Local teachers take summer school for STEM courses

MARQUETTE– Some local teachers have come back to the classroom as students at Northern Michigan University.

It’s day two of NMU’s newest professional development program. About 20 teachers came to explore the process of learning STEM skills and today was all about building 3D printers.

Both participants and organizers say the lessons and tools learned from the program will be passed on to their students this fall.

“I think it will open up the door for students, because they’ll have to know how,” said the Seaborg Center Director Chris Standerford, “they’ll have the courage and they’ll be creative thinkers. So when they enter the work force they’ll have those skills.”

Jennifer Tapolcai is a 7th grade teacher at Bothwell Middle School. She said that she’s “hoping I can take this printer into my classroom and my students can come up with their own ideas, they can do problem solving, they can work together.”

The program is part of a partnership with the Upper Peninsula Project SMILE. U.P. Project SMILE provides funding for 125 teachers to attend technology programs to help improves student’s learning. This program is expected to last two weeks.