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I'm Graham, and I currently teach 5th/6th grade science at The Baldwin School (right down the street). I've taught science through 8th grade and mathematics through 12th/college previously, with all but one of those years spent in private schools/universities. In many ways, I would have to say that I am a scientist. I got into teaching originally because I was a professional who cared about my field and the way it was being presented. I felt that science, and physics in particular had been (and still is to a degree) presented in a rote way, being simply the collection of rules, theorems, postulates and formulas that one simply applied to preset problems that were designed to yield a pre-determined outcome; in many ways similar to the ballet classes that I have taken. Useful, yes, for helping students to sharpen their logic skills (as ballet classes are useful for strengthening muscles and developing flexibility) but about as exciting as mud. I like the idea of science as story-telling and revising in that it allows students to take ownership of science. As I said previously, I don't think science is largely presented to students in such a way as to enable them to embrace the fields. Presenting science to students in such a way as to get them thinking about why things make sense and offering them the opportunity to help write the story are steps that science, and science teachers, can take in order to embrace more students and involve them in their own learning. That being said, sometimes not keeping things too open-ended can have its merits, especially when dealing with special needs children. I am thinking in particular of a few students for whom creativity might be their watchword, but given no boundaries or leashes would take the observation that the earth travels around the sun and deduce that there are aliens out there who are moving the earth by remote control. While I'm all for story telling, at the same time we have to reign in the students to keep things directed and focused. Just my beginning observations. Graham