Gov. Rick Scott is pushing hard for STEM education. He has even proposed reduced tuition for STEM majors. He believes STEM is where most of the job growth in Florida will be. But is this really the case? A recent article in the Miami-Dade cited a report from Change the Equation which stated "When healthcare was not counted, the report found Florida was one of six states with more unemployed STEM workers than available STEM jobs. Of those six states, Florida had the biggest oversupply of STEM workers." Indeed, my own brilliant fiancé is underemployed after graduating with his masters in molecular biology. Should we really be pushing STEM so hard?
Last week I went to a great panel discussion at MOSI about this very question. Community leaders gathered to debate whether STEM is enough. After all, what importance is a scientific discovery if no one can effectively communicate the information? For example, evolution has been accepted by 95% of scientists, but only 54% the general population. Maybe scientists need to pair up with film directors, photographers, and writers to really reach the public. Shouldn't we really be adding art and design to make it STEAM? At this discussion, it was gratifying to hear computer nerds and web gurus heralding the philosophy and art degree. These STEM employers argue they want to hire creators, innovators, communicators and problem solvers. They would rather hire someone with a philosophy degree who can think critically than someone with a calculus degree who can only do calculus. Indeed, the NASA astronaut who visited my school had to learn Russian to communicate on the space station. For that shark dissection? Students sketched and photographed their findings, creating a beautiful presentation poster for all the school to see. The solar powered cars? We had to learn how to communicate effectively to design and problem solve as a team. This is so essential to life. How do we take all of our gifts and use them for the betterment of all? How do we live well together?
The persistent question in the room seemed to be "What can we do to make sure our students are getting the education they need?" We want them to be prepared for jobs in this ever-changing world. How do we prepare them for jobs that do not even exist today? All in the room seemed to agree that we need more integration across all subjects. We need to take down the silos that say language arts department is here and math department is there. I loved the example of a science teacher and arts teacher that attended the discussion. They created a unit about pottery for their students which integrate art and science. Students studied the science of how clay is formed and fired, as well as the art of shaping and designing the clay. The science teacher pointed out that they are fortunate to have the time to plan and flexible scheduling to make it happen. I wish we had more time to collaborate on such projects, but it is challenging when the demand is on teachers and students to perform on standardized tests. As one of the panelists pointed out, we need less multiple choice tests and more tests with multiple answers.
This post has become even more apropos today as I scored a new job with a performing arts magnet school that I have been eyeing for a couple of years. Hopefully, I can use my full potential there. Please don't neglect the arts in our desire for world domination. The sciences are not some magical elixir, and the arts may actually be the key.
2009 Pew Research Study
Miami Dade "More Stem Degrees May not Equal more Jobs"
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