When I was younger, math wasn’t super exciting
because it was just another thing you had
to do at school.
For 
the C-STEM Program to work, we have to get
teachers excited first. And then they can
pass their passion and knowledge to the students.
Math is not just calculations. Math could
be so much more; it could be patterns and
it could be statistical probabilities, it
could be architecture, art. Before I
implemented the C-STEM program, I was teaching
out of a traditional text. And so the students
would often be bored. They did not understand
the meaning of the math, because all they
were doing was the math.
My daughter, Katrina Cole, has been doing
the link-bot robotics program, in American
Canyon, since sixth grade. Katrina had always
done well in math, but I felt like she was
losing interest a bit.
Everyone things that robotics is building
robots. But, it’s really programming, and,
it’s a way for you to do math, but you don’t
know you’re doing math.
They’re learning all the 21st century skills
in just doing robotics and using the C-STEM
program.
It is a life changing experience for many
of the students. They don’t feel like they’re
learning math, they just have fun!
I am really proud of her. And, I was grateful
for the program. This program has kept her
interested in math, and helped her believe
in herself, and know that she can do it.
