What is this ‘machine’? Any guesses? Hang onto your hat. It’s not what you think.
The mechanization of the ‘human body’ sounds cold and calculated to me; which I am not. I don’t like referring to my body as a machine. Nor does my Tai Chi Master. However, much of the scientific world does:
“The human body is the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence. No one understands all of its many mysteries; and no single source can do justice to its many parts.” - Education World
This being said, why the heck can’t I find any Human Body System curriculum in the ‘New Standards for a New Generation K-12 Science Education‘? I looked and looked to find reference to ‘Human Body System’ education in these Standards from the ‘National Science Standards’ and could find nothing. Why, when no one seems to understand all of its many mysteries; and no single source can do justice to its many parts, is there no Human Body System curriculum in the National Science Standards? Would you check and see if I overlooked it?
I have a teacher friend. She said I could quote her ‘anonymously:
“Learning about our bodies and how they work is one of the most important things we can learn in science class. I think I’ve learned more about it once I needed to understand how my body was malfunctioning (and that of my friends & family). There’s no standard that addresses “you are what you eat.” I wish I could create lessons about “stop eating processed foods because….” or “an acidic body, cancer, and you” or “there’s wheat flour and sugar in everything you eat” or “eat organic or else.” You get the jist, I’m sure. Our 7th graders have been studying the different systems in our body this semester, but it really is just an intro-level. I was lucky enough to be given a lot of control over the curriculum teaching in bush Alaska so during biology I emphasized (read-spent more time on) the human body systems.”
Her 7th grade class gets ‘just an ‘intro-level’ reference to the Human Body System! Ask your child how many joints are in her/his hand. Or, do you know? I didn’t until I took Tai Chi. Knowing so little about the human body, is there any wonder there is ever increasing suffering and disease in the world? What else can we expect when the Human Body System is invisible or just a footnote in our educational institutions! Oh, you say education about our bodies should be left up to the parents? Really? The majority of parents have not been educated about their bodies. Talking about ones body in my household was ‘Taboo’, and I suspect it was the same in most households.
How can we expect parents to address a topic considered to be the most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence, with no one understanding all of its many mysteries; and no single source doing justice to its many parts? Considering this, how can we expect parents to educate their children about the Human Body System? The majority of the population does not know how their bodies work or how to take care of them. When the curriculum set by our National Science Standards contains little or no reference to our Human Body System, how has this lack of knowledge affected the human race and continues to affect us?
Want to know our Next Generation of Science Standards focus?
“To address the critical issues of U.S. competitiveness and to better prepare the workforce, A Framework for K-12 Science Education proposes a new approach to K-12 science education that will capture students’ interest and provide them with the necessary foundational knowledge in the field.”
Hmm, am I the only one who believes this field of focus is a little one sided? Let me get this straight. The Next Generation of Science Standards intend on providing our children with a ‘foundation of knowledge’ to assist businesses in being more competitive and to better prepare our children to work for businesses. Is that right? Yes, I think it’s important for the U.S. to be ‘competitive’ and that we have a ‘prepared workforce’. However, I’m not sure this field should be the ‘foundational knowledge’ of our children. How is ‘U.S. competitiveness’ and a ‘prepared workforce’ more critical than the ‘most fascinating and fantastic machine in existence; where apparently ‘no one understands all of its many mysteries; and no single source can do justice to its many parts’?
Who the heck is supporting these ‘New Standards’? They are businesses, scientists and educators, and the public. In order to get the full picture of whose interests these standards are benefiting, you would need to get beyond the names. We know DuPont, Chevron and Eli Lilly. Do these businesses have our children’s best interests in mind? Do we want this Next Generation of Science Standards focus to be ’U. S.competitiveness’ and a ‘prepared workforce’? Or something more? I don’t have children. However, the first thing that comes to mind is that I’d like all children to be healthy, unafraid and strong. The Human Body System should not be ‘mysterious’. The Human Body System should not be ‘invisible’ or just a footnote in our curriculum.
It is imperative that our ‘Next Generation of Science Standards’ place equal emphasis on educating our children about The Human Body System; there must be a single source who can do justice to its many parts. We are deserving of no less! Doing so will enhance and insure a healthy body (and Mind) for every child.
When I was growing up, talking about my body or anyone’s body was taboo. And now, 65 years later, it’s still pretty much the same story. Why are we so afraid of leaning about how our bodies work? Why do the majority of schools barely allow an ‘intro-level’ about the Human Body System? The human body should be the foundation of our reading, writing and arithmetic! Then, as we grow, we understand our importance. We grow with the knowledge of how best to maintain our bodies. We grow to have health and skills to better enter the workforce and help our businesses become more competitive. A people who have complete knowledge about their Human Body System is a healthy, strong and happy people. A people who can make better choices to maintain their health is the ultimate key to our nations critical problems!
Happy Educational Trails!
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