By Shelby Stewart-Soldan
ssoldan@mihomepaper.com
Brandon — It may be a few years until they actually go to work, but some area youth had a first look of a future occupation.
On June 6, Oakwood Elementary hosted their first in-person career day since the COVID-19 pandemic.
“I think career day is important because it allows elementary students to begin to consider a wider range of career possibilities,” said Tara Campbell, school counselor at Oakwood Elementary. “Reading about careers is one thing, but actually getting to hear from a member of their community who is working in that career can really create a connection and inspire students to think about possibilities for their future.”
Over a dozen career professionals visited Oakwood Elementary to talk about careers as police officers, fire fighters, farmers, politicians, real estate agents, librarians, journalists and more.
“This career day went fantastic,” said Campbell. “I was so excited about the enthusiasm all the presenters brought. It was as though there was an unspoken competition between each presenter where they each wanted to be the best, and the ones who benefited most from that were the students.”
Campbell said student talked about career day for the rest of the week and what they had learned from the presenters.
“The students shared with me that they had so much fin, and that they learned about careers they did not know were available before, which is really the biggest compliment, to see that career day inspired them and opened their eyes to something they had not known about before. The day was full of so many smiles and some of the students even dressed for their future career, which just added to the fun.”
Throughout the day, students visited various presenters, each for half an hour, to learn about the career or careers that the presenters have. Some presented on as many as three jobs that they have.
“Elementary students are often aware of the jobs their parents and families have, but career day can really widen their perspective of all the career possibilities that could be part of their future,” she said. “It also allows students to make that connection between school and the workplace, for them to see that the work they are doing now is relevant to the work they will do in the future. I think it can give more meaning to their engagement in the classroom when they see how the work they are doing today is helping to build their future.”
Another positive that Campbell found was that it helped the students connect and feel more involved in the community.
“We have our firefighters, county sheriff, local librarian and citizens from our community coming into our school to share and impact the lives of our youngest Ortonville citizens,” she said. “I just love the way it ties us all together as a community.”