It seems that I have been tied to education in one form or another for most of my life. My love of learning began early on with science and art classes at the Ft. Worth Museum of Science and History, in Texas. Science provided reasoning skills and art added the details to build a life centered around discovery. I understood that school was where I gained tools to use to derive understanding. I followed my interests into geology and paleontology where I began digging in the fourth dimension and piecing together the past. Science became more about sharing that about holding on to the truth for me. In the National Park Service, I shared the past with visitors. In junior college, I introduced tools to students giving them the ability to explore the past as well. In 2002, I entered the classroom and began working with high school and junior high students. For me, an understanding of science has always been about action. Activities filled the classroom and students drove the curriculum. Discovery lights up faces. I introduced them to the tools they needed and they became explorers. In the Fall of 2011, I became a STEM Instructor with the Science Center where all the activities are student driven. In January of 2015, I became an instructor of educators. Student driven exploration in all areas is possible. To quote Seymour Papert, author of Mindstorms: Children, Computers, and Powerful Ideas, “I am convinced that the best learning takes place when the learner takes charge.” Join me on this journey into the fourth dimension.
A photo with my daughter Elizabeth at the Very Large Array in New Mexico placing knowledge in her hands.
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