My First Blog - STEM Education

As an experienced classroom educator I am often perplexed by the inordinate amount of influence and power that we turn over to individuals who have never spent a day in the classroom as an educator, aside from a few presentations, or glorified in classroom field trips. You know the salesperson who is there to sell their newest way to reform education? As I embark on an experiential based approach to education, that will not reform, but transform the classroom experience, I am gearing up for the aspect of my work, which will in fact become on of critical analysis. Today I watched a pretty slide show created by yet another individual out to sell their work regarding STEM education. While this individual is quite intelligent and has spent the biggest majority of her professional career promoting STEM and her resume espouses glorious experiences in the world of promotion and publishing, I do not see anywhere that she has a degree in education, curriculum development, school leadership, and definitely NO CLASSROOM experience. I am continually perplexed by schools systems and educators who continually invest in and fund the endeavors of those who are not on the front line, who are not educators, who do not understand the multifarious aspects of education. Everyone of our schools are filled with specialists, yes, EDUCATION SPECIALISTS! We have invested long hours, years of education, and an expense that many of us will never fully repay in our professional lifetimes, yet, we continue to let non-educators form our understanding of education, when the reverse should actually be taking place. I look forward to teaching you what education is, what it is not. What STEM is and what it is not. What is PBL3? You might be surprised.