| WOW!!! That was the first response that came to my head when John Moore talked to me about becoming the Secondary School Associate Editor, and I am glad that it was not what I said. Since that time, it is what I have frequently said to myself. I never fully appreciated all the work that goes into producing one issue of the Journal, let alone a whole year or more. As Erica Jacobsen mentions in her column (opposite page), these past few months have been one big “Journal” learning experience for me.
I received my first copy of JCE right after I graduated with my B.A. in chemistry from Western Connecticut State University in June, 1990 from one of the faculty members. I was headed to the University of Notre Dame to begin work on my Ph.D. in organic chemistry—still my passion—and I remember thinking, “nice journal, but why do I need this, I am going to be a synthetic organic chemist and teach organic chemistry at a research university”. At that time, my favorite article was James Schreck and Marvin Lang’s “Chemistry on Stamps” feature article about the Nobel laureates (1). Yes, I still have that issue; it is the first in my collection.
Through a series of crazy circumstances, I ended up back in Connecticut, teaching high school chemistry at Greens Farms Academy (GFA). Once I settled in, I went through my own collection of chemistry education materials. I found my first copy of the Journal, went through it page by page, and discovered several things that I could use in my classroom. Helen Stone’s "I Remember a Single Red Rose” was especially encouraging (2). I found her suggestion about using “Pictures in the Mind” especially intriguing and often use these and analogies to explain abstract concepts. I decided to subscribe immediately. My first issue arrived later that school year, in April, 1993. I have been teaching for 15 years now and have always found insightful, encouraging, and useful ideas in each issue of the Journal. I especially like having  in the table of contents to designate articles of special interest to high school teachers, something that was instituted when Emory Howell became Secondary School Editor. Diana Mason, Erica, and many others on the JCE staff worked tirelessly to find new ways to reach out to the pre-college community of educators. We all owe them a BIG thanks!!!
For the last six years, I have been helping my fellow faculty members launch a new high school on the north side of Indianapolis—University High School of Indiana. It has been quite a learning experience, and this spring we will move into our new academic building. I spent the two years between GFA and University High School as a graduate student at Ball State University working with Marcy Towns. She was a wonderful mentor and encouraged me to share my passion for teaching with my colleagues. Over the past two years, I worked with the 19th BCCE committee planning a strong, content-rich experience for secondary educators. Five of the seven symposia related directly to the National Science Education Standards: Science Content Standards (3).
I know how hard it can be to teach classes, grade papers, manage a classroom, and do the thousands of other tasks we are all expected to accomplish. Those tasks are not why we teach; rather it is the gleam in a student’s eye who finally understands stoichiometry (and can then do the problem-solving independently) or who masters titrating to a “light” pink endpoint. This is what drives us! However, the tasks can be overwhelming for many teachers, especially new teachers. They need encouragement and support. I want to be able to give it to them, just as so many others have given it to me.
One of the ways that I have started giving back is through local, regional, and national involvement in the ACS, especially in DivCHED. Serving as an Alternate Councilor of the Division has allowed me to see that there are many opportunities for high school teachers to serve on a variety of committees. Each of these committees presented a report to the Executive Committee meeting at the Fall National ACS Meeting in San Francisco last September. A number of these Committee Reports appear in this issue. Those in attendance at the Executive Committee meeting were asked specifically for names of high school teachers interested in serving on any of the Division’s committees. I strongly encourage you to consider becoming a committee member. Contact Donald Wink, Division Secretary, if you are interested.
I still have lots to learn about being an editor. I am both excited and apprehensive about this opportunity. I will continue to advance the many high school-teacher focused activities underway at JCE. I especially encourage more high school teachers to subscribe to and write for the Journal. You’re doing great things in your classroom—share them with us. Not sure where to begin? How about sending us one of your activities or laboratory experiments?
The Classroom Activity "Cooking Up Colors from Plants, Fabrics, and Metal" is an excellent example of where you might start. In this activity, students use natural products—tea leaves and marigolds—to prepare and test the absorbance and steadfastness of dye products on a variety of fabrics. I really like this activity; the preparation time is not extensive and all that is involved in the dyeing process fascinates students.
Literature Cited
- Schreck, J. O.; Lang, C. M. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 451-456.
- Stone, H. J. Chem. Educ. 1990, 67, 494-496.
- National Science Education Standards: Science Content Standards (accessed Nov 2006).
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