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Atomic America -- A Retrospective
ATI Colloquium

March 31, 2001
Charles Kappus

What to do about education in America seems to be THE primary topic of our raging national debate. Now do we attract and retain excellent teachers? How do we keep our students interested enough in school to prevent dropouts? Now do we make our classrooms exciting places where essential issues are discussed in engaging ways? How can we get teachers to work together to develop interdisciplinary units that will show students bow learning can be a fun, collaborative journey instead of a series of isolated experiences? Like Mark Twain used to say, "everybody talks about the weather, but nobody does anything about it." I'm here to say the ATI is doing something important to meet these concerns 'head on, and my experience teaching "Atomic America" -- a unit about the development of the atomic bomb and how it changed New Mexico and the world -- is a good example of what the institute can do.

I believe my unit, which blends Science, Math, Language Arts, Literature, and Social Studies in one ambitious project, was a success for myself and for my students. I think middle school students are ready to be challenged by big events like World War II and big decisions like Truman's use of the atomic bomb. When we are willing to embrace these milestones of history, we can begin to teach them to our children in a way that makes sense. I think my unit allowed students to see New Mexico's role in the development of the atomic bomb and how our state continues to be a leader in high-tech research and military development. It also gave them a grasp of perhaps the most important event of the 20th century and how the atomic bomb issued in another era -- the Cold War -- and changed the world forever. This unit gave my students a real sense of their heritage as New Mexicans, as Americans, and as citizens of a planet that must be ever mindful of the possibilities -- negative and positive -- of nuclear power.

As an educator who believes that learning is a life-long process and that professional development is a duty, not an option, I applaud the ATT for what it does for teachers. In this age of 'high teacher turnover and burnout, I can honestly say I came to school excited and enthused about my lessons for every day of my Atomic America unit. Yes, modifications were made along the way, and no, my students didn't understand every facet of this immense, complex topic. But I know for a fact my students felt honored that I would tale the time and effort to tackle something so important, so relevant, so crucial to their education now and in the future. I was proud of the way they responded, and I am proud to be associated with an organization that continues to make these kinds of units possible.