While looking around the internet, I stumbled across a website, teach.com. It is a website filled with information for teachers as well as people who are considering teaching as a career.
The site provides various information on grade levels and also includes a feature in which you can select a state from a map and get information on things like average salaries, shortage areas, pupil to teacher ratio, and more. One of the most interesting parts of the site is the section on STEM education. The page displays a number of statistics, including the fact that doctoral STEM degrees have gone down by 25% since 1966 and the number of graduating high school students choosing to major in STEM fields has been greatly decreasing since the 90's. These are obviously not pleasant to hear. It has been frustrating for me as someone who has had a passion for science to see the lack of interest from others around me. This has been one of the primary reasons why I, along with many other MSEEDer's chose to pursue a career in STEM education. I look forward to igniting that spark of interest in children when I teach.
A quote on the top of the teach.com STEM page really encompasses why I want to teach. Barack Obama said in his 2011 State of the Union Address, "If you want to make a difference in the life of our nation, if you want to make a difference in the life of a child, become a teacher. Your country needs you." As teachers, we become mentors for our students. We will help them develop their interests as they mature and grow. After all, they are the future.
Check out teach.com for more information about education and follow MSEED on Tumblr, Twitter, and Facebook to stay updated in STEM and education! If you have any questions, feel free to send us a message in our ask box!
