WHY Scientists and Innovators in the Schools Matters
I just heard that our government (BC Government) decided to stop supporting the Scientists and Innovators in the school organization. I have been volunteering for SIS for about eight years now. As a science educator, a scientist and a mother, I cannot understand how the government doesn’t want to spend very little money to support people who are volunteering their time and expertise to share their passion for science with children. Our visits included the visits to remote areas or even to East Vancouver. I visited about 30 schools and thousands of students and I have never experienced anything, but gratitude from the students and their teachers. SIS helped connect volunteers with schools and supported us with the gas money and minimal resources ($40 per visits for supplies). I have a lot of evidence showing how excited the students are by these visits. SIS is doing a great job and I hope our government will do what it was elected to do – to promote the well being of our citizens and supporting mathematics and science education is a big part of it. And if BC governmental officials think that there is no evidence for it, then they have to read this report by the Let’s Talk Science – showing what is the real cost of dropping mathematics and science by our students: http://www.letstalkscience.ca/our-research/spotlight2013.html And SIS is one of the organizations that is trying to address this problem! We should support SIS!!!
