sharing… They like sharing. But sometimes it can get a little crazy. But the coding mouse is something new that they haven’t used before, so it’s good to see them engage in it; and seeing their eyes pop and grow bright every time they see something new. It does something just moving in general, just surprises their mind. So it’s just good to see them use it.
How do you utilize coding mice inside the classroom?
Mitchell: We use groups, since we only have four mice at a time. It can get pretty complicated, because, kids, sometimes they don’t want to share. Sometimes they’re in a bad mood, when they don’t get a chance they throw a temper tantrum. But they’ve been working on it. And they’re doing way better on it, thus far. The first week was a little rocky, but now they’re great at it. When their turn’s up, they pass it—no fight, no fuss. So that’s been great!
In what ways have your students surprised you through their use of the coding mice?
Cervantes: Yes, they’ve been very interested in interacting with it. At first, I thought, since it’s something new to them, they would struggle a bit with it more than I expected. But some of the students got it on the first try. They experiment in different ways, and it’s very exciting to see them be so focused and interested.
This year, your K-2 class is the most widely bilingual group Project Exploration is serving. How would you describe your experience working with them?
Cervantes: I think the experience is pretty interesting. It’s been a little complicated at times because I have to switch from talking to a student in English to another one in Spanish. And sometimes it can be a little overwhelming for them as well. But it’s been very fun. I feel like it also helps them be more engaged, because they all get to participate, and they get to hear from their classmates.
How do you ensure that your students feel seen, heard, and supported in the classroom?
Cervantes: I try to make everyone feel seen by talking to everyone individually at least once in the time that they’re here. I try to make sure that they know that they can trust all of the adults around and when they need something or—when I say that they’re not doing too well—to check in with and make them feel better.
In recognition of Hispanic Heritage Month, have you integrated any related activities or discussions into your classroom? If so, how?
Mitchell: We touch on different leaders and different speakers every other day. We try to stay in that range of not teaching them too much that they get overwhelmed—but just enough so they can understand and grasp the concept of what being a leader actually means.
What is your favorite thing about traveling the world?
Cervantes: My favorite thing about traveling the world is getting to know different cultures and getting to experience different spaces in a different type of level than just seeing it online. I like to travel around the world because it gives me a sense of peace and it allows me to explore more in depth what I like and what I enjoy.
What have you enjoyed most about your experience as a Project Exploration student?
Cervantes: My favorite thing about being a student in PE was always feeling welcome. And getting the opportunity to learn something new every day that it came here.
What is your favorite thing about being a Project Exploration STEAMbassador?
Cervantes: My favorite thing about being a STEAMbassador is getting to work with students and getting to see them grow as a person. And getting to see how they grow more interested in certain subjects.
Mitchell: Similar to what Jess says, my favorite thing is teaching the kids something and having them advance and grow better at doing it. It makes me feel proud and it makes me feel good that I’m teaching them and like they’re getting and they’re understanding it. Watching them grow as you teach them is just really good to see!
Can you tell us about your involvement in your nursing association and any upcoming volunteer work you’re participating in?
Cervantes: My experience in the Nurse Association has been pretty interesting so far. We had our first meeting a couple of days ago. We got to learn more about what it involves to be a nurse in our classes. We do have a volunteer opportunity coming up next Saturday. We’re going to be at a farmer’s market giving out information to the community.
You and your siblings were awarded a Macbook through Project Exploration. Can you share how that experience felt and what it meant to you?
Cervantes: That felt really exciting! It was a very nice opportunity for us. I remember when I first got mine, I was really excited, because I felt like I could continue on my education without being so stressed about focusing on different programs that I needed on my laptop. So that was always very exciting.
How do you think we can create similar opportunities and moments of impact for students today?
Cervantes: I think we can create similar opportunities for the students now by providing them a gift that brings joy to them or allows them to go on to do certain things that they want to do in their future.
Do you have a message to future STEAMbassadors?
Mitchell: If I had to say something to all of my STEAMbassadors out there it would just be: keep going! What you’re doing is a wonderful thing. We need you, and most importantly, they need us. So stay strong!