Understanding the processes of how the earth came into existence, crunching numbers or even flying to the moon are all thanks to STEM education. STEM stands for science, technology, engineering and mathematics, and will be celebrated on Nov. 8. Teachers at Foran share their favorite memories and reasons for loving STEM education through a Q&A below.
Mrs. Laura Donovan is the Astronomy and Meteorology teacher; she has been teaching for nine years at Foran and this is her fifth year teaching astronomy.
What’s your favorite part about being a science teacher?
“I love that science inspires people to wonder and be curious about the world around them and especially astronomy because we are exploring things in space and it is an exciting time to wonder.”
Why did you get into science in the first place?
“I didn’t want to be a teacher at all when I went to college. I realized I did want to be a teacher and science was my very favorite thing so I decided I wanted to talk about it all day”
Why do you think stem is important to education?
“Fields of STEM help us to explore and understand the world around us, which is really important for us to do if we want to learn how to best take care of the world around us and exist in it. It helps us take data about things so we can observe patterns and trends and how to best learn about the world around us.”
Mr. John Connors is the Chemistry and AP Chemistry teacher. He has been teaching for over 21 years.
What’s your favorite lab you have ever done?
“Students made silver coke bottles, alkaline metals in water and watched it explode. I miss the days of dissecting biology though.”
What is your favorite part about teaching?
“I love to help kids that are not science kids learn to love STEM. If you can do something that is difficult and hard in your life it will be okay.”
Why did you choose science?
“STEM started in kindergarten for me and took us on a field trip to Peabody Museum at Yale and I saw the dinosaurs and fell in love with science.”
What should the audience take away from the importance of STEM?
“Science and tech are tools and how we use them is the most important part. People need to be scientifically literate. The more you understand the less you will be afraid.”
