Bus driver. Financial aid analyst. Former director of summer camps. Chris McRae has many roles at Charlotte Latin School, but we recently visited him as he was doing his primary job: teaching science to eighth graders. For a lesson on volcanoes, he first defined viscosity (“resistance to flow”) and then prepared his students for a lab experiment where they would measure the relative viscosity of honey, maple syrup, and dish soap. He walked them through complicated concepts with the easygoing command of an airline pilot announcing that the weather was fine in Dallas and that it was time to prepare the cabin for landing.

The experiment was designed to teach the students about different types of lava (and hence, why some volcanoes erupt violently), but more fundamentally, it grounded the students in the basics of doing a science experiment. Step by step, McRae explained the blank form they would be using. He had a grin on his face when he asked the day’s fundamental question: “What’s the most effective way to use this piece of paper to collect data?”

What are the challenges of teaching eighth graders?

Having a true understanding of what an eighth grader is and where they are in life. Learning is not their top priority. They are going through physical and emotional changes — and they are keenly aware of every single judgment on them, from peers and adults. I let them know that I understand what they’re going through, as much as I can at my age. Sometimes sarcasm works well with eighth graders. It does not work well with sixth graders — they take it a bit too seriously.

I try to introduce them to some basic knowledge that keeps them out of trouble. There was a segment on, I think it was Jay Leno, where they went out on the street and asked questions, and 33% of people thought the Sun revolved around the Earth. My job is to make sure my students aren’t those people. I have some students who have gone on to careers in geology, but not many. My main goal is to get them ready for high school. So it’s study habits, it’s communication skills, it’s representing yourself to the teacher and advocating for yourself.

How has the eighth grade science curriculum at Latin changed since you arrived in 2001?

I got my master’s in geology from Auburn, and eighth grade science at Latin is earth science. Ed Fox, who was here before me, was very heavy into geology as well. When I came in, it was natural for me to slide in and teach what he taught. But looking back, it was a lot of detail on one subject, breaking down volcanoes and earthquakes to the extent that we did. We offer more diversity in eighth grade now: some students love space and don’t really get into rocks, and then we get into a little bit of biology and a little bit of environmental science. It allows all the kids to find an area of interest.

Are you a better teacher now than when you started?

Absolutely. I know a lot now that I didn’t know then. Being around people with slightly different philosophical views on teaching has continuously shaped and adjusted my view on what I should be doing. One of the ways education has evolved is in how we balance grades against mastering the content. I’ll give you an example: in the first semester of eighth grade, we give quizzes and they’re graded. If you don’t do well, you have an opportunity to retake the quiz. It’s about mastering the content — if you didn’t do well, go fix it, learn what you need, and then come back. The second semester, that option goes away. We’re getting them ready for high school, so they need to own their own study habits.

Our latest big change was not grading homework. For a while, that bothered me: how are you going to hold them accountable? I give them homework, they don’t do it. I give them homework again the next week, they don’t do it. What’s the point? But these days, if I see they’re not doing it, I have a conversation with them: “How do you think not doing your homework is affecting you?” Then the next day, they submit the homework. I’m teaching them, just not about geology at that point in time.

Has there been an upside to that policy?

It’s hard to measure, but I think there is: they get to have that additional responsibility. I’m not saying I had to walk uphill both ways in the snow for school, but I think these days, a lot of stuff is done for kids that we had to do for ourselves. So I think this pulls the students more into the realm of owning their own education, which is a good thing.

How are you planning to spend your summers now that you’re not working on Latin’s camps anymore?

I don’t know what I’m going to do with myself. It’s probably not going to go well. My wife and I go sit in the backyard, and after we’ve been sitting for ten minutes, I will get up and start doing something, like picking up branches. She says, “Stop doing that — just sit down.” I don’t sit very well.

You were an Eagle Scout. What was your service project?

Part of my project was adding benches to a park in my hometown in Hammond, Louisiana. The second part was working on trails on Philmont Scout Ranch, where Scouts can do a ten-day trek out in Arizona.

Do you have a favorite story from Philmont?

I did Philmont four times. The tallest peak there is Mount Baldy, about 14,000 feet high. You either did it as a day hike — you got to the base, put your pack down, went up, ate lunch, and came back down — or you did it full-pack. I’ve only done it once full-pack. We got up there, sat down, and ate lunch, and it started to rumble. We looked around, but there wasn’t a cloud in the sky. It got louder and louder. Suddenly two F-14s [fighter jets] were running maneuvers in the canyons below us. We got to watch them from above. It had nothing to do with nature, but that was one of my best experiences while hiking.

How does the ethos of the Boy Scouts contrast with the Core Values of Latin?

Times have changed since I was in scouting and generations are different, but I think the base values are almost identical. What’s expected of you in scouting? To help others, to be honest, to work hard. I think that’s what Latin is about.

Have you had a favorite day in class so far this year?

We do the space unit first; space is a hard concept for any mind. One of the best days every year is when we’re talking about the solar system and we go out to the football field. I stick a sign at the goal line: here’s the Sun. Each group of kids has a sign for a different planet and I ask them to place them where they think they belong. 

Every year it’s the same. The planets are evenly spaced: ten yards after Mercury you get Venus, and ten yards after Venus you get Earth, and the students place the last planet a little past halfway down the field. Then I pull out a card with the actual distances: if Pluto’s at the other end of the field, then all the inner planets [Mercury, Venus, Earth, and Mars] are within the first three yards. Then we come together and start talking about some of the science behind it, and discussing how long it takes to get from Earth to Mars. Those moments where you have ideas that are hard for students to grasp, and then you bring them into a hands-on situation where they can understand it — those are nice to watch.