This Month in STEM - Celebrating Thomas Edison
Feb 06, 2023
Thomas Edison's Childhood & Early Life
On February 11, we celebrate the birth of famed inventor Thomas Edison. We know Thomas Edison for inventions like the phonograph and making improvements to the light bulb, but he had a unique upbringing which makes remembering his life relative to our lives as educators - whether we are home educators or classroom teachers.
Edison was born in 1847 in Ohio, and he was the youngest of seven children. Though accounts differ in how this occurred, Thomas lost much of his hearing at a young age in both ears, making him nearly deaf as an adult.
When he first attended public school, he was 7 years old and only went to school for 12 weeks. This child, who would go on to become one of the most influential inventors, was considered “difficult” by his teachers due to his hyperactivity. Consequently, Edison’s mother decided to homeschool him, and he eventually learned how to educate himself.
Early Accomplishments and Entrepreneurial Pursuits
One of his first accomplishments was producing the Grand Trunk Herald, a newspaper he sold to passengers who took the Grand Trunk Railroad line. He started this venture on his own at only 12 years old. Simultaneously, he decided to create a small laboratory inside one of the train cars to conduct experiments. Unfortunately, he caused a fire and was kicked off the train - but who’s to say what he learned from his investigations and the time he had to simply experiment.
During the Civil War, Edison worked with telegraphs. He spent time studying how telegraphs worked and developing an interest for learning all things electricity. From there, he would go on to have more jobs and more entrepreneurial pursuits.
Important Inventions
We know Edison as a famed inventor. He received 1,093 US patents! Edison created the quadruplex telegraph, allowing one to transmit two different signals in two different directions along the same wire. He is also known for inventing the phonograph, improving and increasing the popularity of the light bulb, the motion picture camera, the alkaline storage battery and more.
Pictured here is a gramophone, a type of phonograph.
Why It Matters Today
While many of us know of these inventions, we may not realize Edison dealt with hyperactivity as a child. This highlights the importance of using student uniqueness as a strength rather than a difficulty. When we work with our children and meet them where they are, we can provide them quality education that fuels their minds in ways that can improve our future.
This may seem like a drastic comparison - comparing our children to Thomas Edison - but if we do not start with believing in their ability to become as successful as Edison, we are already failing them. Exposing our children to quality STEM education - especially one that emphasizes technology and engineering - strengthens the critical thinking and problem solving skills that can be used to do great things in any industry.
We at Excalibur STEM believe in the capability of all of our students. So as we celebrate Thomas Edison’s birthday this month, don’t forget to reach out to us if you’re stuck figuring out how to incorporate STEM into your child’s education. We have lessons with all different themes - something for everyone - and we are determined to help your children succeed!
Stay connected with news and updates!
Join our mailing list to receive the latest news and updates from our team.
Don't worry, your information will not be shared.
We hate SPAM. We will never sell your information, for any reason.
