• Question: see when you were at high school was there a teacher that made you positive to be a scientist or did you just like it on your on terms !!!????????????

    Asked by craigr07 to Anouk, Chris, Judith, Leisha, Seyyed on 11 Jun 2012.
    • Photo: Anouk Gouvras

      Anouk Gouvras answered on 11 Jun 2012:

      A bit of both I think. Yes I did have a few good teachers that made things interesting. But they also were strict and made us work hard. Which sometimes meant that I didn’t enjoy the lessons as much. But I did learn a lot from them. But most often it was other people, outside of school, that I liked hearing from. They would tell me something about how something worked, or where something came from. And that interested me. It wasn’t stressful, I didn’t have to memorize it and I wasn’t tested on it. I just had to listen. My parents took me to museums, my great uncle would visit us from australia and tell us about the wildlife there, my aunt is a biology teacher in greece and she would talk to us about science. My friends would read something and tell me about it. Then I would read things too. That all influenced me.

    • Photo: Judith Sleeman

      Judith Sleeman answered on 11 Jun 2012:

      I always liked science and our science teachers were fine but when I was thinking of taking science ‘A’ levels, one of my science teachers told me I would be better to do arts subjects because girls didn’t usually do well at science after ‘O’ level/ standard grade/ GCSE. That’s partly why I left that school and went to a sixth form college instead. There I had a brilliant biology teacher who, instead of just telling us facts, would tell us how an experiment was done and what the results were and get us to explain what this meant. Not just in the practical classes, but in all our lessons. It really got me interested in what I suppose you would call the ‘scientific method’ and made me see the world as a series of puzzles to be solved. I also remember doing a project clambering about on the roof of the bike-sheds to cut off chunks of moss for the ‘sunny side’ and the ‘shady side’ to find out if different creatures lived on the two sides and to try and explain why. Then I was hooked! So, a mixed bag of teachers which, I’m sure, is fairly typical. I won’t name the chauvinist, but my ‘A’ level biology teacher was called Dr Smart.

    • Photo: Chris Kettle

      Chris Kettle answered on 12 Jun 2012:

      Having a teacher that is excited by science, and is maybe a little crazy too, can help to spark your interest. You probably have to have a little interest yourself but having a great teacher can make all the difference. Its rewarding for the teachers too. If you go and excel in a field that they have taught you then when you return to school with your PhD they can’t help but be happy for you.

      I’m guessing you are scottish Craig? The “See” at the start of the question gave it away..

    • Photo: Leisha Nolen

      Leisha Nolen answered on 12 Jun 2012:

      I have always liked science. I remember standing and watching a mouse be dissected when I was 5 years old and thinking it was great. Of course a good teacher can make all the difference in the world. Someone who is super boring and MAKES you fall asleep is going to make you like science less, and someone who get you jumping around and excited will make you like science more!

    • Photo: Seyyed Shah

      Seyyed Shah answered on 18 Jun 2012:

      I liked science before I learnt about it at school. When I was young, I had an interest in wildlife. I would pick up stones in the garden and look at all the insects and other creepy crawlies that were moving around. My uncle really inspired me when I was young. He taught me about different insects, and how they lived.

      At school (years 9 to 11), I had a great science teacher. She was one of the best teachers I have ever had. The teacher put a lot of effort into her lessons, and she taught us in different ways. Talking, giving notes, setting questions and practicals. So, the lessons were very balanced.

      Not all scientists have had inspiration from a teacher. Albert Einstein was not very bright at school, and the teachers thought he wouldn’t get very far. But later, he developed an interest in science and became a very famous scientist.

      If you have an interest in something, having good role models like teachers, friends and relatives is a bonus. But, determination and hard work are the most important things.

      Good luck – and I very much hope you do well in your future studies and career.

Comments

  • Photo: Karen

    Karen commented on :

    I’ve always liked science but my interst in making a career out of it came when someone visited the school to talk about their research. That’s one of the reasons I love going into schools to talk about my work. Do you have a inspirational teacher?