TULSA – Business leaders and employees from about two dozen Tulsa-area companies on Friday discussed how they could make math and science exciting to a seventh-grader.

The group met at the Tulsa Community College Center for Creativity downtown as part of an effort by the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance to brainstorm how to get Tulsans to mentor elementary school children.

“We are trying to mobilize business leaders, along with educators and the community, about the need for a workforce based on science, technology, engineering and math and develop that force starting at a young age,” said Annie Tomecek, supervisor of global community relations at T.D. Williamson.

Xan Black, a program coordinator for the Tulsa Alliance for Engineering at the TCC Northeast campus, was convinced that companies would promote the notion of their employees going into the classroom.

“Our businesses are ready to become STEM mentors in our schools,” Black said. “Just a little facilitating, figuring out what classes to visit, what the schedule would look like – I think we are ready to go.”

The drive of the Tulsa Regional STEM Alliance is to motivate elementary and middle school students to pursue science, technology, engineering and math, or STEM. The emerging alliance of educators, employers and policymakers discussed how to recruit volunteers to visit classrooms across Tulsa for up to 20 hours per year.

The newly formed alliance has already received national recognition, being named a finalist in the US2020 City Competition. Tulsa is one of 13 finalists out of 52 applicants selected to pursue funding and other resources to build centers for innovation, support and mentoring in STEM fields. Tulsa’s application for the second round of the competition is due Feb. 14.

Putting employees in the classroom benefits everyone, Black said.

“This new generation of workers wants to have an impact beyond their job or their paycheck,” Black said. “It will be a win-win-win because the employees win, companies win because they will be building loyal employees that they can retain and be growing a workforce from third, fourth and fifth grade on up.”

Once employees interact with elementary school students, they return to the office engaged with their jobs, said Tomecek, who was one of the presenters during the 90-minute session. The session included presentations and discussion among the 50 participants.

“The manager sees how engaged they are and the enthusiasm they bring back to the job,” Tomecek said. “That worker being gone (to class for mentoring) is not a drain on the business, but becomes more of an asset.”
Children are naturally curious and ask tough questions, Tomecek said.

“Elementary school kids will ask anything, ‘What do you do? You sit at a desk all day?’ ‘How much money you make?” Tomecek said. “The goal of the Alliance is connect businesses with these kids and engage them in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Obstacles that the Alliance faces in recruiting employees to enter a classroom might be fear and intimidation, said Mara Novy, a STEM advocate.

“No one is smarter than a fifth-grader,” Novy said, laughing as she referred to a cable television show from a few years ago.

All generations have to come to the table to deal with the skills gap in Oklahoma, said Isaac Rocha, head of community relations and development at the Bama Cos. Rocha is also the 2014 chairman of Tulsa’s Young Professionals, or TYPros.

“We know that growing the workforce is a huge challenge in Oklahoma,” Rocha said. “We have to have business, foundations, schools and the community focus to find solutions for these kids, so they can get what they need to be successful.”

Attendees decided there was a need to train employees about how to be a mentor in the classroom, said Michael DuPont, a program associate with the Schusterman Family Foundation.

“Awareness of the barriers and challenges that mentors might face is important,” DuPont said. ”Coordination and training is crucial, as companies have eager employees that want to get involved; but they just do not know what the opportunities are.”

Coaching would help, DuPont said.

“You cannot just throw a bunch of employees into a classroom and expect it to work out,” DuPont said. “They might never come back. And, that would be the worst thing we could do – if they never came back because they were afraid of a first-grader.”

The business round-table offered business leaders information about what STEM mentorship could mean to their industry, the business challenges, and the perceived effect of mentorship programs, Black said.

D. Ray Tuttle
The Journal Record
January 31, 2014