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WeLcome
Message from the STEM Board
I am pleased to be a part of American STEM Prep, a new school venture with a STEM focus in Seoul, Korea. I have an S.B. degree in mathematics from MIT and a master’s in teaching mathematics from the University of St. Thomas.
As an educator, I have spent many years teaching mathematics, computer science, and engineering classes for the St. Paul Preparatory School in Minnesota and at Miami Valley School in Ohio. I served as the first STEM director at St. Paul Prep, and have also had the privilege to serve as the first headmaster of the American STEM school in Shanghai, China. I have coached mathematics teams in Minnesota and in Ohio, both of which have finished in the top of their divisions in the American Regional Mathematics League tournaments. I have also coached and assistant coached teams for the Harvard MIT Mathematics competitions. In addition, I have also coached First Robotics teams in both the First Robotics and First Tech challenges, both to successful finishes in local and state competitions.
Why STEM? Young people have a natural curiosity about the world around them. STEM can help them engage with the questions they have, and encourages them to explore their ideas about how the world works. It incorporates failure; we don’t expect youngsters (or ourselves!) to always get the right solution the first time, or even the second or third time. What we want to do is prompt them to continue to try out ideas to find the solution that best fits the question – and then use that best answer to iterate to the next (hopefully better!) solution. If a solution doesn’t work, analyze the results and formulate the next solution. STEM starts from the premise that learning is messy, it expects mistakes, it encourages the fun of exploration, the joy of learning that comes as we make our way from idea to solution. Hopefully, along the way, we work with others, we discuss the problem, we reach consensus on ways to attack the problem, and assess together the success or failure of our solution. And at the end, we have not only taught ourselves the solution to our question, but have also started to learn a process of problem-solving that will serve us well through the many questions to come. Most importantly, though, we have enjoyed the process of learning!
SCHOOLS
Our Commitment to Schools
We believe...
A dream education for parents, teachers and students begins with intellectual curiosity and the desire to pursue dreams.
If a child has a passion they should have the power to pursue it.
It is a dream of access.
Yet for so many gaining access is a gamble. One in which our children's future waits as we try to navigate school offerings, programs and finances.
We believe that no child should be denied access to their academic passions because of these hurdles.
When a school partners with ASE they gain access and consultation to unique and individualized
programs from around the United States. Students can pursue STEM, language, and arts courses from program providers who are just as passionate and nerdy as their students.
We work hard to understand the needs of schools and their students. To match them with program providers that open doors to new opportunities, stoke passions and unlock potential.
This is our commitment.
CURRICULUM PROVIDERS
Our Commitment to Curriculum Providers
We believe...
Academic programs are created from the seeds of passion projects.
We fundamentally believe that the greatest asset to a child's education is providing access to customized curriculum and programs that were created from a place of nerdy passion.
We work hard to know the ins and outs of our partner's curriculum and academic offerings so that our partners can confidently offer their programs knowing that students and schools are fully invested.
Our partners got into this profession because they care deeply about students and the belief that they can provide an education that makes a difference in a young person's life.
We got into this profession because we know the disappointment when students never get exposure to amazing programs because they just didn't know they existed.
It is about young adults and their futures.
This is our commitment.
