How I Learned the Importance of Science and Education

I think from an early age I was interested in the outdoors and bugs and animals.  At the age of 7 or so I became aware of the stars and planets. One thing I was really big on was reading, and my mom always said that if you couldn’t find me, I was probably somewhere with my nose in a book.  From that reading is probably where I got my formal interest in science.

Recently I ran across one of the stories I read as a kid that has always stayed with me. It’s called “Split Cherry Tree” by the writer Jesse Stuart. In light of the recent attacks on science as “elitist” and “anti-religion” and all the other untrue assertions made about planetariums and science education (and the apparent lack of understanding about science and education evinced by the vice-presidential candidate for the GOP), I think this story says it all about why our society should maintain its interest in and funding of education. In particular I think it applies quite rightly to the importance of science education.  Here are the first few paragraphs and a link to the full story. Your assignment?  Read and reflect on what it means. I mean, really read it and reflect thoughtfully.

I don’t mind staying after school,” I says to Professor Herbert, “but I’d rather you’d whip me with a switch and let me go home early. Pa will whip me anyway for getting home two hours late.”

“You are too big to whip,” says Professor Herbert, “and I have to punish you for climbing up in that cherry tree. You boys knew better than that! The other five boys have paid their dollar each. You have been the only one who has not helped pay for the tree. Can’t you borrow a dollar?”

“I can’t,” I says. “I’ll have to take the punishment. I wish it would be quicker punishment. I wouldn’t mind.”

Professor Herbert stood and looked at me. He was a big man. He wore a grey suit of clothes. The suit matched his grey hair.

“You don’t know my father,” I says to Professor Herbert. “He might be called a little old-fashioned. He makes us mind him until we’re twenty-one years old. He believes: ‘If you spare the rod you spoil the child.’ I’ll never be able to make him understand about the cherry tree. I’m the first of my people to go to high school.”

“You must take the punishment,” says Professor Herbert. “You must stay two hours after school today and two hours after school tomorrow. I am allowing you twenty-five cents an hour. That is good money for a high-school student. You can sweep the schoolhouse floor, wash the blackboards, and clean windows. I’ll pay the dollar for you.”

I couldn’t ask Professor Herbert to loan me a dolIar. He never offered to loan it to me. I had to stay and help the janitor and work out my fine at a quarter an hour.

I thought as I swept the floor, “What will Pa do to me? What lie can I tell him when I go home? Why did we ever climb that cherry tree and break it down for anyway? Why did we run crazy over the hills away from the crowd? Why did we do all of this? Six of us climbed up in a little cherry tree after one little lizard! Why did the tree split and fall with us? It should have been a stronger tree! Why did Eif Crabtree just happen to be below us plowing and catch us in his cherry tree? Why wasn’t he a better man than to charge us six dollars for the tree?”

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