As most of you know, I am now teaching science for our homeschool co-op. I teach three classes: 3/4 Grade, 5/6 Grade and 7-12 Grade.
I discovered something...disturbing...during my first week of teaching. I took a little poll of each of the classes on that first day. I asked them, "How many of you love science?" Over half of the 3/4 graders raised their hands, about half of the 5/6 graders raised their hands, but when I got to the 7-12 graders two, yes two out of 18 students, raised their hands!
This, folks, is a tragedy! Something happened on the way to growing up that made these kids not like science :-( This makes me very sad! Science is exciting, science is amazing, science will blow your mind, and young kids KNOW this. When did science become boring for them?
Well, I am on a mission now!!! Let me tell you!
My goal is to show these "big kids" that science may be a lot of things, but boring is NOT one of them! They better hold on to their hats (if they were allowed to wear hats to co-op), because I've got information that will BLOW THEIR MINDS! It blows my mind!
You see when I was in 8th grade I took an earth science course, and that is when I first realized how amazing science was. I don't remember much from my teen years except a lot of teenage angst and insecurities, but I do remember that earth science class! I can't even tell you the teachers name, but whoever he was, he made a difference in how I viewed science. As an aside, Mr. Holt (or was it Holte?) and Mr. Davies made me realize how fun math is, but that's another story.
Anyway, it will make me so happy if, in a decade or two, some former student of mine looks back and says, "I never realized how cool science was until I took Mrs. J's class!" How cool would that be? But mostly, I want my students to be stunned at how cool and amazing God is for creating it all. When I learn about the amazing, stunning things going on in our universe, it makes me stand in awe of the one who thought it up, created it, and holds it all together! So, happier still I will be if, in a decade or two, one of my students says, "I never realized what an awesome, amazing God we have until I took Mrs. J's class!" Now that would be beyond cool!
I know these kids you are teaching are in homeschool, but I found this talk: http://www.ted.com/talks/ken_robinson_says_schools_kill_creativity.html
ReplyDeletechallenging for me to keep the excitement and wonder alive for my kids as I teach them. I think your attitude toward the subject can go a long way to interest the kids, so these 7 to 12th grade kids are in for a treat!
My temptation is to keep to reading material ABOUT science rather than DO science. Reading about is easy. Doing is harder, but so much more memorable!