The excited hum of voices carried down the hallway from the cafeteria. Fifth graders excitedly set up their posters, tri-fold boards, slideshows, and brochures and waited. Nervous energy coursed through the room as they stood by their displays and looked for the first classes to enter the cafeteria. They did not have to wait long.
Their first grade friends filed in, eyes wide as they looked around at all of the colorful items situated around the room. As they approached the various exhibits, the fifth graders flew into action, answering questions and explaining their choices about careers and colleges.
Over the next hour, kindergartners through fourth graders visited. They couldn’t wait to hear everything the older students had to say. They left as wide-eyed as they entered, chattering about the time when they will be old enough to do this, too.
The fifth graders finished strong and returned to their classrooms. They were exhausted but happy. This process began with a visit to a local college two weeks ago and culminated in a presentation for the entire school. The learning that occurred for them goes much deeper, though. They have started seriously considering their options for the future and the skills they’ll need to be successful in whatever they choose to do. They inspire me and give me hope for the future.
What an ambitious project. Nobody was even thinking about careers or college when I was in fifth grade, but that was back in ancient history. I wonder what careers the kids talked about.
This is something new that we are doing this year. They had too many careers to list all of them, but the list included nursing, art, industrial engineering, lawyer, demolition expert, etc. It was interesting to see what they wanted to do!
What a wonderful opportunity, not only for the fifth graders, but also for the younger kids!
They were fascinated!
Exhausted and happy are always great descriptors
So true!