The Alchemist in the Minivan » Mentor

Thoughts on Randy Pausch’s “The Last Lecture”

rewedin — Wed, 08 Jul 2009 13:11:29 +0000

Check out my post on today’s “ACS Careers” blog for some thoughts on Randy Pausch’s inspirational video and book, “The Last Lecture.” The article is titled “Quadratic Graffiti Inspires Blogger.”

In his life, Pausch beautifully integrated science and parenting. Although his “last lecture” has inspired millions of people, his motivation in giving this lecture was simply to leave a legacy of his values and wisdom for his young children.

Tagged: Mentor, Parenting

If Gov. Sandford can escape for five days, I can, too.

rewedin — Wed, 24 Jun 2009 19:47:05 +0000

Governor Mark Sandford of South Carolina sure attracted attention the past few days when it was reported that he had “disappeared.” The first story, from his staff, was that he was hiking by himself on the Appalachian Trail. But the second story was that he was in Argentina. I guess those two locations are easy to confuse–both are four-syllable words beginning with “A.” The most recent story, as of a few minutes ago, added even more intrigue, with the Governor confessing to an affair with a woman in Argentina.

I’m bringing up this particular subject right now, because I’m “going off the grid” for five days myself. I will be unreachable by e-mail, voice mail, or cell phone, and I find the prospect a bit scary. Will I go through electronic withdrawal?

I won’t be hiking the Appalachian Trail or jetting off to Buenos Aires. I’ll just be at the Audubon Center of the North Woods in northern Minnesota on a five-day men’s retreat. I expect to return to the online world on Monday–with a few mosquito bites and a big dose of wisdom.

Tagged: Mentor, politics

What Mowing the Lawn Can Teach

rewedin — Thu, 11 Jun 2009 16:55:06 +0000

Here’s a link to my guest blog article, published today in the New York Times‘ “Motherlode” blog.

I’d write more, but I have to go outside and quickly mow my lawn so that it looks halfway decent.

Tagged: Communication, Mentor, metaphor, Parenting, Teaching

January 22 is “Thank Your Mentor Day”

rewedin — Thu, 22 Jan 2009 16:31:48 +0000

Here’s a link to one of my blog articles on the ACS Careers blog:

Out of my high school graduating class of 400 students, three of us went on to get Ph.D. degrees in chemistry—an amazing proportion that’s a factor of 10 greater than expected. Was it something in the water?

No. It was Mr. Sturtevant, our chemistry teacher. He was enthusiastic, creative, and passionate about chemistry. He treated all his students (he called us his “little chemists”) with a respect that let us know we were on the cusp of young adulthood. more

Tagged: Mentor, Science education, Teaching