[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

The ddeper I get into science, the more I think back to all those teachers I had from kindergarten, all the way through highschool biology instructors, and even professors in college who really got me interested in this stuff in the first place, and taught me all of the fundamentals that I take for granted everyday.  I really wish I could go back and thank every one of them.  I also really wish I could go back to, say, 2nd grade science class and hop back inside my body to see what was going through my mind at the time.  
To all you science teachers out there that read this, thanks and keep up the good work.

Does anyone have any fun stories of their "early years in science' or any great teachers they have had along the way?

This is a signature.... AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!

[chris]

I strongly second this post. Every day I realise how good the people who taught me were. They are directly responsible for turning me into who I became. I am fortunate to have remained in contact with some of the most inspiring of my teachers and I always make of point of telling them how grateful I am for what they did for me. I'm sure I was a complete pain in the arse at school !

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[Donnah]

quote:Originally posted by chris

I strongly second this post. Every day I realise how good the people who taught me were. They are directly responsible for turning me into who I became. I am fortunate to have remained in contact with some of the most inspiring of my teachers and I always make of point of telling them how grateful I am for what they did for me. I'm sure I was a complete pain in the arse at school !

Chris

What do you mean was?[]  (Sorry Chris, couldn't resist taking the shot.)

Many teachers have had a profound effect on my life.  One who stands out is Miss Cowper, a grade 5 teacher in 1965/66 who taught me that school could be fun.  More importantly, she treated me with respect and equality that laid critical groundwork for self-esteem.  She was spunky too; drove a little red Sunbeam convertible around town while scantily clad.[:0]

[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

rar... [}:)]scantly clad, convertible-driving school-teachers.... Donnah you can't be putting these types of thoughts in my head when my parents are spending the night at my place! What's a guy to do?! [:I]

I've really been thinkning a lot lateley about my science educators/education of yesteryear.  I remembered a funny story from 3rd grade science class.  We were studying electrical conductivity.  The teacher (Mrs. Owen) gave us all a battery and a light bulb that had two wires coming off of it and showed us how to use it to make a circut and light the bulb.  She then instructed us to go around the classroom freely and  try putting various objects in the circut and observe when the light bulb still lit and when it didn't.  The 'exploration" method of teaching where you have students discover ofr themselves through observation (in this case what materials conduct electical current) before actually teching it to them is VERY effective!  
Being the explorative young lad (yikes I almost wrote "las" there [:0])  that I was, I had already discovered how to make such a circut on my own using materials I found in my dad's garagre years ago, and also (due to the abount of educational TV I watched when I was young) knew quite well what materials would "work" and what wouldn't.  When explorative minds get bored they tend to explore further (thanks God I get paid for taht now!!! [])  I noticed that the bulb with two wires reminded me of something else I'd seen... by this observation I developed a hypothisis, and decided to test it...  I went over to the wall and stuck the two wires into the electrical outlet!!  [}:)][}:)] hehe, needless to say, my bulb did light up (although the tiny half-watt bulb didn't last more than half a second) so my experimental results DID support my hypothisis.  I wasn't able to repeat my test enough times to get statistically relavent results as my actions were quickly put to a stop!  (deprived of my first potential publication) Oh that poor teacher.  I bet her heart almost stopped.  I wonder what went through her head?  
Have I mentioned that I'm very greatful to all of my past teachers??! []

This is a signature.... AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!

[bezoar]

Unfortunately, I had teachers with little to no enthusiasm -- but Mr. Wizard on TV -- now that was a different story.  Very cool.

[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

Yeah, all of my friends grew up on Mr. Wizzard.  I didn't have cable TV so I maybe watched him once.  And I was a bit old for Bill Nye The Science Guy, or Beakman's World.  But there were a lot of really low-budget, but really cool science programs on public television that I watched.  OOO.... and is anyone here a former 3-2-1-Contact junkie??  Man what I would give to get my hands on some old episodes of that show (actually I think my mom, the teacher has some, but still.... hmm... maybe I'll call her and ask her to make me copies!!)

If I met you in a scissor-fight, I'd cut off both your wings; on principle alone!!

[Rabbit]

Chad Bowles at Hamonds Grammar School in Swaffham, Norfolk (UK) inspired me to become a chemist. I am really happy that I thanked him years later before he died. Thanks to him, I have had a great career as a chemist and still enjoy it. I also recall making chlorine gas in a shed at home using conc. HCl that I could buy with his signature from a local pharmacy. The shed filled up with this green gas and I spent much of the day recovering. Cool experiment... I spend a lot of time now on projects to bring science in a fun way to school kids (no chlorine!) and try to let them see that science is useful, relevant and fun. Imagine a PM who knows soemthing about chemistry (ooooh, I regret this, there was one and she was....... well we all know who. But the ambition remains - to help kids discover science. Last time I write about this, they (?) removed my article because it was too commercial (about our web-site) but if you INSIST, I might tell you what the URL is...

[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

quote:Originally posted by Rabbit

(ooooh, I regret this, there was one and she was....... well we all know who.

I'm cornfused!!!

If I met you in a scissor-fight, I'd cut off both your wings; on principle alone!!

[Rabbit]

"cornfused"? The woman I was referring to was Margaret Thatcher, she has a BSc in Chemistry

[MissMontana]

I find it difficut to imagine Mrs Thatcher being a student watching day time tv with trafic cones in her living room

[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

Sorry, us Yanks aren't as quick to pick up on "PM"  I'm hear'n ya loud and clear on all chanels now!

Lift your skinny fists, like antennas to hevan!

[tweener]

I wish I shared the enthusiasm for teachers that you guys do.  Unfortunately, all but about two of my teachers were quite uninspried and uninspiring. Then there were those that bordered on criminal.  

I had such a bad taste about school (so does my wife) that we are home schooling our children so that they don't have to endure the stuff we did.

Man, I'm a mood tonight.  If anyone reads all my posts, they'll think I'm suicidal or something.  My signature is especially valid today.

----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.

[Donnah]

John, I had some teachers who were bullies too, but I've endured them once and choose to keep it at that by focusing on the ones that were good, or great as the case may be.

[tweener]

I endured.  I went to college (much much better than high school) and ended up with a master's degree.  I always felt that I succeeded in college despite the junk before, not because of.  I also try to concentrate on the good teachers - there were just so few.

Most of the teachers were not bullies (there were a few) they were just plain incompetent.  Most knew their subject well enough, they just couldn't teach worth a darn.

Don't get me started, I can go way too far with this topic.  So, I'll stop now.

----
John - The Eternal Pessimist.

[neilep]

I am totally non academic !!..I spent most of my school eductaion walking around like a zombie [xx(]......and still do !!...though, I thoroughly enjoyed my Science classes.....espesh Physics !!..didn't understand a bit of it and failed miserably of course...but in praise of my 'teachers' who tried their very best to get me to digest some of their words of widom, their tenacity with me I greatly appreciate. And it is that special passion that teachers have ,which i think is sucha a shame that most people only realise it until many years later. I think teachers have a special nature, in that it's a job that they choose and want to do...it's something that you don't do as a side line, there's obviously something in wishing to impart knowledge and shape the future of young peoples lives that make teachers all special........(having said that my bruv is a Headmaster/Principal..and we hate each other[])

I did write a letter once to an old geography teacher and for a while we communicated......why don't you do the same Justy ?...my old fly fancier matey........and I completely agree about wishing to go back and do it again, or step inside myself and have a looky insidey[]

'Men are the same as women...just inside out !'

[chris]

I strongly second this post. Every day I realise how good the people who taught me were. They are directly responsible for turning me into who I became. I am fortunate to have remained in contact with some of the most inspiring of my teachers and I always make of point of telling them how grateful I am for what they did for me. I'm sure I was a complete pain in the arse at school !

Chris

"I never forget a face, but in your case I'll make an exception"
 - Groucho Marx

[Donnah]

quote:Originally posted by chris

I strongly second this post. Every day I realise how good the people who taught me were. They are directly responsible for turning me into who I became. I am fortunate to have remained in contact with some of the most inspiring of my teachers and I always make of point of telling them how grateful I am for what they did for me. I'm sure I was a complete pain in the arse at school !

Chris

What do you mean was?[]  (Sorry Chris, couldn't resist taking the shot.)

Many teachers have had a profound effect on my life.  One who stands out is Miss Cowper, a grade 5 teacher in 1965/66 who taught me that school could be fun.  More importantly, she treated me with respect and equality that laid critical groundwork for self-esteem.  She was spunky too; drove a little red Sunbeam convertible around town while scantily clad.[:0]

[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

rar... [}:)]scantly clad, convertible-driving school-teachers.... Donnah you can't be putting these types of thoughts in my head when my parents are spending the night at my place! What's a guy to do?! [:I]

I've really been thinkning a lot lateley about my science educators/education of yesteryear.  I remembered a funny story from 3rd grade science class.  We were studying electrical conductivity.  The teacher (Mrs. Owen) gave us all a battery and a light bulb that had two wires coming off of it and showed us how to use it to make a circut and light the bulb.  She then instructed us to go around the classroom freely and  try putting various objects in the circut and observe when the light bulb still lit and when it didn't.  The 'exploration" method of teaching where you have students discover ofr themselves through observation (in this case what materials conduct electical current) before actually teching it to them is VERY effective!  
Being the explorative young lad (yikes I almost wrote "las" there [:0])  that I was, I had already discovered how to make such a circut on my own using materials I found in my dad's garagre years ago, and also (due to the abount of educational TV I watched when I was young) knew quite well what materials would "work" and what wouldn't.  When explorative minds get bored they tend to explore further (thanks God I get paid for taht now!!! [])  I noticed that the bulb with two wires reminded me of something else I'd seen... by this observation I developed a hypothisis, and decided to test it...  I went over to the wall and stuck the two wires into the electrical outlet!!  [}:)][}:)] hehe, needless to say, my bulb did light up (although the tiny half-watt bulb didn't last more than half a second) so my experimental results DID support my hypothisis.  I wasn't able to repeat my test enough times to get statistically relavent results as my actions were quickly put to a stop!  (deprived of my first potential publication) Oh that poor teacher.  I bet her heart almost stopped.  I wonder what went through her head?  
Have I mentioned that I'm very greatful to all of my past teachers??! []

This is a signature.... AND YOU WILL LIKE IT!!

[bezoar]

Unfortunately, I had teachers with little to no enthusiasm -- but Mr. Wizard on TV -- now that was a different story.  Very cool.

[MayoFlyFarmer (OP)]

Yeah, all of my friends grew up on Mr. Wizzard.  I didn't have cable TV so I maybe watched him once.  And I was a bit old for Bill Nye The Science Guy, or Beakman's World.  But there were a lot of really low-budget, but really cool science programs on public television that I watched.  OOO.... and is anyone here a former 3-2-1-Contact junkie??  Man what I would give to get my hands on some old episodes of that show (actually I think my mom, the teacher has some, but still.... hmm... maybe I'll call her and ask her to make me copies!!)

If I met you in a scissor-fight, I'd cut off both your wings; on principle alone!!