How to encourage STEM in your middle schooler
Caribbean L 44 ife, OCTOBER 25-31, 2019 BQ
High school can be intense, but being
a student athlete can intensify
expectations.
As the start of spring sports approaches,
the stakes are even higher
for your student to maintain the success
they had fi rst semester. There are
practices, matches and conference fi -
nals that have to fi t in with exams and
semester-long projects. Being a standout
in the classroom and on the fi eld
requires expert-level planning and execution.
That’s where parents play a huge
role in helping their teen athletes keep
it all in balance. Here are four easy
tips to help you ensure that your teen
is ready for a great season, on and off
the fi eld.
Food: Allison Maurer - a sports dietitian
and Gatorade consultant who
has worked with high school and collegiate
athletes - says, “The important
thing to remember is that food is fuel.
It gives athletes the energy they need
to perform and also helps them recover.
When planning your athletes’
meals, look for whole food sources
that provide high-quality fats, lean
proteins and complex carbohydrates.
Talk to your athlete about his or her
fuel strategy before, during and after
practices and games, and offer support
by providing healthy, energy rich
snacks.”
Hydration: When exercising hard,
the body cools itself through sweat. If
body mass is reduced by about 2 percent,
which would be 3 pounds of water
weight loss in a 150-pound athlete,
it can negatively affect performance,
according to the National Athletic
Trainers’ Association’s (NATA) Position
Statement on Fluid Replacement
for Athletes.
“Athletes lose more than water in
sweat, so it’s important that they take
their hydration seriously since it can
impact performance,” Maurer says.
Rest: Although teens may seem to
bounce back easily from a night with
too little rest, the truth is that good
sleep helps both learning and athletic
performance. Sleep helps athletes recover,
especially after they’ve pushed
their limits in an intense workout. Being
rested can also improve reaction
time, as well as speed and accuracy. In
addition, teens with earlier bedtimes
had better grades than those who
stayed up later and slept less, according
to a study of 3,000 subjects cited by
the National Sleep Foundation.
Talk about these benefi ts with your
athlete, and encourage them to go to
bed and rise at the same time each day.
Also, the glowing light of electronic devices
can also interfere with sleep. So,
help your teen come up with a strategy
to power down an hour or so before
bedtime in order to prepare their
minds for a night of restorative sleep.
EDUCATION
Even though many Americans
understand the importance
of STEM education,
children in the U.S. continue to
lose interest in science, technology,
engineering and math subjects
at young ages.
Not surprisingly, 44 percent
of U.S. adults say they felt more
excited about science when
they were kids, reports the
State of Science Index, a global
study commissioned by 3M examining
the general population’s
attitudes toward science.
Maintaining students’ interest
in science during the middle
school years is crucial to increasing
the likelihood they’ll
pursue STEM careers. That’s
important, since studies show
our nation will need to produce
an additional one million
STEM workers between 2012
and 2022 alone.
That said, we’re still not on
track to meet demand, partly
because students continue to
lose interest.
What’s the answer? Creating
a rich culture of STEM education
in schools requires professional
development, suggests
Cindy Moss, vice president of
global STEM initiatives for
curriculum developer Discovery
Education. She points to research
showing teachers need
80 hours of cumulative targeted
professional development before
effectively teaching STEMpromoting
classes.
“Many educators in our
country believe we need to accelerate
our approach to STEM
education,” Moss says.
What can parents and educators
do to foster more interest?
Consider the following:
Find role models: If a child
doesn’t know anyone working
in STEM, he or she may be unable
to imagine a career in such
roles. Introduce him or her to
people actively working in such
fi elds, then encourage discussion
and/or job shadowing.
Teachers might bring in speakers
who can answer candid
questions about the rewards
and challenges in their fi elds -
including signifi cant demand
and attractive pay scales.
Seek achievement opportunities:
Introducing children
to engaging events like the annual
Discovery Education 3M
Young Scientist Challenge may
spark their sense of competition
and passion for STEM.
The annual contest, which is
accepting submissions until
April 19, invites innovators in
grades fi ve through eight to develop
one- to two-minute videos
describing their ideas for
creative solutions to tackle everyday
problems. The top 10 fi -
nalists receive a summer mentorship
with a 3M scientist, and
the winner will receive $25,000.
Last year’s winner, Gitanjali
Rao, developed a device that
measures lead levels in drinking
water.
Keep participating: Reducing
involvement in your
child’s daily academics once he
or she enters middle school may
backfi re. One study shows middle
schoolers maintain a more
positive attitude toward science
when their parents continue to
display interest. The Rao family,
for example, frequently visits
museums and holds game
nights focusing on problem
solving. “We encourage our
children to communicate their
ideas clearly and concisely and
understand real-world issues,”
notes Bharathi Rao, Gitanjali’s
mother.
Discourage snap decisions:
During adolescence,
Moss notes, kids struggling
to fi gure out who they are can
easily form inaccurate perceptions
of their academic weaknesses.
Reassure your child
one challenging assignment or
bad grade need not rule out a future
career. “Kids often make
up their minds by sixth grade
whether they’re capable of doing
science and math,” says
Moss. “We have defi nitive evidence
that by age 6, girls have
already started to internalize
negative stereotypes that
science and math are not for
girls.” In reality, she notes, understanding
science and math
simply requires more thinking
for some people than others; it’s
not a skill based on gender.
According to State of Science
Index fi ndings, 96 percent
of U.S. parents want their kids
to know more about science. It’s
critical for us to maintain interest
during the middle school
years, and according to Moss
it’s our responsibility to help
children see the possibilities.
“Kids in fi fth through
eighth grade have a whole lot of
empathy and really do want to
make the world a better place,”
she says. “They have the power,
but we need to instill confi -
dence and give them the tools
and encouragement to pursue
STEM.”
How to keep your teen athlete fueled