I have to write a monthly article for our school newspaper (as I am the prez)....so here is my article for this month (which is science month).----------------------------------------------------------------------------
I participated in my first—and last—science fair when I was in sixth grade. My dad, the Navy Captain, was at sea, and my mom had to manage three kids on her own. As the librarian, she did not feel exactly equipped to be my science fair coach. However, since my two older brothers were super keen on math and science (my eldest brother in particular is a serious brainiac: he was a nuclear submariner in the Navy and holds two patents to his name), she called on them to help me.
My brothers were—and are—good brothers. They definitely “helped.” They began by choosing the topic I would explore: electricity. Then they did most of the research for me. After that, they built a device to measure electrical conductivity. I’m sure I was involved. I’m sure of it! I just can’t remember doing…anything, really, except handing over “operations” to them. I do remember my brothers having to teach me what my science project was about.
I won First Place at the school fair. I was also sent to the state science fair, where I won an Honorable Mention and a $50 savings bond. Boy, that was so cool to get recognized…
Deep down inside, I felt like a farce. I knew that what I was doing—what I let my brothers do—wasn’t entirely right. To this day, the entire experience makes me uncomfortable.
The good news is, I learned lessons I carry with me to this day, even though I didn’t realize some of those lessons until I became a parent myself. For starters, we parents do the best we can with the resources we have. I know, in my heart, that all of us back then—me, my mom and even my brothers--did the best we could with the resources we had at the time. My mother didn’t have the bandwidth to mentor me on a science fair project, and my brothers were probably so happy to have a legitimate reason for using their soldering iron and cathode ray tubes, they didn’t think too hard about what a sixth grader can actually do. Besides, how many 10th and 12th grade boys have the skills to know what a sixth grader is actually capable of? We did the best we could, with what we had, during that time.
Second, science fair projects should really be done by the student in whatever capacity and interest they have. Really. Adults—and older siblings—should only provide guidance. As a parent—or older brother—it is difficult to not help our kids make their projects look “professional,” or find a more “interesting/complicated” project. But at the end of the day, it’s not your lesson. It’s your child’s, and you, by allowing them to run their own project, build their confidence and feed their curiosity. As a parent, I am constantly challenged to find the right balance of guiding, but not actually doing, of encouraging, but not exactly berating, if my child’s project is a little sloppy, or not exactly “right.” I am continually searching for that “sweet spot” between distinguishing what a 1st and 3rd grader are capable of and what I know would rock everyone’s socks off.
Support is awesome, but I encourage you to let your child be the lead.
Finally? Winning—or even being recognized--when you know that you didn’t do the project, doesn’t feel right….and it sticks with you.
My brothers were—and are—good brothers. They definitely “helped.” They began by choosing the topic I would explore: electricity. Then they did most of the research for me. After that, they built a device to measure electrical conductivity. I’m sure I was involved. I’m sure of it! I just can’t remember doing…anything, really, except handing over “operations” to them. I do remember my brothers having to teach me what my science project was about.
I won First Place at the school fair. I was also sent to the state science fair, where I won an Honorable Mention and a $50 savings bond. Boy, that was so cool to get recognized…
Deep down inside, I felt like a farce. I knew that what I was doing—what I let my brothers do—wasn’t entirely right. To this day, the entire experience makes me uncomfortable.
The good news is, I learned lessons I carry with me to this day, even though I didn’t realize some of those lessons until I became a parent myself. For starters, we parents do the best we can with the resources we have. I know, in my heart, that all of us back then—me, my mom and even my brothers--did the best we could with the resources we had at the time. My mother didn’t have the bandwidth to mentor me on a science fair project, and my brothers were probably so happy to have a legitimate reason for using their soldering iron and cathode ray tubes, they didn’t think too hard about what a sixth grader can actually do. Besides, how many 10th and 12th grade boys have the skills to know what a sixth grader is actually capable of? We did the best we could, with what we had, during that time.
Second, science fair projects should really be done by the student in whatever capacity and interest they have. Really. Adults—and older siblings—should only provide guidance. As a parent—or older brother—it is difficult to not help our kids make their projects look “professional,” or find a more “interesting/complicated” project. But at the end of the day, it’s not your lesson. It’s your child’s, and you, by allowing them to run their own project, build their confidence and feed their curiosity. As a parent, I am constantly challenged to find the right balance of guiding, but not actually doing, of encouraging, but not exactly berating, if my child’s project is a little sloppy, or not exactly “right.” I am continually searching for that “sweet spot” between distinguishing what a 1st and 3rd grader are capable of and what I know would rock everyone’s socks off.
Support is awesome, but I encourage you to let your child be the lead.
Finally? Winning—or even being recognized--when you know that you didn’t do the project, doesn’t feel right….and it sticks with you.
1 comment:
As a teacher, you hit the nail on the head. This article should be in every school paper. As a parent, I know how hard it is not to want to help your child shine, or to step in and help. Even though my son is not in school yet, I still have to stop myself sometimes and let him do it himself...how else will he learn? Great article!
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