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Meet Pamela Mork, an associate professor of chemistry at Concordia College and the author of Veritas Press's groundbreaking chemistry textbook. In this episode, Pamela shares her vision for making high school chemistry both rigorous and accessible, drawing from her experience as both a college educator and a homeschooling parent to create a curriculum that speaks directly to students.

Learn why chemistry education matters for everyone - not just future scientists - and how this innovative approach combines classical liberal arts principles with robust scientific instruction.

Episode Transcription

Note: This transcription may vary from the words used in the original episode for better readability.

Marlin Detweiler:
Hello again and welcome to another episode of Veritas Vox, the voice of classical Christian education. Today we have with us Pam Mork. Pam, thanks for joining us.

Pamela Mork:
Oh, I'm so happy to be here.

Marlin Detweiler:
It's really exciting to talk to you. Most of the work that you've done for us, you've been working with other people. And this is kind of fun for me to talk about the project that you have completed recently. That's pretty exciting. But before we get into that, I want to hear a little bit about you, your family, your education, and your career.

Pamela Mork:
Well, I am an associate professor of chemistry at a small four-year liberal arts college where emphasis is on writing and critical thinking. All of the students, from the science students to the humanities, value humanities. We absolutely see that when our science students go on to medical school and dental school, they are extremely well prepared because they have that liberal arts classical education background.

So that's where I've been working for a number of years. We have four children, and I wanted them to have that same emphasis on a rich background in history, humanities, politics, art, writing, and critical thinking, even though I'm a science professor.

Yeah. So my husband is a biochemist. He works in biotech here in town, and I teach chemistry here at Concordia College.

Marlin Detweiler:
Concordia College. Now, that was founded as and remains a Lutheran college. Is that correct?

Pamela Mork:
It does.

Marlin Detweiler:
And how old is this? Fairly old?

Pamela Mork:
120 years old.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah, I thought so.

Pamela Mork:
The school values the historical church background and doctrines that our history came out of. Our students still take two courses in religion as a requirement to graduate.

Marlin Detweiler:
Very good. Being a Lutheran school in Minnesota is very in line with the culture there. It's probably one of the densest populations of Lutheran Christians in America, isn't it?

Pamela Mork:
Yeah, very much so. Missouri is probably another huge hub.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah, that's right.

Pamela Mork:
The Minneapolis area is very full of Lutherans. Yeah.

Marlin Detweiler:
How did you get—

Pamela Mork:
—to know how to put Jell-O in the liturgical colors?

Marlin Detweiler:
That's great. How did you get connected with Veritas?

Pamela Mork:
Well, I was homeschooling my children and very much using the four-year history cycle.

Marlin Detweiler:
And it's actually five.

Pamela Mork:
Okay, five. So, yeah. Misspoke there.

Marlin Detweiler:
There are some that are four, and I don't want people thinking you were using something else.

Pamela Mork:
Oh, sorry. I'm sorry. Yeah. And I got an email where you were talking about wanting to make a five-year science series at the level that Veritas Press materials are known to be. You were looking for authors, and I wrote an application. Interestingly, it was misdirected to your academy. I think the person who opened it thought that I wanted to teach.

Marlin Detweiler:
Oh, I didn't remember.

Pamela Mork:
I can't add anything to my life. Yes. Eventually, somebody caught the mistake and forwarded it to Michael Eatmon.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yep.

Pamela Mork:
He contacted me and deeply apologized for this huge delay in response. We started hashing out what this project could look like and what would distinguish it from the other things on the market. What would make it uniquely a Veritas Press product?

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah. Well, we had some fits and starts in trying to do the science curriculum, and we still hope to do it one day. But you had personally begun writing the chemistry text, and that was very important to us because one of the main sources of science curriculum for us had a big stumble with their chemistry text. It wasn't usable in an edition they put out.

So we were in a very awkward position. Our project of getting all five sciences wasn't coming together in the way that we had hoped. You were working on the chemistry book for us, and so we said, even though we're not ready to go forward with all of them, we'd really like to finish this. Tell us how that worked out for you.

I know you had a lot of help from another college professor, Paula Gaustad. You guys really became quite the team.

Pamela Mork:
I love Paula. I mean, I would vacation with her.

Marlin Detweiler:
That says a lot. As you got into the chemistry text and as you knew what Veritas tries to achieve with its curriculum, what would be some of the key principles that you decided you needed to keep in front of you throughout your writing?

Pamela Mork:
Well, chemistry is an intimidating topic to handle at home. I hear from many families that this is one that makes them rethink whether homeschooling is right for them. So I used to provide a product that supported and took away that fear and intimidation factor. Also, many of the products available genuinely don't go to a level that would prepare a student for college-level chemistry, in my opinion.

Topics were omitted. Maybe it would take two years to work through the whole curriculum. There were some limitations. Not every homeschooling family wants to spend two years on chemistry, right? If a student was hoping to take an AP exam, there were no materials available that would get your student to that level in under two years.

So with those goals and knowing that we wanted to keep as a significant component the history of science, where did we come from? How did ethics progress in science? And always that God created science. I could go to the lab, but I could discover. And that's where we started this project.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah. Yeah. One of the things—I don't know if you have ever heard my background in the sciences, but chemistry in particular. In high school, I ended up studying business management in college, and that was my degree. But in high school, of course, everybody that's on a college prep track takes biology, chemistry, and physics, generally in that order.

And we had a teacher in chemistry. I have heard it said—I've never verified this—but I've heard it said that he was actually voted the teacher of the year in Pennsylvania for all schools, not just sciences. He was remarkable. His name was Mr. Nolte, and we had what he apparently thought was a fairly unique class.

When we took chemistry with him in 11th grade, I'll describe some of the people that came out of that. You'll find it interesting. Many of them were quite good at math. Math has always come easily to me. He could tell that we were enjoying him, and we were enjoying this first-level chemistry.

So he asked us about two-thirds of the way into the school year—now, we didn't know what this meant other than we got to keep going in chemistry—he said, "If I put together a semester of organic chemistry next year, how many people would sign up for it?" About two-thirds of us ended up doing it. I don't remember how many pulled yes at that point, but it was really, really fun.

He made chemistry so enjoyable, and we just had a blast. It was serious chemistry. You spoke critically, and I think rightfully so, about the homeschool world trying to do chemistry at home—it is very difficult. The material is difficult. If a parent isn't trained in it, it's almost impossible to do a really deep job in chemistry.

And the materials are quite limited. We think of it as a kitchen sink kind of laboratory, and we've tried to get beyond that with what you've written. Tell us how we've accomplished that. What were your objectives that helped us get beyond kitchen sink mom chemistry?

Pamela Mork:
Well, I do teach college chemistry. I know where students need to be on that first day of college. So I had an end goal, and I backward-designed it for where we needed to start. But the biggest difference from a traditional textbook is I speak to the student. I use, "I see this. Can you see this?" rather than the traditional science passive voice.

"It is shown in the reaction." No, I talk about it, I make jokes, I show them pictures of it. I use analogies—things that entice them to see it in their everyday life. Each chapter, for example, connects chemistry to something where it's okay—sometimes a little tangential, but sometimes very often, a teen is in metal.

We tie it into a Bible story and talk about how cool ideas have been around. Friendly to the student—that profoundly makes this book different from other books on the market. Yet, each problem is thoughtfully designed to bring the student up in understanding. Every question has a full solution. Every problem in the book has a fully worked-out solution with an explanation for the student.

Because I know that not every parent has the background, energy, or interest in helping a student when all they get is the answer. Yeah, so I tried to give everything to support that student and family.

Marlin Detweiler:
Quite honestly, that means that it's harder. In simple terms, it's more difficult than much of what's out in the marketplace. What would you say to that?

Pamela Mork:
Absolutely true. If you choose a mainstream public school chemistry textbook, it is woefully inadequate for preparation for college. So a lot of homeschoolers and a lot of high school programs choose a college-level book. But a college-level book assumes you've had a year of chemistry, and it doesn't take time to define the terms carefully. And it doesn't scaffold as methodically.

It assumes some background. This book does not assume that you have had chemistry before. Maybe in a physical science class you had a little bit, but it doesn't make that assumption. I like to think of it as, you know, the three bears story. The porridge is just right. It's the perfect level for somebody discovering chemistry at the correct difficulty in a high school setting.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah. Well, let's say somebody—it's pretty obvious—somebody says, "Well, I want to go into chemical engineering in college, or I want to become a doctor, or I want to do medical research." Those people have an obvious sense that serious chemistry is necessary. But what would you say to the non-STEM-oriented student?

What would you say to the person who is enjoying the liberal arts education they're getting at Veritas and might have the question, "Should I really have to take such a rigorous, robust chemistry class?" Why would you tell them they should?

Pamela Mork:
Well, I think everybody should, simply because one of my life lessons is never turn down knowledge. Just because when you're 15 and you think, "Oh, I'm never going to need this," it does not mean that when you're 45, you're not running a business that's a biotech company. And many of my husband's managers found that lesson out the hard way.

Marlin Detweiler:
I'll bet.

Pamela Mork:
So we don't turn down knowledge. And I think that is one of the values that you get out of a liberal arts education. Because I would turn around and say, "Why are doctors needing to learn Latin or learn about Plutarch?"

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah.

Pamela Mork:
Because it is part of what a well-rounded education involves. Yeah. Do I think this book is accessible to people who are not that interested in science? Yes, because it's written to be like I'm speaking to the student right there in your kitchen.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah.

Pamela Mork:
That brings the ntimidation factor down. Yeah. And we can provide guidance on topics that maybe genuinely don't need to be covered. But those topics are there, and they are genuinely presented so that people can learn them, even if they prefer liberal arts, humanities, and writing.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah. There are occasional memes in social media on the internet that thematically are basically, "For another day, I didn't use algebra." And I want to laugh at those memes because I know everybody uses forms of algebra every day. It's as basic as going to the grocery store and thinking in terms of the economic impact of what you're doing there.

I could go on with a list of things. I think that's true of chemistry, too. I think the poet, the writer in general, the artist, the businessman might be inclined to say, "Another day, I didn't use chemistry." But it just isn't true. Our lives are filled with benefits from what we've learned in chemistry in high school and college.

Pamela Mork:
Absolutely. A disturbing trend in society is the thought that, "Well, I can't understand," usually they're thinking of something in science, "therefore it's not real. It's not valid. I'm going to ignore it." But our society does not work in a way that we can ignore the science around us that is transforming lives, that is providing medications, consumer products, things like your cell phone.

What is the metal in there that is allowing me to take Snapchats with little doggy ears on me?

It's the truth. It is all around us. And one of the greatest economic products of the U.S. is our technologies, our sciences, the progressive mindset of, "We can try this. We can learn this." I don't think anyone in the 21st century can consider themselves educated if they have not heard about chemistry or tried some chemistry. Yeah. And I do think the logic and understanding of some of the basic principles of matter are conserved.

When we do a reaction, those molecules go somewhere. In a kind of awkward conversation—when you take a medication, there are waste products that you excrete that go into the environment, that go into our water. It has to be treated. That's pretty much a community problem, and a background in science helps you understand and appreciate that.

Marlin Detweiler:
And it's not just the person who has to do the analysis that has to treat it. It's about my health. It's about the health of my children and my wife. Understanding those implications is just one good, small, but significant example.

Pamela Mork:
Correct. The city manager has to decide what part of the budget is directed toward community health. Yeah. I really believe we call chemistry the central science. It is very hard to truly understand biology without chemistry. It is very hard to understand geology or environmental science without a good background in chemistry.

Marlin Detweiler:
I think you're convincing me that chemistry is even more important than algebra.

Pamela Mork:
I do find it hard to teach chemistry if people have not absorbed what algebra is and how to manipulate it.

Marlin Detweiler:
Well, I understand that. I was making a little bit of a joke in suggesting that when somebody says, "Another day, I didn't use algebra," maybe there's a reason why many people don't say, "Another day, I didn't use chemistry," because they know they do. You've made some really good points.

Pamela Mork:
I hope so. I love reading about major progress that we're making in understanding things or creating a product that is truly going to be lifesaving. Even things like carbon scrubbing to work with environmental issues. These are fascinating areas. I personally tell my students that you are currently learning for jobs that have not even been conceived of yet. So we don't skip knowledge.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah, that's really well said. I am so excited for the chemistry book to really be implemented increasingly in what we do. One of our reasons for wanting to have you record this with us was because we wanted the infection that came from your excitement in doing it to be evident to those and really see how good this book is and how exciting it is to be able to work with a chemistry book that doesn't skip things, but nor does it dumb them down. I love it.

Pamela Mork:
It doesn't. Yeah, it will be like me sitting next to your son or daughter, working and learning chemistry together.

Marlin Detweiler:
That's exciting. So I have to ask you one last question. One of the things my high school chemistry teacher enjoyed doing as a joke was he would open up the butyric acid. You ever do that for your kids?

Pamela Mork:
No. It's like rancid butter.

Marlin Detweiler:
But rancid butter does not do it justice. How would you describe it for our audience, who may not know what it smells like?

Pamela Mork:
Your nose clamps shut in a vain attempt to keep this from coating all the sensors in your sinus passages. Oh, that is a nasty, nasty drug.

Marlin Detweiler:
I don't remember the smell, but I remember the reaction. And it was funny. Our teacher loved it.

Pamela Mork:
Oh, absolutely. There are quite a few sinus clearers that we talk about, but we don't bring them into the classroom.

Marlin Detweiler:
Well, I want to thank you for joining us here. I want to thank you for what you did for Veritas and even more so for the families that look to us for excellence. You really have produced one excellent chemistry book. Thank you.

Pamela Mork:
Thank you. I have been honored to work with the team at Veritas Press. It has been nothing but an amazing project from beginning to end because our goals are so aligned, and this book will be uniquely good for families. That feels good.

Marlin Detweiler:
Yeah, it does. Well, folks, thank you again for joining us on another episode of Veritas Vox. We hope to see you next time. Pam, thank you.

Pamela Mork:
Thank you.