Why do so many students suddenly have stuffed animals? Why are they covered in little pieces of tape? Is it for a class?

If you are a student at Oakton, it is likely that you’ve found yourself asking one of these questions this past week. As it turns out, the explanation is fairly simple. Anatomy teachers  Ms. Boyer and Ms. Komiss assign this project every year, hoping to have a more exciting way for the students to memorize these terms.

Last week, every student enrolled in anatomy brought a stuffed animal to class. Once there, they were instructed to label the animal with different types of medical terminology. 

The idea is for the students to always have the stuffed animal with them, in every class. This way, any time the student has free time or is done with an assignment early, they can work on memorizing these body parts.

“It’s such a fun way to memorize the words we need to know,” said one junior in Ms. Boyer’s class. Many students enjoy getting to carry around these stuffed animals, because when else is it socially acceptable to carry around a stuffed animal?

“I wish my teachers would use more fun ways of teaching. It makes me want to take Anatomy!”  said Teresa Riberio (11). 

Perhaps this method of teaching should be encouraged in every class. Instead of encouraging cramming before a test, give the content weeks in advance, and find ways to incorporate it into a routine. Either way, it seems to be working on these anatomy students, while making the rest of us jealous!