5 Lessons Learned from Elementary Career Day
How many kids dream of becoming an astronaut as a child?
At this year’s FLVS Flex Elementary Career Day, NASA Astronaut Dr. Anna Fisher shared a story that was out-of-this-world and inspired kids to never give up on their dreams. Dr. Fisher served as a Mission Specialist on the STS-51A Discovery in 1984. She was just one of our special guests who recently came to visit the virtual classrooms of our elementary students.
Here are just a few of the lessons our students learned at Career Day!
1. You can be anything you want to be!
There are well-known careers, and then, there are extraordinary careers. Sometimes thinking outside of the box when it comes to a career can make a positive impact in our world. Rob Sinkler is a Wildlife Entertainer who rehabilitates injured wildlife. At our FLVS Flex Elementary Career Day, he inspired students by showing how he used a passion and turned it into an exciting career. Animals that cannot be released back into the wild join him on an entertaining road show that gives the animals purpose, while keeping them safe and allowing them to live their best lives.
2. Firefighters do more than fight fires.
Just like any career, there are different kinds of firefighters. There are also many different responsibilities firefighters must be ready to complete. At Career Day, our elementary students learned from District Chief Patrick Voltaire that firefighters are like a family at the firehouse. Working at the fire station every third day equates to a third of their lives being spent with their firehouse family. When they are not running emergency calls, they train for calls together, they workout together, and they have meals together. We also heard from Senior Forest Ranger Kyle Wheeler who uses similar skills to fight and prevent forest fires!
3. What we learn today applies to tomorrow!
Captain Howie Christiansen shared his love for aviation and personal reasons for becoming an airline pilot. He explained the importance of what students are learning now and how it will impact their future careers. One interesting fact is that Captain Christiansen’s workday does not actually begin until he flies to the city where he will be flying commercially.
Another special guest, Dr. Alicia Simone, is known as “The Self-Esteem Doctor.” Dr. Simone showed our elementary students how she has taken her extensive training as a Neuro-Linguistic Programming Specialist and combined it with the essential skill of helping kids, teens, and adults feel better about themselves. As a personal coach, she helps to transform mindsets and provides relief for people who are experiencing hard times.
Commercial Fisherman, Captain Matt Tevlin, encouraged kids to follow their dreams and achieve their goals by taking a field they love and making a career out of it. He showed that his days are a combination fun and of hard work!
4. Technology skills are essential for career readiness.
We saw a large student interest in Informational Technology (IT) careers this year! It was evident that our young online learners are extremely interested in what it takes to work with computers in a career field. IT Systems Administrator and Network Specialist Doug Hanson sparked the interest of many of our tech-savvy students by sharing his duties working with computers every day.
5. It takes a village to teach a child.
Through our online elementary Career Days, we have learned that children like variety! At our recent event, parents shared that one of the best parts of Career Day was that their children were able to choose three different careers to learn about. The virtual setting allowed the children to learn about all kinds of opportunities and hear firsthand what it takes to achieve these career goals.
We are all thankful for the perseverance and determination of our staff members who lead the way to making this incredible learning experience possible! Thank you to Renee Pinkman and Kellyann Rohr, FLVS Flex Elementary School Counselors, along with Lisa Berry, FLVS Instructional Leader, who made this year’s online Career Day a reality. Their vision, determination, and growth mindset allowed for partnerships and teamwork to truly put our students at the center of all we do.
Thank you to our parent partners, friends, and professionals who stepped up to share a moment of their career with our elementary students!
Post by Allison Voltaire, Former FLVS Elementary Teacher