I like acronyms. No, I’m not talking about text and chat abbreviations such as WTF or LOL, but old-school acronyms that actually create a word. To wit: SCUBA (self-contained, underwater breathing apparatus) or WASP (white Anglo-Saxon protestant). And now, thanks to Hillsborough County Commissioner Mark Sharpe, we have another easily referenced, legitimate acronym: STEAM, which stands for Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and Math education.
It’s Sharpe’s neolgistic way of underscoring a key additional element necessary in helping make Florida more relevant in its education priorities–and more attractive to innovators. It’s a valid message: Don’t shortchange the arts in furtherance of STEM curricula.