A great magician never reveals his secrets.
Except for Curt Tinlin, outreach coordinator at ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ at Stark.
A retired Canton City Schools teacher, Tinlin discovered years ago that performing magic was the trick to keeping his students alert in math and science class.
âWhen students are enthralled by a card trick or illusion and then learn how it works â which often involves mathematic and scientific principles â they go from focus to wonderment to confusion to comprehension. The learning process becomes exciting,â he says.
Today, Tinlin takes his math and science magic to schools around Stark County, serving as a ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark ambassador to the educational community.
âMy role is to connect with the community and position ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark as a valuable educational resource beyond our own student body,â says Tinlin, who has been outreach coordinator since early 2014.
Accessing ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark Resources
Using magic to teach is a small part of Tinlinâs work. More often, heâs meeting with administrators and faculty at public, private and parochial schools, learning about their educational needs and identifying ways
¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark can support them.
Thatâs how and why Tinlin facilitates outreach efforts like these:
- Associate Professor of History Leslie Heaphy joined a class of language arts students for a lunch discussion about the Roaring Twenties. Her visit was a kickoff to the classâs study of The Great Gatsby.
- Associate Professor of Chemistry Andrew Burns participated in Tuslaw High Schoolâs College Reality Seminar. He led a discussion on the expectations of university studies and how they differ from high school.
- A group of home-schooled juniors and seniors from Stark County came to campus for one-on-one meetings with professors in fields they hope to study. âThey had already visited two other campuses and felt that their tours had been one-size-fits-all,â says Tinlin. âAt ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark, their visit was customized just for them.â
- ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark students, members of a student outreach team Tinlin formed, visited middle school and high school classrooms to share personal stories about social interaction, taking responsibility, the importance of studying and other topics. âOne student did a fascinating presentation, making balloon animals while talking about the twists and turns in her path to a college degree,â says Tinlin. Depending on the audience, Tinlin has supplied speakers who are international students, nontraditional students, athletes or others with inspirational stories.
âWe are a valuable partner in educating students in kindergarten through 12th grade,â says Tinlin. âThis work is building bridges between Stark Countyâs educational community and ¶¶MÅ®ÆÍ Stark, making our resources more accessible to more people.â