During club time in Seventh Grade, I joined the Science Club with Mr. Gabriel Walker. He was young; he was cool; and in science class, he did experiments every Friday. I always looked forward to what he was going to do. After years, of 'book science' with nuns, it was neat to see experiments using bunsen burners glowing, cans of evaporating water being destroyed, test tubes bubbling away and plants flourishing around the room. My interest in science had its birth in this classroom and continued to thrive throughout my high school years. I don't think I got a grade below an A in any of my science classes over those 4 years. I even started college as a Biology major, but that 'life' was short-lived. Did you have a favorite high school class or activity?
I still want to run and hide at the very mention of science. My favorite high school instructor was Ralph Coaster, a cool young(ish) public speaking teacher who also supervised the radio station and was the forensics coach. He had a great way of teaching interpretive speech: having students read popular songs out loud in front of the class. Reading/interpreting "Jukebox Hero" to 30 teenagers is something you don't forget. (Or hearing a classmate interpret "Love Stinks, for that matter.)
ReplyDeletebelle couleur dans les tubes,une expérience de boisson ? ;o)). A l'ecole , j'adorais les mathematiques.
ReplyDeleteif only all teachers could engage their students this way...
ReplyDeletei loved theater class and performing in school productions!
I agree I think teachers have the power to either absorb you in a subject or turn you right off, I loved English, French and maths. You were lucky Birdman to have such a great science teacher.
ReplyDeleteart and english ruled me in high school. :)
ReplyDeleteGreat post, Birdman. I adored junior high and senior high, all classes, all teachers. I believed beyond doubt that I was the luckiest gal in Jackson, Mississippi, because I those teachers were doing a job they were called to do, teach. Talk about tweaking students' interests, they did it! I thank all of them for nourishing my curiosity, a trait that endures daily.
ReplyDeleteYou were lucky to have that teacher. I loved English classes, but science experiments intrigued me, too. Didn't like the memorizing tho.
ReplyDeleteHumm, Never had a favorite class. In fact I can only remember one teachers name and she was my fifth grade teacher. I do remember my football, wrestling and baseball coaches names. No I did not become a pro athlete. It amazes me the recall you have for names of your youth. I suppose it could be that if I saw an A for a class I would have thought I was a real student. I suppose that says something about me and my public education.
ReplyDeleteNice photo. I am embarrassed to confess that I liked just about all classes and teachers. I marvel that I went to s high school in a nowhere town and got such a good education. The town focused its best resources on its best students, which might not be fair, but sure benefited me.
ReplyDeleteI loved science too! My dad even bought me a wonderful science set and I pretty much tried ever experiment in it in the first week I had it.
ReplyDeleteI loved school and school work. We had a new science/math building with very nice chemistry labs. It really spurred my interests. I did not pursue the sciences but I do have a chem.eng. daughter... and do not understand what she is talking about!
ReplyDeleteBises,
Genie
It's amazing how influential a teacher can be. My math and science teachers sad to say were not in the least bit interesting to me, but how I loved the enthusiastic and humane English and speech teachers! Influenced my college major and my professional career.
ReplyDeleteI loved Earth Science as a freshman - great teacher with lots of energy and enthusiasm. Definitely presented the material in a fun and interesting way. My best teachers were my math teachers, though math always proved to be my most difficult subject. I had one teacher for Algebra II and trig., and he did everything that he could to help me to succeed (in the days before anyone was using calculators!!). My favorite teacher of all time? Well, that would be my 3rd grade teacher who, ironically, ended up being your cousin! It was great to reconnect with her 40-some odd years after having last seen her!!
ReplyDeleteI would have to say Art and Metal shop. Fun shot.
ReplyDeleteI can't tell you my favorite high school activity...
ReplyDeletewow! why did you quit biology!?
ReplyDeletethats what i like about science; just doing experiments and see what comes out of it.. thats what im being paid for, and hope to do for a while longer... :)
but at high school, during chemistry, we had all these jars with different chemicals, and we liked to just randomly mix whatever to see what nice color it would turn... once we made the entire classroom smell like rotten eggs because of that. and only later i realized how dangerous just mixing stuff could have been, but how did we know! :)
We got in trouble for roasting marshmallows over the bunsen burners when the teacher stepped out of the room.
ReplyDeleteNo, not science for me. Although I did obscenely well (98%) in my grade 12 chemistry; obscene because I fell asleep in classes and understood none of it, it was all just logic to me. English was my favorite subject (as well as music and phys ed) and about a year ago I reconnected with my favorite high school teacher.
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