ABSTRACT
The category of people who call themselves science teachers—and I include myself among them—is filled with thoughtful individuals who sincerely want to do a good job in teaching science to students. As science teachers, we want our students to solve problems, think critically, and have a depth of understanding about big scientific ideas and important science practices. We also take seriously our responsibility to the scientific community to ensure that generations of hard-won knowledge gets passed along to the future with fidelity. Many of us cannot resist cultivating in our students the same sense of wonder about the world that we ourselves feel when we are engaged in science. And we think long and hard about the reasons why first-rate science teaching is not happening everywhere and for all students.
