STEM vs. STEAM

[GaryVoshol]

I think the push to change STEM to STEAM is a reminder to us. Don't cut out the arts in an attempt to expand STEM education. All to often art and phys ed are the first on the cutting block when money gets tight.

Another discipline that was somewhat mentioned is what often is called Liberal Arts. Writing, languages, history, social sciences, etc. These too are very important to have well-rounded individuals. But they're not as often targets for eliminating from schools.

Another area is vocational education. While some of these classes are tech-related - and more and more of them are - we still need people who want to learn mechanics, welding, plumbing, carpentry, and a host of other trades.

And I agree with someone above that business education needs to be available. While many engineers and other tech types decry the "bean counters", someone needs to keep projects on track financially, needs to market the products once they are engineered, and needs to evaluate consumer demand for new products.

OK, someone come up with an acronym that adds A, L, V, and B to STEM.

TLDR: We need access to all disciplines in education. We can't focus just on STEM.