Emily Thomas is in her second year teaching STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics), art and TAG (talented and gifted) at Mount Ayr Elementary School. As a new teacher, Thomas was looking for local opportunities to expand her STEM knowledge when she learned about the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program, facilitated by the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council at the Iowa Department of Education. Thomas applied and was placed with local workplace host Podium Ink as a 2024 Iowa STEM Teacher Extern.
During her Teacher Externship experience with Podium Ink, Thomas gained hands-on experience creating custom apparel through screen printing, direct-to-film printing and embroidery in the printing workshop. She also spent time in the company’s darkroom burning transparency papers onto screens as part of the screen printing process. Emily learned creating custom apparel items and print work requires ample forethought and planning with several integral steps ahead of the actual printing process.
Through her experience, Thomas developed a new screen printing unit for her fourth grade students, deepening their understanding of local STEM careers and bridging the gap between career and classroom.
The newly implemented screen printing unit allows students to explore the basics of a career in graphic design while also working on skills like attention to detail, collaboration and problem-solving. With guidance from Thomas, students have to make choices on how much they choose to experiment and solve problems that arise while freely exploring the print-making process.
“We got to use paint in a different way,” said Hartley, one of Thomas’ fourth grade students.
Kambreigh, another fourth grader, said, “Putting the paint down and putting the squeegee over it. That was really fun!”
Not only do educators gain real-world experience through their Teacher Externship experience, but they build connections with local workplaces that benefit their students through curriculum development and sharing of resources.
“Podium Ink generously donated new screens to my classroom, and students learned about screen-printing and how to overlap primary colors and organic shapes to create an abstract piece of artwork,” Thomas said.
After completing the screen printing project in class, Thomas’ fourth grade students took a field trip to Podium Ink to see how the STEM skills they learn in school can be applied after graduation. The in-person visit let students connect their newfound knowledge of screen printing to real world applications and showed them a potential, attainable STEM career in their home community. Thomas hopes to continue the unit and field trip in the future.
“It was important to include the field trip in my screen printing unit so students could see how it can be done professionally outside of school, " Thomas said. “They were introduced to new machinery and saw how computer programming could be used in many different ways, including the machine that does the screen printing. They also learned more about the local businesses in Mount Ayr and how some of the skills we learn in school can be applied to businesses.”
Thomas’s students were not only able to see professional-level screen printing, relating to their in-class unit, but also got to see how those skills are expanded upon in the real world in a vast array of uses.
When asked what stood out to them about the field trip, fourth grade student Hudsen said, “The circle printing machine, because it’s big, has a lot of colors, and did a lot at once.”
Others recalled machines doing hat embroidery or creating stickers and “the car that they were working on in there.”
The exposure to local STEM careers, even at a young age was another take away for Thomas’s students.
“I can use technology in different ways, like making stuff on the computer and printing it,” said fourth grade student Rowan.
The career to classroom benefit of the Iowa STEM Teacher Externships Program for Thomas, her students and the Mount Ayr community as a whole is clear. Thomas feels the program benefits teachers in any era of their teaching journey because of the connections it has allowed her to build in the community she teaches and where her students will grow up.
“There’s always something new you can learn,” Thomas said. “Not only did I learn new skills from my experience at Podium Ink, but I also made new connections with people in the community I would’ve never met before.”
The Iowa STEM Teacher Externships program connects educators with businesses for six-week experiences during summer. Iowa STEM Teacher Externs earn three graduate credits by completing a project as part of their experience. Workplace hosts and teachers are able to build meaningful relationships that last beyond the summer and benefit career-to-classroom connections well into the future. Placements are underway for summer 2025 right now. Teachers and workplace hosts are invited to apply to participate.