Why is it that the male peacock flares out its plumes?

We were discussing adaptation in my last day of lecture in science today. Learning that species either adapt to survive…or die. It was during this class, third hour specifically, that a student raised their hand with a response.

To attract a mate, but…what if it is two males competing for the same female? Isn’t that a form of competition?

I watched as this student, one who was quite the chatter box in class, took her book and left the spot we were reading (Section 3.1) and turned it backwards to Section 1.4 (competition), my first lesson I did with this class. After a few minutes of reading and waiting, she shared her findings:

Yeah, it’s right here. Intraspecies Competition, two organisms of the same species competing for the same resource. Frequently being a mate.

I could have cried right there…
They did it.
In the four weeks of being in that classroom I watched students, without prompting, research their way to connect key thoughts that we had discussed in class. It will forever be one of the most cherished memories in my heart.

Thank You

Today was rough. The principal introduced the new science teacher to each class, and I fielded a dozen, “Why are you not staying here?” questions. I barely kept myself together after fourth hour, and even went for ice cream during sixth hour with another teacher. I’ve received “Thank You” cards, Starbucks cards, and even a hand written note from a student that simply read…

Don’t forget about me…

It isn’t fair, but it’s only my fault. I didn’t renew my teaching license, resulting in this problem.

My heart hurts tonight, just because at the end I got to acknowledge that they learned.

-D-