Reaching Our Youth
Yes, it has been quite a while since my last blog entry! As you know, there has been a lot going on in the news. President Obama announced that 30,000 more troops will be sent to Afghanistan in the next 6 months, the debate about health care continues to be real challenge, Tiger Woods and his early morning car accident, and the return of the Soul Train Music Awards. (Honestly, the only reason I watched was because Chaka Khan was being recognized for her contributions to the field of music. However, after watching the show, the Soul Train Music Awards really should remain on hiatus.)
Now, instead of focusing on those topics, I wanted to share my thoughts about a recent visit I had with 300 ninth grade students. One of my passions is helping our students reach their full potential in the chemical sciences, so I am trying to attract young people to the chemical sciences drawing analogies between hip hop and chemistry. I have given a powerpoint presentation to students several times on this topic, and they seem to enjoy it!
During my presentation, I place the students in groups to try to solve a couple of problems, and I decided to play some music while they worked in groups. I asked the students, "How many of you know about Lauryn Hill?" Immediately, several students claimed to have absolutely no knowledge of Lauryn Hill, but several others did. One young lady said to me, "Lauryn Hill is old." I replied, "What do you consider old?" Without skipping a beat and smiling at me, she says, "Oh, 20 or 30." Don't you just LOVE teenagers!!!!?
At the end of my presentation, I try to educate the students about minority contributions to science, and I list the scientists in specific categories such as "the Kurtis Blow's of Chemistry" and the "Mary J. Blige's of the Chemical Sciences." I asked the students why is Mary so important to hip hop. Immediately, several replied how much they love Mary. Then another young lady says, "Because she understands our pain." Teenagers can really be SO dramatic! But, the point I was making to them is that Mary is one of the few artists that can sing over both R&B and hip hop tracks successfully. She does not fit into one category, just like there are some scientists that don't fit into one category because of their research efforts.
In a nutshell, I had a good time with the students, and I think I managed to teach them a little something along the way. They made me feel a little old, but I still connected with them. Honestly, if I reached just one student, my efforts were worth it. Thanks for reading!
Now, instead of focusing on those topics, I wanted to share my thoughts about a recent visit I had with 300 ninth grade students. One of my passions is helping our students reach their full potential in the chemical sciences, so I am trying to attract young people to the chemical sciences drawing analogies between hip hop and chemistry. I have given a powerpoint presentation to students several times on this topic, and they seem to enjoy it!
During my presentation, I place the students in groups to try to solve a couple of problems, and I decided to play some music while they worked in groups. I asked the students, "How many of you know about Lauryn Hill?" Immediately, several students claimed to have absolutely no knowledge of Lauryn Hill, but several others did. One young lady said to me, "Lauryn Hill is old." I replied, "What do you consider old?" Without skipping a beat and smiling at me, she says, "Oh, 20 or 30." Don't you just LOVE teenagers!!!!?
At the end of my presentation, I try to educate the students about minority contributions to science, and I list the scientists in specific categories such as "the Kurtis Blow's of Chemistry" and the "Mary J. Blige's of the Chemical Sciences." I asked the students why is Mary so important to hip hop. Immediately, several replied how much they love Mary. Then another young lady says, "Because she understands our pain." Teenagers can really be SO dramatic! But, the point I was making to them is that Mary is one of the few artists that can sing over both R&B and hip hop tracks successfully. She does not fit into one category, just like there are some scientists that don't fit into one category because of their research efforts.
In a nutshell, I had a good time with the students, and I think I managed to teach them a little something along the way. They made me feel a little old, but I still connected with them. Honestly, if I reached just one student, my efforts were worth it. Thanks for reading!
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