10 STEM EDUCATION MYTHS THAT NEED TO BE PUT TO REST IMMEDIATELY

Posted By: Mantha 0 Comments

There is absolutely no doubt that STEM education will be a hot topic for quite some time. As with any other period, the rise in popularity of this is experiencing its own set of successes, challenges, supporters, and deniers. Unfortunately, this also means that there will be quite a bit of distasteful controversy, twisting of the truth, and plain old myths that surface on the topic of STEM as well as on all supporters that advocate for its cause. To accurately address STEM’s real value to society, we must break apart each myth.

Without further ado, let us destroy 10 common myths together.

1. It Isn’t Important to Me

   There are people that choose to enter the world of STEM with the mindset that they will eventually pursue a degree and career this field. Others will go on to study and obtain a career in a field that is not apparently related to Science, Technology, Engineering, or Mathematics. The career that a person chooses does not have to be, nor will it likely be, the only way in which a person engages with it during their lifetime. In fact, if you have ever consumed produce, used an electronic device, or paid taxes, you have directly engaged with it whether you realize it or not.
   
   

2. STEM Has No Place in Schools

   Science and mathematics will always have a place in schools. These subjects are fundamental to the point that if all subjects in school had to fall under 4 distinct academic categories, they would all fall into: Science, Mathematics, Social Studies, or Language Arts. Technology is a relevant and ever-growing component in a person’s life both inside and outside of the classroom. Building- whether it be a physical bridge or an art project, is also an activity that all people do regardless of background or social preferences. The fact that STEM schools are actively trying to incorporate relevant aspects of life into a student’s education is proof that this belongs in schools.
   
   

3. Nothing Good Can Come of This Trending Revolution

   Not too many people are quite sure exactly why STEM has been called a revolution. After all a “revolution” is usually defined as “a violent attempt by many people to end the rule of one government and start a new one”. STEM doesn’t have its power rooting from politics, nor does it aim to gather a group of followers with the purpose of overturning any country’s government. It simply exists to help move the people of the world into an easier, more meaningful direction as an entire world population.
   
   

4. There Won’t Be a Career in STEM for Me Once I Get Through College

   If you open your search engine and start doing a bit of research on STEM education and related careers, you will likely not be surprised by the fact that even the internet seems to want to encourage you to take up a STEM-related career. So, if you are encouraged to study for this career, and everyone that sees the same encouragement studies for a lucrative career, will you find yourself in a world that has too many homeless college graduates with majors in science, engineering, or technology? Well, nobody can tell you that it couldn’t happen, but it certainly isn’t likely. The use of technology in the last 10 years alone has skyrocketed and there is no sign that is going to change anytime soon.
   
   

5. It Is Just Another Excuse to Justify More Standardized Testing

   There are some that enjoyed school and some felt that all school taught them was how to study for a test. Admittedly, we all feel that we have fallen into the latter group at least once in our lives. So those that have already adopted this mindset are likely to think that STEM schools were created to have another excuse to justify more standardized testing. Unfortunately, testing is how a school gains its monetary support so standardized testing is not going anywhere. Luckily, STEM is not tied to that push for testing because the aim is to get more people into great careers, not to give or take money from a school.
   
   

6. The World Already Has Too Many Crazy Scientists

   Scientists test the world in ways that we may or may not already be thinking of. Scientists bring inventions, mix medications, grow food, and solve important world problems. There are never enough problem solvers in this world.
   
   

7. There Is No Place for Women in The World Of STEM

   For some reason women seem to enter STEM careers in fewer numbers than men even though women make up roughly the same percentage of the population that men do. The wage gap may be to blame for some of this. Who would want to complete a demanding job at a lower pay than a male peer completing the same work? The reason that women aren’t taking up high end technical careers in the same numbers as men is a mystery, but that certainly doesn’t mean that they aren’t welcome.
   
   

8. STEM Topics Are Boring and Stuffy

   Mathematics and science seem to get a reputation for being boring or stuffy because they are highly analytical fields of study. Technology and engineering aren’t quite held to the same stereotype, but still are not described as “fun” or “engaging”. Anyone that has watched a child build a bridge out of random materials, calculate and detail methods of making it better, and test out its durability knows that STEM is so much more fun than its reputation suggests.
   
   

9. There Isn’t Anything Left to Discover

   Is there a cure for cancer? Do we know all the animals that roam the Earth, what they eat, when they mate, and how many of them there are? Are there people going hungry? Are there cars breaking down Earth’s atmosphere with their toxic emissions? If you answered yes to any of these questions, then there is absolutely something left in this world that is worth discovering.
   
   

10. Teaching My Child STEM, Especially Before They Start School, Is Just Brainwashing Them

    The previous 20 or so years has left a negative mark on society. There are parents questioning the validity of life-saving vaccinations and consequently bringing back diseases that were previously near extinction. There are those questioning the nutritional value of the raw foods that our ancestors survived on. There is an increasing acceptance of social discrimination. This myth seems to just fall under the category of “going backward” because a STEM school doesn’t brainwash a child. It simply encourages a child to think critically and creatively- to use the ideas that they have floating around in their own head. The only way that STEM could brainwash a child, especially prior to school, is if the “teacher” is forcing their own views onto the child, but that can happen at any school with any topic.
    
    

The world of STEM education is facing quite a few myths and these myths are harmful to the future of anyone considering a STEM career. The next time that you see, hear, or discover a statement such as those above, consider questioning whether it is truthful. This is also true of the statements that glorify STEM without any sort of support.