Mr. Beekeeper and Mrs. Scientist

Sometimes it’s refreshing to invest time with children in learning environments. It isn’t convenient, there is no financial reward, and it might look like the kids don’t get it, but there is learning going on, and it’s fabulous!

A local education administrator contacted us and asked if we would participate in her elementary school’s careers day. “Of course! Yes! Are you interested in our business backgrounds, our corporate international ex-pat years, or our reflections on doing business in other languages and cultures?” “No,” she replied, “we want you to talk about being beekeepers.”

So, we did. Roger dressed as Mr. Beekeeper: Carhartt pants, sturdy boots, bee jacket with veil, and gloves. Sue decided to participate as Mrs. Scientist: business suit and all. The students understood our career-choice uniforms and shared their own; we met a lawyer-to-be, several soccer players, firemen, police officers, doctors, and an actor or two.

Mr. Beekeeper described the work of commercial beekeepers and challenged the students to go outside, learn skills from their parents and grandparents, and work with their hands doing work they love. He focused on attentiveness, diligence, and taking care of bees, beekeepers, and equipment. Mrs. Scientist explained the science behind beekeeping and taught the students a new word: entomology, from ancient Greek for the study of insects. She said that entomologists spend time outdoors collecting insects and studying insects’ habitats, and that they do careful work indoors identifying insects, counting samples, and doing research. She did tell the students that most entomology careers require a doctorate degree, but the students took it in stride. We may never see results from the morning’s discussions, but maybe, somewhere in Northeast Texas, at least one student now knows that bees do not bite (but they can sting). Maybe one student understood that it’s good to like math, science, writing, foreign languages, public speaking, and agriculture, and that there are bright futures ahead.