“National Fossil Day”

 

I could choose from among a wide range of amazing fossils to share for National Fossil Day and for this year there was no question which fossil I wanted to share and celebrate for its meaning. As I transition from many years in k-16 public science classrooms to many more years in business with Pacific Paleontology outside in the rock layers interacting with the fossils I love, I reflect back on the moments with my students. These moments all weld meaning onto my life, and mold who I have become with the unknowing direction my students have gifted to me. The gratitude this student expresses is beyond doubt a mutual one. This sincere fossil specimen-gift sums up the incredible joy and privilege I have had in being a science teacher so well and the beauty of the rock, the ink, the physical distance the specimen has traveled to get here, and the obvious love that my student had for this fossil. It is such a great symbol for me of the mutual gratitude that students and teachers share together in the learning process and it holds a place on my desk where I work daily as a reminder of my timeless purpose in life, beyond science, beyond fossils, teaching, and business. BTW the town of Solnhofen, Germany, is one of the most famous fossil sites in all of paleontology, home to the Solnhofen Limestone Formation, where one of the evolutionarily first fossil birds, Archaeopteryx, was first discovered. More info in the link below...

https://ucmp.berkeley.edu/mesozoic/jurassic/solnhofen.html