ENTERPRISE, Alamaba USA — Teachers get upset when things fly across classrooms. It’s practically in their genetic code.

So it was a bit of a surprise Friday to see dozens of teachers gleefully launching model rockets made of drinking straws, index cards and putty into the air.

Enterprise Jr. High School teacher Kellie Moore launches a plastic rocket as other teachers and students look on during aerospace day at Troy Dothan Friday afternoon. Photo: Jay Hare.

The exercise was part of a presentation on how educators can make math and science education more interesting and relevant to students.

“Learning is having fun and that’s the best thing we can teach them,” said Sandy Everhart, an Enterprise City Schools teacher. “It’s more than just textbooks.”

Bill Holden, also known as Dr. Zoon, led the presentation as part of the Wiregrass Math and Science Consortium’s Aerospace Day at Troy University’s Dothan campus. According to Holden, drawing more students into math and science serves an important national interest. Many of the nation’s scientists and engineers are reaching retirement age, and not enough American students are pursuing careers in math and science to replace them. Holden said that catching students’ interest at an early age is vital.

“At the upper elementary and middle school levels you have to give them a positive image of math and science,” he said. “If you don’t catch them at that age, they’re pretty much lost then, and they’re not going to go into it in high school, and certainly not in college.”

Holden, a former physics teacher, said offering students class projects where they could put science and math lessons into practical use helps capture their interest and makes otherwise boring lessons relevant and exciting.

“They don’t care that x plus y equals seven unless you find some way to make it relevant,” he said.

The exercise Friday involving the model rockets illustrated principles of physics and mathematics. The Wiregrass Math and Science Consortium will help provide teachers with equipment and activities Holden presented on Friday.

Copyright © 2007, The Dothan Eagle.