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All Hands on Gems!
Touching and examining real gemstones in GIA’s interactive Jr. Gemologist Program isn’t just allowed – it’s required
Story and photos by Mauricio Minotta
 Anyone who’s ever stepped foot in a classroom full of rambunctious elementary school children knows it isn’t easy to get them to settle down at the drop of a hat. Some teachers may try counting to three to coerce them to be quiet. But even then, the most rascally ones will usually wait until the last possible millisecond before cooperating.
As long as there will be children who act like, well, children, teachers will be challenged to come up with ways to accomplish this sometimes mammoth feat. But who knew the most effect tool just might be a gemstone?
The near silence from a group of 32 students as they inquisitively peered through loupes and microscopes at GIA’s Carlsbad campus recently is a good example of gemstones’ ability to fascinate 9- and 10-year-olds. Outbursts, if any, were direct reactions to the mysterious inner world of the stones they were observing.
“Oh wow! This is really cool,” says Rebecca Morton, 9, as she looked through one of several microscopes. “I’m seeing a lot of green and blue in my stone. It’s really pretty.”
“Sweet!” shouts 9-year-old Joshua Ching after focusing in on an inclusion.
Across the room the other half of the group is stationed at tables carefully louping stones after first being taught how to pick them up with tweezers.
 “I’ve never seen anything like this before,” says David Arganda, 10. “I really like the blue outline of this stone. It has some white stuff in it, but it’s pretty clean.”
The class from Magnolia Elementary School in Carlsbad visited GIA to participate in the Institute’s newly expanded Jr. Gemologist Program. It is organized by the Guest Services department and taught by a handful of GIA employees who volunteer their time to teach children the basics behind minerals and gemstones.
To do that, volunteers use lots of simple visual aides to help get their points across. Sometimes a chocolate chip cookie or Jell-O with some fruit does the trick.
“Just like this cookie is made of several ingredients, a rock is also made of at least two components or minerals,” Guest Services Supervisor Yvette Wilson explains to them. “And in the same way this Jell-O has fruit suspended inside, gemstones have bits of minerals that we call inclusions.”
Throughout the 90-minute class, volunteer instructors also hold up examples of diamond, both in its rough and polished form, to explain its crystal structure and the cutting process it endures to bring out its inner beauty.
But it was a twinned pyrite specimen in its natural cubic crystal structure that drew a collective “whoooaaa!” from this group. And it’s not just the students who are mesmerized by what is being taught. Several parents also tag along to learn alongside the children.
 “I remember one day we were expecting around 50-plus students for a class, but when the group showed up, there were more than 90 people. Apparently some of the parents had driven by [the Institute] before and had always wanted to see what GIA is all about,” Wilson says.
Out of the more than 4,300 guests who visited GIA last year, at least 2,100 were children who participated in the Jr. Gemologist Program. And there doesn’t seem to be an end in sight to the large numbers. Wilson says her department’s schedule is nearly booked solid through 2004 with three classes per week.
The program has really taken off since it was rewritten to meet California state content standards and incorporated into the educational curriculum for the local school districts last year. Prior to that, it was designed as an abbreviated educational tool for visiting Boy and Girl Scouts groups when it was introduced in 2000. Back then it briefly covered birthstones and an introduction to GIA, Wilson says.
The idea to expand the program started in 2002 when the state of California required an assessment of all elementary schools’ science curriculum. This led school administrators from the Carlsbad Unified School District to find new resources in the community that could help augment their science classes.
They found the right partnership with GIA, says Sue Bentley, Ed.D, the former Carlsbad assistant superintendent who worked with GIA to help develop the new Jr. Gemologist Program.
“Because of the myriad of things that teachers are required to be current on, it’s only a natural second step to look at all the resources in the community to reinforce what we’re trying to do,” Bentley says. “After talking about the Jr. Gemologist Program, we thought of it as a wonderful partnership to connect students with a curriculum that was above and beyond the classroom.”
Members of GIA’s Public Outreach Committee, including Wilson and Institute consultant Shari West, met with school and city administrators to help create a new program that would springboard from what students were learning in school. GIA consultant Edward Boehm also contributed to the project.
 “As part of our nonprofit status, we were looking for different ways to interact with the local community, including the education community,” says Committee founder Gary Hill, director of Community Development. “The intent of the committee is to determine the best direction to do this. In the end, the Jr. Gemologist Program benefits both the schools and helps GIA train its future workforce.”
The meetings and researching the schools’ science books proved fruitful for GIA staff and consultants. The information they gathered served as a foundation to write a program that bridges the students’ curriculum with gemology at the Institute.
“Our goal was to make sure the Jr. Gemologist Program supported the school curriculum,” West says. “We knew they had books and pictures to learn from after researching their materials, but they certainly didn’t have actual minerals and gemstones.
“Being able to touch these specimens and see them through microscopes opens a whole new world that wasn’t open to them in their classrooms,” she says. “We’re giving the kids that hands-on experience, which is very exciting for them.”
Such experiences are what researchers say are essential for younger students to retain what’s being taught to them more easily, Bentley says. The more real-life and meaningful experiences they have in the classroom, the longer it’ll stick with them.
“One of the critical concepts of motivation is to have really relevant experiences that go far beyond the textbook,” Bentley says. “The Jr. Gemologist Program brings the outside world into the classroom … it’s this kind of relevant hands-on science that enriches the life of the student.”
 In addition to mineralogy, geology, crystal structure and gemstones, the class also covers tools of the trade – such as loupes, tweezers and microscopes – and an introductory exercise on identification of inclusions. Wilson says it was a challenge to write a single program that could be taught to students ranging from 9-to-12 years old.
“It had to be fun and exciting for them, and also use simple visuals to help them remember what they were learning,” Wilson says. “We learned a lot after testing the new program in November [2003].
“I realized what I thought was the best way to explain something wasn’t necessarily effective in helping them understand certain ideas. That’s why I started using the food items,” she says.
Besides looking at gemstones through GIA microscopes and loupes, the program also uses other interactive exercises so students get a stronger grasp of more challenging concepts, such as atomic structure.
“To teach them the difference between the carbon atoms found in their pencils and those in diamond, the instructor has everyone put their hands together and rub them back and forth,” Wilson explains.
“We tell them that, like their hands, carbon atoms in their pencils are loosely arranged and can move and rub off very easily. But when we tell them to interlace their fingers and tell them to try to rub their hands again, they can’t because again, like their tightly clasped hands, carbon atoms in diamond are tightly arranged, which makes diamond much harder.”
By the end of the recent session, the children were scurrying to line up before heading downstairs to look at the jewelry on display. This time, getting them to settle down was a little harder. After getting a first-hand introduction to the world of gemstones, they were eager to see what other treasures they would find.
Instead of talking about the latest PlayStation game while they waited, many compared notes on what they saw during the class.
“I looked at a green stone that looked like it had liquid inside,” says 9-year-old Daisy Rodriguez. “I had never seen anything like that before.”
Jocelyn Harris, 9, says she learned something new during her visit to the Institute and has hopes of returning someday.
“I learned gemstones are minerals and that they come in many different colors and sizes,” she says. “I really liked it.”
There are no plans to offer the Jr. Gemologist Program on a more frequent basis, but the class’ popularity and, more importantly, its educational benefit, gives Wilson high hopes to eventually open it to more students.
“It’s so neat to see the light bulbs go on in these kids. You just know you’re doing something right,” she says.
“It’s important for them to know they can come to GIA when they need information. That’s something we want to nurture in them. It’s all about planting the seed for future gemologists.”
Inspire budding gemologists! If you are a San Diego, California, area resident and are interested in volunteering to help teach the Jr. Gemologist Program, or for other volunteer opportunities, contact Guest Services Supervisor Yvette Wilson at (760) 603-4116 or e-mail: ywilson@gia.edu
What the Kids Say
“I learned all sorts of cool stuff at GIA. This was a great experience for me.”
Shannon McIntee
Pacific Rim Elementary
“I really liked being a gemologist for a day.”
Katie
Shoal Creek Elementary
“Thank you for letting us use the microscopes. I am going to take my family with me next time I visit.”
Tyler Smith
Carlsbad Seaside Academy
“This was the best educational field trip ever! I learned so many new things about gems.”
Alyson Favilla
Pacific Rim Elementary
“I hope to go to school and be a GIA student. I can’t wait to learn about gems.”
Summer
Iowa Street School
“I have always been a rock hound. All of your gems and information is very captivating.”
Matilda Rudolph
Carlsbad Seaside Academy
“I had a lot of fun looking through the 10X loupe and the microscopes. I want to go back sometime.”
Tyler
Iowa Street School
“Thank you for teaching me about gems. You answered all my questions. This place is magnificent!”
Tosha Eisenhower
Pacific Rim Elementary
“I loved seeing the diamonds. It was spectacular. I will cherish that memory.”
Chyla Ranyhlo
Magnolia School
What Teachers Say
“Your instruction was terrific. It’s not easy to capture the attention of all ages and you managed to do that and more!”
Kathy Leonard
Iowa Street School
“All of the students who attended were enormously impressed by the beauty of your facility and the warm hospitality. In addition, they learned many valuable things about gemology … I’m sure many of them came away from the experience pondering the possibility of a future career in the jewelry industry.”
John A. Rosicky
Monarch School
“It’s been a few weeks since our big day and the students are still talking about their favorite workshops. You made quite an impression as you brought hands-on science to our students.”
Lorie Chapa
Magnolia Elementary
“My class had a truly enlightening learning experience. My students felt very welcome and their parents heard very positive comments about their adventure!”
Beckie Steller
Shoal Creek Elementary
“The opportunity GIA provides for today’s youth to get a foot in the door and pick up practical skills is immeasurable. Thank you for what you do for students.”
Jack Basmadjian
Rancho Buena Vista High
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