From The Editor's Desk
From the Editors’ Desk: What comes after the March for Science?
In April 2017, a March for Science is planned in Washington, D.C. and several other locations around the United States and the world. I’ve been thinking long and hard about this march and all that it entails.
With so many different issues arising from our current cultural and political reality—issues relating to race, gender, economics, access, the environment (among others; I could spend a whole page listing them)—the broad issue of “science” or “STEM” seems slightly out of place. And while a march can bring people together, as we saw with the Women’s March on Washington and the myriad satellite marches in January, it also often raises the question of “what next?” As of late, the next step has involved contacting governmental representatives, monetarily supporting action groups, and writing on blogs or social media with the goal of educating others. All of these are worthy efforts, but as a science educator, I know that experiences are what help people learn.
From the Editors’ Desk: Teachers Telling Truth
We’re in a time in our national consciousness in which, one of my students recently noted, no one is listening and everyone is waiting for the opportunity to speak.
It certainly felt that way at a rally in my hometown this winter when a young woman took the microphone and was initially too quiet to hear. The crowd rustled, many people shouting brusquely for the speaker to get louder. One gentleman, standing behind me, told her at the top of his lungs to use her “big girl voice.”
