It’s been 20 degrees and sunny for the past few days, so the thought of blogging was not exactly at the forefront of my mind lately. Still, I feel compelled to share some news of note. Monday April 26 will be a bit of a milestone day, as yours truly will be going back to the classroom. Grade 9, to be exact.
Only this time around, I’ll not be the geeky kid in the back of the room thinking he’s smarter than the teacher. Instead, I’ll be the teacher. Talk about instant karma.
Here’s the skinny: I’ve volunteered through the local Junior Achievement chapter to teach their Economics for Success course (formerly Economics of Staying in School or ESIS). It’s offered free of charge to Grade 9 students from across the Calgary area: public, private, parochial – everyone. The program is run in partnership with Mount Royal College as a field trip opportunity.
In brief, the course is a half-day workshop designed to give kids entering high school an idea of what things cost and what is involved in supporting one’s self after leaving school. The idea is the more they know about the “real world” the more inclined they will be to stay in school and complete an education which will equip them to enter the workforce successfully and sustain themselves.
The curriculum is excellent. I attended an orientation session earlier in the week, along with around 30 other folks from the business community. There is both structure and flexibility in the course materials, plus lots of places to insert some personal School of Hard Knocks anecdotes.
So, as the school bell rings on Monday, think of me standing up in front of a room full of 15-year olds. Will it be a moment of enlightenment and hope, or perhaps sheer terror? Either way, I trust the mental image will bring a chuckle out there in cyberspace somewhere…
No comments:
Post a Comment