Reply #12: that's a shame about the science projects [View All]

[Bill McBlueState]

Amercian kids need desperately to learn what it means to do science. (Which is different from learning *about* science.) Science projects are a great way to accomplish that, but science isn't about fancy posterboard and fonts. It's about asking the right questions, collecting good data, and drawing appropriate conclusions from the data you have. And then, writing about your findings in a clear, concise report.

But the average middle school teacher doesn't understand those things as well as he or she should, so he or she grades on things like neatness and, as you say, cutesiness.