Sie sind auf Seite 1von 5

STEM: Your Kids Future

Why the STEM fields?


Science, Technology, Engineering,
and Math are the essentials for a
better future.
June 13, 2014
the scientific method, and problem solving
abilities are needed in almost every job across
the fields. With this wide-ranging lexicon of
knowledge, your children can
improve the world while
working at their dream job.
There is a broad range of
job opportunities in the
STEM fields, giving your kids
a higher possibility of getting
a job after college.
Additionally, there is a surplus
of available jobs within the
science and engineering fields
We must encourage todays youth to pursue
the STEM fields in order to create a better world
for the future. Anyone can impact the whole
world through inventions and innovation, but it is
crucial to understand the math and science
behind them. It is often said that those in the
STEM fields are the "drivers of the 21st century"
and thats because new developments and
improvements are constantly shaping the world
for a better future.
Majors in the STEM fields are
known as the often known as the
Swiss Army Knife majors because
of the collective skills acquired
while studying them. The
fundamental skills learned during
the training for a STEM career
such as basic math, the basics of
By Stephen OConnor
Why should you listen
to me?
Donec sit amet arcu.
Growing up, I was your average kid who wanted
to go outside and play wiffleball and then go inside to
play Gameboy and as most kids are, I was fascinated
in the unknown. Magic tricks, dinosaurs, and playing
with my parents new digital camera put a smile on
my face no matter what. I was not a child prodigy; I
have always had trouble reading, and in middle
school I got straight Cs in math and science.
As my parents started realizing my general
curiosity of the world, they started seamlessly
integrating learning experiences more and more into
my daily life. Little did I know, the frequent trips to
the museum of science and the Christmas gifts, such
as LEGOs and construction computer games, were a
result of me potentially expressing an interest in
science or engineering. It became a cycle of positive
reinforcement between my parents and me, yet I was
completely unaware of it.
As my interest for the sciences grew, my parents
encouragement grew even more. In high school, when
my parents would ask about my academics, I would
always start with the demonstration that my
chemistry teacher made or the natural phenomena I
discovered in physics class. Specifically, they
recognized my interest in chemistry and they
encouraged me to take the advanced placement
chemistry class my senior year, although I had barely
taken any honors level classes before. I struggled
through the class, but whenever I was upset about it,
my parents advised me to talk to my teacher. Little
did I know, at the parent teacher conferences, my
parents would tell my teacher how interested I was
and how hard I tried, and they asked him to help me
persevere.
One day, my teacher asked me to stay after class
to talk and he told me that he believed that I was
extremely intelligent and I could do anything I want if
I applied myself. He then continued to ask me what I
want to do in the future and after telling him what I
am interested in, he told me to think about trying
chemical engineering.
Three years later, I am attending Northeastern
University majoring in chemical engineering with a
dual minor in physics and mathematics. I have loved
every second of my time studying engineering, and I
couldnt see myself doing anything else. I tell you this,
not to brag, but to show you that anyone can do what
I have with just a bit of encouragement and
motivation. With a nudge or a poke here and there,
inspiration can spark.

Imagine What Your
Kid Can Do!
If your kid is interested in:
Videogames, they can make videogames
themselves
Sports, they can make a new faster and
lighter shoe to wear.
Photography, they can make better cameras
or other imaging machines.
Hacking computers, they can be a legal
hacker.
Cars and racing, they can engineer faster
cars.
Airplanes, they can design more
aerodynamic aircrafts.
Riding bikes, they can create faster and
lighter bicycles.
Music, they can create the perfect concert
hall.
Smart phones, they can create applications.
Humanitarian work, they can supply the
world with clean water.
Gadgets, they can make artificial limbs.

With your help, your kids can pursue their
passion, while improving our world. Inform
your kids about what they can do and
encourage them to do what they love.


Other Resources:
1. STEM Career - www.stemcareer.com
2. National STEM Centre - www.nationalstemcentre.org.uk
3. National Academy of Engineering -
www.nae.edu/Projects/iSTEM/113355.aspx
4. Discover Science and Engineering Youtube Page -
www.youtube.com/user/DSEvideo/videos
5. STEM Jobs of the Future Youtube Page -
www.youtube.com/user/STEMJobsOfTheFuture/about
How Can I Get My Kids Interested?
3.
Perform experiments with your kids for
fun. Remember when you made the
cardboard volcano erupt with vinegar and
baking soda? And who didn't go wild
eyed after popping a Mentos into a coke
bottle?
Research and share information about jobs that relate to
your kid's interests.
Keep your ears open for interesting science and
technology related stories and share them with your kids.
Breakfast can be a great time as it gives them something
interesting to daydream about during downtime on the
bus, at recess, or during lunch.
Visiting a science museum, discovery
center, or even a construction site can be a
great way to spark interest in technology
and learning. Science museums often have
learning centers that engage your kids
curiosity through experimentation and
discovery.
2.
1.
Encourage your kid to attend local or state science and
technology conferences or to watch TED talks to learn
about current studies and inventions in science and
technology.
Tips For Elementary
School Kids:
2.
1.
Tips For Middle and High
School Kids:
Context Note (Im sorry it is below the article, I couldnt figure out an easy way to put it above it.)

Purpose:
The purpose of this article is to encourage parents to inspire their kids to indulge in the STEM career
paths. Almost everyone who reads a newspaper would know the importance of the STEM careers and they do
not need to be told the facts time after time, so I gave a very brief overview of the reasons for encouraging
STEM careers. I follow this with a personal story of how my parents played a role in helping me find my
interest in STEM. I then give some ways for parents to connect their kids interests to the STEM fields as well
as some ways to get their children interested. In order to keep the audiences attention, I gave them advice on
how they could go about getting their children interested in the STEM fields rather than bombarding the
audience with reasons why STEM is important.

Audience:
This document is a newspaper article published in the Family/Lifestyle section of The Boston Globe. I
chose The Boston Globe because its audience has a wide variety of parents from all social economic statuses.
The article is intended for the parents of high school students who are thinking of or are getting ready for
college, but it does not exclude those who have younger kids. There is advice for parents with elementary
school kids as well. All parents want the same thing for their kids and that is success and happiness. Happiness
is the main focus of parents, but an article from a college student is most likely not the most effective way to
help parents make their children happy, so I have focused on their success. I would expect almost all parents to
read this article due to the fact that they want the best for their children. This is a very short and easy to read
article, so even the busiest of parents would have enough time to read it. The most likely readers are parents of
juniors and seniors in high school because they are actively trying to find good colleges and majors for their
kids.

Persona:
The tone of this article is friendly and encouraging. I use an optimistic voice using words like
improving and informing to give the audience the sense that they can make the change. The article contains
bright colors and pictures of happy kids to create a relaxed and cheerful mood. I used longer (maybe medium)
sentences that flow into each other to make the article less bland and easier to read.

Response Letter:

Thank you to my peer reviewers. I took your input to heart and I believe I have made a more powerful
article with your help.
After reviewing Christens comments about the content of my article, I decided to publish my article in
the Boston Globe rather than the Wellesley Townsend because the audience I would get from the Wellesley
Townsend would already have a good sense of why encouraging STEM careers. Although the purpose does say
that there isnt much reasoning for encouragement, I believe that my article will be more effective for the
Boston Globes audience.
Also, both Christen and Sean commented on the advice I gave to the parents being different from the
intended age group of the children. So, I decided to include the parents of all age groups (elementary through
high school) because there is no reason for them to not start early.
Sean also commented on the fact that the list of ways to get kids interested seemed to be out of place, so
I tried to change up the layout to make it more practical.
- Steve OConnor

Das könnte Ihnen auch gefallen