Posted by Shawn Graville on March 23, 2013, 1:30 am
STEM Education has become a cornerstone of my campaign. I want to see a drastic improvement in the areas of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. As a chemist and engineer myself, I understand the importance we need to place on these areas of education.
My plan for improvement in these areas is two fold. First we need to strive to hire future teachers with specific backgrounds in key subjects like Chemistry, Biology, Physics, etc. Secondly we need to implement after school programs such as Junior First Lego League, First Lego League, First Tech Challenge, and First Robotics Competition. I have spoke with individuals associated with these programs and found that the funding is readily available in the form of grants, so essentially it would cost the district nothing. There are also stipends available for teachers who can help run these programs.
These programs start at the Kindergarten level and continue through high school. They inspire children in the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics. These programs would allow our students to participate in hands on activities that not only build upon the information they are learning in class, but also help them grasp new concepts. As an after school program it would also promote student interest in school and keep our students away from unhealthy activities.
I know from personal experience that the United States is not producing enough engineers, causing many universities to recruit from other countries. This is an area in which our children can have good, solid, prosperous careers. Going into an in depth description of these programs would take a long time, so I am placing the links for these programs here for voters to look into. I truly believe the future success of our district depends on focusing more on these areas.
on March 23, 2013, 1:30 am