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One of the questions you should be able to answer as a chemistry instructor is. "Why should I learn chemistry?" One could offer the opinion that anyone without a knowledge of chemistry is a blithering idiot, but it is probably politically incorrect. To tell someone, "It is required for college" may be true, but it is hardly an argument that will inspire someone to learn the subject. So, why should someone study chemistry?
The American Chemical Society states the following: "Everything you hear, see, smell, taste, and touch involves chemistry and chemicals (matter). And hearing, seeing, tasting, and touching all involve intricate series of chemical reactions and interactions in your body. With such an enormous range of topics, it is essential to know about chemistry at some level to understand the world around us."
Education is a progressive discovery of our own ignorance.
If you apply Durant's statement to chemistry, perhaps the study of chemistry is a fantastic way to help students discover their own ignorance. Since people don't generally like to find out about their ignorance, How then, can one get students to move toward a discovery of ignorance? In Chemistry, you can use humor and explosions.
The two videos chosen for this page were done with care. If you teach chemistry, you've seen them. If you have not seen them, we have a song about big words and another video showing a demonstration with explosions. Chemistry is all about big words, explosions, and having some fun while trying to figure out how the world works.
For those seeking actual chemical action, the following is a scene from a British television program where they show the extremely reactive "alkali" metals (Group 1 on the periodic table). Of course, no one should try any of the things they do, but they do show how reactive the alkali metals can be.
The first video is "The Element Song." This was done by Tom Lehrer, a man who wrote songs like this one and "Poisoning pidgeons in the Park." Aside from his singing career, he was an instructor who lectured in mathematics and musical theater.
Great General Science Resource
It is absolutely great to be open to new experience. People who know everything are not open to new experience. To close off the world is to die, and that happens soon enough anyway. However, it is not cool to admit ignorance. You can get called a nerd or worse, a scientist, but that's better than death.
If you're going to be a "thinker," you may want to remember to put on clothes... at least in public places (or especially in the lab). How many violations of lab safety would "The Thinker" violate?
Some Experiments that you probably should not do....
Rodin "The Thinker" You need to engage the subject matter armed with an eagerness to understand the world around you,
"Tweeting" the big questions of the day...
The kids that are not texting might also be interested in the chemistry employment opportunities page.... Chem Jobs
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