Much conversation has been brought up lately in education about connecting the classroom to industry. This is a valid point and warrants some thought on how to further connect with our community. The question this raises in my mind is how are schools relating their classrooms to the micro-industries that occur within the district?
Every school district has a plethora of micro-industries occurring within the school system itself. Food service, transportation, administration offices, office staff, custodial, school board and the list goes on. How are we aligning ourselves with these sectors of industry? I am curious to see if anyone has engaged these groups within school districts to become integral parts of the teaching and learning process within the classroom. In my mind these groups offer a myriad of opportunities for educators to tap into. How can we break the walls down and bring these aspects deeper into the education process?
But wait......The coin has two sides. We are all teaching all the time when we are surrounded by children and even adults for that matter. When a bus driver or a bus garage consistently shows up late and does not know where they are headed, they are teaching. When it takes months for students to get a pencil sharpener installed in their classroom the custodial staff is teaching. When a school board and union fail to work together both groups are teaching.
Maybe awareness needs to be increased about this point. Lets remind each other that we all teach all the time. Regardless of what your job is or how you do it, you are teaching someone something all the time. I have an irrational belief that all people given the right tools would rather do good than bad. It is our responsibility to continue to have the patience to remind, empower, push, pull, drive, and demand the best of ourselves and each other.
It takes patience, perseverance, and teamwork to stay the course. Sometimes we feel like we are pulling teeth to get people to realize when they are trying to be helped or encouraged. Many times we want to send people to the deep end of the pool to sink or swim on their own. Maybe we have to empty the pool, teach them how deep it really is, refill it, and let them learn to swim.
Remember today no matter what you do you are teaching all the time. What are you teaching?
Some positive examples I have seen in play that go beyond the passive lessons we are teaching...
Custodial staff getting involved with a student recycling project or grounds project.
Transportation staff working with students solving math problems and logistics.
School Boards inviting kids to meetings to learn about civic responsibilities.
Admin. staff and CT staff presenting in classrooms about topics from finance to health insurance to data management.
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