Week 5, Blog 3

Patsy and I went to a conference in Connecticut! This is my second time going to a conference in Connecticut, and this one was much better than the last! Last time, I got only two hours of sleep, and I have never experienced such a feeling in body in my entire life. It was terrible! This time I got seven hours of sleep, and Patsy picked me up five in the morning. We stopped by Dunkin Donuts to get some coffees and bagels, and then we were on our way! The sun rise was once again beautiful. I was ready for this day this time. I felt so good that I felt I could have presented at this thing! After a two hour drive of sun rise and coffee, we got to this “STEM Magnet” school in Hartford. This school is literally the coolest school I have ever been too. These kids breathe, eat, and sleep Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math. It is what they do all day. Being a complete science nerd, I would have died to go to this place. They do the greatest labs, and they even seem better than the ones kids do in college! They have awesome equipment too. Apparently, the parents in Connecticut always want their children to go to school here. The wait list is ridiculous. I think that there needs to be more of these “STEM Magnet” schools especially if there are huge wait lists like at this school. Patsy and I really just went to this because we wanted the tour of the school since we had learned about it the last time we went to a conference in Connecticut. 

Week 5, Blog 2

Patsy and I ended up going to three conferences this week. On Monday, we went to a meeting in Massachusetts with her work (this is where we set up dinner plans), and it was pretty interesting. This meeting is suppose to be for them to fix any “issues” that are throughout the company. The meeting is also to figure out the best way for the company to have optimal sales. It’s important that everyone at a job is on the same page, and this company definitely has some issues. It seems like the boss does not even care about his employees. There are so many issues, and when the sales people would try and explain them to him, all he would say is “I see” and then “We will work on this”. I later learned that they need to have these meetings once or twice a year, and that the issues are never fixed. You can tell that these sales people, under this boss, work their butts off! One of their best sales people, a woman, was fired because some other lady (who was close to this boss) decided she wanted her position! These are some issues that are serious. I think that’s why Patsy is stressed all the time. She runs all over New England, working so hard, and then she does not get what she deserves at the end. I was sitting in the meeting, and I just wanted to get up and scream at this dumb grass! He clearly did not care. Hopefully Patsy will get the chance to move on!

Week 5, Blog 1

Patsy and I had a really long and hard week. We had to go to three conferences, and hold a dinner for her boss. On Tuesday, at six o’ clock, Patsy’s boss was going to be at Patsy’s for dinner with a few other co-workers. Patsy and I did this together not too long ago, but it was brunch so I knew it was going to be fun! These are the best type of days because even though you are working really hard, it’s actually fun. I came over to Patsy’s around ten in the morning to start cleaning and cooking. I got there, and vacuumed the living room and kitchen (I love cleaning so this is awesome). Then I mopped the kitchen floor, wiped down some table tops, and cleaned the bathroom. Patsy was making calls, and was going to have me do something else, but I knew that the cleaning needed to be done. So I just told her to not even worry about the cleaning, and that I can get it done. She reluctantly said fine and that she did not know anyone who liked to clean as much as me! Right away I could tell she was relieved of some stress. Her job is stressful so my help is actually effective, and that’s the best part! After calls and cleaning, she had me set the table with these really nice plates, silverware, and napkins! She cooked up some haddock, potatoes, and much more, and we were prepared for the night. Everyone came over and things went great. I got to listen in to their conversations, and it helps me to understand even more about her work!

Week 4, Blog 3

On Thursday, after my long and sleep deprived trip to Connecticut, Patsy wanted me to come to her house at noon to help organize another one of her storage units! So I got ready, drove to her house, and then she ended up sending be back home! She was still so tired from our trip because she only got three hours of sleep the night before! She saw how I was pale in the face (still feeling sick), and she was the exact same color! So we postponed the storage clean out for Friday. I went back home and just worked on the spreadsheet. Since I can just put down the Curriculum Director, everything went really smooth and faster than I thought. People were nicer in these districts (it was also Thursday), and I did not even have to call the schools that much. It was such a relief because I was still a zombie. On Friday, I felt so much better. I took my mom to the doctor’s office, and then went from there to Patsy’s for the storage clean out! I actually don’t mind doing this because I love to organize. I have done this before with Patsy, but it a lot more heavy lifting and moving boxes to certain units. This time, she had me unpack the boxes, organize what was in there into piles, and then place them in the correct area on shelves in the unit! We ended up recycling so many boxes, and we had not even finished cleaning the entire thing out! This week I think we will finish it!

Week 4, Blog 2

So this week was so crazy. These past couple weeks have actually been hell. My mom has been really sick so I have been taking care of her, and then I had to balance SCORE on top of it. This would not be too bad if I did not have to go on this trip with Patsy to Connecticut. On Tuesday night, I could not fall asleep until two in the morning. I then had to wake up at four in the morning so I could shower, get dressed, and be ready by five for Patsy to pick me up so we could be on our way to Connecticut! There was actually a STEM conference. So even though I had two hours of sleep, I would just have to sit, relax, and watch speakers talk about STEM and how to apply it to their schools. There were a bunch of teachers there (teachers are so funny to me because they really are regular people, and some of them are so dramatic, haha!). So I was the only student there with all these teachers, and there is definitely drama at every school! I sat a table with some science teachers, and they just gossiped and gossiped! They were not even listening, and I’m surprised because the presentations were SO good! I got so much good information for my research paper so I was so happy Patsy invited me! After it was over (around one in the afternoon), I realized how tired I was. It was the worst feeling ever. I felt sick and felt like my brain had just died. It took me two nights of sleep to feel better, and this sucked because I was taking care of my mom and had to go back to spreadsheet work! Then I remembered my research paper was due on Friday! Wooh!

Week 4, Blog 1

Earlier in this week, Patsy and I needed a quick review and organization session! She had me come over to her place with my laptop around noon to go over what I had gotten done on my spreadsheet in regards to how many districts I had got down! She thought that I did really well and that I made a lot of progress. I had a lot better luck with the districts in New York and Vermont than I did with Maine. Maine was a hell hole. The people were so crabby and, for some reason, their districts do not have Science Department Heads which is just absolutely crazy because these are the biggest districts in New England. I always wonder if the school is just a complete mess. Sometimes when I talked to the curriculum director and asked them if they had this type of position, they would be like “Ugh, umm, no we don’t have this position at this time, but it is going to be filled”. I wanted to be like “Whatever you say, man”. It seemed like they get this question a lot so maybe they should list it on their freaking website! So anyway, when I’m telling Patsy all this stuff, she finally goes, “Oh, you can just put down the Curriculum Director if they don’t have a Science Director”. *Hysterically laugh out loud since you wasted about a week making phone calls to schools who only had a Curriculum Director* Once I found out this information, this spreadsheet was going to be a breeze, and it has been ever since!

Week 3, Blog 3

I waited to write my last blog until Sunday because Patsy and I did another event on Saturday! This time though, it was not for her Lab-Aids job, but for her STEM lab teaching job at the Proctor School! We did not do any experiments this time with the kids, but instead we talked with the teachers! That experiment that Patsy did last week was actually the last experiment of the year! So we were meeting with the teachers to discuss the next year! They had to go over a lot of important stuff with Patsy, and it was funny being in on it. First they went over what the curriculum for the next year was going to be because they wanted to switch a couple things around! The teachers wanted to cover a certain subject first, and then the other. So I had to write this down so Patsy knew what experiment to do for that month! Then they discussed dates and times to see if anything conflicted with one another. It was actually a funny meeting though. Some teachers were so into it. They had some great ideas for Patsy and just could not wait for next year! Then there were some that were literally so bored and could care less about meeting that they just stared at the clock the whole time! It was so funny, but this part is even better! All of a sudden someone was like, “Okay, we need to discuss the budget and where Patsy can fit in the equation”. I almost burst out laughing. Right when someone said “budget”, every single teacher just wanted to leave immediately (their faces said it all). Clearly, they don’t like talking about the budget. I really enjoyed going with Patsy to this because it was cool seeing teachers with each other and not just kids. I think they would rather teach kids than be with each other.

Week 3, Blog 2

After my rough Monday, I wanted to take a break from the spreadsheet. I called Patsy (who in real life, I’m actually close with), and I told her about what happened. I know it seems like I’m being a drama queen about this whole thing, but I just really was not expecting to wake up that morning, and have all these crazy old menopause women yelling at me! It totally hurt my feelings, but Patsy explained to me that this is pretty normal. She told me that I will meet people like that in my life, and that I just have to look the other way because there just unhappy. This is seriously a good life lesson I have learned from Patsy, and we talked about that for a couple hours on Tuesday morning while she made me some breakfast (pretty awesome, right?). So after venting to her, she put me onto a new basic task. She sat me on her dock (she lives on Chebacco lake which is also pretty awesome), and she had me go through this Lab-Aids textbook which I think was fairly new. She just needed me to read through objectives, review questions, etc to find errors, and this includes spelling or grammar errors or just flat out bad questions. Since I have taken all possible science courses at Manchester-Essex, I had a pretty good idea of what the dumb science questions were. To my surprise, there were many mistakes! Spelling and grammar errors were frequent (I clearly had an awesome English teacher to be able to find these errors), and there were just some terrible questions. I actually felt bad going up to Patsy, and saying “This question is awful”. It was actually fun, and I definitely cannot complain. I have an awesome SCORE advisor with a great internship.

Week 3, Blog 1

So this week started off terribly. I realized that a lot of adults are really not happy on Mondays. I have filled you in on my spreadsheet project so it’s time to tell you about how this whole thing is actually going. It started off well. I was able to go on the school’s websites and get the information I needed about their science curriculum coordinators. Once I started visiting the websites of different Maine districts, I hit trouble. I’m starting to feel like people in Maine are just unhappy. I called them to ask them a basic question: “Hi, my name is Elise. I am doing a research project where I figure out what New England schools have a district level position dedicated to coordinating your science curriculum. Do you have such a position? Could I just get their name, email address, and job title?” This is so basic. Is this an annoying question? Tell me, Ms. Edgerton, because people were not nice to me! Maybe I was just emotional, but it was taking a toll on me this past Monday. Maybe these women are going through menopause or something, but I swear to god if I was there I would have slapped them. Here is an example of what they would yell at me about. I would say my spiel, and they would go “I’ll direct you to Sandy now”. I would quickly say in a very sweet tone “Oh wait! I don’t need to directly talk to your science coordinator. I just need to know who they are!” I clearly offended this woman. She responded with “Excuse me? Do you think I’m dumb enough to just send you to our science coordinator? Do you think I don’t know how to do my job?” This lady went on and on. I did not mean to be pushy or hurt her feelings! Anyway, I could go on forever about this, but I guess I was not expecting to talk to crabby people. I have learned that I will be dealing with crabby people throughout my future job, and that I need to just deal with it and move on. 

Elise: Week 2, Blog 3

As I mentioned in my first blog for week two, I am currently working on an excel spreadsheet project for Patsy. This spreadsheet to find out which school districts have a district-level position dedicated to coordinating the Science or STEM Curriculum of that school! So I am looking at 10 different districts for each of these following states: Connecticut, Massachusetts, Maine, New Hampshire, upstate New York, Rhode Island, and Vermont! Once I figure out if they have a position like that, I need their first name, last name, job title, email, phone number, street, city, state, and zip code! So this seems pretty easy, but it’s actually difficult. I find the districts website, and it usually takes forever to find their staff directory! A lot of the school websites are poorly put together when it comes to trying to find certain people that work there. When I do find the coordinator for the science or STEM curriculum, I never have all the information I need. Sometimes they have an email or sometimes they have the phone number if I’m lucky! If I cannot find the person or when I need the email or phone number, I have to call the school. This is dreadful because I have to say this whole paragraph “spiel” of why I need to know who this person is, and there is usually some old lady on the other end of the phone being like “ What?!”, and then I say the “spiel” all over again. It’s a disaster. Those people just end up not really liking me or they will not give me any information on the person, just their number, and tells me to call them. Why would I ever call the science coordinator and ask them their name and email even though I was the one who called them? Besides the stressful phone calls, I know that the spreadsheet is important to Patsy so I’m glad I’m helping!

Elise: Week 2, Blog 2

My SCORE advisor, Patsy, has another job, and I was able to experience this on Wednesday! She goes to Proctor School in Topsfield eight times a year to conduct STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics) experiments with grades (I think) fourth, fifth, and sixth! She loves being able to do this, and I definitely learned why! This is how our day went! She picked me up at 7:45 that morning and we got a coffee and croissants from Chebacco Market, and then headed off to Proctor School which is only about half an hour away! We got there and went to their lab classroom which was super nice considering the kids are between like nine and twelve years old! Patsy said we were conducting a weather experiment by showing convection currents! It was so cool! She had me fill up five clear gallon boxes. I then filled one jar with cold water and blue food dye and the other with hot water and red food dye. Both jars had caps that had holes in them! Once the kids came in, Patsy gave a little introduction, and then had the kids split into five separate groups (each with a gallon box, a jar filled with hot water, and a jar filled with cold water). Each group then put their two jars into the box, and convection currents happened! The hot water with the red dye started to rise above while the cold water with the blue dye started to sink to the bottom! It was awesome, and she then conducted a similar experiment with a large tank with a divider in it. On one side was the red hot water and on the other was the blue cold water. She then lifted the divider, and the convection current happened again! We did this with four different classes, and the children here were so nice and so smart! I had a really fun time, and it was nice to see that Patsy was taking her time to educate children on STEM! 

Week 2, Blog 1

During my vacation week, my SCORE advisor attended two different events where she was able to “advertise” the company Lad-Aids! She brought a big television screen and used it as a monitor to show various Lab-Aids kits and their website! She had a Lab-Aids signup sheet where interested science directors in the New York area could sign up and get more information! She was a complete hit, and got a lot of people interested. On Monday, I had to photo copy all these pieces of paper (there were so many) that had these director’s information, and that literally took three hours. I sat at the computer to press “scan”, and then exchanged out papers so it was pretty boring. Patsy warned me that it would be boring, but it was something that she need done so that she could send it to her boss! It was important, and she had a lot of other work to do! After this, I did a lot of finance things with receipts, etc. It was just one of those busy days where we had to get various things done that had to be done! On Tuesday I officially started my excel spreadsheet project! I had to find out which New England area school districts have a district-level position dedicated to coordinating the Science Curriculum, or if there is a position dedicated to STEM curriculum! This is a lot harder than some people might think, and it’s super important that I get each and everything right. If I don’t, I feel like I risk embarrassing Patsy! I have to make sure I get the right name, address, job title, and number! I’ll discuss more on this with the next blog because it might take awhile!

Week 1, Blog 3

My last couple blogs were definitely pushed off until the last minute, but I was and am exhausted. I was tired after doing the boxes at the storage units, and then I really had to put on the “happy face” for this Saturday brunch. This was a big deal for Patsy (I could just tell) so I was nervous. On Friday, we made many calls to her co-workers to confirm the time, address, etc, and then we confirmed with her boss. Everyone was coming so we were cleaning and cooking. I had a blast. She wanted me to have fun especially after the past couple days of hard work so we were blasting some tunes and cooking like maniacs! We were cutting veggies and prepping everything so that she and I could just throw it in the oven in the morning! After destroying the kitchen, we had to clean. We were cooking and cleaning till 5, and I was exhausted again, but I had an awesome time! Patsy and Tucker’s dad took me and Tucker out to dinner to celebrate a hard work this week! So Friday was a fun day, and I was happy.

Then I realized she wanted me there around 7:30 the next morning, and I was exhausted again! I do love the pressure and the running around though so I was pumped up. I took a couple espresso shots, and I was literally popping out egg dishes like it was my job, Ms. Edgerton! Anyway, we were prepared, and I was ready to show Patsy’s boss what a well-behaved intern she had! He was impressed, and we hit off pretty well (he thought I was funny). I also really enjoyed Patsy’s co-workers. Most of them were women, and they were awesome. They showed how women and men are completely equal in the work force, and maybe even a little bit stronger! They talked a lot of business, but I wasn’t bored because Patsy was relaxed, relieved, and happy! 

Week 1, Blog 2

At the end of this week, my mentor had to do some serious organizing, and being her assistant made everything go a lot faster! This weekend we were preparing for a big brunch at Patsy’s house with her co-workers and boss so it was a big deal! I was pretty nervous and was a little uneasy about working on Saturday, but I knew I’d be a big help! So first, Patsy and I had to organize her storage units. She has about five down the street from her house, and they’re filled with hundreds and hundreds of boxes of Lab-Aids textbooks and lab equipment! They’re heavy and Patsy and I are small, so putting the boxes in the right places took forever. I’m talking 5 hours one day, and then a few more the next, and we didn’t even bother taking our lunch break! The storage units were a complete mess, and this is one of the most important tasks she really wanted to get done early in my internship! I had one of those wheel carts, and I was running around with it like crazy. We had to get this done in at least two days because Friday was designated for phone calls for the brunch, etc. Not only this, but the co-workers and boss would be seeing the storage units so there was some pressure! A lot of people would think that I was bored this week doing all this organizing and what not, but I had a lot of fun. I get so pumped up under pressure, and I know that I am knocking so much stress of Patsy. I didn’t want to be doing work at an internship where they just gave me work just to kill time. I wanted to be a big help, and that’s what I am for Patsy!

Week 1, Blog 1

My first day started on Tuesday because on Monday my mentor, Patsy, was on one of her many business trips. She goes to places like New York, Connecticut, west Massachusetts, and many more New England states to sell “Lab-Aids” curriculum and equipment. Lab-Aids touches on all Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematical based areas in a school curriculum. She is definitely spreading the idea of “STEM” to the younger generation because so many jobs are unfulfilled in this area so I love what she does! Yesterday, I was able to really look at the equipment and the textbooks she was selling, and they were really great! I’m a pretty huge science nerd (I've taken every science class possible in High School), so I was having a blast. After being able to look at the equipment she sold and get settled or comfortable, she had me look up her company, and really get an understanding of what she does. I learned that she is the one who spreads the idea of “STEM”, and works with so many others who do the same! I really love this because I feel that this is important. A lot of kids that I know seem to be going into art which obviously is fine, but I feel like it’s time to get more kids educated in STEM areas. These areas are so important because it seems like America depends on them. The technology, the engineers to build everything, and the doctors and nurses to take care of us! I really think that what Patsy does is important; however, I think I want to be one of the kids that are actually working in the science area!

Outline and Thesis

Elise Doucette

Outline and Thesis - SCORE

I.                   Introduction: The future is in the hands of the children of the families of America.

A.    This is the time to start educating children of STEM, and lead them to these future job opportunities

B.     Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics are what this world relies on, and without them, this world would be nothing!

C.     Teachers have opportunities to incorporate STEM into their curriculum, and give the children a successful education by using multiple strategies

D.    Teens are going into liberal art majors rather than STEM majors for many false and stereotyped reasons

E.     Thesis: STEM education is important for the future of this society as America rapidly builds on its need for new technological advances, and  its need for better critical thinkers who can be innovative and develop what we need and develop it well.

II.                 STEM education is an acronym that signifies “Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics”

A.    STEM was founded by Judith A. Ramaley

B.     STEM revolutionizes “subject areas such as mathematics and science by incorporating technology and engineering into regular curriculum by creating a “meta-discipline.” (1)

C.     Gives children the chance to learn of “innovation”, “brainstorming”, and so much more

D.    STEM education has goals that are “to increase advanced training and careers in STEM fields, to expand the STEM-capable workforce, and to increase scientific literacy among the general public” (2)

III.             Students that are enrolling in “STEM majors” are declining rapidly.

A.    Liberal arts appears “easier” when the difficulty of STEM majors actually depends on what school you go to

B.     Liberal arts seem more interesting as they discuss history and read poems, but STEM can be just as fun!

C.     “Another benefit of liberal arts classes is that they tend to be taught by white people who speak with American accents, and the same applies to the teaching assistants” (3)

D.    “If there are any advantages to going to Harvard over a state school, one huge advantage is that you can study liberal arts at Harvard and still make as much money as you would studying some really boring STEM subject at a state school” (3) . This is very untrue.

IV.             Students should be enrolling in STEM majors for various reasons.

A.    “STEM careers do encompass a lot of the fastest growing occupations, along with many of the highest paying occupations” (4)

B.     Students with STEM jobs will be having the highest impact on society because humans revolve around STEM products every day. Without them, humans would suffer!

C.     There is never a boring moment in STEM – “The world of STEM is constantly changing” (4)

D.    There are many opportunities, and there is so much self and career satisfaction

V.                There are numerous benefits of STEM education for children

A.    Girls will finally be able to get out of their proposed “element”, and get into STEM education with the men who dominate it

B.     “It prepares kids for the technological innovations they will undoubtedly experience in their lifetime” (5)

C.     There is excessive teaching in “problem solving” which will not only help in school, but in real life terms.

D.    One of the very important skills it teaches them is “creativity”

VI.             Although there is a very high unemployment rate, there is also a very high number of jobs unfilled which are all in STEM areas!

A.    America is constantly in need of new technology, and STEM majors are what can bring this

B.     America is in need of engineers to build everything they use – bridges, houses, cars, and much more

C.     America needs doctors, nurses, physical therapists, and much more to keep this world healthy and living

D.    “However, STEM education and training must be broadened to include not only those interested in earning higher degrees but also those with a high school education who must be sufficiently trained to benefit from future employment opportunities in STEM fields” (6)

VII.          Teachers need to start incorporating STEM into their every day curriculum!

A.    Will be interviewing Mr. Magers because he incorporates STEM with a rubric for his Green Scholars!

B.     A STEM rubric could have scientific inquiry, technological systems, problem solving, and reasoning abstractly and quantitatively

C.     The only way children will be able to understand what STEM is, is if the teachers are explaining to them what it is and the benefits!

D.    STEM will be “helping students connect the dots and find meaningful ways to interpret and understand the course’s materials” (7)

VIII.       Conclusion: America needs STEM educators to have a more successful society

A. Without these STEM teachers, America’s future would be dull, and would lose the idea of creativity

B. America does need liberal arts jobs fulfilled; however, STEM jobs need more people to fulfill their jobs which are just as important, if not, more important than the liberal arts jobs

C. America runs on STEM, and this country would be deteriorating if STEM isn’t taken more seriously throughout the local schools

Annotated Bibliography

[1] "Understanding the Basics of STEM Education." DRPF Consults RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10    Apr. 2013.

[2] "NAP Quick Links." Successful K-12 STEM Education: Identifying Effective Approaches in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Mathematics. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

[3] "Half Sigma." 'Half Sigma' N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

[4] "Pathway to a STEM Degree From Community College to University." Pathway to a STEM Degree From Community College to University. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

[5] Baker, Melanie. "How STEM Education Can Help Our Kids And Our World." NY Metro Parents. N.p., 20 Dec. 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013

[6] Yoder, James A. "STEM Education & America’s Future." Sustainable Solutions WHOI's Jim Yoder: STEM Education & America's Future : Center for a Better Life. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

[7] "Incorporating STEM in All Classrooms." University of Cincinnati Masters of Education Program RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

[8] "Understanding the Basics of STEM Education." DRPF Consults RSS. N.p., n.d. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

[9] Engler, John. "STEM Education Is the Key to the U.S.'s Economic Future." US News. U.S.News & World Report, 15 June 2012. Web. 10 Apr. 2013.

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