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High-tech subjects such as space exploration and spacecraft design seem light years away from student's everyday lives. Lack of resources, lack of technology, and sometimes lack of vision of what the future might hold can be formidable obstacles to overcome when we attempt to expand our student's horizons beyond Earth.
As a participant in the Mars Pathfinder Landing Site Workshop, I discovered the incredible benefits that a partnership between scientists, engineers, and educators can reap for our citizens of the future. Last September, in preparation for the July 1997 Pathfinder landing on Mars, I was one of thirteen educators who joined scientists and engineers in eastern Washington's Channeled Scabland.
The field trips, the overflight of the area, and the technical presentations at the workshop were extremely stimulating. Educators immersed in daily lessons, grading papers, and classroom management often lose touch with the exciting discoveries being made by scientists. For me, however, the interaction between the diverse participants was the most memorable and energizing aspect of the experience.
The landing site workshop was an excellent reminder that we, as educators, prepare our students for careers in scientific fields and that scientists must stay connected with educators to help make our teaching relevant and current. However, few of the educators I talked with had any inkling that future planetary geologists, astrophysicists, or exobiologists are present in their classrooms each day.
I have had many opportunities to share my experiences with teachers, students, parents, and other members of our community. I find that regardless of age, everyone is interested in the space program and its projects.
When educators are given the opportunity to connect with the scientific community, as we did on the Pathfinder field trips, the possibilities for realistic education are boundless. My wish for educators at all levels is that they can experience, firsthand, the possibilities and excitement of our future. It is a great time to be an educator, especially in rural Idaho!