Using the number of jobs being sought by employers as a measure of an economy’s need and future prosperity can be misleading.

Due in large part to the development of technology, the employees sought by many companies are those who have had some education in the STEM subjects of science, technology engineering and math.

Many of these employees are those capable of thinking and doing tasks which require the use of their cerebral muscle, not their physical muscles. This does not necessarily mean that the more desired employees are or must be smarter than those whose job functions will increasingly be replaced by robots. It does mean, however, that those employees who are in demand have benefited from more relevant education.

Therefore, it is my belief that the responsibility of everyone designing and providing education to all children, should prepare them to do more than physical things. In the era of agricultural production, farming and tractors replaced animals and people in the same way that the computer has replaced and facilitated the functions of all those engaged in productive activities. STEM focused education in all schools allows students to take advantage of opportunities, not accessible to those who have been STEM starved. We live in a recalibrated and changing world, and educators must catch up if the necessary benefits to society are to be realized from educating students.

 

Arthur Lipper                                   arthurlipper@gmail.com