Welcome to The Chemistry Program

Great to be starting out on this new journey with you. Whether you're just beginning your GCSE, A level or IB chemistry course, wondering whether chemistry is the right subject for you or just fancy seeing some content from potion class, it's fantastic to welcome you to the launch of The Chemistry Program.

To introduce myself, I'm Heather, the founder of The Chemistry Program and here's how I got to this point. Back in school, I had no idea I would one day wind up teaching chemistry. I had aspirations to be a doctor, and therefore, as a requirement, ended up doing A level chemistry. Somewhere along the journey to medical school things didn't work out as planned, so rather than take the year out I decided to change my path and continue with my best A level subject, choosing to study chemistry at university. 4 years later, I swore I would never touch the subject again. I knew I could continue on to do a PhD like many of my friends did, but I had lost my love for the subject. The thrill of the problem solving had gone and to be honest, I got frustrated when working in pharmaceuticals, seeing the business graduates swanning around in fancy offices with big bonuses and the academics grinding away in the lab for minimal recognition. One year later, I was back doing the subject I had promised myself I would never touch again, I had become a chemistry teacher.

I fell into teaching by accident but I was fortunate enough to find my passion. It may be cheesy but there is nothing quite like helping someone to understand a concept that they never thought they'd get, supporting them to realise their potential or unlocking a student's enthusiasm for the subject. I find it so disheartening when students and adults alike find chemistry boring but then again out of the hundreds of hours of lectures I attended at university, there were only two I can remember; one on alkaloids & witches' broomsticks (not this professor but interesting read) and the other on the composition of a McDonald's McFlurry, of which the details are rendered almost obsolete with the one exception, I don't want to eat one ever again. Learning chemistry should be fun and interesting, it's experimenting, problem-solving and learning about a whole new dimension most people never consider

Chemistry shapes our every day whether we want to accept it or not. From healthcare to global food production, technology to cosmetics, it plays a major part in it all and I want my students to see the real-life application of the chemistry they learn at each level. The Chemistry Program is about making GCSE, A level & IB chemistry easier to understand, enjoyable to learn and above all building a student's confidence in themselves. Chemistry may be the subject of geeks and nerds but they are also the thinkers, the problem-solvers, the game-changers, the innovators and the people that change the world - let's celebrate that!