What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z by Tiffani Teachey

Hello Readers! It has been a LONG time since I blogged and discussed some great books. Miss T is back! For starters, I had a hard time deciding on a subject and a book to blog about until I connected with this great author, Tiffani Teachey. I learned about her book What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z and the STEM Crew. Tiffani Teachey and the STEM Crew do a fantastic job of introducing school-age children to the wonderful world of STEM careers. When it comes to the classroom, What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z would be great to use for a STEM Thematic Unit. I was amazed to learn about certain career fields that I haven't heard of before! Students have the option to learn about so many different occupations!  I will defiantly use this book in my classroom for my introduction to STEM and Miss T's STEM kit!  

Now it is time to meet the author! I am so happy that Tiffani Teachey could answer some questions and talk about her book, her vision, and herself!   

Tell us a little bit about yourself? 

Tiffani Teachey is a Sr. Mechanical Engineer, STEM advocate, professional speaker, and author of the children's book What Can I Be? STEM Careers from A to Z. As an engineer with more than fifteen years of experience, Tiffani has a passion for inspiring the next generation to engage in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) careers. She was born and raised in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, enjoys traveling and being a youth mentor. For more about Tiffani, visit her website at www.tiffaniteachey.com, follow her on Instagram and Twitter @tiffaniteachey, or like "Author Tiffani Teachey" on Facebook.  

What was your favorite book/author as a child? 

 Green Eggs and Ham by Dr. Seuss

 What made you want to write books for children? 

I have a passion for encouraging more youth to learn about STEM. Therefore, I decided to put it in writing and to make a difference and impact through writing books for children and shaping our future generations of STEM leaders. 

What do you plan on doing next in terms of children's literature? 

I plan to create supplemental material to go alongside with the children's book What Can I be? STEM Careers from A to Z, to include a coloring and activity book, a guided journal, and a teacher’s guide. 

What was one of the most surprising things you learned in creating this book/project?  

I was surprised to learn about utilizing the skills of a book team which includes an illustrator, book cover designer, editor, and a book formatter to the aid in the success of the book.

 Where can people buy your book? 

Available online at TiffaniTeachey.com, Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Walmart, and Target. https://amzn.to/2t582zX    

Some great STATS about STEM!

S.T.E.M. is the acronym for the fields of Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math.  

 

• Nearly 8.6 million STEM jobs represent 6.2 percent of U.S. employment. 

• Employment in computer occupations is projected to increase by 12.5 percent through 2024.

• In 2018, engineers make up 19 percent of STEM jobs. Mechanical Engineers and civil engineers each account for more than a quarter of a million jobs 

• STEM occupations out-earn non-STEM fields by 12-30% across all education levels.

• In 2018, nearly 2.4 million STEM jobs went unfilled, mostly because STEM education is not readily available for many students.

Resources 

https://tsaweb.org/

https://www.alreporter.com/2019/09/24/roby-2-4-million-stem-jobs-went-unfilled-last-year/

https://ssec.si.edu/stem-imperative