Veteran teachers can often teach with minimal preparation. Not so Kevin Paiz-Ramirez β and heβs proud of it.
Each day, Paiz-Ramirez (M.A. β13), a science teacher at Californiaβs , updates students on six new scientific innovations or discoveries β a practice he began after a student said she appreciated the energy in his class but wanted more challenges.
Kevin Paiz-Ramirez (Photo Courtesy of Kevin Paiz-Ramirez)
Paiz-Ramirez immediately thought of his ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ mentor, hip-hop science educator Christopher Emdin, who advocates knowing what kids face each day, whether itβs dodging gangs en route to school or dealing with gender discrimination. βHe said that when kids know you care about them individually, theyβre more curious about science.β
Read more about ΒιΆΉΤ΄΄ alumni, faculty and students addressing mounting challenges at a critical moment for the future of education.
Paiz-Ramirez now spends evenings mining news sites and science journals for content that touches kidsβ lives. βI might talk about NASA now having exactly 50 percent male and 50 percent female astronauts. A student who has experienced inequity will connect with that.β Paiz-Ramirezβs students have improved academically, and parents report that their kids actually tell them what theyβre learning. βThatβs when we know kids understand science is an active process. Theyβre staking their claim, right here, right now.β
Kevin Ramirez posts #Science learning tools for students and teachers on Instagram .