The following was written by Amanda Taylor, a high school science teacher and DoW STEM Ambassador. DoW STEM Ambassadors work with the Defense STEM Education Consortium (DSEC) to advance STEM outreach for students who are underrepresented in STEM or military connected. Taylor was selected by Dayton Regional STEM Center, a DSEC partner, as its DoW STEM ambassador for the 2022-2023 school year.

One goal of STEM education is to support and guide students to careers where they can find solutions to real-world problems. I have found that it is very challenging to motivate my students, who understandably lack perspective and experience and have few opportunities for exposure to STEM professionals. The phrase “you don’t know what you don’t know” is ever present for my students, 70 percent of whom qualify for free and reduced lunch rates. An additional challenge is that if they don’t “see themselves” in these professions, my students may never truly know that they possess valuable qualities and can literally change the world. I’m sure educators would agree that teachers are challenged in this area as well. I don’t know all of the career fields out there and certainly cannot share those perspectives. The challenge of preparing our nation’s future STEM workforce is complex and challenging given the structure of most public school systems. So what can educators do to provide students exposure to something they don’t know exists?

Let’s take a look at field trips. For some, these are a natural piece of the educational puzzle and are supported by districts who usually have protocols in place. It can be a daunting task for teachers or even groups of educators to schedule field trips and fund transportation—not to mention providing meaningful experiences that keep students engaged. These are big tasks with big risks! At the beginning of my career, I was part of a team that was awarded a grant for a state initiative in service learning. But then the 2008 recession hit and the money dried up. Fortunately, there are a lot of service-learning grants online and I was able to gain valuable training in service learning, which means that students get to leave the classroom, meet professionals in their workplace, and perform a service that benefits the organization that hosted the trip.

During the short time I had the grant, I was able to make a connection with a geology professor who had mapped a local quarry that was recently converted into a geologic park. He was interested in developing curriculum for younger students and capitalizing on having such a unique location nearby. Through the grant and support from my district, I was able to reserve transportation for 90 students to visit the quarry, develop curriculum that had some real depth (with student input), make stations within the quarry, and include college student volunteers who helped usher students from station to station.

An added bonus is that I have run into these students over the years and they always comment on how cool it was to see this park from a totally different perspective. One student told me that she took her friends there and they talked about fossils and geologic time (a nerdy science teacher dream!). My students felt important because this was the first experience most of them had had with a college professor and he thanked them for their insight and enthusiasm!

Jane Goodall states that “what you do makes a difference, and you have to decide what kind of difference you will make.” Exposure certainly brings new perspective and insight. I believe we develop the “thinking” parts of our brain through service to something larger than ourselves. On a deeper scale, service can hone positive character traits such as empathy, cooperation, persistence, passion, resilience, confidence, and pride in community. STEM education is evolving into this beautifully inclusive and holistic community. I have had students plant trees to support local bat species and edible trees that sustained indigenous people in our area. We are currently involved in helping populate pollinator gardens. And we even have an opportunity for students to participate in our city’s environmental advisory board. In Ohio, all of these services can earn students credit toward graduation. My current program is keeping my content fresh and interesting for students. Our district is building a new high school that includes natural wetlands with vernal pools. B-W Greenway, a local land trust that protects habitats during construction projects, is helping me provide future service projects, such as invasive honeysuckle removal, native plant and animal identification, water sampling to determine ecosystem health, and Eagle Scout projects, to name a few. BW Greenway and the Beaver Creek Wetland Association are helping provide accessibility and long-term land lab opportunities, and have proposed landscaping plans for the new high school that include native grasses and flowering plants to support local pollinator species.

Through service we gain perspective, which can change mindsets and help students find a purpose. As a teacher, I will take every opportunity to showcase our younger generations in a positive light. They have so much to offer, and it is our job as elders to present opportunities. Rotary and Leo clubs, small businesses, local government, and individual community members can provide knowledge and new opportunities. It is likely that community members would be thrilled to talk about their passion projects and invite students to lend a hand. Reaching out may not cover all of your bus expenses, but building these relationships can provide many mutually beneficial experiences for years to come.