Episode 136: Engaging Kids in STEM with Ronnie Thomas of Fun Weird Science
Ronnie Thomas is the founder of Fun Weird Science, an education company built on the belief that STEM lessons can apply all kinds of disciplines. A science teacher with 25 years of experience and two Teacher of the Year awards, Thomas started Weird Fun Science after developing a reputation for engaging and versatile teaching methods.
In our discussion, Ronnie and I discuss the efficiency of hands-on learning and why he was inspired by it. We also talk about his mission to expand STEM education in underserved communities and in early education, and his belief in the need for more innovation in schools.
Topics Discussed:
He wasn’t into STEM at first but that changed thanks ot a mentor
How he almost left education to became a commercial truck driver
His favorite book, Chop Wood, Carry Water
Resources mentioned:
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Read the transcript for this episode:
Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
Ronnie Thomas is the founder of Fun Weird Science. He applies his 25 years of STEM teaching experience to ensure that all learners are challenged. A two time Teacher of the Year Recipient. He is an enthusiastic and passionate, technology driven educator with a solid commitment to the social, academic and developmental growth of every student known for his engaging and versatile teaching methods, Ronnie has the ability to inspire hands on learning experiences that capture a student's imagination. Welcome, Ronnie, so nice to have you here.
Ronnie Thomas
Thank you for having me.
Lily Jones
Absolutely so I would love to have you take us through in whatever direction you want your journey as an educator.
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah. So I began teaching August 14, 2000 I had just graduated August 12, 2000 and that Monday morning, I began teaching in DeKalb County schools here in metro Atlanta. And I've taught over the last 20 years. And during that time, developed a really deep passion for science and STEM education.
Lily Jones
Fantastic. Did you always know that you wanted to focus on STEM did you go into it being like, I want to be a STEM teacher? Or how'd that happen?
Ronnie Thomas
It's funny, I did not. I fell in love with science. I think I probably already had internal passion for it, but it was just untapped. I never I couldn't recall a teacher that I had in my K 12 experiences that kind of fostered that curiosity or that love for science. But it was when I began teaching, seeing some of the other mentor teachers, Pat Patricia pulis, to the example, one of the first colleagues I work with, and just seeing the magic that she was creating in her classroom. And I said, I want, I want some of that.
Lily Jones
Yes, I love that, and I love that. It's like the magic. I think we need more magic in the class, right? We need more things that kids are going to be excited about, that teachers are going to get excited about. You know? It should be a place full of magic and joy and excitement,
Ronnie Thomas
yeah, and that was one of the challenges I had for myself. How can I create a day that I am excited about? Right? Because when we do that, when we set very high expectations for ourselves and in our planning, our preparation for the engagement that we're looking to lead children in, I think it kind of obliviates the kids expectations. So that was, that was a sweet spot, right? Trying to create those it's time to go already. Moments in the classroom when the kids would realize that our class time was coming to an end, but they wanted to stay, or they beat me to the door, you know, to say, What? What are we doing today? Mr. Thomas, you know, so trying to recreate that same level of excitement every day. I think that that's the biggest advantage as educators, when we can create those spaces. That's when the magic really happens.
Lily Jones
Mm, hmm, absolutely. And so I know that after being a classroom teacher, you decided to start Fun Weird Science, or maybe it was during when you were classroom teaching. Tell us about how kind of how that came to be and what it is.
Ronnie Thomas
So I almost left teaching to go be a truck driver. No, I had made up my mind. I had become, you know, just kind of exhausted with the complacency of education at that time it was left behind. So just being in you dated, you know, over the head with math and ELA and that was, that was the focus, and it was so scripted. There was no room for creativity. There was no room for autonomy. You had to follow the script. So I had friends around me that many of them didn't go to college, and yet they were making way more money than that was as a teacher with the master's degree, so I had almost decided to go in and get my CDL to be a commercial truck driver.
Lily Jones
Yeah, so interesting. Well, I'm glad that you stuck in education, yeah. How did you and I relate to just like all the parts of being a teacher that are so hard, you know, going back to, like, making it exciting, making it fun, and then these systems and structures and no child left behind, and all the things that make it really hard to do that. And so I'm curious how you kind of found your way to focusing on Fun Weird Science.
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah so, you know, I would come back to the classroom, right? And the kids would go crazy in terms of the things that we were doing. So I started going back to those same conferences and presenting to other educators. You know, what was happening in my classroom by having a hands on approach in in regards to science instruction. And I had some phenomenal years doing my 20 years in traditional school setting. And around 2014 had been teaching at this point, 14 years, and I realized that other teachers were not teaching science, you know, whether it be access to resources or them feeling like they were not prepared or able to teach kids in science. And it was just a bunch of reading about science, you know, doing worksheets about. Science, but nobody was actually doing science. So when I started to experience success with showing other teachers how to unlock that magic in their classroom, that was the birth of Fun Weird Science. So I was still teaching full time, but I would do Fun Weird Science on the side, whether it be Saturday stem camps or summer camps, and then at the end of the 2019 school year, I had this audacious desire to go out of the country and teach and have I didn't go. I wanted to go. It wasn't the best time for the whole family. Now, I have been able to go out and do some engagement in other countries, like Ghana, West Africa, Guatemala and Costa Rica. But I really wanted to go and move the family abroad and explore opportunities that were out there. But we couldn't get to that point because it wasn't the best time for the entire family. So at that time, I began to pursue Fun Weird Science full time, and had an amazing start in terms of working for myself exclusively, and the pandemic hit, and it was perfect timing, you know, in regards to I was already engaging kids in virtual learning, so when those different organizations could not get to their students, I was in prime position to ship out kits and to facilitate learning experiences using this camera right here.
Lily Jones
Fantastic. I love that, and it's so going back to what you just said about not actually doing the science, I think that's so powerful, right? Like we give kids these textbooks for science, for all sorts of things, right? Yeah, but it's like they're not actually doing it. And so I'd love to hear a little bit of more about, like, why must students do STEM? And your mission around Weird Science.
Ronnie Thomas
So in order for it to be relevant and impactful, students have to do science. They can't just afford to read about it, right? How can we make it relevant? Because we're competing with so many external factors in the world that grab and hold our children's attention. So how do we make science engaging and relevant? To show if you like this, you know, right here to my left on my table, I had a class recently where we were making bouncy balls, and the kids had to create a recipe and track them the cost and the goal was to make the bounciest ball at the lowest cost point. So now I've hooked them right? I call it putting cheese on broccoli. Kids will tell you all day, I hate broccoli, but when you get a little cheese on it and you give it to them in a way where it's presented to be, you know, tasteful or delightful, then they come back and ask for more broccoli. So when you're able to catch kids attention by doing hands on science and STEM then you're able to let them take a peek into the world and see which careers align to this interest that you have regarding this particular concept. So in order for us to really be able to get back to be the country that gave the world the automobile manufacturing process and the airplane led the world in innovation. Now ranks at the bottom in math and science, and I think we've got to this point because we stifled the innovation in children, especially black and brown children, but in educational in general, we have not created a space where we've made learning relevant, like education is still operating in from its inception, right face forward. You know, raise your hand to speak. Repeat back to me what I just told you. And we've said that that was mastering but then those kids can't apply that learning in any new setting if it was not given to them in the same way that they originally received it. So with their hands, if you engage kids hands, then their minds will follow. So we have to get to a point to where we are activating and allowing children to use their hands, because I tell parents and educators, the biggest bang for the buck in STEM engagement is not that we're, you know, every kid is not going to be a rocket scientist, right? But when we engage kids in hands on learning, we have to foster creativity, communication, collaboration, innovation, time management, conflict resolution. And those are soft skills, and they are transferable. So regardless of what industry or career path that children decide to pursue, those soft skills are going to be very valuable. And we get that benefit by engaging kids in STEM early. And if we do that early enough, I think before third grade, then we prevent that window from closing, because if kids have not been engaged early in STEM and shown how fun and exciting it is and how it can lead to a very rewarding life and career, then if we don't do that in time by third grade, that window starts to close and kids start to either say, I can or I can't. In black and brown children, when many of them close their eyes and they they're they're asked what a scientist looks like, many of them have an image of an older Caucasian guy with frizzy hair and themselves as being, um, capable of pursuing or being successful in STEM.
Lily Jones
Here, here. I mean having those opportunities. And I appreciate how you said too, just like the soft skills and the qualities that we all need to be developed to be successful, right? Like innovation, creativity, flexibility, group work, collaboration, like all these things that make us successful, that make us be able to solve problems in the world, infused into the classroom.
Ronnie Thomas
Yes, indeed, because industry is telling us, I can, they can train you how to operate a machine, but they can't. They can't teach or train, you know, communication skills and collaboration skills. So, you know those, those are the tangibles that we have to take time to nurture and children early. And I found no better way than to use hands on learning.
Lily Jones
I love that. Absolutely. So tell us a little bit about all the offerings you do at Fun Weird Science. I know you started doing some speaking. Yeah, sounds like you did some virtual learning. Now. What are your core offers?
Ronnie Thomas
So my my main focus now, I travel the world, and I provide live science shows. So, think of a school assembly right our interactive science show, where the audience is involved. Kids that are in the audience get to come up and help participate in some of the demonstrations. We have a conversation like we're having right now, but we have a conversation around scientific concepts and vocabulary and career alignment that you know fits to what we're doing. So that's been my main focus with being able to identify opportunities. Just got back from New Britain, Connecticut this weekend, doing a live signing show. So that's been my biggest focus. I'm also working on my online course offering. I have a K through two tiny Tinker, Yeah, amazing course, and I send the kit out with it also. And I developed those courses just to help parents at home, whether you're a homeschool parent or a parent with a child in traditional school settings, but you're seeking to get more stem engagement right, and you're seeking to have more valuable parental time with your child, using learning, but doing it in a fun way. So the Live Science shows and building my online course repository, they have consumed a lot of my focus and energy right now, but I also travel and do STEM professional development. So if there are teachers or administrators that want to find ways to help bring science and STEM alive in their teachers classrooms, I can be a point of contact to help make that happen. So the live courses, the live shows, the teacher professional development, and we also speak at conferences as well.
Lily Jones
That sounds like such a good mix, too, and I love that you're adding on the online courses, particularly with that kit too. Because as a parent, I know, like, it's easy to say, I want to do all these things, but then when it comes down to it, I'm like, where do we get this stuff? Where do I get the time? Lend it to me, have it all there. Make it easy. I love that, and it allows you to scale and not be, not have to travel everywhere, right?
Ronnie Thomas
I still value the face to face. I still value student facing, teacher facing, but, you know, we definitely want to be able to and, believe it or not, man, you know, I found that the online experiences is just like I'm able to reach out and touch you, because it's such an interactive conversation and engagement, where it feels like we're in the room together.
Lily Jones
Mm, hmm, yeah, that's fantastic. And so I want to shift gears a little bit to just your experience, you know, going from a classroom teacher feeling like, I'm not sure if I can do this anymore, maybe I'll just leave education entirely to starting fun, weird, science and, you know, building a business. And I'm curious what you've learned about yourself through the process.
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah, I have learned that my cup is always half full, that that's that's been one thing that I've tried to pride myself around. One of my favorite books is chop wood, carry water, and it talks about falling in love with the process of becoming great. So I know that I come with value already as my default right. Greatness is always my default setting, but I still leave room for myself to grow and learn and become better. My grandmama will always say, Good, better best, never let it rest until your good becomes your better and your better becomes your best. So along this journey, I'm nowhere near my pinnacle. There's still so many families out there looking and waiting for me that we just haven't had the opportunity to meet one another, but I've learned that I won't rest until I've been able to live out every dream that live. Inside of my heart and my mind in regards to providing children with fun and engaging ways to make learning fun again.
Lily Jones
So powerful. And I think when you have such a strong mission, right where you're like, I feel called to do this, and I feel motivated to do it and I'm passionate about it, then it really is like such a propelling force going forward.
Ronnie Thomas
Indeed, indeed. I say, you know, it wakes me up every day. I i could get out of my bed every day and do this for the rest of my life, and I will travel the world sharing my passion for STEM engagement.
Lily Jones
I think that's so powerful for teachers to hear too, because I know when I was teaching and starting to feel burnt out, I felt like that a lot of the way the time as a teacher of like this is what I'm meant to do. I love teaching. I love my classroom, but also all the other factors, right? And so it's so affirming to hear you say, you know how you've been able to find that beyond the traditional classroom, teaching in different ways.
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah, because the landscape is changing. I think the pandemic showed us that, you know, we can do so much through technology. Using technology, we don't have to necessarily, quote, unquote, be in a traditional school classroom to make learning. I think the most impactful learning takes takes place outside of the classroom. And some call it the term world schooling, where you're able to travel and immerse your child, you know, in different learning opportunities. No. What better way to learn about math than to go to the grocery store and let the child shop and do measurements and calculate prices and things that nature? What better way to learn about shakes and geometry and architecture than to go visit the Arch in St Louis. So like being able to get out of the classroom and provide those experiences is something that I think is needed and is no no other place I heard a guy say nothing, no other place in our world looks like school except school. Good one, yes, yeah, right, you know. And I heard somebody say, you know, school is a place where creativity goes to die. So I really challenge upon decision makers and lawmakers and district administration and building principals and teachers to all works collectively and business and parents in the community in general, you know, finding ways to be able to make learning relevant. I just left from getting a chip in my windshield repair, and I'm in there filming and recording, and going to go back and do some more recording, but just showing the science behind when windshield repair and the chemistry that's involved in making that, I think, you know, as much as we can show children the different opportunities that are around them that they pass by and walk by every day without giving it any second thought, I think we can kind of show them that, you know, then I think that their creativity and their innovation will definitely enhance.
Lily Jones
And they're learning all the time, you know, just like you said, like, learning is not something that just happens within a school. And so also, knowing that they're learning all the time, they learned all sorts of things, whether it's, you know, about their favorite dinosaurs that they went and studied on their own, or their favorite video game or, like, whatever it might be, right? Like, that's all learning,
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah, and when we can attach an experience to it, then it's, it's, it's, it creates a core memory, and they will forever. I still get to this day, you know, children that I've had the privilege of teaching in the classroom now that they have matriculated throughout, you know, k 12 and college and now are in in the real world. You know, they still speak about some of those experiences that we had in the classroom, from the things that we were doing using our hand, I've been trying to go back and find several of them and interview them and just see, you know, what impact did the early exposure to science and STEM education. And by the way, because by the time you show this, there may be another variation of STEM or STEAM or stream, but all it is is good teaching and learning. But I've been going back and asking that question, what impact did that early exposure to stem and science education have on your trajectory and where you are today? You know? What impact did that have? And I've been very proud to hear some of the feedback, knowing that the work that we did many years ago, it made a difference. So my pleasant teachers, I know that your day is very, very stressful, and there are a lot of things being thrown at you, and we need you. We definitely need you. But I also realize the importance of fulfillment and from being able to earn money, right? So, whatever your passion, whatever your niche is, find a way to monetize that. And you know, build, build, build from your passion, create a life around your passion so that you are able to. So, you know, I hate to say it, but you know, position yourself to leave traditional schools, because the landscape is changing. You know, public schools, in my opinion, are becoming like public holding facilities, and the kids that are able to get out and go to charter schools or private schools will leave, and we're going to add even more stress on these underpaid educators that are really like realized superheroes. But you know, we have to make sure that we undergird them with the resources that they need, and take away the distractions and the undesired behaviors and hold other people accountable. Everybody holds teachers accountable for everything, but no one is bears an equal responsibility for what happens during those eight hours a day where teachers are asked to do so much with so little.
Lily Jones
And we need that innovation. I mean going back to even what you said with students, right? We want them to innovate. We want them to collaborate. We want them to see possibilities and solutions. Same thing with grown ups and teachers, right? Like we need teachers who see the possibilities, who are able to think about restructuring schools or innovating sch ools and really seeing the bigger picture and elevating their teaching expertise.
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah, you're the one to do that, and we're seeing more of that with the micro school community and with the charter school pushing and people just starting their own, their own you know the the increase in parents that are homeschooling. I know when I was growing up that that term homeschooling, I didn't see that in black and brown communities, but now I'm starting to see a large number of black and brown families deciding to take the take the rim of their children's education and use homeschooling as a way to ensure that their children are getting everything that they need. Because in our public schools, or in our school educate 12 education in general, we we try to make everybody dance to the same tune with patient charts, and, you know, all these different targets and benchmarks that we have to hit, but we don't always. We're not allowed, in many cases, to teach or meet the needs of the whole child discovered in six weeks. And then we got to move on to this. And then we got to get, you know, get ready for testing, and then you have summer time. And then we know that the data behind the summer loss and the summer slide, and we're still recovering from the pandemic, because there were so many kids that feel grade levels behind academically. So, you know, it's a lot of work to be done, but it's going to take it's going to take everybody. You know, there's a old African proverb that says, together, the ants ate the elephant. And we have to look at the needs of education as as a collective.
Lily Jones
Mm, hmm, absolutely. And I think thinking about like, we know what works, yeah, extent, right, like teachers know what works, we just often don't have the means to really do that.
Ronnie Thomas
We don't. And you have states that spend more money per prisoner than they do per student. So, you know, and then they guarantee private prisons, you know, 90% occupancy for 1015, years if they build prisons in certain states. So we kind of, you know, if you really look and listen, it kind of shows whether, whether the the importance lies, in terms of, you know, where the funding we just follow the dollar. That pretty much tells us what's important to to our different lawmakers and decision makers.
Lily Jones
Absolutely. And I think it's like, constantly this discussion of, like, when do we work within this like, extremely broken and flawed and inequitable system. And when do we start other systems? You know, like you're saying with micro schools and with homeschooling movements and all that, you know, we can't wait for our kids to get educated. We can't wait to make these changes and also making sure that everybody has access to high quality education.
Ronnie Thomas
It's so important I travel. I've been I've been afforded the opportunity to travel and see learning in lots of different communities. And one of the things that I have really, really been impressed with over the last five years or so is the push for CTE programs, career, tech education, and just seeing like I was in Ada, Oklahoma, and there was a classroom building the airplane, a high school class building an airplane that they would have approved by the FAA, and then they would sell the airplane. Then the course repeats, but then you think about, you know, we have a pilot decline, and we're scrambling to find pilots and aviation technicians. And I just feel we know as a country, we've cut our hand off. You know, you think about doing the pandemic when we couldn't get chips from other countries that we weren't necessarily agreeing with, and that brought like a standstill. We couldn't get cars, we couldn't get electronics, because those chips. Were integral parts in the functionality of those devices and those, those those those tools. But you know, how do we get back to being the country that creates future workforce or future problem solvers? And I mean that we do that by investing in education early and ensuring, like you said, that every child has an opportunity to learn in the most conducive and the least restrictive environment.
Lily Jones
So there's a lot of work to do. All right, there's a lot of work to do. We need passionate educators to be making some of these changes. I believe, you know, the educators are the ones who can lead a lot of these changes. And so for our listeners, who may be educators, thinking about starting their own thing beyond the classroom, thinking about exploring maybe a new avenue. What advice do you have for them?
Ronnie Thomas
Hey, believe in yourself. You know, if all else fails, you can always go back to what's familiar, right? It can be daunting and frightful to step out and believe and trust in in your ability, but you're doing it, and you've done it under the guise of traditional schools, and we need you right, but if you are considering taking your passion and monetizing your passion and creating something that allows you to have the autonomy and the freedom to live your best life. Just believe in yourself. Know that there will be bumps and stumbles along the way, but believe in your why. What is your why? What's driving your why? Is this something that you could do every day for free? Is it that strong of a passion. Then if the answer to that is yes, then I definitely think that that would be a clear indication that you have something in you, that the world is waiting on.
Lily Jones
Wonderful advice. Thanks so much, Ronnie, it's been so great talking with you and hearing a little bit more about your journey. Can you tell folks how they can connect with you?
Ronnie Thomas
Yeah, Fun Weird Science.com you also can connect with me on social media at Fun Weird Science, and you can text the keyword science to 21,000.
Lily Jones
Wonderful. Thanks so much.
Ronnie Thomas
Cool Beans. Thank you for the opportunity..
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