The simplicity of elementary formation

Harry Scherer
Class of 2022

(12/2019) "Hi, I’m Ben." This simple introduction from a 6th grade student at Mother Seton Elementary School was the beginning of an in-depth explanation of his science fair project "Do More Acidic Fruits Produce More Electricity?" The project won Benedict 2nd place in his class. Ben is interested in electricity and "saw something on a website and did a variation of it in my project and I learned a lot." Ben said that he is not sure about what he wants to do with his life, a possible testament to his interior understanding that he does yet know that for which he was created.

Ben started off his science fair project with the hypothesis that more acidic fruits would produce more electricity, specifically, that the lemon he was testing would produce the most electricity. While we talked, he listed the materials that he used for his project and the method by which he conducted his experiments. On his board, he included a professional description of the function of a fruit battery, discussing the use of a galvanized nail, ions and positive and negative charge. In the end, his tests suggested that more acidic fruits produce more electricity. This did not seem to bother him, even after all the effort which he put into brainstorming and actualizing the experiment. For Ben, the important thing was being to consider a question and redefine it based on where his interests lied and where the challenge seemed to be present. After I reflected more on the night, it seems that this intentional transition from his original scientific inquiry to the topic of his final project is what led to his success. He narrowed his focus to a topic which would pique his interest and force him to become more engaged with that which he was studying. This daring change is an act which seems to occur too infrequently in study. Academics become too focused on an area of study just because of the mass of knowledge which they have acquired over the years, but which provides no gratification for themselves or little benefit to the society for which they study.

At least 60 projects were presented at the science fair. Participation in the fair was optional for 3rd and 4th graders, but mandatory for 5th-8th grade students. 1st, 2nd and 3rd place winners were awarded within each grade. This award system gave the students a particular understanding of how their project difficulty and creativity compared with their peers. I am sure that times like these are especially formative for future scientists and engineers, as they can tangibly see that they have gifts and insights which are not equally distributed to their peers. I was reminded of something a professor for whom I have great respect said about this topic: "people need such little encouragement." It seems that this is especially true for young children for whom the future is undetermined. The apparent banality of a passing comment of encouragement or rightly ordered praise could prove to be instrumental in the development and ultimate discernment of a child. Most of the children in the gymnasium who were presenting their unique experiments and inventions are not intentionally mapping out their future or even thinking about such a venture. This is why it is particularly incumbent upon the adults in the room, for whom their future is relatively un-mysterious and enjoy the added benefit of the joys and sorrows of a past, to aid in flourishing that discernment. In the Mother Seton gymnasium, I had the pleasure of sharing the room with parents and teachers who recognized the importance of this vocation.

The five minutes that I spent with Ben was a special time for me because it gave me a chance to think back to middle school, when our youthful innocence was taking its last breaths before the responsibilities of maturity started to become clear. This was the time when my friends and I would run around where there was no place to walk, scream when there was no apparent reason to speak quietly and complain about having to go home when the night of these activities was so young. Activity of this sort took place at Mother Seton on Wednesday night, as it would at any middle school. This sort of behavior was strangely refreshing to me after days, weeks and months spent mostly with adults.

All of this carelessness, even among 2nd-place award winners, is indicative of that subconscious knowledge that they are "not sure" about what they are supposed to do with their lives. I envy this comfort in uncertainty. Any college student who is "not sure" about what they are meant to do with their life on earth expresses a grimace of fear about the unknown future which lies ahead of them. I do not exclude myself from this stereotype of the discerning college student. Ben and I are not that different; we are just on different positions in our process of discernment that fits with our respective ages and experiences.

The science fair at Mother Seton gave me the opportunity to see professors, coworkers and friends in a different environment, one in which everyone is distinctly aware that education is occurring and that we are active participants in the success of that education. I could see kids at a school which has proved to them time and time again that they should feel safe and ready to learn about the world in which they live and the one in which they would like to leave in peace. I hope that the example which Ben, the parents and teachers of Mother Seton and my colleagues at the Emmitsburg News-Journal gave to me stays with me. I also hope that Ben remembers the people at home and at Mother Seton who love him enough to want nothing more than for him to see clearer everyday Him for whom he lives.

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