ACS Science Coaches are chemistry professionals who share their expertise and enthusiasm for science with an elementary, middle, or high school teacher over the course of one school year.
Science coaches build students’ enthusiasm for learning science by communicating their passion for chemistry and its usefulness to society. They enjoy working with teachers. And they have a strong personal desire to give back or pay it forward. Use this checklist to find out whether the science coaches program is right for you.
As volunteers, science coaches visit a school to assist one teacher at least 6 times during one school year. Some work behind the scenes, while others prefer to interact with students. Coaches and teachers also communicate regularly via e-mail, sometimes discussing how to explain a chemistry concept or how best to answer a question from a student.
As science coaches, chemists help a teacher in a variety of ways. They may help the teacher plan, assist during labs, present lessons, or mentor small groups of students. Each partnership is a little different with each chemist and teacher deciding together how they will combine their expertise and interests to improve the science education experiences of students. Read about previous partnerships for specific examples and ideas.
The ACS Science Coaches program will support 120 partnerships this school year. Each proposal consists of two parts, one submitted by the chemist and the other submitted by the teacher. The deadline to submit a proposal is October 30th.
Chemists choose the school or teacher where they would like to volunteer. Some chemists choose a school where they know a teacher or student. However, most choose a school where they have little to no personal connection. The school might be on the way to work, near home, or even a little bit out of the way.
Science Coaches assist in public, private, and charter schools across the United States. They are in urban, suburban, and rural schools. They assist elementary, middle, and high school teachers with their chemistry, biology, astronomy, earth science, environmental science, and general science classes.
Some science coaches prefer to work with students already doing advanced work in chemistry, while others feel more useful at a school with few resources and many underprivileged students. Regardless of where or who a chemist chooses to assist, s/he makes a positive impact on the science education experiences of the teacher and students.
Chemists can and do assist teachers without being part of a program. However, there are some advantages to becoming part of a larger group of chemists who volunteer to support science education.
Science coaches are graduate students, working professionals, and retirees. They are women, men, parents, grandparents, former students, and community members in traditional and nontraditional fields of chemistry. Regardless of their career path or stage, they all share a knowledge and love of chemistry, a personal desire to give back, and a great respect for teachers.