100 Wake teachers use summer to learn new tech skills
One hundred Wake County school teachers are sacrificing part of their summer to learn new skills from Triangle tech companies.
Stay on top of breaking news stories with the ABC11 News App
It's part of WakeEd Partnership's SummerSTEM program, and they hope teachers will take those skills back into the classroom.
The program pairs 100 teachers with 20 businesses over two weeks - in hopes of developing the tech talent of tomorrow in Wake County.
"My hope is really that student see how all of the sciences and the technology and math that they're learning in schools, that they see a path for how that gets used in the business world," BASF employee and WakeEd Partners board member Stephanie Jensen said.
The goal is to have teachers take the lessons they in the field and bring it back to their classrooms through new lesson plans that will help children grow into the STEM leaders of tomorrow.
"We're preparing these first graders to go out into the world eventually, to work in a business or a corporation like this, so what kind of skills can I be using in the classroom every day that prepares them for life outside the classroom," first-grade Weatherstone Elementary teacher, Michelle Sautro said.
Pipe cleaners, markers, coffee filters and spray bottles - the arts and crafts supplies aren't just for fun - they're for science. It's part of a lesson plan teachers can use in their classroom to demonstrate chromatography - a real world skill used at chemical company, BASF.
They're going to take that lesson plan with them thanks to supplies from BASF and a tutorial from ABC11 Science Club.
Learn how to do the experiment here.
"It gives me a better idea of different pathways they can take in life," Brentwood Elementary physical education teacher Dave Jones said. "So some kids might want to follow math a little more particularly some might want to go the science route or biology or chemistry. So this gives me a good idea so I can have that conversation with them."
