Jok Church created the science-education comic strip "You Can with Beakman and Jax" and the zany TV series "Beakman's World."
Why you should listen
In his work, Jok Church loved helping kids learn basic concepts of science and experimentation -- with a healthy dash of fun. He created his comic strip You Can with Beakman & Jax in 1991 for his local newspaper in Marin County, California -- inspired by a stint answering kids' letters for Lucasfilm. The comic strip does not answer readers' questions directly. Rather, it gives directions to do a thing, a procedure, an experiment to learn the answer. It's about learning by doing. Active. Not passive.
Six Beakman & Jax books are best-sellers. Church created the long-running TV series Beakman's World, a hit in English and Spanish, and helped create the Beakman's World on Tour exhibit for science centers and museums. A longtime techie, he also served as the webmaster for artists Christo and Jeanne-Claude. Church died April 29, 2016, and will be much missed.
What others say
I was pretty overwhelmed by how brave children are with their questions. They have not yet learned to not ask.
Jok Church’s TED Talk
More news and ideas from Jok Church
News
Remembering Jok Church, 1949-2016
May 2, 2016
In March 2007, a handsome iron-haired man stepped onto the low stage at Monterey dressed in full leathers, and gave what might be the most beautiful 3-minute TED Talk of all time. Jok Church told a story from his childhood: I was the class queer. I was the guy beaten up bloody every week in the boys’ room, […]
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From the comments: A world of unfiltered communication — using just our thoughts?
May 9, 2014
Stroke survivor Jok Church shared his response to Mary Lou Jepsen's thought-provoking TED Talk examining new ways in which we might think and communicate in the future.
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