Future teacher’s senior thesis shows impact of Sputnik era on education
For many Fort Lewis history majors, the Senior Seminar—the final capstone course of the history program, whereby students must complete an in-depth historical research project—can feel like an enormous and daunting assignment. But for U.S. history major John Weldon, while his research project was certainly top of mind as he entered his final year of classes at Fort Lewis, it wasn’t the only thing on his plate. Having spent the last several years pursuing not one, but two bachelor’s degrees (the other in interdisciplinary studies), John is certainly no stranger to hard work and multitasking. In addition to his school responsibilities, John has two part-time jobs (as a building manager on campus and as a janitor), a wife, and an eight-year-old son and a newborn baby boy (born in September 2008). To describe his life as busy is an understatement. So when thinking about a topic he might enjoy for his history research project, John sought something that wouldn’t require him to leave Durango for his research and if possible, a subject he might be able to apply toward his future career as an elementary school teacher. “I wanted to stay local, but I didn’t want to sacrifice on the quality of content I could access,” explained John. “I’ve always been fascinated by the Cold War and the Space Race that began in the 1950s, so I immediately started thinking about ways I might tie the National Defense Education Act to local school issues.” Passed by President Eisenhower in 1958, the National Defense Act was the United States’ response to the Soviet Union’s launching of Sputnik in October 1957, the first man-made satellite. The way to securing the defense of the United States, President Eisenhower declared, was to beat the Soviets in scientific education. The goal: to incentivize students to pursue scientific professions and studies, and to improve science and math education in our nation’s elementary and secondary schools. Suddenly, education had become one of the keys to our national security. Thus, John’s thesis was born, which he titled, “The Post-Sputnik National Agenda Realized in the Durango 9-R School District,” choosing to study the very district in which he has been completing his practicum experience over the last year. “I first started by reading books about Sputnik and lots of President Eisenhower’s speeches so I could get an overarching picture of what was happening in the U.S. during that time,” said John. His next step: to give the topic a local angle. He turned to his advisor, Dr. John Baranski, for advice, who suggested John read through District 9-R’s old board minutes to see what he could dig up on discussions about curriculum reform during that time. John spent two full days in the administration office department searching records from 1956 to 1964. He emerged with a box full of photocopied school board minutes—the bulk of his research. Where did John go from there? “I wanted to see how the National Defense Education Act filtered down to rural populations like Durango—places that were removed from the larger cities in the U.S. that were a lot more fearful about falling behind the Soviets and being vulnerable from a defense standpoint,” said John. Though his research of the school board minutes did not uncover specific discussions about the importance of incorporating NDEA into the district’s schools, what he did find was an overall focus on improving science and math programs in 9-R, on improving teacher quality, purchasing new equipment and building new facilities—all efforts supportive of NDEA and Eisenhower’s agenda. By comparing the language and substance of national sources—such as presidential speeches and provisions of NDEA—with local sources—such as the Durango Herald and the 9-R school board minutes—John’s research concluded that the national agenda was indeed realized in Durango. As a student teacher at Needham Elementary for the spring 2009 semester, surprisingly, John said he finds education issues of the 1950s to still be quite relevant today. “We’re still trying to keep up in a modernizing world,” John said. “We’re still questioning our school systems, and striving to make them better. It was a political issue then, and it is now, too.” John added that at the time of his research, District 9-R was implementing a new science program in their schools in support of requirements of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. Lucky for John, two of his previous classes were excellent preparation for his topic: “America Since 1945” and “The Soviet Union Since 1945.” Yet, John was quick to point out that it was his entire history education that allowed him to be ready for such an in-depth academic undertaking. “The Fort Lewis history program is very rigorous, which benefits students when they dive into this project,” he said. “I really feel I was well-prepared in my education, both for the research piece and the writing component. I also received a lot of encouragement from Dr. Baranski early on, which helped me develop a system for my research and break it down into steps.” Perhaps the greatest consequence of the project for John was not his academic growth, but his increased confidence. “Completing such a challenging project showed me that I can do something like this,” he said. “I think research—on this topic or any other—is important because it’s how you prove that something happened. Without proof, all we can do is assume. After this project, I’ve discovered that I’m capable of quite a bit. And I think I’ll be a better teacher because of that.” |
