Thursday, May 14, 2009

Encouragement for the Teacher of Science

I have been enjoying reading through the 1959 Faith and Practice of London Yearly Meeting. It is quite comprehensive in scope and I will most probably find many more gems for posting, but for today, as I am beginning to reflect on another year (almost completed) of teaching chemistry, I found this piece encouraging:

Science starts from wonder and the unceasing questioning of the free human spirit. The study of it enriches the mind through the fascinating and ever-widening picture of the universe that it provides, and through the understanding of its method. The enrichment is greatest to the person who is most aware of the great variety of man's approaches to his environment. Science means most, not to the person who thinks it means everything, but to the one who is most keenly aware also of man's search for beauty, his urge to create, his capacity for enjoyment of life, and his desire for personal fulfillment. The implications of this in teaching, and the quality that should be sought in teachers, must be obvious. Given a deeper understanding of the foundations of education, the increasingly large place taken by scientific instruction should be welcomed.