Mole Day approaches. What is Mole Day? It’s October the 23rd each year (10/23, geddit?), when some chemistry teachers decide to devote many class activities to the ‘celebration’ of the chemical mole – Avogadro’s number.

Now, it will hardly be a revelation when I tell you that I’ve never ‘celebrated’ Mole Day, nor will I ever. Teaching is a very personal thing, and we all have our own strengths and weaknesses. It makes sense to play to our strengths, so for me, a Mole Day ‘celebration’ would be out of character, would be ‘false’, and would make zero sense.

However, for others I’m sure it is a rich learning experience that is very worthwhile. In that light I have no problem with Mole Day per se, but if you do decide to meet your kids for breakfast at 6.02 am, make plush moles, and couple this type of activity with tie-dying T-shirts and ‘performing’ 1001, ‘exciting’ demo’s and labs throughout the year, then I beg of you that you do me a small favor.

Don’t be shortsighted

Please don’t post a message in the discussion Forum of the AP Chemistry Teacher Community, that you are running out of time with your AP class, and ask if, ‘it’s OK to leave out Kinetics and Electrochemistry?’.

Errr…no, it’s NOT OK, and you have not served your kids if you find yourself in that situation because of ‘Mole Day’.