The Sun and Us

The astronomer Carl Sagan said, “The cosmos is within us; we are made of star stuff; we are a way for the universe to know itself.”  This belief that the universe is within us, and that we are a part of it and its future, is an ideal that we can give our students.  However, this can only happen if we take the time to invest in our students’ whole being as students, people and future citizens.  Teaching the whole child and allowing students to grow their love of learning through sciences and arts is not only important to their growth as students, but as people.  Teachers today have the future of the world in their classrooms and have an obligation to equip them fully.

The Marginalization of Science and Social Studies in the Classroom

As science, technology, engineering and social studies are further marginalized within classrooms in inner-city school districts in the United States, we are taking the gift of passion and connectedness away from our students and diminishing the full scope of what their education and learning can be. According to the Center for Educational Policy, 28% of school districts in the U.S. have reduced science time in the classroom.¹

“This “narrowing of the curriculum” is indicative of urban and low-performing schools and is mainly a consequence of intense pressure to boost test scores (Crocco & Castigan, 2007; Spillane & Callahan, 2000; Upadhyay, 2009); unfortunately, in many states, science test scores are not part of the accountability equation.”²

The emphasis that is placed on raising standardized testing scores, comes from the widening gaps that are a result of failing to make equity, accountability and instructional level the priorities and primary focuses within our classrooms.  Many districts spend thousands of dollars of budget spending per year on Curriculum Programs, many of which take the entire day to teach.  These programs, and the time constraints that come with them, are then used as the justification for marginalizing social studies and science instructional time in our classrooms.  This is not to say that these gaps within literacy and mathematics are not important, they are, but literacy in the sciences and social studies matter greatly as well.  As Professor of Education Dr. Bettina Love was writing about renowned educator and researcher Dr. Gholdy Muhammed in the introduction of her book, Cultivating Genius, she stated the view of literacy for Dr. Muhammed and how we should all be viewing literacy education in the United States:

“…her ability to articulate why literacy is important beyond the surface of learning how to read and write, as a necessary tool for justice, equity, and a world where the humanity and dignity of those pushed to the edges of society are front and center.”³

We should be viewing literacy and mathematics as necessary; this can be addressed only through best practices teaching in literacy and mathematics through direct instruction, and not through cutting out science and social studies.  There should be time for all subjects to be taught with equity within the school day.  This way, we will allow students to know themselves and cultivate their passions for learning. In addition, schools that prioritize science instruction and accountability within their testing, do not see a decrease within areas of literacy and mathematics as a result of making space for that instruction.⁴ As districts are trained in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) practices, they can begin to implement it within the classrooms and see the major benefits to our students that it brings.  We cannot teach students to know about themselves, or about the universe they are a part of, by removing science and social studies from the classrooms; we need to emphasize these content areas immediately.