I teach. I teach because I love to see kids learning and exploring and figuring out. I teach because I love the excitement and passion that students can have. I teach middle school because squirrely kids are the best kinda kid. Last night, I attended the ARASE regional science fair where several of my students were competing. While in the stands, several things I already know were reinforced to me.
First, award ceremonies are painfully long. There is no reason to have an award ceremony that takes four hours. FOUR HOURS! There were more than a few bored squirrely kids by the end.
Second, science education is essential for developing thoughtful, reasoned citizen. Children are the future and what not, but I want a future that appreciates the world around them and understands how to investigate their world. I know that my students will not remember the relative bond strength of ionic and covalent bonds or all the ways polar bears have adapted to thrive in their environment, and most will never need to know this. The purpose of science is not random collections of facts or knowledge. It is not even fundamental laws or complex theories that explain and enlighten. It is the logical and systematic method of study. This is what I want my squirrely kids to get.
Finally, I was amazed to see all of the creative, environmentally projects that students are thinking about studying. I saw projects about construction of solar stills, vertical axis windmills, environmental impact and pollution removal, and energy density of various plant fibers. Lets here it for the squirrels.
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