Bill Nye/ Ken Ham debate

For my Teaching Science K-4 class we were asked to watch the Bill Nye and Ken Ham debate of evolution vs. creation.

 Both Bill Nye and Ken Ham made very valid arguments for their opposing sides. I feel that this is a topic that will never be agreed upon. When discussing something this controversial it becomes hard for some people to talk in a professional matter. I feel that these two men kept their emotions out of the debate enough so they both remained professional. 

Ken stated 'if you teach creation in a public school that's teaching religion. If you teach evolution that's science"

This is a very important topic in schools. Many districts in our country have opted to discuss the theory of evolution as part of their curriculum. This can make some teachers uncomfortable. They think 'what should I do?' 

Science should be all about DISCOVERY! Children love doing hands on learning and actually becoming 'scientists' discovering new ideas. Let science be messy and fun not lectures that half of the children will ignore. If we constantly lecture the students will not learn and they will not enjoy science as they should! 

In my opinion, since the school districts call for evolution to be taught, I believe the teachers should teach a little bit of  evolution and a little bit of creation. By teaching this we are educating children on the diverse thinking about how the world came to be about how it is now. It should be kept simple and contain the 'facts' from each side. We should not teach these two sides to try and cause tension in the school. They should be used as a tool to help show diversity in society. 

Where do you stand as teachers, educators, parents, grandparents, citizens? 

The Power of Education

While doing homework for my teaching social studies class I read an interesting part of my book. It said :

"Please understand this: Education is power. In general, the more education people have, the more likely they are to have a well-paying job, to tolerate diverse beliefs, to vote regularly, and in other ways to participate in government and, thereby, to write the rules we live by. "(Parker, 2012)

This really got me thinking. Education is very important. Education can shape individuals as well as countries. 

Education is something that starts when you are born. From the time that we come into the world until we leave we are constantly learning. Whether it is a formal education setting or just everyday life. 

Without education people in this country are not able to grow and prosper into their dreams. Every type of job needs some type of education even if it is not formal education. 

Education really is the key component for out society to grow and prosper. 

In order to have a society that can function properly during difficult times such as war, extreme weather, and economy hardships we have to have people in charge who value education. When these leaders value education they are constantly learning and adapting what they know in order to best help the citizens they look over. 

Works Cited

Parker, W. C. (2012). Social Studies In Elementary Education, Fourteenth Edition . Boston : Pearson Education, Inc .

Does your brain need a break?

Are your students fidgeting during class? Are you tired of losing the attention of the class? 

Instead of getting frustrated and losing valuable teaching time in the classroom give the children a brain break.  A brain break is when we give the brain an opportunity to take a break. 

During this time the children can stand up and get their sillies out! There are many ways to have a brain break.

 You can have the students:

Stand up 

Take a walk outside or inside if the weather is bad

Do jumping jacks

Play Simon says 

Play a game

Do an activity with the lesson 

Sing a song

Recite a poem 

Etc 

There are many different options that you can try with your students. This will save lots of teaching time and it will also help the students better understand the lessons because they will be concentrating more on the lessons at hand. 

Brain breaks can also be known as physical breaks. This is simply because you are giving the children a chance to take a break and do something physical to get let out some energy and to get the sillies out. 

This activity can and should be used for every age student. As a college student I know that during my classes which are 2 hours and 45 minutes long it is very nice to get a 3-5 minute break every once in a while. This makes the time go a little quicker and allows the students to take a few moments to refocus on the lecture. 

Have you used brain breaks? What worked in your classroom?