Chelen Johnson
I was looking for ways that my students and I could get involved with real science and real astronomy, and NITARP is doing exactly that.
It was very special to be in the room when the announcement of planet Kepler 10b (an estimated 1.4 X the size of the Earth) was discovered. I turned to my student Inga and asked, "How does it feel to be one of the first people on planet Earth to know about this discovery?" She replied, "I never thought of it like that ... it's pretty cool."
I think the overriding theme of what new teachers need to know it that, yes, even though you are going to feel overwhelmed at times you need to sit back and enjoy the ride.