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How to Say Thank You to That Special Teacher

By Blog Editor Susan Wells

Every time I help out in the classroom, I am in awe of what my children’s teachers do every day. Not only do they have the responsibility of molding, shaping and educating young minds, but they also must deal with a constant influx of small issues. One child wants to share what they did over the weekend; another lost an earring and their ear hole will close in five minutes if it isn’t located; another is sitting at their desk without a pencil or the ability to locate another; another needs a book;  someone else left their lunch at home; and another is wandering aimlessly around the classroom. Let’s not also forget the meeting at the coat rack about why someone can’t play with the others at recess. And that is just in the first five minutes of the day.

Teachers wipe noses, bandaid boo boos, soothe hurt or upset feelings, go on search and rescue missions, serve as a mediator along with trying to educate young minds.

Even though both my mother and father were teachers, teaching is not in my blood. I know I’d
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Boy Scouts Become Mad Scientists to Earn Science Merit Badge

Twenty-one Boy Scouts from the Mesa, Arizona area recently came together to earn a Merit Badge in Nuclear Science. Yes, Nuclear Science.

This lesson wasn’t as easy as it sounds.

The scouts built electroscopes and cloud chambers to earn their badge.

They also had to learn about radiation, radiation hazards, radiation safety; define terms like “atom,” “gamma ray,” & “beta particle;” construct a 3-D model of an element from the periodic table; and discuss modern particle physics and how nuclear energy is used to make electricity. That’s just the first four bullet points in the checklist of requirements.

Here’s one of the bullet points from the checklist –

Using a radiation survey meter and a radioactive source, show how the counts per minute change as the source gets closer to or farther from the radiation detector. Place three different materials between the source and the detector, then explain any differences in the measurements per minute. Explain how time, distance, and shielding can reduce an individual’s radiation dose.

This isn’t
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