Hippie in disguise

I always knew that, at heart, underneath that cowboy hat, beneath that suit and tie, Dad is a hippie in disguise! As a chemistry professor, he kept a peace sign on his office door. He signs his emails “Peace.” As a science educator he taught teachers to love one another and their students. What a joy, then, to hear him say it himself, in an interview for ATSU’s Teacher’s Lounge earlier this spring (1 min, 2 sec):

I also love his 1960-ish take on institutional strategic plans (47 sec):

Here is a longer excerpt from the interview about an “Environmental Studies” class he offered during the summertime (7 min, 49 sec):

As a young teen, the Environmental Studies classes left a lasting impression on me, profoundly shaping my world view for both science and education. Sometimes participating as a “test student,” instead of listening to lectures and taking tests I was set loose to create my own personalized multimedia project with a Polaroid camera – then a startling, wonder-generating, instantly-gratifying, leading-edge technology. The canoe trips, camping and other field trips became my paradigm examples for what doing science meant. Instead of growing weary of one another or trying to outdo each other in a competitive spirit, the teachers would often hang out at our home, riding horses and enjoying relaxed time together. And I would never forget that Dad used a textbook entitled Love by Leo Buscaglia. Buscaglia’s book contained the Animal School parable and other gems. From these experiences I have always believed that the most effective science educators are hippies in disguise. Thank you, Mother and Dad, for these life-defining experiences!

Watch the entire interview here; it contains many more delightful stories.