Kerrie Childress Archives - Excelsior Classes

Developing a Cohesive Science Curriculum

Jan 12, 2021 | Engaging Education, Kerrie Childress

Why should my student study science? Other than the obvious answer of “to graduate,” I would recommend science classes to assist students in thinking analytically as well as applying theories to reality. There are several stages of our academic lives, and each is...

Should Mathematics Be Included in Chemistry?

Feb 19, 2020 | Kerrie Childress, Online Homeschool

Should Mathematics Be Included in Chemistry? The debate between excluding mathematics in science and including it in science classes is becoming more prevalent as students specialize in high school based on their current interests. There are several curriculums being...

Defining our Roles: Teacher, Student, Parent

Mar 15, 2019 | Kerrie Childress, Online Homeschool

Defining our Roles: Teacher, Student, Parent It is easy to define our roles when we are teaching our children at home. My role, as parent and home educator, is to disseminate information in a creative and interesting way while my child is to learn the information in...

Bugs, Bugs, and MORE Bugs

Oct 22, 2018 | Kerrie Childress, Online Homeschool

Bugs, Bugs, and MORE Bugs How do you feel about bugs? I have a confession… I HATE bugs. Really. I can’t stand them. You might ask: how can a science teacher not like bugs? I don’t know if I’ve always disliked creepy crawlies. In fact, I’m not sure where it all...

Chemistry Students Learn by Doing

Jul 18, 2018 | Kerrie Childress, Rigorous Courses, Uncategorized

Chemistry Students Learn by Doing Why are hands-on labs so important? What can a student learn from this approach? My favorite part of teaching science classes is performing labs. Experiments allow students to learn the material in a different way and for many...

The Problem With Word Problems

Mar 2, 2018 | Kerrie Childress, Rigorous Courses

The Problem With Word Problems “Why are these problems so long and wordy?” I hear this or similar questions from my students every time we work on a lengthy word problem. Maybe you have heard it from your own children. Well, I have several great answers for them, even...