Scientific Me

                                              
          I always enjoyed science and the outdoors when I was younger and I owe a lot of that to my old neighbors. My neighbors were scientists at the Museum of Natural History and they studied different salamanders- they even had a few of their own at home. I used to always run next door to see Gladys...that was the name of my favorite salamander! My brother and I would always beg to go to the museum with them to be able to see where they worked and get to see the labs in which they worked! I was amazed about how many lizards, frogs and salamanders they had in their offices! One of their co-workers even let his Tortoises just wander around the halls! They made science and research seem so exciting and fun that I was certain I wanted to be just like them when I grew up!

In their backyard, they had what my brother and I called "the frog pond." It was this little home made pond- probably not even 3' by 3', where many frogs lived. I became quite intrigued with frogs at a young age and would always want a closer look at them in their habitat- one day I got so close to the frogs- that I fell in the pond with them! From that day on, I always look out for frogs and smile to myself about that time I took a dip with them!

        One of my fondest memories of Science in school was around 3rd or 4th grade. It was the first
science fair I would be participating in and I wanted to make sure that I had an exciting project. That project ended up being one of the classic project choices- the baking soda and vinegar volcano! I had so much fun creating the project- from start to finish! The project I created closely resembled this one:

                                                        

I remember this project being a hit with not only me but also with all of my friends at school. This was the first time I had worked on a science project outside of school and really enjoyed it. The whole aspect of combining baking soda and vinegar together to create a chemical reaction was so exciting. I can also remember when I was in Kindergarten, we had the life cycle experiment with the butterflies. When they first arrived to the class, they were caterpillars then after a week or so they became bigger caterpillars. Then after that, they started to crawl to the top of the net cage and create their chrysalis. I loved watching them spin themselves into their chrysalis! Eventually, the caterpillars would transform into butterflies within their chrysalises and then emerge as butterflies. This whole process was just amazing for me at that age! After a few days of flying around in the cage, we all went outside as a class and set them free. I was so upset to see them go that I remember going home and looking on leaves for caterpillar eggs, with the hopes that I could have my own science experiment at home. I wasn't able to find any eggs but I begged my parents for the butterfly kit so we could watch the process at home. Eventually I got it and got to see the whole process all over again! I now work in a Kindergarten classroom and love seeing the students have the same fascination with this life cycle as I did when I was their age!

What really changed Science for me, was a great Biology teacher I had in 10th grade. Ms. Salvati was wonderful teacher and had such interest and enthusiasm for the subject, that it was contagious! I loved all of the labs we did in that class and how she made all of the information so easy to understand. While many people in my class thought the idea of dissecting a fetal pig was gross- I couldn't wait to start! I also enjoyed learning about the cell process and being able to examine them under the microscope. Ms. Salvati and my neighbors influenced me with their love for science to start out college as a Biology major. However, the science teachers I had in college were nothing like Ms. Salvati. They were very boring and seemed unenthused about the subject. My one Genetics professor was the last straw. He had no excitement the entire semester and just lectured straight from the textbook. I could not keep up with the material and was loosing interest very quickly. The material became very intense and complicated to me and I decided to change majors. Sometimes, I wish I had stuck with it. However, the Professors I experienced in the Science department did not seem as enthused as my previous teachers once had. Since I had a good amount of credits in the sciences, I decided to pursue a Forensics minor during my undergrad. I really enjoyed all of those classes, especially the labs, where we tested fingerprints and compared DNA!

To me, science is the discovery of new things and a dynamic subject. Whether it is inside or outside of the classroom, science is ultimately all around us! That discovery may be made through reading about a scientific theory, or actually witnessing it in person. Science is ever changing and developing. Throughout our lifetime, science will continue to expand and we will learn about so much more. Science is exciting and fun but also confusing and hard. Science is useful, as it can help cure diseases, lead to vaccines and help society in general. It is also very important, which is why Science needs to be taught from young ages, whether it be experiments about the five senses to high school students in physics learning about the concept of gravity.

Science always intrigued me because so much of it is hands on and experimental. I loved being able to see the changes in life, mix solutions together, examine cells under a microscope, etc. When I get my own elementary class, I hope to inspire my students like my neighbors and former teachers have. Although, I did not end up with a Biology degree, I know that I will enjoy my time teaching science to my students. I can't wait to be able to share my interest and excitement of science and discovery with my students. Being able to see their eyes light up when a butterfly hatches or when they participate in their first science fair will be such a rewarding experience! I don't want to become like the professors I had in college who were just there to dish out the material to us. I want to keep my students interested and intrigued in the world of science. I want them to have that drive to continue their own experiments at home and look forward to learning about all science has to offer. There is just so much for them to discover in the subject of science. Science needs to be hands on, minds on experience for students- of all ages. Science is not meant to be only read about, yet instead experimented with and observed. It is important for students to feel like they are scientists and a part of figuring out a solution to a problem or observing the changes in something. Once that happens, they will have that stronger connection to the subject and want to do more with it. Many students find science difficult and I want to try my best to make all my students comfortable with the subject.

This Scientific Me project has allowed me to reflect on all of my science experiences both in and out of school. I hope that these experiences will shape who I become as an individual and teacher. I can only hope to inspire my students like I have been inspired. This project will help me create my own philosophy of science education statement by the completion of this course. I look forward to see where science in the classroom will lead my students and me.