Students in Mansfield ISD doubled up on a science lesson that thought them how to be better human beings. NBC 5 education reporter Wayne Carter shows us how students got some help from college athletes.
We're often reminded that things aren't always what they appear to be, and that was the case at UT Arlington with a large group of fifth graders from Mansfield Independent School District gathered in a campus gym to watch a basketball game.
The game was science class and the assignment was to use your STEM skills to improve the school's field day and make it more inclusive for all people.
"They were asking about like chair mechanics, which not a lot of people ask about, they noticed like, chairs are different, which is amazing," said Hannah Exline, a UTS student and member of the Lady Movin Mavs wheelchair basketball team.
The team partnered with the school to help the students better understand their disabilities and how they still play sports.
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"It's very exciting to like, see the things that they're learning in class and like them implementing it and like the questions that they're asking and then getting in the chairs and stuff," said Maddy Edwards, a player on the team.
Edwards has been playing basketball since she was 13 years old.
"At five months old, I was diagnosed with bacterial meningitis. And as a result, I lost both. I lost my left leg initially, and then had my right leg amputated when I was 10," she said.
Carter In The Classroom
Focusing on unique things school districts are doing to help children succeed.
The team let the kids sit in their chairs, and see how a wheelchair changes the angles, momentum, and force to hit a basket.
"They have adapted to it, so they know what it's like. But since we're new to this, it's, it's a little harder," said Halle Richard, a student from Alma Martinez STEM Academy.
But you had to catch on by now that there's another lesson at work here, the students learning about disabilities and how it impacts lives.
"They were they were genuinely curious about how I navigate my world. And I think that tha just because you do it a different way doesn't mean it's like the wrong way. Or the harder way you can do it the way that's most comfortable for yout is amazing. Like, it's refreshing to not hear why you have a disability or like, why can't you walk?," said Exline.
