Your story is amazing. I must admit that my own personal experiences with elementary schools have not included inner-city schools. Sounds like your experience there was important and special for you as well as the kids. Thanks for sharing – very cool, indeed.

One of the best things about talking to kids is that it forces me to talk about bugs in a way they can understand. We see a lot about writing in plain language but less about speaking in plain language. Talking to kids has taught me that I don’t need to rely on technical language to explain difficult concepts. I just need to think about what will make sense to the kids. I can apply this when i’m talking to non-entomologists and non-scientists too. So it’s valuable practice.

I think it’s neat that kids also get to see scientists are real people. I like to tell them about the places I’ve been and the things I’ve been able to do because I study bugs. It helps dispel the myth that all science is done in a lab by people with lab coats.

I’ll end with a story. My last time at home was the first since my sister moved to teach at an inner-city school. So, rather than the usual crop of middle-class kids, I was talking to a group of lower income and first-generation Canadians. I’m not sure any of them had ever met a scientist before, and I’m sure none had ever been to our local university. Some months after my trip my sister emailed me a list of questions from her students who had decided to a project on ‘bugs that kill crops’, and could I help them. That was pretty cool.