Elementary STEM Education: A Career Exploration

Meg Jahan

Harrison STEM Program

Advanced Scientific Research

Curran

April 25, 2022

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Table of Contents
Chapter 1: Career Choice.................................................................................................................3

Introduction..................................................................................................................................3

Job Description............................................................................................................................4

A Day in the Life.........................................................................................................................5

Pros and Cons..............................................................................................................................6

Chapter 2: From Here to There........................................................................................................8

Profession Profile.........................................................................................................................8

Education.....................................................................................................................................9

Budgeting...................................................................................................................................10

Chapter 3: Personal Assessment....................................................................................................11

My Skills....................................................................................................................................11

My Personality...........................................................................................................................12

My Motivation...........................................................................................................................13

Chapter 4: Productivity..................................................................................................................14

My Project.................................................................................................................................14

Career Connection.....................................................................................................................16

References......................................................................................................................................17
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Chapter 1: Career Choice

Introduction

Nelson Mandela once stated, “Teaching is the one profession that creates all other

professions.” This quote is such an understatement because not many people realize how

important and difficult a teacher’s job can be. Knowledge and education are the foundation for

all the things that can be accomplished in life. You are getting these children ready for the real

world. One day they will be our future. You become involved in the kids’ lives and are like a

second parent to them.

For my career choice, I have chosen an elementary school STEM teacher. Prior to my

internship, we were given an assignment in which we had to take a career interest assessment

(RIASEC). The results showed our greatest personality strengths and the career choices that

would match. Even then school teachers and jobs related to it kept showing in my results. I

didn’t agree with them back then but now, ever since our internship started, my mind has started

to sway. I still have some thinking to do to see if this profession is the right fit for me, but I am

considering.

I interned with Mrs. Lemoine, a STEM teacher at Bullard elementary, and I would say

she has been my biggest inspiration for pursuing this occupation. The way she works with the

students and how she teaches them inspires me. It’s so gratifying to see the kids light up when

learning. When things click for them, it is the purest reaction and so precious to be a part of, and

knowing you taught them something while letting them have fun is, in my opinion, the best form

of learning. What attracts me to this career is the connections you build with the kids. Every

child is different and has distinct personalities. Getting to know each student and being silly with

them enthralls me to this career. It doesn’t become a job but more of a lifestyle. I have always
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wanted to do something involving helping a person or impacting them in a meaningful way.

Having compassion, and integrity is one of the few values that I hold myself accountable for and

this profession brings out the humility in you. I think being around kids keeps one humble and in

touch with ones values. I can see myself working in this career for sure. Every time I go to my

internship no matter how sad or tired, I may be, the kids seem to make my worries go away.

They are so full of life and their love motivates me. Their hugs and laughs put a smile on my

face.

Job Description

STEM/STEAM stands for: science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics. A

STEM/STEAM teacher’s curriculum may look different than regular classrooms. The main

purpose of being a STEM teacher is to blend math, science, and technology together and

incorporate it into one class. It encourages students to collaborate and push themselves to think

more innovatively. Our world is becoming a fast-paced environment in which technology is

everywhere. Kids understanding and using their minds to create will further benefit our future.

The job expectations include to, “provide leadership in the development and implementation of

the curricula for technology, engineering, and science programs, ensure that topics taught in the

classroom meet state and national standards and requirements, maintain current knowledge of

developments in the STEM/STEAM model and science and technology overall ….” (2020,

August 10).

The expected “average salary ranges in the upper $40k”. (2021, November 19). The U.S

Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts the growth of STEM teachers are to be “an additional 11

percent from 2020 to 2030”. (2021, November 19). The need for STEM education has been

rising, as schools are seeing the importance of the subject. “Employment in STEM occupations
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has grown 79 percent in the past three decades”. (2021, November 19). For unemployment, “By

2019, 2.8% of the STEM labor force without a bachelor's degree, or the STW, were unemployed

compared to 4.3% of non-STEM labor force without a bachelor's degree…” (2021, November

19). Many school districts require a bachelor’s degree in education, plus a state teaching

certificate. Requirements for STEM and STEAM teachers vary by state, so a major in science,

technology, or engineering may also be required. High school-level positions would need a

master’s degree in STEM/STEAM education. (2021, November 19).

Personality characteristics needed for this job have a passion for watching young minds

grow. You must enjoy being around kids and know how to delegate situations that may arise.

The ability to have patience, listening skills, and communication skills are vital. You have to be

open to different learning styles and be able to show empathy. You need to encourage the

students and be a mentor, guiding them to think on their own.

A Day in the Life

Typically, elementary schools start around 8 am and end at 2 pm. Timings vary in state

and county. “Teachers work an average of 47 hours a week, with a quarter working 60 hours a

week or more and one in 10 working more than 65 hours a week” (2019, September 18). After-

school programs/invents, school activities, grading papers, summer meetings, emails, and

communications all make up a teacher’s time. Especially as an elementary teacher, you will most

likely be a part of helping car riders and/ or ASP. Day-to-day duties consist of, prepping and

planning different lessons for each grade depending on the curriculum given by the county or

school. Effectively executing the lessons to ensure the children are engaged and learning, as well

as dealing with administrative issues and managing behavior. Trying to create an enjoyable yet
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successful lesson can be difficult due to many students having different learning styles. As a

STEM teacher, you may be working alongside other STEM coordinators or “work alone.” What

I mean by that is, as a teacher you never really work alone because other teachers help and are

always there, communicating to make sure all the students are efficiently learning. No major

traveling is expected only things like taking students to field trips and doing assignments outside

of the school.

Recently I got some insight from my mentor, Mrs. Lemoine on her thoughts about her job

as a STEM teacher. She spoke about how she loves seeing the kids have light bulbs and shine in

their own way in her class. The least favorite thing she likes is behavior management and getting

on the kids, which I would have to agree with. That would be one part of the job I would dislike.

I also dislike how low the income for teachers is compared to how much they do for our

community. An important piece of advice she gave me was that it is a career that you really must

enjoy and if your only motivation is money, it isn’t for you. The growth and job outlook are

promising due to the increasing need for STEM teachers. The subject of STEM is gathering more

and more attention which is promising for anyone looking into this career.

Pros and Cons

The most rewarding and exciting thing about this career is the children. They are silly,

energetic, fun, honest, and caring. Seeing the different personalities and building that connection

with each student shows to be a different kind of love. Especially seeing the kids like your class

and get excited to learn with you is so important. Another pro is that teachers get good insurance

benefits for themselves and their families.

Something that can be a personal challenge is that kids can be oversensitive, and you

need to have patience so you can assess and react accordingly. Children can be overwhelming at
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times, so you need to be level-headed. I also have a problem with being too nice and not wanting

to come off as mean. But, in this field, you need to find a balance of being stern and nice. Kids

are very fragile at this age and giving discipline while explaining, is something vital that has to

be learned with experience.

My mentor talks about the overall challenges to this career stating, “The hardest thing is

that STEM is very collaborative, so a lot of it is working as a team, going through the design

process with different roles. And when you have a student that does not like to be with a team or

working collaboratively, that's harder, right? Assessing took a little turn for me because it's not

testing so much as paper pencil. You do a lot of rubrics, a lot of formative assessments, a lot of,

you know, observations, tickets out the door, things like that to see each of the group members

getting what they should be getting and still meeting the standards.” (2022, February 18).

The biggest drawback to this profession is the pay. For the past few years’ teachers have

protested about their pay. Their income is not nearly enough for the amount of work they do.

More than half the day is spent at school and the career is overlooked. Teachers aren’t

appreciated as much as they should be. They also don’t get to have many holidays or breaks. The

expectations can be high from the parents. Blame for bad grades or behavior is often put on

teachers rather than the children. Having hundreds of kids but still attending and remembering

each students’ issues can be difficult. Another con is dealing with unmotivated or poorly

behaved students which can have a toll on you and make your job harder. So, the advice of really

loving your job should be taken under heavy consideration.

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Chapter 2: From Here to There

Profession Profile

Someone looking into being a STEM elementary teacher should have the following

qualities. Patience and empathy are the most essential skills needed as a teacher. Your patience

will be tested, and if you don’t know how to multitask, it won’t benefit you or the students.

Working with different opinions of your colleagues, managing behavior in the classroom, as well

as communicating progress and issues of a student with parents all require patience. In my

internship, I have seen that often your patience is more needed with a child’s parents. Parents

have a lot of expectations for teachers because more than half their week is spent with you. They

need to make sure you are providing for their children’s needs the best that you can. For that, you

have to be understanding and adaptable. Also, home life may trouble a child causing them to lash

out. This is something you must work out with the parents too. When becoming a teacher, being

open-minded is key. Each day, each week and each year will be different. Even though you are

the teacher, you will encounter events that will teach you something.

Having strong communication skills and good listening skills are needed in this profession.

Teaching is an oral profession, meaning lessons, and providing instructions need to be

communicated well. Poor communication skills may hinder the students’ learning, which will

affect their academics. Going into teaching your first year may be difficult since you will have to

figure out your teaching style. Keeping the students engaged and making sure they are learning

in a fun and effective way can be challenging. Each student has their unique personality, learning

style, along with good and bad days.

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Education

Before being entrusted with children, there are a few steps to be met as an elementary

school teacher. The first step is to earn a bachelor's degree in elementary education. “Elementary

education programs include coursework in child psychology, educational psychology, child

development, curriculum development, and teaching methods” (2021, August 2). If pursuing

STEM, then STEM-specific courses would provide usefully. Although many prospective

teachers major in elementary education, it isn’t necessary. There is an alternative to major in

something else and earn your teaching certificate separately. It is a good option for those who are

uncertain. Most teacher end up getting higher educations for various reasons. Additional pay

may come from having a higher degree. “The DOE reports that 57% of teachers have advanced

degrees” (2020, July 1).

To be a teacher, you must become certified in every age group and area you intend to

teach. Maintaining your certificate and continuing education will differ from state to state.

“Some states require teachers to earn their master’s degree within a certain number of years of

earning their certificate. Other states require educators to complete a predetermined number of

continuing education credits according to a set schedule” (Betz 2021). First, you must earn your

bachelor's degree and complete your student teaching. Then you take the Praxis exam, which is

required in every state. You may have to take multiple depending on the subject and age you

plan on teaching. “Fifty-four percent of those who take the Praxis test on elementary-level

content fail on their first try. Twenty-five percent never manage to pass” (2019, March 13). The

exams are difficult, but you shouldn’t let it hinder your spirits. After passing, you obtain

background/child abuse clearances, and any other additional certifications like CPR. The final

step is to apply for the certification in the state of your choosing.

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Student teaching is one of the most rigorous and vital experiences where you will learn

the most. It is usually embedded into the teaching pathway and is taken during your last semester

of college. This will provide an early experience and familiarity where you might, “have projects

to complete in addition to teaching, such as completing a case study on a student, preparing a

unit from start to finish, or cooperating with a teacher in another classroom, communicating with

parents, attending meetings, etc.” (Betz 2021). This will be a firsthand experience of what it's

like to be a teacher. It is an opportunity to see if teaching is right for you and if you are cut out.

“Student teaching should be taken very seriously. When you’re later applying for jobs, the

recommendations from your mentor/cooperating teacher and supervisor will be major factors

considered in your application” (Betz 2021).

Budgeting

It isn’t a surprise when it comes to a teacher’s budget and pay. You risk more financially

but gain more emotionally. “A 2017 analysis by the Economic Policy Institute (EPI) found that

teachers earned $1,137 per week. This salary was 23% less than the $1,476 earned by other

college graduates” (2020, July 1). As a teacher, you encounter children who aren’t as fortunate as

others. Most teachers end up spending their already limited money on their classrooms/students.

Sometimes the schools’ budget may not be sufficient for the lesson you want to teach. “A 2018

DOE survey found that 94% of teachers had used their own money to buy classroom supplies

and other items for their students. These were not small expenses; the survey found that the

average teacher spent $479 each year” (2020, July 1).

As stated in the section above, to become a teacher, you need to take the Praxis exam,

which comes with a fee. Depending on how many exams you need to take, the price ranges from

$90-$156. Background checks along with licensure are also mandatory and usually cost less than
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$300. Renewal costs differ for each state. Since a little more than half of the teachers decide to

get an advanced degree it usually, “cost as little as $11,600 or as much as $24,500 per year”

(2020, July 1).

Although teachers earn less than other professions, they do get some special benefits.

Since teacher often spends their own money to help students, the IRS allows deduction from

teachers’ classroom expenditures. Teachers also get discounts from office supply stores,

museums, hotels, theme parks, and book stores. A little money saved can go towards paying off

student loan debt. “One of the best programs is loan forgiveness. For instance, one federal loan

forgiveness program erases up to $17,500 of student debt for highly qualified teachers” (2020,

July 1). Teachers also get a generous pension for retirement, not to mention receiving excellent

health, dental, and vision coverage.

Chapter 3: Personal Assessment

My Skills

As an elementary school teacher, you are responsible to your students and their parents.

When teaching K-5, you spend more than 5,658 hours at school. You have an obligation to take

care of them emotionally as well as educationally. Me being friendly and talkative has proven to

be my biggest asset. During the first days of my internship, most kids were excited, but some

were shy. I was easily able to communicate with them which helped them come out of their

shells and be more open with me.

Others think my strengths are kindness and charisma. A soft skill needed to be a teacher

is empathy. Children often don’t understand how to deal with their emotions. If they are going

through something, they might act out not intending to be disrespectful but because they don't

understand how to process what they feel inside. When I become a teacher, I would like to
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implement a system in which when the students enter the classroom, they will put their name tag

on an emotion. Then I will know who is feeling happy, or sad and I can react accordingly.

I think one of my biggest weaknesses is procrastination. It makes things harder for me

and makes me seem unreliable, which I am not. Teachers need to plan lessons ahead of time to

ensure the teachings run smoothly. If I wait till the last minute, it will cause problems. Being

organized and structured is important because you’re dealing with a lot of kids. I tend to put

more on my plate than I can handle. If I keep a calendar and write things ahead of time, it will

improve my productivity. Another soft skill I lack is communication skills. The only thing is

that I sometimes forget that children don’t know all the information as I do. So, I need to explain

according to their grade level. Over time, the experience will help me better understand and get a

grasp of how to teach properly.

My Personality

Teachers are human, which means their teaching style, and skills are based on two things:

experience and personality. The classroom set up, how a teacher teaches, and how the teacher

decides to interact with their students are solely based on them. Everyone has their own

definition on what it takes to be a good teacher, but the basic skills are the following:

communication and listening, assertiveness, patience, open-mindedness, and empathy.

After taking the 16-personality quiz I got campaigner ENPF. When talking about career

options for my personality types it says, “This explains why many Campaigners are drawn to

careers in nonprofits, public service, counseling, education, customer or public relations,

hospitality, media and entertainment, and the service industry. Jobs in social media and

communications can be an excellent fit for them as well, allowing them to balance creativity with

a sense of human connection. Campaigners may also gravitate toward scientific and technical
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fields where they can have a positive impact, such as human health and environmental science.”

(2022, March 23). This is such an accurate representation of all the paths I have thought of in the

past. I always had a want to become many things all at once, so when I read this, I was shocked.

Education is even listed on my choices! This statement, “For people with this personality type,

few things are as demoralizing as a job where every day is the same. Predictability and repetition

can make Campaigners feel not only bored but also a little disheartened” (2022, March 23), is

also true. As an elementary school teacher, every day is a new day, so I won’t be bored. I get to

help people and impact my community while doing something I love my own way. “For

Campaigner personality types, it can be especially difficult to reprimand or fire employees –

even those who deserve it.” (2022, March 23). This correctly depicts what I struggle with. How

to be relaxed and fun as a teacher while still maintaining control and respect. But it mentions

later on in the results that after some experience, I will learn to find the right balance.

My Motivation

The internship has been one of my greatest memories in STEM. I truly enjoyed it and it

has greatly impacted my decision on becoming a STEM elementary teacher. Even after all this

research, I am still undecided on if this is exactly what I want to pursue. I think if I participate in

more interning at different schools, maybe then I can make an official decision. If continuing in

this profession, there are some colleges to look into. If you're looking into a STEM major, then

two names stuck out to me. Harvey Mudd College (located in Claremont California) and the

California Institute of Technology. These are the best schools globally when looking into STEM

majors. If looking into colleges for the best elementary teacher major, then Michigan State

University and the University of Michigan- Ann Arbor are listed.

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In the teaching field, there are no official big employers. Your income depends on which

state you reside in. You can move to an area in another state which seems best fit pay-wise and

for you personally. Getting a job near your area depends on the availability and need. You go

and see which schools are around you are hiring and which you like best. Some challenges

teachers face are lack of funding, student family problems, endless paperwork, and extended

work periods. If I become one, I have to work with what I have. If I do my best, then I just have

to hope that I am teaching the children efficiently and making some sort of impact.

In my four years in STEM, I have learned many things, but three have always stayed with me.

The first is multitasking. Being able to multitask is important in the teaching field. Anything can

happen all at once and if you can’t handle the pressure then it won’t be beneficial. The second is

working as groups with many different people. Students, as well as teachers, have all different

personalities and opinions. You have to learn to work as a team with your colleagues to ensure

the success of the students. You may not like everyone, but you have to remain professional. The

third thing is to time manage and organize. You are given a variety of tasks and assignments all

at once. If you aren’t able to keep up, life will leave you behind. The same applies at school.

Many scenarios will be thrown at you and you have to be ready.

Chapter 4: Productivity

My Project

For my applied learning project, I decided to teach and carry out lesson plans that I had

created for the students. The curriculum I taught resonated with the standards given by my

mentor. Third grade is my first class, and their standards stated that they should “obtain,

evaluate, and communicate information about the ways heat energy is transferred and measured.”

Specifically, I had to introduce conduction, convection, and radiation. The experiment was a
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focus on conduction. First, I discussed the unit of heat transfer and asked the students questions

about it to see their knowledge. Before starting the experiment, the children were handed a

prediction sheet in which they wrote their thoughts and predictions. I then explained instructions

and placed cupcake trays on each table with a group of 4-5 kids. I labeled each cup with sand,

baking soda, sugar, and salt. The kids were to pour each content into the tray cups and put one

ice into it. The experiment is to see which content would melt the ice fastest. While waiting for

the ice to melt, I put on a detailed video about heat energy transfer. When they went back, they

saw that salt, melted the ice fastest which they wrote on their observation sheet. I realized that

unless you physically show the students step-by-step, they won’t be able to follow thoroughly. I

had to keep patience and slowly explain in detail so the kids wouldn’t get frustrated.

For 2nd grade their standard was animal life cycle. The lesson was to teach them about the

butterfly life cycle and see if they can use class robots to go from the first to the last stage. I

introduced the butterfly life cycle because the kids are going to watch a caterpillar morph into

butterfly in the following weeks. I first put on a video about butterfly life cycle and discussed the

video with them. I then showed them a physical visual of the process with a stuffed animal that

you can change. Then I explained the instructions on how to use the robots. For the chart I had

pictures of the different phases on a fabric and put a clear plastic on top, so when the robot went

over it, the pictures wouldn’t move. The original robot my mentor had, hadn’t been charged so

we had to use different ones. It was a bee shaped robot with arrows. The kids had to code it and

make sure they hit the correct arrows in order for it to go from one stage to the next. If they

showed the life cycle correctly, I gave them a butterfly tattoo. Since the children are also learning

about butterfly life cycle in their science class, the lesson ran smoothly. The children had some

trouble at first with the robots, but after a few trials and error they understood it. The main
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problem for them was working in groups efficiently. I had to talk to some students about sharing

and compromise.

The last class I taught was 4th grade. Their curriculum was to learn about balanced and

unbalanced force. I first explained the standard, listened to what they know and introduced

contraptions. I showed them a video explaining who Rube Goldberg, how he was important to

the concept of contraptions, and the contraption cartoons he drew. I then had set up different

contraption games. Each table had a different station that would show unbalanced and balanced

force. I tried making it visually and physically educational. The kids showed me each time they

made a different contraption. Since the students were older, they were easier to manage, and I

didn’t have to do much. They showed me what they learned and what they can create. Each class

seemed to have grasped the concepts and enjoy the lessons.

Career Connection

My project directly correlated with my internship because I got to show what I had

learned. My mentor let me take full control of the class so that I got the full grasp of being a

teacher. This assignment was definitely a learning stretch for me because I was out of my

comfort zone and had to think out the box. I didn’t realize that since I am older, I have more

knowledge than the children I was about to teach. I had to make sure that I spoke and explained

in a way that the students would understand. I also had to make sure that the

experiments/activities planned was something the students were able to learn from along with

corresponding with the standards given to me. Getting all the supplies together and making sure I

am not missing a step was difficult. That is why I had a rough draft, just to make sure I had all

my ideas written and when creating the final lesson plan, I was able to stay organized. The kids

were successful in completing the activities, but I had a hard time with introducing the topic.
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Videos that I showed helped but efficiently explaining the new units was difficult. I wasn’t sure

what to say or how to say it for them to understand what I was saying. Although, as far as my

understanding, they got what I was trying to communicate with them. Some classes were better

at following instructions than others. Still, I had some classes/groups not cooperating due to

behavioral issues. Trying to teach, maintain organization, and managing behavior was a lot to

juggle.

I learned from my whole internship experience that teachers work extremely hard and not

everyone can do their profession. I loved being at Bullard and Ms. Lemoine was a great mentor. I

learned a lot from her as well as the students. The kids were wonderful to work with and saying

goodbye was difficult. I am not sure if I had made an impact on their lives, but they sure made an

impact on mine.

References

Best Elementary Teacher Education Programs. (2022). usnews.com.

Betz, A. (n.d.). How to Become a Teacher: The Complete Guide. Education Corner© Online

Education, Colleges & K12 Education Guide.

Elementary school teacher career guide. (2021). Teacher Certification Degrees.

Free Personality Test. (n.d.). 16 Personalities.

Miller, S. (2020). How much does teaching certificate cost. Vocational Learning HQ.

Morrison, N. (2019). One in four teachers works 60-plus hours a week. Forbes.

Okrent, A., & Burke, A. (2021). The STEM labor force of today: Scientists, engineers, and

skilled technical workers | NSF. NSF - National Science Foundation.

O'Rourke, B. (2021). Growing gap in STEM supply and demand. The Harvard Gazette.

Resilient Educator. (2020). STEM/STEAM teacher: Education, salary, and outlook.

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Understanding the Costs and Benefits of Becoming a Teacher. (2020). Joblist.

Wexler, N. (2019). Why So Many Aspiring Teachers Can't Pass A Licensing Test--And Why It

Matters. Forbes.