One of my friends and colleagues, Celeste Baine, recently posted an insightful and thought provoking blog about who can or can not “engineer.” She graciously agreed to letting me share her post with you. You can read more here at the Engineering Education Service Center. Enjoy!
Engineers are not born, they are inspired. I am an engineer, but did not grow up taking things apart, then putting them back together; OR helping my dad with fix-it jobs around the house; OR playing with Legos. What I did grow up with was a natural curiosity for the world and a love for solving puzzles.
I was not born an engineer, I was inspired – by a movie when I was 14. I had not a trace of consideration for engineering before seeing that movie. I had 9 years of school and over 4500 days of living -plenty of opportunities to be inspired – before seeing that movie.
My 6 year old daughter was not born an engineer. In fact, most people look at her older brother and say he has “engineer” written all over him. My daughter is the creative one and my son is the analytical one, yet my daughter is inspired by our comments – “you are a very creative paper engineer.”
What are some ways you can inspire the engineer within your child?
Please share this post with the elementary educators you know and help empower them to try something new.
I’m pleased to announce a recent addition to my website with the NEW Educator’s Resource Center!
I have been and will continue compiling information helpful to teaching engineering in the elementary classroom with links for engineering related books, websites, videos and activities. All my links are classroom budget and time friendly – I welcome you to visit my website today for innovative ideas for your elementary classroom!
In addition to the website, I also offer assistance through email/phone coaching as well as professional development seminars, tele-seminars and/or webinars. Contact me today to help you on your way!
Photo courtesy of Society of Women Engineers
A few weeks ago, I had the wonderful opportunity to visit Inkster Public Schools for their Literacy Night. I was asked to say a few words and I ended my brief 5 minute speech with “Engineering is for Everybody and Anybody.”
After my speech, two 4th grade girls came over to see me. They said “We liked what you said in your speech, your words were very inspiring.”
I replied enthusiastically, “you did?! I’m so happy! Was there one part in particular that you liked the most?”
And one of the girls replied, “the part at the end where you said ‘Engineering is for everybody and anybody.’ Did you mean that?”
Deeply moved, I replied quietly, “oh yes!” and went on to show these some of the items engineers work on.
Six words – sometimes that’s all it takes to inspire a whole new path in a young person’s life.
How about you? Were you aware that engineering is for everybody and anybody?
At the beginning of April, eSchoolNews.com featured an article I wrote in their online news service. If you are an elementary teacher searching for simple ways to begin teaching engineering in your classroom, I encourage you to read on…
Engineering in your Lesson Plans
After you’re done reading the article, please leave me a comment on eSchool News or my blog – would love for you to share you thoughts, concerns, comments, etc. If engineering in your elementary classroom is new to you, then let’s get the discussion going! 
As I typed the title of this blog post, my heart started beating harder and my anxiety level rose – all because of a blog entry?
Yes, because of a blog entry. I’ve been thinking about writing this post for some time, but wanted to be careful crafting my words. I want my message to be heard and the title could cause some teachers to immediately dismiss anything more I have to say.
But this post needs to be written because teachers do have such a profound impact on their students. And because they are such caring, nurturing humans. And because they may actually want to hear what I have to say. And because they may not realize the results of their subconscious actions.
I celebrate the elementary teacher who brings engineering into the elementary classroom. However, I have observed many more elementary teachers shy away from bringing engineering into their classroom. Why is that? Especially when presented with a colorful book about engineering – reading the book and giving students ample opportunity to browse the book at their leisure sounds fairly easy to me.
I’ve observed many a teacher purchase armloads of children’s books – many with pink covers and cute little girls on the front or all types of animal books. How many animal books does 1 classroom truly need? What I did not see in these bagfuls were children’s engineering books.
Granted, there aren’t many elementary engineering books widely available, but these bags of books were being purchased at a Reading conference I attended this weekend where my children’s engineering book was available.
“Oh, just an author cranky about book sales,” you may dismiss, but for me it is about so much more than book sales.
For me, it is about creating awareness of the engineer’s impact on our everyday world. For me, it is about starting very young creating that awareness. For me, it is about working with elementary teachers to expand their classroom book collections – bringing the world to their students.
Bringing awareness of engineering into the elementary classroom can be achieved with fairly minimal effort, then why isn’t it happening more?
As parents, most of us love our daughters dearly and want to see them shine throughout their lives. As an engineer and author who has had the opportunity to recently speak with many parents and daughters, sometimes together, sometimes separate, I’m hearing and seeing a very disturbing phenomena. I’m hearing and seeing parents – often without realizing it – hold their daughters back from their fullest potential.
Perhaps you hear yourself in this example:
One young woman, age 10 or 11 years, told me how her dad never lets her help with projects around the house even though she really wants to help. Maybe the dad thinks he can do the job quicker without her “help” or maybe that she would be more in the way than “helping.” I never met her dad, so I do not know. What I do know though, is that this young woman told me her story while she voluntarily fixed my Rubik’s cube that a young boy left for broken just minutes before. Perhaps if her dad could have seen how deftly she fixed that Rubik’s cube, he might find his home fix-ups finish quicker with his daughter’s help!
Or maybe you see yourself in this example:
MSNBC.com recently featured an article about how “Societal values, not aptitude, may be turning” girls away from the sciences. In the article titled “Tech industry searching for girls gone geek,” reporter Eve Tahminicioglu quotes a young college woman whose mother was not happy with her choice of computer science major – “she said I’d never find a boyfriend.” The young woman is only 22. Societal values can still be quite shocking even in the 21st century.
Or are you possibly in this example?:
“Oh, my son would love this book” when the daughter is the one who came to my table and started looking at the book. I’m certain these parents mean no harm and are even doing a wonderful gesture by thinking of their son. I just want them to think of their daughter, too. Already in 3 months or so of book signings and presentations, I’ve seen an incredible number of young girls with disappointed looks as they walk away from my table with the book for their brother.
At the same time, I have seen many celebratory comments and actions from parents – “I definitely want you to talk to my daughter’s girl scout troop;” or inviting me into their daughter’s preschool class in honor of her birthday; or purchasing one book personalized just for their daughter and another book personalized for their son. Engineers are not born, they are inspired. Your daughter can be inspired too.
Parents, please share this with other parents – awareness is the first step towards change.
Look for my blog next week –“How Teachers are holding their students back”
Young children are natural engineers. They learn through experimentation – “hey, this ball keeps coming back even after 1000 rolls!” They are also naturally curious about the world around them. This natural curiosity and experimentation provide multiple opportunities for talking to children about engineering. Below, I’ve included some tips and suggestions for getting started…
I’m guest blogger today with Celeste Baine, owner of Engineering Education Services Center. Read more here:
http://www.engineeringedu.com/celestes_blog/2010/01/patty.html
Mattel is taking votes for Barbie’s next career and Computer Engineer is one of the top contenders! What a great way to create awareness of engineering in young girls! She has had over 120 careers from fashion model to Nascar Driver to Presidential Candidate, but never an engineer.
People all over the world are voting for Barbie to be a Computer Engineer. Twitter has seen over 3000 tweets encouraging people to vote for Computer Engineer Barbie. Join the wave – vote today and encourage your friends to vote, too by using the Share buttons at the bottom! http://www.barbie.com/vote/
“Run, Run as fast you can! Can’t catch me, I’m the Gingerbread man!”
Those words swirled around the room as my daughter’s kindergarten teacher, Mrs. S. announced the start of gingerbread trap building. Excitement was high as kindergartners brainstormed, innovated and built traps to catch their wayward gingerbread cookies.
In the end, there were about 10 traps total – each very different from the next, yet all as effective. When kindergarteners returned from storytime, they were delighted to see their gingerbreads caught in their traps. Success and joy – the traps worked just as they imagined and designed! Their 1st project as gingerbread trap engineers left them with bellies full of tasty gingerbread cookies.
Ice Cream Sundaes
Two days later, these same kindergartners tested their critical thinking skills on an “Ice Cream Sundae assembly line!” With moving paper as the conveyor belt and lots of tasty goodies lined up on both sides of the table, each student had an important “job” to do as part of their contribution to the end product – big bowls of ice cream sundaes loaded with goodies.
As ice cream sundae process engineers, they learned the importance of process layout, timing and function as well as coordinating as a team. Once again their little bellies were rewarded with the sweets of their labor – in record time and best of all, no waiting for anyone!
Special thanks to Mrs. S. for such fun kindergarten activities and inspiring this post!
Patty O'Brien Novak is Digg proof thanks to caching by WP Super Cache!