In this chapter, find out how STEM lessons were first incorporated into a sixth-grade classroom in the Lebanon Special School District, a small community in Middle Tennessee. These students never gave much thought to careers in the STEM field. When career choices were discussed, they seemed to envision those jobs being meant for kids in the big cities—not middle/lower kids in rural Tennessee.

The students needed something to help them realize the world of opportunities in STEM careers was within their reach. STEM education was a way to help them discover their talents in science, technology, engineering, and math, so that they would be confident enough in their skills to pursue careers in any field they chose and never feel like any doors were closed to them. The effect that STEM education has had on these student’s attitudes and achievement is astounding.

This free sample chapter also includes the Foreword, Acknowledgments, About the Editors, and Index.