Students learn value of a career

By WILL STEWART / Staff Reporter for the Southern Standard

Teddy Fults of IMI Concrete explains his job to West Elementary students, from left, Taylor Womack, Marcus Vaughn, Leala Martin and David Goode. Listening in is teacher Patti Smith. (Photo provided)

Though he’s only in second grade, West Elementary student Jeremiah Dearinger has no doubts about what he wants to be when he grows up. “I want to be an Army man. I want to fight for freedom and protect people from terrorism,” he said.

Dearinger’s decision was cemented after he and his classmates listened to Army recruiter Staff Sgt. Ray Ewart, who was just one of many guest speakers featured at a career day held recently for the school’s kindergarten, first- and second-grade students.

While career days are traditionally held for older students who are beginning to think seriously of their post-secondary plans, officials at West say it is never too early to get children interested in different occupations and specifically the education needed to obtain those occupations.

“We try to connect education, training and hard work with getting a job the students like and accomplishing their goals,” said school counselor Judy Anderson, who started the annual career day about eight years ago.

Career day, which actually spanned some three days earlier this month, featured guest speakers from across the community who work in a number of career clusters. Informing students of what their jobs entail and the necessary training needed for them included representatives of law enforcement, the medical field, the court system, the building industry and the manufacturing industry.

Anderson said she makes sure to stress to the students that all jobs, if honest, are important ones which are vital to society. Too often, she added, children are led to believe only professions like medicine and law are important.

The career day for the school’s younger students is just one aspect Anderson uses at the school to highlight the value of honest work in becoming good citizens. “At West we want to do our part in producing good citizens who love to work,” she said.

She added she also organizes an annual career day for the school’s older students. This year’s career day for the third-, fourth- and fifth-grade students will begin tomorrow. And like the career day activities for the younger students, each of the speakers will talk about a different subject but will still stress one central point: The importance of staying in school.