William Sanford Nye

“ You see, something has happened where science education has been viewed as a special interest, something that is hardly different from farmers that grow a specific crop in a specific part of the country. ”

“ You see, science starts with observation and then it goes through something we often call the scientific method and so on. But it starts with an interest, with being inspired. And so we have to change this. We have to make it easier for science teachers to do their job. ”

“ So we have to make it so that someone graduating from, let us say, engineering school, instead of choosing to go to work for a very good software company might instead choose to become a science teacher. In order to do that, you have to pay people. ”

“ And I will just tell you right now national standards have to include evolution. The underlying idea in all of geology, the fundamental idea, the big discovery in all of geology is plate tectonics. Plate tectonics is a great idea. ”

“ Something is wrong with No Child Left Behind and it is not in anyone's interest to not fix it.
The thing that has happened is science teachers have to be held accountable in exhausting ways. They have to administer tests. They have to do assessments. They have to file reports for officials. And they cannot do the one thing, the one thing that made me go into science, and certainly my science teachers, they do not have time right now to inspire. ”

“ And I admit we have to cut the dead wood. There are certain teachers that are not holding up their end of the bargain. And I know we have to negotiate with teaching unions and so on, but that has also got to be done. ”