In the school system, science is often a topic that teachers shy away from teaching. It can be difficult, especially if they did not specialize in it during their teacher education. Science has many nuanced details, some of which are changing constantly. It also is one of the only subjects that incorporates labs -- something that is unlike any other teaching strategy.
Science is the explanation of our life. Biology observes the cell, chemistry describes the interactions, and physics ties math into these concepts. We have learned that students are born curious - toddlers never stop asking questions. They ask us "Why?" after every sentence, burning to know more.
Our job as educators is to feed that curiosity and keep it alive. Science is in our lives all over, and we should strive to stay curious in this field. I know in the classroom as a student, I have felt the impact it makes to have a teacher who knows and LOVES their content. When we are thinking about the grade we want to teach, we may want to go to Grade 11/12 because the content is more interesting, or maybe classroom management will be 'easier'. We need to remember, though, that we need to help get students hooked on science from a younger age. We need to be those passionate Grade 7 and 8 science teachers who instill the love of the subject into our students.
We cannot have any more teachers failing the science curriculum because it is different or they lack interest. We need to help students to see the love and beauty in science, and show them the paths into science careers. This program so far has only further ignited my passion for science and the desire to share that love and joy with students!
IsabellaA@OTU
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