A Local Teacher's Review of CSI

The Community Science Interns program is a wonderful opportunity to serve students with flexible school schedules in many ways. First of all, it honors those students who love science with an opportunity to learn hands-on science demonstrations. It feeds their intellectual curiosity, builds a sense of competency and self-esteem, and also validates their passion and interest in science. It also gives them a genuine opportunity to serve their community. The opportunity to fill those intellectual and developmental needs in children is exceedingly rare in the traditional school model.

The program provides an opportunity for these students to share their passion and knowledge with younger students. The younger students benefit from seeing young people nearly their own age intimately involved with science, making it more "cool" and less intimidating. Common public perceptions of science often include that it is hard, has nothing to do with our everyday lives, that it's boring, and that you have to be really smart to get it. None of these things are true, however the best way to get past these roadblocks to a science literate population is to not have them in the first place. Hooking kids at an early age into thinking that science is all around them, that it's fun, interesting, and accessible is the best way to growing a science literate generation.