Shareefah Pereira

Professor Beth Klein

EDU 374
January 28, 2016
Science Autobiography
I remember participating in a group project with my friends where we
had to design a poster presentation about the life cycle of any mammal of
our choosing. I went to my friends house, along with two other girls, and we
tried to figure out what we should put in the poster but I can honestly say
that I dont remember much about the scientist aspects of the projects. I was
just thrilled that we got to spend time together outside of school. A while ago
my mom asked me a question about earthquakes and plate tectonics and I
was astonished as to why she would ask me that type of question. But
apparently when I was in sixth grade there was a lesson on that topic for
almost two weeks and every day when she picked me up I would tell her
everything that I learned in class. In sixth or seventh grade I do remember
my science teachers talking to my mom and telling her that I dont
participate in class to my full potential and how unfortunate it was to my
social development.
After I left middle school I dont have a vivid memory of science classes
except for my science classes I attended at college. I had to take only two
classes for my associate degree and I remember trying to network with other
students about the science teachers we thought had an easy course load.
Even though I opted for the easy teachers I remember learning more than I
expected to. For one of the assignments we had to take meal worms home

and document their life cycle and what they did. I remember being mildly
excited about taking the experiment home and watching them as they
changed. For these classes I realized that science needs to move beyond the
classroom and into the lives of the students. There were other times were we
held experiments in the classroom but there were other times where we
went outside to conduct our experiences or to observe nature. These classes
that involved the class moving and thinking were more engaging and
memorable. Outside of school, I experience science in a multitude of ways
and scenarios, for instance, at the end of last semester I had three molders
removed and my mom has also had a couple surgeries in the past couple of
years.
However, I experience science with the changing of the seasons and
the phases of the moon. For my entire life I remember seeing my mom and
grandmother plant various herbs and vegetables. Many times I would be
outside with them during the summer while they did their gardening. I
always remember my grandmother telling me that the phases of the moon
affect how farmers plant and harvest their crops; she told me that there are
times when planters predict the weather by looking at the varying phases of
the moon. I always look at the moon when it is cloudy and I remember her
telling me, When the moon looks like that it means it is full of rain and it will
rain soon. Also for me as a Muslim the phases of the moon are very
important and significant. The Islamic calendar is lunar based and our
months are calculated by the changing of the moon.

Scientist and people who do science related jobs surround our lives
every day. Last spring I traveled to Spain with four boys who were majoring
in different aspects of engineering. One was a biochemical engineer,
mechanical engineer, and there were two others that I cant remember.
While I was growing up my friends mom taught our fourth grade science
class and she is still a practicing pediatrician. It was because of this
experience with her that I fell in love with the idea of being a pediatrician but
as I got older I realized it was harder than just playing with kids all day so I
decided to become a teacher instead.