When did STEM become such a popular buzzword in education?

[Anonymous]

It became a 'thing' to try to boost math & science to be globally competitive and readiness for modern job needs. A lot of the same people working on pushing it were trying back in the 90s with America Counts under Clinton I - but that didn't take off as a 'thing'... http://changetheequation.org/cteq-history

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I think it became a buzzword when liberal arts majors, myself included, realized there are no jobs for us and the good jobs go to STEM fields. I've already told my kids they cannot major in a humanities. Take classes for fun if they want but career focus should be on stem or business.

What a sad, sad state of affairs. This certainly demonstrates a complete failure to appreciate the genesis of STEM and pretty much guarantees that humanity is looking forward to a very shallow existence. It also completely fails to appreciate the fact that when asked, senior executives prefer liberal arts over business majors. The former can think and communicate clearly. The latter, not so much.

Also nice to know that there are parents who mandate their children's futures. That's pretty sad too.

Um...no. I'm a senior executive and I've never said that. Don't know any of my peers that have either. You have a cite, or did you make it up?

Thinking and communicating clearly, are certainly critical, but not the exclusive domain of humanities people. In fact, clear and logical thinking seems to me to exist more often in people with a STEM background.

lol have you met any stem background people?

Yeah, I own an IT company.

[Anonymous]

The whole STEM shortage is largely fabricated to justify outsourcing and depress wages.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The whole STEM shortage is largely fabricated to justify outsourcing and depress wages.

+1 Asian run all STEM fields anyway

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole STEM shortage is largely fabricated to justify outsourcing and depress wages.

+1 Asian run all STEM fields anyway

What a racist generalization, you bigot!

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an engineer, and I hate the buzzword. I also hate the belief that you can "inspire a passion" for "STEM" by having kids build with LEGOs, or some other such nonsense.

Typical engineer.

My DH doesn't think this way at all. He has a PhD in engineering. He thinks his love of engineering came from erector sets from when he was a kid. Oh and taking apart every broken appliance in his household growing up.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:The whole STEM shortage is largely fabricated to justify outsourcing and depress wages.

Yup. If you want to whine about forigners look at all the hb2 visas

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:I'm an engineer, and I hate the buzzword. I also hate the belief that you can "inspire a passion" for "STEM" by having kids build with LEGOs, or some other such nonsense.

Typical engineer.

Oh are you going to scream "nerd" next?! You are an ass with the "typical engineer" crap! I agree with the engineer, you cannot "inspire a passion" for engineering with Legos. I think you either have it or you don't.

Children don't start math by learning multivariate calculus they begin with the building blocks of sortibg, patterns counting and then adding and subtraction. They don't start reading by learning Shakespeare and proust but basic I can read books. Are you suggesting that instead of Legos children should learn about engineering by reading complicated engineering textbooks or something?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:The whole STEM shortage is largely fabricated to justify outsourcing and depress wages.

+1 Asian run all STEM fields anyway

What a racist generalization, you bigot!

Is she wrong?

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:I hate trends in education. We need to go back to having a well rounded education! The fine arts are just as critical to development. It is shameful that so many school districts do not offer art once a week for elementary school kids. All of these early skills lead to great mathematicians and engineers too. I have an undergrad degree in Fine Arts and a graduate degree in computer science. I love both!

OP, I'm with you 98%. The 2% difference is that at present, our schools use art as a means of "personal expression" that allows little Bobby to make a crappy "oeuvre" out of papier-mâché and noodles and call it "art" or that lets Sally pound a blob of clay into a flat circle at age 17 to express her chakra. If, instead, kids were taught art history and art appreciation, basic tenets of design and so on, the arts education would be taken more seriously.


As far as the topic of having more specialized schools is concerned, I agree completely. I'm genuinely surprised that Maggie Walker wasn't built in the DC area, there would be a LOT of interest from the diplomatic community and parents who may not be able to afford private, international school.

[Anonymous]

Once the belief that education was simply career training became mainstream, it was only a matter of time until STEM would be forced down everyone's throat.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:Once the belief that education was simply career training became mainstream, it was only a matter of time until STEM would be forced down everyone's throat.

+1000

It baffles me that so many on DCUM buy into the thinking that college should be votech.

[Anonymous]

STEM people are losers

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:STEM people are losers

I know! Why anyone would do that when they can make 2X+ doing easier things is a mystery.

[Anonymous]

Anonymous wrote:

Anonymous wrote:STEM people are losers

I know! Why anyone would do that when they can make 2X+ doing easier things is a mystery.

Such as?