Whether live in the classroom or on his YouTube channel, Josh Kenney is gaining praise for his ability to break down the complexities of chemistry. The chemistry teacher at the Early College Alliance at Eastern Michigan University (ECA@EMU) has also garnered the attention of the American Chemical Society (ACS), and the organization has named him the 2023 Central Region Award recipient for Excellence in High School Teaching.
Not bad for a guy who wasn’t all that interested in education in high school.
“I was not a good student when I was in high school,” Kenney admits. “I took a gap between high school and university. While working in an industrial setting, I became interested in chemistry and decided to go to college. I had a dynamic chemistry teacher at university, who was always doing interesting demonstrations, and I learned science could be exciting.”
Kenney is originally from Chatham, Ontario, Canada, and after earning degrees from Spring Arbor and the University of Windsor (later obtaining a Master’s in Chemistry from the University of Michigan), he pursued teaching, following the example of the university instructor that first sparked his interest in the education field. He has been teaching at the ECA for four years and worked closely with Vicki Paulissen, Ph.D., now retired from the EMU Chemistry Department, to develop the initial ECA lab curriculum.
Paulissen nominated him for the prestigious award from the ACS, and ECA Principal, Dr. Ellen Fischer supported his nomination.
“I have been amazed at how many students name Josh’s Chemistry class as their favorite, despite its being one of the more difficult subjects. I think that students really love his class because he lets students know that he cares about them and believes that they can master difficult topics,” Fischer said. “He uses brief, daily content checks to continually gauge student understanding, and makes sure that students know how to move forward when they are stuck. He reaches outside of the classroom to bring in other voices, and he loves the experiential learning that takes place in the lab. His enthusiasm for his subject translates to student engagement. He is a wonderful and valued teacher.”
Kenney says the ECA is one of the best-kept secrets in secondary education and enjoys the close working relationship with EMU faculty, ECA staff and guiding students to the next level of education.
“I work in such close proximity with the university that I can align my course content to Eastern’s chemistry courses and prepare students for the next level of learning,” Kenney explains. “I’ve had students come back and tell me because they could see what was on the horizon and could see themselves in the role of a chemist, they are now pursuing that career.”
Kenney says it’s a good day when students leave his class buzzing about what they’ve seen and learned. Receiving the award is affirming, but he understands that many contributors are credited with his classroom success.
Kenney was recognized June 22 at the ACS regional ceremony in Detroit.
The ACS was founded in 1876 and is chartered by the U.S. Congress. It is one of the world’s largest scientific organizations, with over 173,000 individuals in a global community across 140 countries. View Kenney’s The Science Classroom, https://www.youtube.com/@TheScienceClassroom
