Welcome! Welcome!
I'm so glad you made it to the STEMed Academy Orientation!
Before I send you off to your respective classrooms,
the Headmaster has a few words she would like to share…
the Headmaster has a few words she would like to share…
Every child deserves access to a full, complete, and rigorous STEM education--throughout their lives--in order to develop the skills the next generations will need to thrive and survive in a 21st century world.
And that's where I come in.
I provide creative and comprehensive training and curricula for the 21st-century STEM educator. The innovative, ingenious, and methodical structure is easy to implement, no matter what kind of STEM educator you are!
Maybe you're a classroom teacher looking for new ways to engage your students, or looking for NGSS training that actually makes sense.
Perhaps you’re a new homeschooling parent feeling pretty overwhelmed by getting everything started, making sure your kids on track, and hunting down reliable curriculum. ("Now you expect me to teach it too?!")
Heck, I'm even here for all of you librarians, tutors, nannies, and play-group leaders.
No matter what size group you're teaching, if you want to learn how to create magical STEM learning moments for your students, then you're in the right place!
And that's where I come in.
I provide creative and comprehensive training and curricula for the 21st-century STEM educator. The innovative, ingenious, and methodical structure is easy to implement, no matter what kind of STEM educator you are!
Maybe you're a classroom teacher looking for new ways to engage your students, or looking for NGSS training that actually makes sense.
Perhaps you’re a new homeschooling parent feeling pretty overwhelmed by getting everything started, making sure your kids on track, and hunting down reliable curriculum. ("Now you expect me to teach it too?!")
Heck, I'm even here for all of you librarians, tutors, nannies, and play-group leaders.
No matter what size group you're teaching, if you want to learn how to create magical STEM learning moments for your students, then you're in the right place!
Let me introduce myself—my name is
Emily Silveira.
Ex-grad-student-turned-barista by day.
Rogue sci-fi/fantasy novelist and Pinterest addict by night.
My two hearts beat for science fiction, fantasy, and the delicate lining of STEM-fact woven carefully around them.
(And if I didn't sound nerdy enough, even as I write this, I have Harry Potter playing in the background.)
I've worn a lot of hats in the education industry. Student. Teacher. Curriculum Developer. Official PowerPoint Editor*. Student, again. Dropout. (Eek!)
(*Yes, that was a real job. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds!)
Emily Silveira.
Ex-grad-student-turned-barista by day.
Rogue sci-fi/fantasy novelist and Pinterest addict by night.
My two hearts beat for science fiction, fantasy, and the delicate lining of STEM-fact woven carefully around them.
(And if I didn't sound nerdy enough, even as I write this, I have Harry Potter playing in the background.)
I've worn a lot of hats in the education industry. Student. Teacher. Curriculum Developer. Official PowerPoint Editor*. Student, again. Dropout. (Eek!)
(*Yes, that was a real job. Yes, it was as amazing as it sounds!)
You see, I've wanted to teach for as long as I can remember. When other kids played House with their dolls, I played School. Complete with homework, worksheets, and pop quizzes.
I spent decades preparing myself for a traditional teaching career, and even spent two years teaching college students about Geology.
I spent decades preparing myself for a traditional teaching career, and even spent two years teaching college students about Geology.
I was ready to have my own classroom--or so I thought--when I began the arduous process of applying for a California teaching credential program.
That's when it happened.
That's when I realized how wrong I had been.
While I have all of the passion and heart needed to be a successful teacher, I just don't have the patience!
I know that may sound silly, but I also know a lot of you teachers, homeschool parents, librarians--heck, even troop leaders--just chuckled to yourself like "That's real."
We both know that the hands-on act of teaching children takes a WHOLE LOT of patience. And I--a quiet, solitary being--have very little of that, which kind of sucks for me, but is also kind of great for you.
Because you know what I do have?
A big heart full of passion for STEM education, a methodical brain that can make a lesson out of anything, and years of experience and training in STEM education.
I spend my time researching, planning, creating, and writing, so that you can do the part you do best: teaching*.
(*Unfortunately, grading also falls on your shoulders. Sorry!)
That's when it happened.
That's when I realized how wrong I had been.
While I have all of the passion and heart needed to be a successful teacher, I just don't have the patience!
I know that may sound silly, but I also know a lot of you teachers, homeschool parents, librarians--heck, even troop leaders--just chuckled to yourself like "That's real."
We both know that the hands-on act of teaching children takes a WHOLE LOT of patience. And I--a quiet, solitary being--have very little of that, which kind of sucks for me, but is also kind of great for you.
Because you know what I do have?
A big heart full of passion for STEM education, a methodical brain that can make a lesson out of anything, and years of experience and training in STEM education.
I spend my time researching, planning, creating, and writing, so that you can do the part you do best: teaching*.
(*Unfortunately, grading also falls on your shoulders. Sorry!)
Do you believe in magic?
Scroll down to learn more.
Or, if you just can't wait to get started, head over to the full blog and dive on into the resources.
Or, if you just can't wait to get started, head over to the full blog and dive on into the resources.
I have to be honest about something before we get started…
I believe in magic.
"Whaaa? Emily, you're a scientist. How can you believe in magic?"
Well, as a scientist, I have yet to find any good evidence to not believe in magic.
(Have you ever had a wish come true? Who's to say that's not magic?)
Let's be real with each other here: Chemistry is totally Advanced Potion Making at times.
I believe in magic.
"Whaaa? Emily, you're a scientist. How can you believe in magic?"
Well, as a scientist, I have yet to find any good evidence to not believe in magic.
(Have you ever had a wish come true? Who's to say that's not magic?)
Let's be real with each other here: Chemistry is totally Advanced Potion Making at times.
Of course, once our understanding is advanced enough to match the technology, the magic is lost. And so, much of our STEM education today comes in the form of cobweb-covered facts and figures.
I mean, sure, gravity is a force that pulls two bodies together proportional to the product of their blah-de-blah. Can you hear the Charlie Brown teacher voice droning on about velocity-this and air resistance-that?
Let's go back and consider that first statement for a moment: there is an invisible force holding us to the Earth and the Earth in the solar system. Heck, it holds the whole flipping universe together!
How is that not magical?
There is a better, more invigorating way to teach STEM! I know it! And you know it! Isn't that why you're here?
I mean, sure, gravity is a force that pulls two bodies together proportional to the product of their blah-de-blah. Can you hear the Charlie Brown teacher voice droning on about velocity-this and air resistance-that?
Let's go back and consider that first statement for a moment: there is an invisible force holding us to the Earth and the Earth in the solar system. Heck, it holds the whole flipping universe together!
How is that not magical?
There is a better, more invigorating way to teach STEM! I know it! And you know it! Isn't that why you're here?
I believe that approaching STEM through a more whimsical lens, rather than from a distance with a telescope made of encyclopedia pages--will ignite the natural curiosity inside of your students and bring the joy and magic back to your teaching.
I believe in a project-based and inquiry-based hands-on learning.
I believe in learning while you play.
I believe in learning from the Great Outdoors.
I believe in every day moments turned into learning moments with a handy toolbox of STEM skills.
I believe in three-dimensional learning and the fundamentals of the NGSS framework.
And most of all, I believe in you, you amazing STEM educator, and your ability to bring the STEM subjects to life in your students.
I believe in a project-based and inquiry-based hands-on learning.
I believe in learning while you play.
I believe in learning from the Great Outdoors.
I believe in every day moments turned into learning moments with a handy toolbox of STEM skills.
I believe in three-dimensional learning and the fundamentals of the NGSS framework.
And most of all, I believe in you, you amazing STEM educator, and your ability to bring the STEM subjects to life in your students.
