Reflecting on the ascent of man
Oddly enough, the call to join a Facebook group celebrating Darwin’s 200th birthday brought back memories of my evolution as a learner of science. Not the same as a scientific learner, unfortunately. I enjoyed my time in high school science classes, with a reasonable mix of laboratory and lecture, using textbooks that still had the odour of fresh ink. My own experience as a teacher of science tested my powers of recall, as I taught with obsolete equipment from a text that belonged in a museum.
Sometime close to my senior year in high school, the BBC released a series entitled The Ascent of Man, hosted (and written) by Jacob Bronowski. Although IMDB sets the airing dates in 1973, I remember it as earlier, but only because I can’t imagine how I would have had access to television for thirteen weeks straight while living in Memorial Hall. Suddenly, hundreds of hours of classroom time made sense. Not that I understood everything, but thanks to the program content, the various tiles of a great mosaic were seen as a complete image. Gestalt.
Thirty-five years later, and the idea of sitting my own children down in front of something other than a game console or YouTube feed is enticing. Because, sadly, their exposure to science in school hasn’t been better; nay, as good, as my own. They also need something to synthesize the years. And, oddly enough, this is one series that has withstood the evolution of recorded media. A quick check shows that I can purchase the series for home viewing, for little more than the price of a family meal in a good restaurant. Here’s the rub; I can have my thirteen episodes on DVD, VHS tape or 16mm film. I remember how to thread a projector, thanks to one of my practical courses in education. I wonder if there’s still a machine available in one of the local schools?
