STEM and More

August 4, 2020 Karen Bellenir

By Karen A. Bellenir

Across the U.S. students are preparing to return to classes. Some will attend in person. Others will sit in virtual classes. Many will experience a bit of both.

Questions about how they will learn currently overshadow discussions about what they will learn. For many years, schools have adopted a curricular focus known by the acronym STEM, which stands for science, technology, engineering, and math.

The U.S. Department of Education promotes this emphasis, asserting, “If we want a nation where our future leaders, neighbors, and workers have the ability to understand and solve some of the complex challenges of today and tomorrow, and to meet the demands of the dynamic and evolving workforce, building students' skills, content knowledge, and fluency in STEM fields is essential.”

This attention on STEM, makes use of a plant metaphor in which a stem provides the essential scaffolding that supports the entire structure. Without a stem, the symbolic plant falls over; society collapses.

While STEM subjects are vital, the allegorical association highlights the limitations of promoting them to the detriment of other important topics. For example, a stem will not live long without roots, and roots will not thrive when they are separated from the fuel-producing activities of a leaf structure. With these thoughts in mind, I’d like to offer some examples of complementary subjects needed to produce a healthy stem and a well-rounded STEM student.

ROOTS

Relationships

Online etiquette

Outdoor play

Trustworthiness

Social responsibility

LEAF

Languages

Ethics

Arts

Financial literacy

Perhaps expanding beyond the stem and recognizing the talents, worth, and contributions of people across a broader spectrum of disciplines will yield a society better prepared to bloom into something truly spectacular.

One Simple Way to Love Your Neighbor

July 7, 2020 Karen Bellenir

By Karen A. Bellenir

Photo by Daniele Levis Pelusi on Unsplash.

In the millennia since Jesus first urged his disciples to “Love your neighbor as yourself,” his disciples have struggled with the concept of defining and loving their neighbors. That struggle continues today.

One area concerns the spread of COVID-19. The command to love your neighbor as yourself suggests that a Christian response would be to take steps to avoid spreading the disease.

Because the new coronavirus responsible for the current pandemic is actively being studied by many researchers around the globe, guidelines for reducing its transmission have been developing and evolving as new data emerges and situations change. An analysis of this research was published in the medical journal, The Lancet (published online June 1, 2020). The probe examined 172 studies that were conducted across 16 countries. Its authors reported, “Physical distancing of one meter or more was associated with a much lower risk of infection, as was use of face masks.” They went on to say, “Added benefits are likely with even larger physical distances (for example, two meters or more based on modelling) and might be present with N95 or similar respirators versus medical masks or similar.” This study does not represent the final word on the subject. Its authors note, “Robust randomised trials are needed to better inform the evidence for these interventions, but this systematic appraisal of currently best available evidence might inform interim guidance.”

The folks at the Journal of the American Medical Association (JAMA) agree. In “Masks and Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19),” authors Angel N. Desai, MD, MPH and David M. Aronoff, MD say, “Social distancing and good hand hygiene are the most important methods of preventing coronavirus transmission, but wearing masks in public can limit the spread of COVID-19 by people who have the virus.” The article goes on to explain, “Primary benefits of wearing a mask include limiting the spread of the virus from someone who knows or does not know they have an infection to others.”

In other words, the best ways to protect yourself and others from the coronavirus are to wash your hands frequently and maintain an adequate physical distance (two meters is about six and a half feet). Additionally, to further help reduce the possibility that you could spread the virus in public places, especially where the consistent maintenance of social distance is impractical (such as along the aisles of a grocery store), people should wear a mask that covers the mouth and nose.

Wearing a facial mask is not a partisan statement of support for (or opposition against) any individual or political party. It is one component of the best response we currently have to address a public health need. Wearing a mask demonstrates your care and concern for other people. It is a simple, practical way to love your neighbor.