why I enjoy working with children

as part of a unit on cell biology, students were asked to come up with metaphors for understanding a cell. they learned about a cell with the metaphor a Cell is a City (the nucleus is city hall, the mitochondria are powerplants, etc.), and then they were asked to come up with their own new metaphor, something else that a cell is like. most said things like a school, a car, a restaurant, or a house. however, one student said that "a cell is like the sky." when asked why, s/he replied

The sky has many moving clouds in it's vast blue sea. The clouds could remind me of the organelles in a cell. If you use your imagination, you can see them interacting with each other.

not only is this a rather unique metaphor, but it gives the cell a grandeur, beauty, and grace not commonly found in science learning.