My Science Story

If you asked me to describe myself, "scientist" is not one of the first words I'd use. It probably wouldn't even make the list. I never would have claimed science as a favorite subject in school. However, I think that if I expand my definitions of "science" and "scientist" I might change my mind. So, I gave this blog an optimistic name (plus I do think science is awesome!) and I have made it a goal to come to think of myself as a scientist by the end of this semester.

I actually don't remember much about science in elementary school. I remember being good at measuring liquids (because I put the measuring cup on a level surface) and good at writing middle school lab reports (because I used the phrase "and/or") but I don't remember being really excited about science.

In college, I was a psychology major. I was suprised to realize that my psych classes counted towards science requirements- I really thought "science" was what my chem major roommate was doing, not what we did in psych. We were even relegated to the basement of the science building.

When I think about it, though, part of what I loved about psychology was the science aspect of it. I liked creating experiments and working in the psych lab. I liked trying to test hypotheses and figuring out the "why" of things. In addition to psych, I have always really liked nature and being outdoors. I think this could be a part of science, too. Going hiking, you can't help but think about how long the trees have been around and how the mountains came to be. I'll call my mom to come outside and see the flock of wild turkeys crossing our street, and marvel at how the little babies have grown into big turkeys now (and what weird noises they make!).

So when I think about these things, I realize that there might be a scientist inside of me. I'm looking forward to going back to elementary school science this semester to redefine how I think of science and to think about ways to make science memorable and meaningful for my students!