Effecting Change at school

I think that I am doing everything possible to ensure my students are enjoying science and learning that science is real world applicable. We do not use textbooks as a learning tool, we use it as a resource. We try to make the class hands-on and I work with my colleagues to pull science into their course work. The reading teacher incorporated my weather unit into her non fiction unit and it was a great introduction for my class.

Since I teach at a charter school, I do not work with any other teachers in the district. My only other science resource in my school is the fifth grade science teacher. Next year, seventh and eighth grade will be moving into our building as well. We are fortunate that we are able to take numerous field study trips to help cement our learning--the botanical gardens, the science museum, the aquarium, the Parthenon, and other city locations and even outside the city. The biggest struggle for me is that I feel that I do have to do it alone. I can go to administration for financial support, but for actual classroom support, there is no one that has taught science to bounce ideas off of or to help me out in that arena. I also struggle with getting our laptops in the classroom as often as I would like to use them. Other teachers reserve the COW (computers on wheels) and I have to postpone lessons or fore go them all together.

Keeping up with global competition

After reading the article, "What's Our Sputnik?", I found myself wondering why we rely on so many other countries for items that we can handle here in the United States. Why did it take Sputnik to set us into a tail spin to launch our space program? Like the article states, what will be next for us (Friedman, 2010)? I think that we have more than enough knowledge and capability here but we need to stimulate our younger generations by giving them exciting educational opportunities. In some aspects, the education system needs to overhauled. Students need to have the resources to compete with other countries with technology and in many schools, basic science equipment.

Growing up in Florida, I witnessed numerous space shuttle launches. I also witnessed the Challenger explosion when I was in fourth grade. I live in Nashville now, but my children were fortunate enough to have resided in Florida long enough to experience a few launches and landings. I believe having witnessed those awesome viewings sparks a curiosity in adults and children alike. If only every child could have some sort of like changing experience to get the scientific juices flowing...

Reference:

Friedman, T. L. (2010, January 17). What’s our sputnik? [Op-Ed]. The New York Times [Late Edition (East Coast)], p. WK.8.
Retrieved from the Walden University Library using the ProQuest Central database.