Angela Rosheim, a library media specialist, faced a problem: Her elementary school students were requesting materials during genius hour—a time in which teachers provide resources for students to study topics of personal interest—that the school didn’t have.
“They wanted to learn robotics, they wanted to learn to create apps,” said Ms. Rosheim, who has worked at Lewis and Clark Elementary School in Liberty, Mo., for more than 20 years.
In response to her students’ needs, she applied for and received an $8,000 grant from the Liberty school district to create a “maker space” in the school’s library. The grant, along with donations and her budget, allowed Ms. Rosheim to stock the space with craft supplies, sewing machines, snap circuits, Lego sets, and a 3-D printer.
Ms. Rosheim’s move in that direction over the past year and a half reflects an increasing push by…
