In which Adjunct Professor Kimberley Jong concludes his learned treaties on Science Education in schools.
I asked an expert in the Science teaching profession,
Dr Miranda Polkinghorne at work.
(Leading educator in the field) and she shrugged, before describing, (with some emotional intensity) that her crop of students are barely beyond robotic, uninspired and dis-engaged.
‘Why’? I implored.
Polkinghorne, took off her glasses and thoughtfully rubbed the bridge of her nose, ‘There’s a number of factors. Well for a start, there’s certainly bigger opportunities in Reality Television, and Real Estate. And Car Sales are booming with high end punters. The body politic are happy with things as they are at the moment, and there’s no reason to change’. She picked up a file, titled ‘Exam Results’, and continued talking resignedly whilst flicking through the markings neatly inscribed on the upper right hand corner, distinguishable by the same scrawl, ‘FAIL’.
“Science, is subversive, and in a funny way, (she stifled a laugh) it runs counter to notions of Feudalism’.
‘FEUDALISM!” I scoffed.
‘Yeah, Feudalism. As we morph into the society of the 1% and the great unwashed, pre Copernican Science sort of fits… Science like good literature encourages enquiry. But, Look here,’ she said, pointing to an Atlas, coloured half in deep red, ‘You now about Isis? The Republicans in the U.S? The Peoples Party Congress in China? The Arab Oil States? the Hindu Nationalists? Farage and Ukip? And Prince Harry?’
‘PRINCE HARRY’ I exclaimed.
‘Yup’, she said matter of factly, ‘they’re all on the side of the Brave New Feudalism’.
‘Oh!’ I exclaimed.
She continued, scratching out a ‘Pass’ and over-writing ‘Fail’ on the margin. ‘The basic experiment post Industrial Revolution is over. It’s quite simple. Capital has won over Labour. Materialism over Reason. Anxiety over Happiness. It’s a new post modern divinity of sorts. Money and Power as divine’.
‘But is that the end of society?’ I gasped.
‘Oh no,’ she replied, ‘It’s the dawn of a new era’.
‘What’s it called?’ She put the file down, considered putting it back on the desk, then threw it into the bin.
‘Well in geological terms you’ve heard of the ‘Anthropocene’, where mankind reshapes the world’.
‘Yes’, I replied flatly.
‘Well this is just called ‘The Scene’. It’s a collapse of outdated values. Human Rights. Equality. Democracy. All that stuff is replaced by ‘the Scene.’
‘The Scene’? I queried.
‘Yeah.’ She replied dully.
I leaned forward, ‘What if I may ask is ‘the Scene’ exactly’?
‘Well that’s just media jargon, it’s the preoccupation for the other 99%’
‘What’s this preoccupation then? Assuming that Capital has won over Labour etc ..etc…. ‘
‘Oh ‘the Scene’ is Reality Television’.
I looked up, gazed into those reflective brown eyes and asked, fearing the answer, ‘Are you hanging around in Science? Is there a future in this?’
‘No, Fuck No, Real Estate! The Block and My Kitchen Rules are rating their socks off. No wonder the kids are bored.
Science Sucks.’
High resolution image of a typical science teacher
Science Teacher