Teachers are usually comfortable teaching "bread and butter" subjects like race, sex, class, and gender.  But other subjects, like science, aren't so easy for some teachers, who are confused by the "hard facts" of science and don't always know what to tell their students.  That's why so many teachers are actually afraid to teach science.  The University of Chicago recognizes that this is a problem and is working to raise teachers' self-esteem (at the 36-minute mark of the PBS Newshour) so they will be more comfortable teaching about subjects with which teachers have so little familiarity. This is Edward Marshall.  He's a Head Start teacher.  And he finds teaching science intimidating!  He becomes anxious when children ask him questions about science because often he doesn't know the answers. University of Chicago researchers tell teachers it's okay if they don't...(Read Full Post)