Did You Know STEM Can Pave the Way to a Career in Education?

A majority of jobs over the next decade will require STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) skills in some capacity. Thankfully, there is a place in STEM for every child! While not every kid is interested in becoming a scientist, engineer or doctor, STEM education can them lead toward hundreds of exciting and unique careers. This includes a career field that offers opportunities to inspire the next generation of thinkers, creators and tinkerers – the field of education!

While teaching might not initially come to mind when we think of STEM careers, every STEM leader once started out as a student with a passionate teacher who was willing to share their knowledge.

“Teachers take their knowledge earned, rigorously analyze it, and articulate it to the most critical audience,” explained Whitney Aragaki, a science teacher and Department of Defense STEM Ambassador, in her open letter to potential educators. “Our profession is highly challenged because it holds power. Isn’t that what a STEM major imagines as a career?”

Students who are interested in STEM subjects learn to exercise creativity, tackle challenges head-on and persist through failures. These skills also are vital to educators as they plan lessons and lead children through activities in their classrooms. Teachers encourage critical thinking and inspire children to reach their full potential. If your child resonates with any of these awesome STEM skills, they might want to consider a future as an educator.

Innovation

Teachers must continue building their skill sets and follow the latest trends in STEM. In fact, teachers are often lifelong learners themselves. To offer their students original, relevant and engaging experiences each day within the classroom, they must be open to exploring new ways of thinking, offering individualized help and addressing various learning styles. In other words, teachers must be innovative to reach many vastly different students all at once!

Creative Problem Solving

Conventional thinking only takes us so far. While we can memorize facts or understand a basic concept, putting learning into action can be much more difficult. Teachers have to get creative to bring out this level of problem solving in their students. They often bring hands-on activities and real-world challenges into the classroom to help students learn to apply learnings to real situations and to understand how STEM and problem-solving skills are important to their everyday lives.

Persistence

In the classroom and in life, things don’t always go how we expect them to. A teacher’s job is to model resilience and perseverance in the face of failures and breakdowns to help children reach their breakthrough! We all face setbacks, but students must learn that how we respond is what teaches us the most. Persistence will help them navigate the challenges they will face throughout their lives.

Whether your child is interested in becoming an impactful educator who guides students to a brighter future, or a world-changing innovator developing the next big breakthrough, STEM programs are wonderful resources that can help your child build the skills they need to become a confident, creative and collaborative leader.

At the National Inventors Hall of Fame^® we offer STEM education programs for grades PreK-12, designed to help your child learn valuable skills that will transcend careers!

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Stay tuned to our blog for more STEM connections to the world around us.