FROM THE LABORATORY TO THE CLASSROOM
Since I’ve become involved in Battelle’s education initiatives, many staff members have told me of their desire to teach.
Some say they think about volunteering in classrooms or teaching courses after work. Others say they dream of changing careers to become more involved in education before or after retirement.
This year, we have an instructor at Metro who is living that dream.
Dr. Thomas Stanford was a research scientist at Battelle from 1974 to 1988 in the areas of chemistry, environmental research, materials and polymers. After leaving Battelle, he spent almost 20 years with Hughes Aircraft and Hughes Research Laboratories in California. Throughout his career he accumulated many U.S. patents and published journal articles. The next few years took him to California State University as a lecturer in forensic science and to Pepperdine University as its lab director.
The desire to move back to the Midwest this year led him to contact Battelle, which is how he learned about Metro High School. He visited us last spring and was captivated, as many are, by the mission of our school. He wanted to explore the idea of teaching in a high school before actually committing to the training required to obtain a teaching certificate.
The solution was that Dr. Stanford would work at Metro as a part-time substitute teacher. This way he spends a few days each week working alongside a full-time teacher. He assists in the chemistry, physics and environmental studies classes and serves as an in-class tutor for students who need extra attention.
We’re thrilled to have him, and I’m proud to see him in our school bringing real-world knowledge to enhance the learning experience for our students.
-- Posted October 17, 2007 --
Diana Wolterman is on a two-year special assignment to Metro High School, where she will play a key role in furthering the collaboration between the private sector and education, including special projects to connect Battelle staff with the activities in the school, assisting with tours and visits, developing and implementing new experience-based curriculum support, and helping to document the process of creating a new STEM-focused learning experience. Diana also will document Battelle’s successes and missteps at Metro to help the organization learn from the experience and make good decisions going forward at Metro and in other educational activities.