Science Autobiography Blogger Post #1

Recalling the earliest memories I have pertaining to the subject area of science can relate back to when I was a small child. Before I was enrolled in a preschool program, I remember my parents engaging me in "scientific" experiments related to bubbles, gravity, and trial-and-error situations. As a toddler, I briefly remember these times, but I can recall that my parents would always explain why things reacted and/or happened in the fashion in which they occurred around me. Once I became enrolled in an educational program, I rarely remember any mention of this content area. It wasn’t until elementary school that I truly remember being taught from any sort of science curriculum. Whilst growing up, my family and I were avid museum goers and would visit the Museum of Science and Industry in Chicago, Illinois. I remember making spinners, experimenting with Rube Goldberg contractions, and being enthralled with each exhibit the museum had to offer.
            As my educational career advanced, I remember learning about the different components of animal and plant cell anatomy in the sixth grade. During my junior high years, I was enrolled in the accelerated science program at my school. During these years, I attended the science camp program offered throughout the summer and engaged in multiple science experiments related to genetics, chemistry, and the molecular composition of the human anatomy. As I entered high school, I continued on the accelerated track and took honors biology, chemistry, forensics, anatomy, and was an intern at the local hospital my senior year of high school. During my internship, I shadowed working in the cardiac, ortho/neuro/peds, and intensive care unit at the hospital. During this time, I decided against going into the medical field based on the emotional aspect and connection one develops when working with sick children and the terminally ill. Overall, I have had wonderful “training” in both formal and informal scientific settings throughout my life.          
  I guess you could say that I have always had an interest in science, yet it saddens me to see little to no science integrated into my clinical settings. After having such positive experiences with science during my school years, I would love to bring that into my future classroom. Although I plan on teaching kindergarten, science can be incorporated in numerous ways, even with such a young group of students. I feel that all children should be exposed to all of the various subjects taught in school, rather than just primarily reading, writing, and math. Based on my past experiences, I plan on not only teaching my students the importance of science, but creating hands-on experiences that they will remember for the rest of their lives. I want to be the kind of teacher who makes learning fun, not tedious and boring. My teaching philosophy pertains to the dedication and commitment I have when integrating scientific experiments and activities into the classroom. I want my students to ask me questions, yet use the skills I have taught them in order to reach the appropriate answer.Any teacher can print off worksheets for their students to fill out, but when working with young children, it is of the utmost importance to create rich, nurturing experiences that can be translated onto their future academic experiences.           
 Although I was born and raised Catholic, I have always had an interest in science, with the exception of the Theory of Evolution. For obvious reasons, I do believe that some theories are not as valid as they are claimed to be. I only say this based on my personal experiences with my faith and my religious upbringing. I have tried to fathom the possibility of us evolving from apes, but I question why apes are still here, roaming among us if we did, in fact, evolve from them. Wouldn’t this mean that monkeys would no longer be a viable species? As with any subject, I feel that it is important to question the parameters in which you are given. For me, personally, certain theories clash with my personal, religious beliefs and that’s okay. All people have different beliefs and I respect their opinions, even if they are different from my own. I want to make this fact known to my students. The beauty of differences is to learn from one another and to embrace them. I hope that I can effectively translate this mantra to my future students.           
 I hope that my background experiences will only enhance the passion I have for this content area. I want to bring different perspectives to the table and allow for my students to question, converse, and explore the meanings that different lessons have to offer. I hope to incorporate my past lesson plans into the future curriculum, as well as modifying the activities to fit the needs and developmentally appropriate practices that my students require. As seen below, the following diagram illustrates the similarities and differences between a plant and animal cell, a lesson I remember learning years ago. This chart can be modified for any grade level based upon the context and depth in which it is taught. For kindergarten, I would ask the children questions pertaining to the different shapes and colors seen in each cell, as well as briefly defining the main components of each cell. For example, I would point to the cytoplasm seen in each cell and would define it as, "a jelly-like substance that helps hold the cell together." I could pass around jello, with fruit inside of it, to demonstrate how the cytoplasm holds the "organelles" together. The children would touch and feel the consistency of this homemade "cytoplasm." I would then ask the students to describe their observations by incorporating adjectives that we have recently gone over in language arts.