The problem is not scientifically illiterate kids; it is scientifically illiterate adults. Kids are born curious about the natural world. They are always turning over rocks, jumping with two feet into mud puddles and playing with the tablecloth and fine china.
Interpretation
The lack of scientific understanding stems more from adults than from children, who are naturally curious and eager to explore.
Neil Degrasse Tyson emphasizes that the root issue regarding scientific literacy lies not with children, who inherently possess a curiosity about the world around them, but rather with adults who may lack the same enthusiasm for scientific inquiry. His reflection reminds us that education should foster this curiosity throughout life and not let it diminish with age.
In practice
In a school assembly discussing the importance of fostering curiosity in students.
The problem is that many people operate on the assumption that NASA should go to Congress every year with hat in hand and justify it every year. Well, I see it as the greatest economic driver that there ever was. Economic drivers don't need justification.
The press still thinks [global warming] is controversial. So they find the 1% of the scientists and put them up as if they're 50% of the research results. You in the public would have no idea that this is basically a done deal and that we're on to other problems, because the journalists are trying to give it a 50/50 story. It's not a 50/50 story. It's not. Period.
As a scientist, I want to go to Mars and back to asteroids and the Moon because I'm a scientist. But I can tell you, I'm not so naive a scientist to think that the nation might not have geopolitical reasons for going into space.
In just one year, the expenditure of of the U.S.'s military budget is equivalent to the entire 50-year running budget of NASA combined.
One of my great laments is that education today seems to have... be less about passion and more about process, more about tactic or technique.
Lots of people think, well, we're humans; we're the most intelligent and accomplished species; we're in charge. Bacteria may have a different outlook: more bacteria live and work in one linear centimeter of your lower colon than all the humans who have ever lived. That's what's going on in your digestive tract right now. Are we in charge, or are we simply hosts for bacteria? It all depends on your outlook.
The normal curve is a distribution most appropriate to chance and random activity. Education is a purposeful activity and we seek to have students learn what we would teach. Therefore, if we are effective, the distribution of grades will be anything but a normal curve. In fact, a normal curve is evidence of our failure to teach.
Our youth should also be educated with music and physical education.
Good writers are those who keep the language efficient. That is to say, keep it accurate, keep it clear.
You have no idea how unimportant is all that the teacher says or does not say on the surface, and how important what he himself is as teacher.
If a nation's literature declines, the nation atrophies and decays.
The pupil who is never required to do what he cannot do, never does what he can do.
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