Community Meets Classroom

As educators, we often seek ways to involve our students in community outreach, but I believe it is equally important to give the community opportunities to come into the classroom, as well. In an earlier post, I spoke of inviting parents to attend as a guest speaker. Allow me to outline just a few examples of such occurrences.

Each year, my Anatomy & Physiology class learn about the cardiovascular system. Our local EMT has an individual who is assigned to give presentations to students. At our last meeting, he admitted that we were the only school to every ask him to attend and give his presentation. I was shocked! He was responsible to several of the surrounding counties, and none of them had reached out before. My students were thoroughly engaged as he demonstrated the use of the echocardiogram machine. Students volunteered to have their heart rate analyzed, and he skillfully taught them to read the printed graph. Student scores on the assessment were notably higher than had we simply read about the process. Several students expressed interest in future careers in the medical field, as a result, and one student has since graduated from EMT school.

Physical science students study electricity each year. While I can own a basic knowledge of the description of various circuits and measurement tools, I am not a master electrician. A grandfather of one of my students had extensive experience serving with the US Marines as a Master electrician and later traveled the country conducting seminars. Imagine how much more exciting it was when he attended our class on the day of our lab simulation with circuit boards. He had students so engaged that a few chose to enter an apprenticeship program with our local electricians group. Hands on learning made the difference.

My colleagues and I have sought community representatives to serve as judges for our annual STEAM Fair, History Wax Museum, Debate Showcase, and to share with our 4-H and Ag Science classes. A local business sponsored our new Ag program this last year which allowed students to experience more hands on activities. Students used the materials supplied to construct Chicken coops, raised garden beds, rabbit hutches, and more in preparation for the 4-H competitions. They also raised and harvested meat birds, sold eggs and chicks, and participated in the business of home farming.

Finally, an opportunity made available to a number of our community members each year is to attend as a guest speaker at our career day. We host three simultaneous events in which Kindergarten through second grades, third through sixth grades, and seventh through twelfth grades rotate to classrooms or locations on our campus to interact with the presentations. Students dress up in costumes representing careers of interest. A few of the highlights have involved the following:

  • A stock race car with driver to explain the components and allow students to sit in the driver's seat
  • A crane which lifted a large truck up into the air
  • A fire truck which sprayed the students
  • A SWAT team sharing their tactical gear
  • A realtor who led a simulation through the process of obtaining a loan, finding a house, and factoring mortgage payments
  • A military recruiter
  • A midwife who shared with our upper grades
  • A local pilot
  • Respiratory therapists
  • Dental students
  • Library representatives encouraging participation and sharing available programs
  • Entrepreneurs
  • A bakery who allowed the younger students to ice their own dessert
  • A local Christian camp that invited elementary to attend day camp and upper classmen to serve as counselors
  • A petting zoo 
  • A rodeo champion barrel racer with her horse
  • A local bank that taught students to write a check
  • A fire chief who explained the requirements to train for the position and to become licensed to drive the trucks
  • A corporate lawyer who shared how to maintain his faith in such a difficult environment
  • A nurse who traveled on medical mission teams
  • A local union that offers apprenticeships for electrical linemen, plumbers, welders, and HVAC
  • A representative from the local community college sharing available programs of study
Each presenter was met by a member from our Student Government Association, given a welcome bag containing a handwritten thank-you card, a bottle of water, a nutrition bar, and a few pieces of candy. A number of presenters have already requested to come in the future. Our day ended with a film shown in the auditorium to our middle and high-school students. We have shown The Forge and Gifted Hands in the past two years. This day of learning from our community is a highlight that is eagerly anticipated by our young people.








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