Persuasive Essay About Stem Education

Teachers shape the minds of students to realize what their purpose is in life. Lately, because of certain educational reforms, it has been hard for teachers to say what they need to say. “In 40-plus states, the math and English guidelines determine the knowledge students have to master by the end of each grade, what they’ll be tested on this year, and in many cases, how teachers and principals will be rated at their jobs once those test scores are released” (Strauss). Most educational reforms are adopting standardized testing and should be reconsidered. Statistics even show that since we have taken part in reforms like No Child Left Behind, Race to the Top, and Common Core State Standards math and reading are declining. These standards tell teachers what to teach and what the students should know by the end of the school year. The reforms also evaluate teacher performance by how well the students learn the information. Some people believe educational reforms should not be telling teachers how to teach their students, and others believe that the reforms are absolutely fine the way they are. However the truth is educational reforms are yet to be perfected.

We are encouraged to be creative and hone our skills in an area of interest through these programs in STEM. Similar to having a major in college, students at a magnet school have a specialized area that they can take classes in, along with the basic academic courses. The senior internships allow for a deeper, hands-on, understanding of a topic that we are deciding to dedicate our lives to. Wheeler’s courses are well designed to challenge and guide students, allowing them to excel in the future. Students who are in this program are encouraged to regard events from many points of view and be more open minded, advancing us in life by interactions and communications.

Stem Cell research and its funding have caused a lot of controversy throughout the past years. Stem cells are cells that are present in all living organisms. These cells have the potential to grow into any type of cell, including blood cells, nerves, muscles, and pancreatic cells. Stem cell research is essential because of the beneficial aspects it has to offer. Stem cells could potentially treat conditions such as Alzheimer 's, Parkinson 's, birth defects, strokes, Diabetes, cancer, and help in the reconstruction of severely damaged organs. Although stem cell research withholds great potential for many medical advances, a lot of controversy surrounds the sources and methods of obtaining stem cells and the possibility of improper usage of the knowledge acquired from research and experimentation. It is necessary for scientist to continue research as well as recognizing any ethical issues that may be present.

In society today, a college education is often seen as a “the next step” in a young adult’s life. Whether they actually know what they would like to earn a degree in, they feel the need to continue their education as almost everyone around them is pursuing post-secondary education of some sort. It is often argued that a college education is not necessary to get ahead because of the manufacture based workforce that is up and coming in America, however, there are many benefits to having a post-secondary education such as a higher rate of pay and more job opportunities.

As I mentioned in my first essay, I wish to pursue a career in either the medical field or technologies that contribute to the medical field. Both interests deal directly with STEM. STEM is a gateway for me to live my dreams and succeed in a field that is difficult to enter without the correct steps taken and references known. Majoring in STEM would provide me the education and contacts needs to enter the medical or technological field at an advantage. I believe that STEM is truly a resource that allows students to focus on their studies more intently and unearth his/her passions in an academic world. For myself personally, STEM would help me to narrow down the fields of medicine and technology to the precise profession that suits my interests. Likewise, in a world that is creating new careers daily, STEM is one of the few pathways that adapts to the growing diversity of options, and facilitates ubiquitous knowledge for success no matter the circumstance. To me, that means that I can reach my hand into the currently unknown world and create my own course of action with certainty that I will meet success along my way. There is no better way to enjoy life, than to find a passion and chase after it, and I conclude that STEM will allow me to do

Have you ever wondered why you couldn’t take a class at school that truly interests you, such as learning about the culinary arts or discovering the ins and outs of being an emergency medical technician? Vocational education is an option that is becoming increasingly popular for students seeking a wider variety of class choices. Sometimes, when people hear the words “vocational education,” a negative image pops into their minds. Many people believe that vocational education is primarily offered to non-college bound students, dropouts, or students with special needs. What people don’t realize is that vocational education can give students the opportunity to improve their employability skills, become informed about different career options, and learn helpful skills they can use throughout the rest of their lives even before going to college and being released into the real world. Therefore, I believe that vocational education should be offered to students.

Colleges are struggling to adapt to society’s changing requirements for adults entering the work force. John Fawell laments this change and states that humans intrinsically desire to learn more for the purpose of knowing more. However, the focus has shifted away from this and has become more career-oriented. This shift is not well supported in the current college system. The education system is aware of this change and some have modified their programs, but they are too narrow and a broad college education is lost. Even though it has become almost mandatory in society, a college degree does not prepare students for a real-world work environment and is not necessary for most occupations. Many, such as lawyers or doctors, do require further education and a system that instructs them while also training the majority of the workforce would be an improvement.

In America, the state of education has always been a pressing concern, perhaps now more than ever. Improving education has been proven to strengthen the nation time and time again, specifically with regard to science, mathematics and technology. Ten years after the start of the Cold War on October 4, 1957, the Soviet Union launched the first ever man-made satellite, Sputnik-1. This action by the Soviets caused immediate concern for the educational system in the United States because this launch proved that the Soviet Union had superior technological capabilities (SOURCE 1). America’s first action was to improve education, and this was done through the National Defense Education Act, which provided large amounts of funding to American schools, and supported American students who showed particular skill in math, sciences or foreign languages (SOURCE 2). During the Cold War, supporting education was used to support the nation as a whole. Today the United States faces a similar problem, mainly due to the declining focus on science and math in schools. Students have been losing interest in these subjects, and as a result, America has been falling behind in the global education ranks. This decline has been hurting America’s ability to continue to be a successful global competitor. Now the government is working to reverse this trend by supporting STEM programs. STEM is an acronym for the academics concentrations of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. The purpose of

Bybee, R. W. (2013). The case for STEM education: Challenges and opportunities. Arlington, VA: NSTA Press.

STEM integration within America’s schools is a necessary requirement to adequately prepare students to compete in our future society. Although growth in STEM related jobs is quite apparent, knowledge of STEM capacities is necessary to function in the 21st century.

Foundation requests funds for our STEM initiative to give underserved kids in disadvantaged neighborhoods the opportunity to participate in STEM programs and increase the number of minority and at-risk youth pursuing higher education and careers in STEM-related fields. We know this is an important step in preparing school-age children to start thinking about educational attainment and their future career paths. The U.S. Department of Commerce projects that STEM occupations will grow by 17 percent from 2008 to 2018, compared to 9.8 percent growth for non-STEM occupations. In addition, STEM workers command higher wages, earning 26 percent more than their non-STEM counterparts.

Having just completed my first year of college I was out in the business world looking for a new job for the summer. I applied for various jobs online and received a couple offers and went in for an interview at a local hotel. I was interviewing for a pool attendant position. I met the manager of the hotel and we sat down as he described to me all of the inner workings of the job. He then asked me a variety of questions that apply to the job as well as the type of person I was. It is important to answer these questions with answers the interviewer wants to hear. Even though there isn’t a “right” answer for a lot of the questions, there are answers that the interviewer could approve or disapprove of. Using skills that I learned from my liberal arts education I was able to build a connection with the interviewer, answer his questions with answers he wanted to hear, and establish who I was and what I could bring to the organization.

In our ever evolving society we seem to be having a greater affinity to technical jobs and careers more integrated with our technology. It appears that we are heading into a world of Science, Technology , Engineering, and Mathematics or STEM. The STEM fields that are rapidly increasing relate to jobs that deal quite a bit with our newer technology and the creation and development of new and more efficient technologies. To compliment this increase in STEM careers, we need to focus our time, energy, and most of all capital on the lackluster STEM program in our school systems.

As I sat there and thought to myself what did everyone thing of me after hearing what I have done. “Taylor Bloom responsible for the deaths of 53 high school students. My head started to wander back to my high school days. In my sophomore year, I was bullied nearly every sing day by the stupid jocks. I started to hate myself so I decided to change my look. The next day I straightened my hair, put a black skirt on, and a white button up shirt with some heels, I left a few of the buttons on my shirt unbuttoned. I was making my way up to the school, I saw all eyes on me even the jocks could not take their eyes off of me. WAS I BECOMING POPULAR? Two weeks later I was the most popular girl in South Lake High. I had a tall, handsome boyfriend and my two new best friends Karli and Rebecca. Everyone wanted to be like me, everyone loved me or as I should say “worshipped me”. Until one night at a party I got super intoxicated and ended up doing things I probably shouldn’t have. That next day everyone was talking about it and all eyes were on me not that I am complaining, but it was not a good look they were giving me… they all knew what I had done that previous night. I did not show up for school the rest of the semester in fear I would lose my reputation so I started getting homeschooled.

Everyone wants what is best for their children, right? If that is true, then schools need to start preparing their students for the challenges they will meet in college and the skills to overcome them. This is best done through the presence of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) in middle and high schools. Through Wisconsin schools furthering their focus on STEM with extracurriculars, students will gain vital skills that are necessary for human progression, problem-solving and time management skills that can be used in real life, and the students learn how they can apply what is being taught in the classroom to real obstacles and challenges.