Middleschool Science Class

[Cool Beans]

Yesterday, 6th graders at Gaudet Middle school in Middletown, during science class are introduced to microscopes and given plastic slides to view through the microscope.

But instead of amoebas and such, what do you think they see? Tiny pictures of Barak Obama! What the hell is that? How much did the school spend on microscopic pics of Obama? What scientific value does this have?

Spence feel free to tell me that I am over reacting, but this is absolute BS!! It serves no value but to "brainwash" these kids!

[Raven]

but getting (renting) the head of a pin that has a huge inscription on it would be even more costly. They would not understand that the microscopic life in a living sample of water is something we drink every day or need to be told that many skin creatures live on our bodies and horrify them in the process. Instead they look at something incredibly small that they can relate to and have seen before elsewhere. President OBAMA whether you like him or appose him is still our president so i would not consider that brainwashing unless they had all of the class sign a paper to be the future Democrats of America.

[cape2fish]

Cool beans, I agree with what Raven had to say and would add that microscopes are actually very hard for young people to learn to use properly. They sometimes have a hard time looking into the eyepiece in a relaxed way and rather try to focus their eyes on the eyepiece rather than looking into infinity. This makes it hard to see the sample. If they use a binocular setup they sometimes can not see through both eyepieces because the student's interpupilary distance is smaller than the microscope's. Therefore having a static image of something familiar is a great idea because they now know what the sample should look like and not have to guess if they are seeing what a teacher is describing to them. That way they can concentrate on learning how to use the microscope and not get distracted by a cool sample. I just hope that they graduated to more interesting microscopic samples!

For full disclosure I teach microscopy techniques and use microscopes daily.

[saltfly]

Yes he is the president........BUT.It's a science class.Why can't a picture of a scientist[s] be used?The kids my not recognize them at first but how about a lesson with pictures of the scientists and what their contribution to science has been.That would be more in line with SCIENCE.I'm not buying it!

[Cool Beans]

Originally Posted by saltfly

Yes he is the president........BUT.It's a science class.Why can't a picture of a scientist[s] be used?The kids my not recognize them at first but how about a lesson with pictures of the scientists and what their contribution to science has been.

EXACTLY!! That would be great!!!

[Raven]

there is no higher related field of science than that!

Quote:

Professor John Hart at the University of Michigan is highlighting his persona in something very, very small, by creating a series of microscopic portraits he calls "nanobamas."

Hart works at the Department of Mechanical Engineering, where research into carbon nanotubes is performed. Nanotubes were used to create the portraits, each about a half-millimeter across. The portraits are so small that an electron microscope is needed to photograph them.

Carbon nanotubes are a super-material that promise to let us to do everything from climb buildings to take an elevator into space. This particular use is rather less practical, but Hart's hope was that creating these nanobamas would increase awareness for his field of research. But, with the current economic downturn, the ongoing war in Iraq, and dozens of other crises facing the President-to-be, we think it's going to take something a little...bigger to capture his attention. [From: Science Daily]

for more of his art go here: http://www.nanobliss.com/

[saltfly]

That's fine.It is truely amazing what can be done.Was this part of the technology passed on to the children?

[Cool Beans]

I just don't like politics in the class rooms, these things only pop up under democrats. Any picture of any animals (puppies or kittens) or something along those lines instead of the current president, unless it was part of several presidents from the past (which this wasn't). It's middle school science not high school political science. It's bad enough that some of the teachers have Obama stickers on their desks or Obama coffee mugs. Teachers should teach the subject matter not their political beliefs.

[buckman]

It's total BS. What, the kids are too stupid to look at pond water or something. Maybe we should lay off that teacher as it seems pointless to be teaching 6th graders science now. Save the money.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Spence asked the right question.
Instead of memorizing some stuff about cells or aemobas and such, DO THEY KNOW HOW TO USE AND UNDERSTAND THE MICROSCOPE NOW? (NOT yelling, just wanted to emphasize)

how much do you remember from 6th grade science class, really... I would rather see the kids learn a good foundation of tools and thought processes..

could something better be done? maybe, probably, BUT the point is probably to keep other distractions at a minimum and teach the microscope, THEN introduce the science after the kids know how to use the tool.. at least thats how I'd do it...

CBeans, are they onto using it for an application yet? I WOULD be disappointed if they taught them the skill and just moved on...

[Cool Beans]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

Spence asked the right question.
Instead of memorizing some stuff about cells or aemobas and such, DO THEY KNOW HOW TO USE AND UNDERSTAND THE MICROSCOPE NOW? (NOT yelling, just wanted to emphasize)

So the ends justify the means? The kids could have been looking at miniature declarations of independence, zoo animals, the lords prayer, or pornography, just so they learned to use a microscope?

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

how much do you remember from 6th grade science class, really... I would rather see the kids learn a good foundation of tools and thought processes..

We used microscopes and looked at owl pellets. Yeah the girls thought it was yucky, but we saw the little bones of the creatures that were eaten by the owl. Wasn't a major life changing event, but it was educational and scientific, and not Political.

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

could something better be done? maybe, probably, BUT the point is probably to keep other distractions at a minimum and teach the microscope, THEN introduce the science after the kids know how to use the tool.. at least thats how I'd do it...

The pictures of Obama were a big distraction, many of the kids yelled "Yay! It's Obama!" and a few joking around "Obama! Obama!"

I doubt they will be using the microscope much after this and believe it was just done for the novelty effect. They had a field trip today, so no science class.

As there were several pictures all seemingly democratic aligned, I still see it as wrong and a waste of time. Politics is for High School not 6th Grade!

[spence]

Originally Posted by Cool Beans

As there were several pictures all seemingly democratic aligned, I still see it as wrong and a waste of time. Politics is for High School not 6th Grade!

I love it, the Left wants our kids shielded from religion in schools and Beans wants them shielded from our own President.

The simple fact is that kids like Barak Obama. If the point of the exercise is to learn how to use a microscope then something that excites them is going to get the job done.

Learning will occur.

Our kids will get smarter, be more excited about science and dream about inventions and discoveries.

But no, Cool Beans thinks this is all radical leftist programming.

And you think I've drank the Kool-Aid?

You sir, have completely lost it.

-spence

[Mike P]

Am I the only one here old enough to remember when a picture of the President hung in every classroom in America? No matter whether it was Ike, JFK, LBJ or Tricky #^&#^&#^&#^&?

[Backbeach Jake]

Originally Posted by Mike P

Am I the only one here old enough to remember when a picture of the President hung in every classroom in America? No matter whether it was Ike, JFK, LBJ or Tricky #^&#^&#^&#^&?

In my school the president's portrait hung beneath the flag we pledged to every morning. We didn't care if he was Dem or Rep, he was our president and represented us, like it or not. IMHO, some folks are having trouble wrapping their heads around the fact that a man of color is in the White House and since they can't scream that, they scream liberal, lefty, and marxist. He is there because the previous regiume ( I know I spelled it wrong, so don't jump on it) put this country in the hopper. And the People spoke.

[RIROCKHOUND]

The ends absolutely can justify the means, YES!

let me ask you; if they had used one of the things you mentioned, zoo animals, etc.. would you have gotten up in arms? or was it just because it was political?
(if it was 2 years ago and they looked at GWB would you have cared. )

if the teach doesn't go back and use the scopes again, shame on them, but I can see the point of teaching the way they did...

For what it's worth, I went through Gaudet many moons ago... and am fully into science as a career...

[Cool Beans]

Originally Posted by RIROCKHOUND

For what it's worth, I went through Gaudet many moons ago... and am fully into science as a career...

You don't teach 6th grade do you?

And yes, I think I would react the same with either party, unless it was a mixture of prior and current presidents. If GWB was in the class, Clinton and GW Senior should have been there too.

Political science is for High School. Before the election the 6th graders actually held little presidential debates (IN SCIENCE CLASS) where 5 kids (mine was one of the 5) debated for McCain while 26 other kids backed Obama. Politics seems to be an ongoing thing for the science class room.

[RIROCKHOUND]

Nope. I was a student, not a teacher...