NCSTA Members,

Greetings! As I sit at my computer writing this message, I find myself pleasantly distracted by the continuous stream of birds to the feeding station outside my window. Tufted Titmouse, Cardinal, Black-Capped Chickadee…Even though the days are getting warmer and the forsythia is beginning to bloom, the hardship of finding food is still a reality for the birds. But, the warmth of the sun and the smell of the earth underfoot promise that things are going to get easier. So, too, for many educators—It ain’t over yet, but things are going to get easier! The hectic pace of the school year will soon give way to calmer days for most educators. This period of transition is a great time to reflect on the past year. What were the successes? The challenges?

According to Margaret Wheatley, a researcher of organizational change and the author of several books, including Leadership and the New Science, “We are trying to operate at the speed of light... We think we’re going to get somewhere at this speed. I think the only place we’re getting is sick and tired and overwhelmed.” She recommends instead that “humans work best at the ‘speed of life,’ taking time to think, reflect, and see the bigger picture…We are losing those slow, open conversations in which new ideas are born.” Wheatley recommends all organizations, especially learning organizations, ask themselves three questions: “What happened? Why do you think it happened? And what can we learn from it?” (ASCD Education Update, 2004).

Summertime lends itself to those slow, open conversations with our fellow science educators. As you reflect on your science program, we hope that you will include NCSTA as a means to help you grow as a professional science educator. How can you do this?

• Mark your calendar for next year’s NCSTA Professional Development Institute on November 10-11, 2005, at the Koury Convention Center in Greensboro.
• Share your 2004 PDI Schedule with your principal and superintendent so they can stay informed about the ways the PDI helps teachers stay up-to-date in science, science instruction, and science assessment.
• Present your favorite teaching strategies at next year’s NCSTA Professional Development Institute.
• Invite your colleagues to attend the 2005 PDI.
• Visit the NCSTA website to discover the latest offerings in professional development. When you sign up for those opportunities, tell them you learned about them through the NCSTA website at www.ncsta.org.
• Honor one of your system’s science educators with one of NCSTA’s many awards.
• Download the NCSTA grant applications from the website and submit your own application for a much needed project.
• Volunteer as a Building a Presence for Science Point-of-Contact in your school or school system.
• Contact your local NCSTA District Director and share the good news about science teachers in your district.
• Get involved with NCSTA!

NCSTA is as strong as its members. Contact us with your ideas about ways that you want your organization to grow and how you can help facilitate that growth. Let’s make it our best year ever!
Renée H. Coward