Thursday, September 23, 2010

Inspiring Teachers

The following is an interesting video posted on the White House's web site regarding efforts to improve STEM (science, technology, engineering, mathematics) education in the USA.

The video was "born" from a discussion of members on the president's council........."Those of us who have the privilege of serving on the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology were talking about this recently and comparing stories about our own favorite and life-changing teachers, and we had an idea: Why not make a short video in which we could tell our stories, as a means of amplifying a message we were already developing about the importance of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) education?"

I think the opinions voiced in the video are true for any profession....we have followed the paths  of our lives because at some point in our education a particular teacher made a personal, meaningful connection that inspired each of us. That teacher may have taught us English, History, Latin, or even Calculus....whatever they did they changed our lives.

My personal inspiration came from two of  my high school science teachers at Fordham Prep....one I will name and the other shall remain nameless. My biology teacher, Mr. Cornelius McCarthy, made every biology class fun and easy, with his humor and skill at simplifying the difficult. On the other hand, my chem teacher on parents' night informed my parents that I was not bright enough to pursue science as a career. I just had to prove him wrong!



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