Making the Grade: Career education starts early at High Point

Teachers and leaders at High Point Elementary in Sandy Springs believe elementary school is an ideal time to get youngsters thinking about the fields they’d like to enter. And as it turns out, the kids are equally enthusiastic.

Last year, the school hosted a career day for the third, fourth and fifth graders that drew about 20 speakers. The response was so positive that teachers in the school’s lower grades wanted to be part of it, and the kids wanted to hear more. A few weeks ago, the school hosted an expanded, week-long career event that got most of its 800 students in pre-K through fifth thinking about the world beyond the classroom.

During the week, students were invited to dress up in the clothes of their job choices, a list that included doctors, pop stars, pilots, spies, teachers and even one aspiring politician who resembled Hillary Clinton. Other days had students sporting formal business attire or spirit items from the college they dream of attending. But the highlight was the day when more than 50 speakers from a range of career fields came into the classrooms to share their experiences. Among the jobs represented were news reporter, music marketer, real estate agent, hostage negotiator, nurse, attorney and Air Force pilot - courtesy of an active-duty pilot stationed overseas who weighed in over Skype.

“We reached out to parents, teachers and partners at the school, as well as different organizations we work with to find speakers,” said the school’s counselor, Rachel Salmons. “They all gave the kids some purpose behind their learning - why they need to learn to spell, to learn math. When those things are connected to a career goal, they make a little more sense. Someone in elementary school is not going to decide to be a doctor, but at some point, they may eventually connect some of these courses to their goals.”

Second-grade teacher Amy Bradshaw recruited her engineer husband to speak to her class of mostly 7-year-old students. “We also heard from a health and fitness guru and a musician who showed off drums and guitars and connected how writing a story is similar to writing a song,” she said. “The kids were so enthusiastic about all of them. A lot of them walked away saying, ‘This is what I want to do when I grow up,’ and a lot of them have never been exposed to things like this. It really gives them some paths to aspire to.”

Fifth-grader Jaxon Churchwell, 10, discovered two career paths that intrigued him.

“I liked the first speaker who at works at CNN; he told us about all the jobs there and the skills you need to have,” he said. “And we had a sales representative who works with orthodontists, and he showed us the products his company made. I thought that was cool that the company made things other than braces. I’d like to work there someday.”

But most students, when quizzed, usually have other answers to the “What do you want to be when you grow up?” question.

“Most say professional basketball player, teacher or doctor,” said Salmons. “They don’t know there’s a big world of things out there. And they don’t know that most kids are not going to end up being TV stars or basketball players, so it’s good to have exposure to other careers.”