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with science education is not the order in which the sciences are introduced, but the fact that in way too many schools the science teachers are ill equipped to teach the subject, science text books are poorly written and there is a growing trend toward "science as entertainment". Too much "wow" and "gee wiz" flashy demonstrations and not enough real teaching and understanding. It's true that if you can't get students attention, they won't learn, but too often all we get is the attention - the learning part gets lost. If science is taught well in the primary schools, student will go to high school with an innate interest in the subject and not require the theatrics. Unfortunately we have our primary schools filled with elementary education majors who overwhelmingly exhibit a personal aversion to math and science. Most of these teachers avoided these subject as best they could throughout their college careers. (this tendency is well documented) In such an environment, is it any wonder that students enter high school dreading science and math and being ill prepared.
I have a few friends who are public school science teachers and, though they are very enthusiastic about their job, I'm glad I never had them as teacher's myself. The old adage that those who can do and those who can't teach applies doubly to science teachers. Anyone even modestly skilled in math and science can earn three to five times the best public school teacher's salary and with half the actual hours. Yes, there are always a few gifted people who, despite it all, will choose to teach, but a student has to be lucky to land in one of these classes.
I'm an engineer by profession and have a deep personal interest in the natural sciences (I was enrolled in a graduate biology program several years back also) so I feel I am well versed in the sciences. But I also spent quite a few years in the public schools (quite a few different ones and many well rated academically) teaching music lessons to Jr High and High School students. My own curiosity would lead me to ask my students about their science classes and I would also look through their text books. Though I was often bothered by what they said about their teachers teaching techniques, I did realize that this was second hand information through the eyes of a student. What appalled me most were the text books, especially the biology books. You could not read a page without finding at least one major technical error. Most information was presented in a "Dicovery Channel" superficial manner. Though the textbooks were new, most of the information was outdated even though they would take pains to include the latest "discoveries" but never bothering to update the core material.
We have systemic problems with our science educations that simple ordering of course material will not address. Schools must be willing to pay teachers more than simply survival wages - wage levels comparable to those of people with similar education and responsibilities in the private sector. We must give them decent hours and the support they need to do their jobs. We also must admit to ourselves that teachers in the more technically demanding subjects will have to be paid even higher wages if we are to even begin to interest those with these skills to teach. (Actually if we just paid all teachers what we now pay high school football coaches we would probably solve the problem).
School funding is not the issue, an out of control bureaucracy is. I have watched the size of public schools administrative staffs grow in the last thirty years from one administrator for each 12 to 15 teachers to ratios approaching 1 to 1 . On top of that, teachers are always trying to get into administration possition because the pay is substantially better. Even small rural schools in my area have administration buildings as large as their individual schools and that's just to house the administrators who don't have offices at the actual schools. We spend more per student in the US than just about any nation, but we pay our teachers the most poorly in relation to the general population. Is it any wonder our students always rank at the bottom in world academic standards.
Pay the teachers - fire the bureaucrats. Attract the best and the brightest. Let them be in charge because they will know what to do.
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