Friday, November 18, 2005
How to Recruit Science Teachers to Kansas
Thanks to the unrelenting efforts of the six-member social conservative majority of the Kansas State School Board, Popular Science magazine now ranks teaching biology in Kansas as the third worst job in science -- just behind manure inspector, and human lab-rat.
Here's Robert Madison's suggestion for how we might recruit new science teachers to the state:
In December of 1901, Ernest Shackleton ran an ad in a London newspaper, to recruit men for a long, dangerous journey to Antarctica. The add read:
So, it seems to me that Kansas Citizens for Science should sponsor a series of posters, in true Shackleton spirit, that science teachers would be PROUD to hang in their classrooms! Teaching science in Kansas would become sort of an "extreme sport" type thing.
Imagine the KCFS sponsored poster which would read something like this:
Here's Robert Madison's suggestion for how we might recruit new science teachers to the state:
In December of 1901, Ernest Shackleton ran an ad in a London newspaper, to recruit men for a long, dangerous journey to Antarctica. The add read:
Men wanted for Hazardous Journey. Small wages, bitter cold, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, safe return doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.Shackleton received over 4000 replies to this add, and was able to hand-pick an "all star" crew, which, as things turned out, he would definitely need! For more on that story, check out this book: Endurance: Shackleton's Incredible Voyage
So, it seems to me that Kansas Citizens for Science should sponsor a series of posters, in true Shackleton spirit, that science teachers would be PROUD to hang in their classrooms! Teaching science in Kansas would become sort of an "extreme sport" type thing.
Imagine the KCFS sponsored poster which would read something like this:
Teachers wanted for Hazardous mission. Small wages, bitter opponents, long months of complete darkness, constant danger, board support doubtful. Honor and recognition in case of success.
