Of Our Own Re-Making

Abstract

Seventy-one years ago, the fledgling National Association of Biology Teachers accumulated more than 1,000 members, a journal, and a place in the Union of American Biological Societies, became an affiliate of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, and organized its first national meeting —— all within a span of 180 days. Reading the first volume of The American Biology Teacher , two articles caught my attention that remain as classic and relevant to NABT members as they were when first penned by D. F. Miller in November 1938 and Oscar Riddle in March 1939. These articles contain two important messages. The first is that the NABT brings both opportunity and obligation to its members —— the opportunity to foster a professional spirit among teacher members and the obligation to secure an ““enlarged place for the life sciences in the instruction of our people [citizenry] as the basic reasons for our [NABT's] existence”” (O. Riddle, 1939). The second message is that our best guide for today is our vision for the NABT's future. Miller and Riddle admonish us to look within —— to you, the members —— for the help, leadership, and direction we need going forward. There were three steps to the founders' plan: (1) form the Association, (2) publish a journal, and (3) ““encourage the formation of local groups of teachers of biological subjects”” to meet, exchange ideas, and encourage the ““best possible local conditions”” (Miller, 1938). To me, step 3 has always been the pivotal value of membership. …