Mid-Atlantic Marine Educators Association Conference

Greetings NCSTA Members,

Beginning a new school year is impossible without referring to the North Carolina Science Standard Course of Study, but have you really read it lately? There is a great story in the introduction that illustrates the philosophy that many of us share about science.

It was a strange sight: a man, standing before a fountain, watching the falling water and tilting his head from side to side. Drawing closer, I saw he was rapidly moving the fingers of his right hand up and down in front of his face.

I was in the seventh grade, visiting Princeton University with my science class, and the man at the fountain was Albert Einstein. For several minutes, he continued silently flicking his fingers. Then he turned and asked, “Can you do it? Can you see the individual drops?” Copying him, I spread my fingers and moved them up and down before my eyes. Suddenly, the fountain’s stream seemed to freeze into individual droplets. For some time, the two of us stood there perfecting our strobe technique. Then, as the professor turned to leave, he looked me in the eye and said, “Never forget that science is just that kind of exploring and fun.” (Rowe, 1995)

When we see our students in five, ten, fifteen years, what will they tell us that they remember about our science class? Will it be that they remember the chemical equation for photosynthesis? The Hertzsprung-Russell Diagram? The names of the layers of the atmosphere? Unfortunately, probably not. We can hope, however, that they learned that exploring science is fun and they discovered that because they saw how enthusiastic we as teachers were about the subjects we teach. There is a great book entitled, Awakening Genius in the Classroom (1998) by Thomas Armstrong. Armstrong defines “genius” based on its connection to the words, “genial,” meaning joy and “genesis,” meaning birth. Thus, he defines genius as the “birth of joy” and specifically for educators as the “birth of joy in learning.” How do we help our students realize the birth of joy in learning? Armstrong advises the teacher,” If you wish to spark the hidden light of genius that lives in every one of your students, you must first find and (re)light that spark in yourself.” The vitality, creativity, joy, and wonder that you have is contagious. Students catch it from teachers who are excited about the subjects they teach.

How can you spark that light if it has grown dim? One way is by surrounding yourself with good ideas and good people. You can find both at our upcoming NCSTA Professional Development Institute. Mark your calendar for the 2005 PDI, "Making Connections from the Mountains to the Sea" on November 10-11, 2005, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.

Two of our keynote speakers, Dr. Orrin Pilkey and Dr. Stan Riggs, will focus on the dynamic forces of the sea. A third keynote speaker, Marty Ludas, will kick off our forensic mystery theme for next year’s PDI with his presentation on the real CSI forensics of latent print development. You won’t want to miss a minute of these fantastic presentations.

Discover the joy and fun of learning science at this year’s NCSTA Professional Development Institute!

Renée H. Coward