Career Day
My school is located in a rural parish, where much of the industry is incorporated into the agricultural sector, and the other portion services the petro-chemical industry. One thing I noticed about my kids was the lack of exposure they had to other critical careers, particularly those that function within their community. In order to mediate this gap, my grade-level and I planned a week of career exploration, that served to expand our students’ horizons, build their understanding of geography as a concept of people, places, and environment, and forge stronger relationships with community stakeholders.
First, I designed a lesson plan and classroom activities that delved into various career options, some of which my students had never heard of. Students engaged in thematic learning centers that incorporated local resources, and utilized technology to assist them in their explorations. Additionally, my coworkers and I reached out to parents, community members, and other entities in order to arrange a guest speaker series.
During the guest speaker series, my students had the opportunity to interact with community members such as the public librarian, a nurse from the local hospital, the fire department, the Gonzales Police Chief, and the manager from the grocery store. Many of these figures were family members of students, or invested stakeholders in our students’ futures. My children planned questions to ask, held conversation exchanges with unfamiliar adults, and engaged in cross-curricular activities as they explored their various career options. Most notably, students began to make connections between how individuals contribute in critical and productive ways to their own communities, and how all members of communities are linked.
Planning and Logistics
To begin the planning process, my grade-level Professional Learning Community (PLC) collaboratively established goals, objectives, and next action steps in order to brainstorm our thoughts, and delegate tasks, as necessary. The PLC document serves as an anchor for our research as well as an accountability piece for our commitment to planning. It was our goal to provide our students with opportunities to engage with community members, and to tie our instruction and the content students have learned to becoming "college and career ready". Informing and preparing students for all possible gateways and alternative paths is a paramount responsibility as an educator, and illuminating this relevance through instruction has a positive effect on student motivation and engagement. Additionally, I sent a letter home and reached out to my students' parents through phone calls prior to our week of study. I encouraged their participation, and use them as a resource to seek potential guest speakers. I leveraged the close relationships I have with the families in my classroom, and used their knowledge of the community and outside resources as a starting point for narrowing down potential class visitors.
(Above left): The PLC document details the goals and intended outcomes for Career Day, as well as planning particulars for our next steps as a team. (Above right): This flyer was my initial parent outreach documents to garner interest in presenting during Career Day guest speaker series.
Community Outreach
After establishing common goals, my team and I devised a list of potential of community partners who would attend our guest speaker series. Some of the resources include the community hospital, one of the largest agricultural chemical plants in the area, and various public servants. Each team member was a assigned a role and responsibility, and my task was to reach out to the various law enforcement branches in the area and coordinate a possible visit. I contacted both the Gonzales Police, as well as the Ascension Parish Sheriff's office to inquiry about acting as guest speakers. Once we had a confirmed list of available and willing parties, we created a calendar of visit dates.
Classwork
After reaching out to community partners, and planning strategically with my grade-level peers, I developed lesson plans and related thematic content to implement throughout the day and week. Designing this unit not only serves to engage students in authentic, informal experiences that help them build connections, but also includes cross-curricular content so students develop a sense that skills are not isolated, but have relevant, real-world applications.
Guest Speaker Series
After a week of instruction and exploration with various community professions and roles, I introduced a guest speaker series where community members visited our class to speak about their career. Students heard from police officers, who brought their vehicles to campus for the students to explore, and who emphasized the need to have a positive relationship with the community. They listened to a firefighter explain how his equipment works, and the importance of being a leader, especially during critical situations. They heard the public librarian (below), a former middle school teacher, read one her favorite books, and why she loved to read. Other guest speakers included a LeBlanc's Grocery butcher, a mom who is an emergency room nurse, and a pipe fitter at the local plant.
(Clockwise from right): student crawls through a police patrol car; students listen to a story read by the Ascension Parish librarian; a Gonzales firefighter explains the use of his equipment; presentation by Gonzales Police officers.
Student Writing and Reflection
Following the week of instruction, as well as the various guest speaker spots, students reflected on their experience listening and learning about community occupations, and wrote to convey their meaning (TSG obj. 19b). The student samples use invented spelling and/or letter-like forms, in addition to the transcription I also included at the time.
In the weeks that followed our guest speaker series, students connected their experience to their daily routine and to relevant real-world applications of the information they gained from the experience. For instance, students used props and language to reenact the community roles that were introduced to. Additionally, the students designed and decorated the classroom door in order to promote national Fire Safety week in October. Students took advantage of the opportunity to inform and educate their fellow peers by creatively displaying the information and strategies that they learned from the fire department's visit. Students incorporated these techniques, such as the "Stop, Drop, and Roll", into their door design, and also created an accompanying song.
(Above left): Decorated door celebrating Fire Safety week and promoting the "stop, drop, and roll" strategy. (Above right): student uses law-enforcement related items to engage in dramatic play and imitate tasks, as he heard during guest speakers series.
Click the button below to hear my students' Stop, Drop, and Roll fire safety song.
Reflection
I was very satisfied with the learning outcomes of this week of instruction and the engagement of my students in the content. This learning unit opened their eyes to the critical roles that individuals play in their own community, and how they too, play an important role as future members of society. I was particularly struck by the awe and excitement my students exhibited as they explored new roles, and had the chance to share their ideas about their intended career(s).
Most of all, Career Day was a success because of the overwhelming support and participation we received from members of the community, and our students’ families. Parents and volunteers did not hesitate to answer the call, and donated their time, attention, and resources in order to provide students access to information and opportunity that would make a lasting impression on their future. It was so powerful for me to witness the pride my students had when their uncle, or mother, or neighbor took center stage in front of their friends. In the past, I had always included a fire safety week or a dental hygiene week in our thematic units, but never connected the content to the bigger picture. By including outside, human resources, I feel that Career Day made a huge impact on my students’ outlooks for their future pathways.