Meet Angela DeHart: Being a Visionary, Giving Kids Freedom to Explore, Following a Calling

Episode Main Points

1. Students have at their feet, a myriad of ways of learning. Formalized learning must change grow and adapt to keep up to, in essence, keep its relevance. We are losing the battle to keep kids engaged.

2. Dual enrollment vs. AP/IB. We talk about the pros and cons of the current system and how these options pulls kids, parents, and teachers in different directions.

3. We've got to stop stealing the joy from the learning process from kids. They are inquisitive and curious and we've taken the joy of discovery away from them. STEM Impressionists is bringing that back and giving leadership and ownership of learning to kids.

Angela DeHart Bio
Angela DeHart is the Founder and CEO of her STEM created non-profit business The STEM Impressionists. Previously she was a middle school FACS (Home Ec) turned STEM teacher with Fairfax County Public Schools (FCPS). In addition to being nominated for FCPS Outstanding Teacher of the Year in 2016 Angela was chosen as one of eight teachers in Virginia to receive the 2017 Virginia Lottery Super Teacher Award. Angela’s innovative nature, her steadfast dedication to continuous learning, and her passion for STEM has inspired the creation of a number of STEM opportunities for students: a Girls Coding Club, a week of student-directed activities focused on promoting the Hour of Code, and the creation of a STEM group called the STEM Impressionists. In the 2016-2017 school year the STEM Impressionists used their creativity and coding skills to become one of the 100 finalist in a youth-based international problem-solving competition; they placed 1st and 2nd in the Robert H. Herndon Memorial Science Competition; they traveled to Roanoke, VA to present a solution for the NASA Parachuting onto Mars STEM Challenge, and they were invited to teach their self-created robotics curriculum to the participants of George Mason University’s summer FOCUS STEM Camp two years in a row. Now beyond their first year of existence the STEM Impressionists are rolling out the next phase of the STEM program – skill certification, peer-to-peer training, college/scholarship/internship application planning, and resume documentation. Angela has been a secondary teacher for Fairfax County for the past ten years.

Ms. DeHart created the STEM Impressionists Program as a opportunity for underrepresented students to receive sustained mentoring while engaging in hands-on participatory activities that develop their STEM, leadership and entrepreneurial skills. From middle school to college students are offered opportunities that prepare them for real world challenges in various fields.

LinkedIn: Angela DeHart | LinkedIn
website: stemimpressionists.org

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