Houston STEM camp aims to help break gender and career stereotypes | Education | Macon.com

WARNER ROBINS — About 95 percent of the students taking Houston County Career Academy nursing classes from Shanelle Bobo this past school year were young women.

This week, she worked exclusively with young men to expose them to the nursing field as part of the school’s science, technology, engineering and mathematics camp. Her students witnessed a helicopter rescue crew land at the school, became CPR certified, and dissected chickens.

“Girls are a little more willing to sit down in a classroom and listen, and guys are just a lot more active learners,” Bobo said. “The more things that you can get them physically doing, the more likely it is that they are going to learn.”

The STEM camp, running through Friday, was offered to students enrolled in Houston County schools who are entering the ninth or 10th grade.

“Currently there are exceptional career opportunities for females in the fields of engineering and automotive and for males in the field of health care,” according to a camp flyer. “The purpose of this camp is to expose students to career opportunities in these nontraditional fields.”

via Houston STEM camp aims to help break gender and career stereotypes | Education | Macon.com.