Arctic Wednesdays 2023: Week 2 Post-Trip Blog

 David Williams

4th Grade Teacher

Newbury Elementary School, Newbury, MA

On this blog, there are already many excellent and detailed accounts of teachers' days spent at the summit of Mount Washington. I also spent a memorable and very enjoyable day on the mountain. However, I'd like to use my blog entry to share with you a few thoughts about why this program is so valuable.  

Getting out of the classroom is important.  The odious and apparently perennial adage, “those who can, do; those who can’t, teach” makes us all see red, but the fact is that many of us could do, but probably haven’t, recently.  Teaching can be an all-consuming job, and we often just don’t have time for anything else.  Nevertheless, we all need to reconnect occasionally with the part of us that does, rather than talks about doing.  Any opportunity to engage in real-world scientific activity is welcome and there is no more real, fascinating, and important scientific activity than what is undertaken on a daily (and nightly!) basis at the Mount Washington Observatory.  Tagging along with Francis as he went about his work on the summit was a blast, as well as a vital reminder that real science is being done, every day, by real people.  If we want students to take us seriously as experts on scientific knowledge and concepts, it’s important that they see us actively engaging in scientific pursuits ourselves.  

Also, it’s vital that students get the opportunity to see real science being done, and get some idea of the passion, dedication, and hard work that is involved in any scientific undertaking.  Again, MWOBS is an exemplary resource in this regard.  Videos, pictures, and stories of staff enduring terrifying conditions to maintain instruments, collect data, and combat the ever-present rime ice convey that.  Hearing from meteorologists who spend entire weeks at a time away from everyday life to live atop the summit conveys that. And, to a lesser extent, hearing from teachers who took the time to go and experience summit life for just a day conveys that.  All of this sends the message that science is real, that science is important, and that the life of a scientist is an interesting and rewarding one. 

I’d like to thank all the Observatory staff and volunteers for their warm welcome and endless patience with my many questions.  I hope the Arctic Wednesdays program continues to flourish and inspire teachers and students alike.