13: Social Issues as Contexts for Science and Technology Education

My interest in involvement with social issues dates back to the 1940s and my high school experiences. As class valedictorian and student government president, leadership in terms of school issues and concerns was a top priority—tempered only by my desire to excel with respect to grades. I found, though, that being a concerned citizen brought recognition—and perhaps reasons for achieving success—albeit measured traditionally in terms of repeating information provided by teachers and texts. It was a matter of doing what others directed—often without question and/or reason. This was not so, however, with respect to leadership and social improvements in a rural Iowa school and tiny community. I decided early (when a middle school student) that I wanted to teach.