I grew-up during an age in which we put men on the moon. The sky was literally the limit. At the time, I thought by now that we would have traveled throughout the solar system. We haven’t gone back to the moon since I was a young child. Alas, space travel has its limitations. It is dangerous. It is expensive. It requires immense manpower. But it is an audacious goal. The human race is one that ventures forth. It is hardwired into our veins – To go where no man has gone before.
I can name about five hundred and one things which are better than standardized assessments. Watching a live NASA or Space X launch is one of those. It easily works into just about any curriculum in any subject. By giving students the opportunity to see a rocket launch into space, we are opening up the world of science and engineering. I talk a lot about creativity. A rocket, breaking the speed of sound as it races into space, is the very epitome of every level of Bloom’s taxonomy.
In a real sense, when students are watching a launch, they are watching Christoper Columbus set sail to an unknown world. They are watching humanity take a step to the stars. The rich conversations which result are well worth the time taken to watch.
We ask our student to “dare to dream.” Why not show them an exemplar of the process.
