Six years of focusing on education
Six years ago this November I wrote the first "Focus on Education" column for the Blackstone Valley Tribune. The article was about school-to-career student internships that give high school students a heads-up on what future opportunities might exist for them by spending time each week in the workplace – and more importantly, what educational paths are required for those careers. I quoted educators who praised the connection students made with caring adults in the community. Some spoke about how "real-world" applications made academic concepts meaningful.
Sixty-four columns later I am writing my last piece. I will be leaving my position as executive director of the Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation in December to pursue my own career interest as a freelance writer. In a way, writing this column has served as my internship.
Over the past six years I have observed close-up some exciting, innovative educational programs going on in Blackstone Valley schools. There's lots of creative coursework happening, like the Museum of Science's "Engineering the Future" program at Northbridge High School, and Uxbridge High School's Mosaic Mill alternative education model.
The BVCC Education Foundation has played an active role in connecting students and teachers to local businesses through supporting school internship staff, providing grants to schools, and offering the annual sophomore career fair, teacher externships, back-to-school day and job shadowing.
So with this perspective I would like to offer a top-ten list of recommendations for education in the Valley:
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Get to know Valley Tech and Grafton Job Corps. Trade education isn't what it used to be. It's now technical and fast-paced. The region is fortunate to have two excellent career preparation institutions. |
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Make community service a standard part of high school education. It teaches important skills, introduces new perspectives, and develops citizenship. |
8. |
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Get your school healthy. Follow Douglas Intermediate School's "Healthy Choice" example by having cafeterias promote appealing healthy lunch offerings and turning off the junk-food vending machines. |
7. |
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Expose yourself to art, as the old saying goes. Art education addresses problem-solving and critical-thinking skills across the curriculum and works well for a wide variety of students' learning styles. |
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Uxbridge's Explore and Discover youth museum and Mosaic Mill program are prime examples of integrated arts education. |
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Have every student practice public speaking and learn how to write a professional letter and e-mail. "c u l8r" won't cut it in the business world. |
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Explore your own backyard. The Blackstone Valley offers a rich array of historical, cultural, and natural resource sites that make classroom studies come alive. |
3. |
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Require every student to take a financial literacy course before graduating from high school. Students need to gain dollars and sense before they're hit with tempting credit card offers that could land them deeply in debt. |
2. |
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Encourage all students to do a work-based learning internship. It'll show that what they're learning matters, and it might point the way to more informed educational and career choices before the first college tuition check is written. |
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Uxbridge: Build a new high school. Full accreditation is important for selective college admissions. It's outrageous that more than one in four Uxbridge children leaves the district under school choice, at taxpayers' expense, making the town one of the top "exporters" in the state. Many leave because of inadequate high school facilities. |
Blackstone Valley schools are the region's economic future. All residents – be they employers, homeowners or retirees - have a stake in the schools' success, whether or not they currently have children in the schools.
All who have meditated on the art of governing mankind have been convinced that the fate of empires depends on the education of youth. - Aristotle
Thanks for reading.
"Focus on Education" November 2006
Susan Spencer, Director
Blackstone Valley Chamber of Commerce Education Foundation
Read previous Focus on Education articles...
Six years of focusing on education. (November 2006)
Teachers apply lessons to the workplace in externships. (October 2006)
Teachers tour growing Blackstone Valley industries. (November 2005)
Summer learning abounds in Blackstone Valley. (July 2005)
Teachers tour growing Blackstone Valley industries. (April 2005)
Preparing for the future while living in the present. (March 2005)
Local hero gives charge to youth leadership class. (December 2004)
Externships provide on-the-job training. (September 2004)
Interns reflect on career experiences. (May 2004)
Creative programs thrive with support from Education Foundation grants. (May 2003)
Business mentors see their shadow on job shadow day. (February 2003)
Teacher learns on the job in business externship. (August 2002)
Summer program teaches math through arts. (July 2002)
Junior Rangers learn nature know-how in area parks. (June 2002)
Leadership Blackstone Valley graduates ready to create the future. (May 2002)
State's schools face looming teacher shortage. (April 2002)
Art program bridges subjects, learning styles, and community. (March 2002)
Students shadow career mentors on Groundhog Job Shadow Day. (February 2002)
Parent involvement the key to student success. (October 2001)
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