My classes have students from some of the wealthiest families in town as well as students who don't know where they will live tomorrow.
Because of the subjects I teach (Pre-AP Geometry and Astronomy), my students run the gamut from adorably eager 8th graders who come up to the high school specifically for my class to "world-weary" seniors who are itching to make their mark on the world.
All of them want and deserve an education that enables them to pursure their dreams.
My Project
In the Human Exploration unit of my Astronomy classes, I assign students to read a book about space exploration. Because getting access to a sufficient number of books is difficult, I have had to let them choose to watch videos, as well, which does not create the same effect as reading (and it's an easy way out for some of them).
Even though this is a science class, I believe that reading fiction can spark a student's imagination as to what might be possible, and may inspire them to picture themselves in the role of an explorer.
I would like to have enough books that students can have choices of good, hard-science, science fiction books. The books I have selected include classics such as Robert Heinlein's The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress and Starship Troopers, as well as more contemporary titles such as Andy Weir's The Martian and Katie Kennedy's What Goes Up.
The reason I am a math teacher today is because many years ago, I read Heinlein's Have Space Suit, Will Travel. My hope is that by bringing these books to the attention of my students, they might be inspired to go on to places they would never have imagined otherwise (whether on Earth or not).
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