“I get a lot of enthusiasm from the kids with these projects, and they really get into them. It really affects their lives. They are proud of these projects—they bring their friends into the room to show them.”

“One project involved choosing a molecule and building a three-dimensional model of it (out of Styrofoam balls, gumdrops, etc.) They couldn’t get away with choosing a molecule that was too simple. However, they also had to be careful of molecules that were too complex.” These molecules, like many of Bruce’s projects, help form the decor of his Chemistry classroom. “They are now hanging from my ceiling – and they are artistically beautiful!”

And Bruce is already familiar with a pattern many more experienced teachers eventually realize. What do our students remember from our classes? “When kids come back to me, they remember the things we do. They don’t remember worksheets on atomic structure or traditional science labs—but they do remember the projects.”

“Two summers ago I went up to Boston. A former student had just received his PhD in Chemistry, and was presenting his paper at a meeting of the American Chemistry Society. He’s told me on multiple occasions that what we did in class changed his life.”

For more information, please contact Education: School & Teacher Programs by phone at (215) 684-7580, by fax at (215) 236-4063, or by e-mail at .