A New Take

I try to keep the blog away from work -- seems best for everyone involved -- but I have to say, I'm really enjoying my new job. Science education and outreach is fun. And it's a blast from the science past.




Boyle's law. What was that again? Remind me how to solve X, Y, Z equation or talk slowly, with sincerity and common language about a difficult subject? How do I walk into a room full of 12 year olds and captivate their attention?

The last one was especially disconcerting before, but I'm getting more comfortable and found myself last week (at a middle school science fair) actually going up to a group of kids (middle schoolers rarely travel alone) to ask them about their projects. Some were really excited to show you, others were more subdued. Just getting them to talk opens them up pretty quickly. And conversations can go anywhere since 12 year olds rarely have an inner monologue (or filter). Dare I say it, 12 year olds are pretty hilarious.

So my job is fun and challenging and it's different everyday. Lots of science and lots of talking. I'm still learning the teaching ropes and probably will be for some time. I have a lot of respect for teachers, even more so now -- especially the ones who can captivate a classroom and control errant behavior with ease. My friend calls it crowd control.

I got a bunch of books at the library to read up on some strategies for teaching K-12, especially those written for substitute teachers (who, like me, don't already have a personal relationship with the class they are assigned to teach). Hopefully that will speed things along.

In the meantime, I hope you enjoy the poster that one of the middle schoolers made for the science fair we judged last week. Pretty funny.