Access
Students and their families have been exposed to people, programs, resources, and connections that can open doors for them, and they are able to navigate and access those opportunities
Access means having a pathway to the opportunities that are available for students and their families to take advantage of. It enables every student to pursue personalized goals that are significant to them. When students are provided with adequate access to people, programs, and resources, they are able to build skills and utilize resources that are needed to make informed choices about their life goals. In order to be a transformational teacher, you need to support students in finding opportunities that will allow them to apply the rigorous content knowledge you are helping them master. By providing outside opportunities to students, you are helping them see the connection between what they are learning on a daily basis and how they can utilize their knowledge in the real-world. Creating a strong line of communication with parents is also fundamental for helping students navigate the opportunities they are presented with. When strong communication is present, parents are able to better understand how to support their students in attaining life-long success.
Career Fair
Attending a career fair organized by Junior Achievement gave my students access to resources, people, and knowledge that is fundamental in helping them prepare for their future. Part of my vision for my classroom is supporting students on their journey to academic and personal success. Keeping this idea at the forefront of my mind, I was compelled to provide my students with the knowledge and resources to develop the skills they will need in order to start thinking about their life after graduation.
In addition to providing students with the knowledge and resources to develop the skills they will need after graduation, I wanted to provide my students with the opportunity to interact with people and organizations that will help them narrow down or solidify what they want to pursue upon graduation. Giving my students access to these people and resources helped them to start critically thinking about what they need to do both academically and personally to prepare for their future.
To help students gain context about why it is important to start thinking about how to prepare for their future, they took a career inventory that gave them a chance to explore what they are passionate about. Students then engaged with professionals at the career fair who gave them practical knowledge about how they will apply the 21st century competencies that they are currently developing in school. The following section will demonstrate how this outside opportunity connected students with resources and people and encouraged them to start thinking about how they will pursue their future pathway.
Determining Career Inventory
I wanted to find a career inventory that allowed students to explore their passions. When researching different possibilities, it was important to me to find an inventory that was not too narrow and limiting for students. Because this was the first time many students took an inventory or seriously thought about future plans, I wanted it to be a positive, mind-opening experience. An additional component I was looking for was an inventory that was student friendly. I did not want to waste time with a inventory that students found too wordy or hard to navigate. Finally, it was important to me that students were seeing the relevancy of taking the career inventory. Therefore, I wanted to find an inventory that would help them jump start their research about the specific field that matched their passions. I believed this would lead to increased student engagement and enthusiasm about potential career options. After considering all of the components I wanted to be true, I selected the Texas Career Check Interest Profile.
After students answered a series of questions about their likes and interests, the Texas Career Check Interest Profile broke students’ interests down into six different categories: realistic, investigative, artistic, social, enterprising, and conventional. Breaking students’ interest down into categories allowed them to see what overarching skills and interests are involved in certain career fields. After students reviewed their scores in each category, they were able to explore careers that were their “Best” fit, “Great” fit, or “Good” fit. Breaking down careers between best, great, or good, allowed students to see what specific careers were most suited towards their interests. Finally, students were able to specifically select what two or three careers they wanted to research. For each career that a student was “fit” for, Texas Career Check provided an occupation summary that offered employment outlooks, videos, and other valuable information students could explore. For example, the occupation summary included a list of the relevant skills needed to be successful in the occupation.
Here is an example of the categories that students were given after taking the career inventory. Because the school counselor was in the room, she was able to help students understand what category matched what career field and career cluster in high school.
Here is an example of the specific careers that students were given. If you look to the far left side of the picture, you will see how the careers were broken up between “Best”, “Great”, and “Good”. From here, students were able to select whatever career they wanted to research. They were then taken to the “Occupation Summary”.
Here is an example of what was included in the “Occupation Summary” that students used to aid their career research. Understanding the skills that are needed to be successful in a particular career is important because it will help students understand what skills they need to develop.
Here is an example of the categories that students were given after taking the career inventory. Because the school counselor was in the room, she was able to help students understand what category matched what career field and career cluster in high school.
Lesson Plan
After determining what career inventory I was going to have students complete, I planned the lesson where students would take the career inventory and prepare for the Career Fair. While planning this lesson, it was important to me to provide students with the space and structure to express their interests and explore the possibilities for their future. In addition to allowing space and structure to explore, I wanted to help students understand what steps they will need to take in order to develop the skills, both academically and professionally, to obtain future success. Additionally, because Spring Branch requires that all students select a career cluster that will help them determine what courses to take in high school, I wanted my students to have additional knowledge that would help them make informed decisions. The following lesson plan demonstrates how I introduced students to the resources and connections that would support them on their way to pursuing their future goals.
Planning the Event
While planning students’ participation at the Career Fair, I was in close contact with my schools counselors and the other 8th grade teachers. Collaborating with the counselors allowed me to understand what specific career clusters are available to students and what typical classes correspond with the each career cluster. Below you will see evidence of collaboration between the counselor and other 8th grade teachers.
Collaborating with the counselors and having them in the room when students were taking the career inventory allowed students to understand what specific career clusters are available to them in high school. In addition, it helped them understand what high school classes correspond with each career cluster. This was beneficial because it aided students understanding of what they will need to do when they enter high school.
This spreadsheet represents the collaboration between the teachers who were responsible for planning the field trip. The team met three times prior to the field trip to divide up all responsibilities. In order for my school's administration team to approve this opportunity for the 8th graders, all of these actions needed to be thoroughly complete.
Collaborating with the counselors and having them in the room when students were taking the career inventory allowed students to understand what specific career clusters are available to them in high school. In addition, it helped them understand what high school classes correspond with each career cluster. This was beneficial because it aided students understanding of what they will need to do when they enter high school.
Student Work Samples: Preparation for the Career Fair
Below you will find student work samples that represent the activities completed during the above lesson.
Attending the Event:
Below you will find pictures from the Career Fair. You will see evidence of students listening to and talking with professionals.
During the career fair, students spoke with corporate representatives that represented the career or career field they were interested in entering. When students were talking with the representatives, they used the questions they wrote during the preparation lesson. Being thoroughly prepared to speak with professionals empowered students to step outside of their comfort zones.
Students also had the opportunity to listen to four professionals talk about their current careers. The professionals represented a range of career fields; students listened to an author, a media arts and technology professional, an accountant, and a human resources manager. While listening and asking questions, students learned about the different skills and mindsets that are needed to be successful in a certain job.
Finally, students watched their peers participate in a mock interview. This was a beneficial experience because it allowed students to see another key step in attaining a job. It helped them understand the communication skills that are needed to make an interview successful. It also helped students better understand how they will need to discuss the skills and experiences they have.
During the career fair, students spoke with corporate representatives that represented the career or career field they were interested in entering. When students were talking with the representatives, they used the questions they wrote during the preparation lesson. Being thoroughly prepared to speak with professionals empowered students to step outside of their comfort zones.
Student Reflections:
Below you will find student reflections from this experience. The reflections focus on the career fair preparation and attending the career fair.
One major takeaway I have from this student’s reflection is that attending the career fair allowed him to meet professionals and ask questions that better help him understand what is needed to get the job he wants. This was a beneficial experience because it allowed him to understand what he needs to focus on academically when he enters high school.
One major takeaway I have from this student’s reflection is that preparing for the career fair and attending the career fair helped her understand the importance of getting involved in activities that relate to the career she wants to attain. After attending the career fair, the student stated she wants to “get into a lot of cool stuff that might relate to what my dream job is”.
One major takeaway I have from this student’s reflection is that attending the career fair allowed her to understand that she needs to work on improving her social and communication skills.
One major takeaway I have from this student’s reflection is that attending the career fair allowed him to meet professionals and ask questions that better help him understand what is needed to get the job he wants. This was a beneficial experience because it allowed him to understand what he needs to focus on academically when he enters high school.
Teacher Reflection:
I believe that this experience provided students with the access to the knowledge they need in order to work towards their future careers. The preparation work allowed students the space to understand how they can use their interests and skills to find a career or career field that is a great fit for them. In addition, it provided students with the space to explore specific careers they already find compelling. This was valuable because it helped them understand the skills and experiences that are needed. In addition to helping students narrow down potential careers, the preparation work allowed students to see the key steps that are needed in order to attain a job. They were able to practice filling out a job application as well as practice networking skills.
Preparing the students for the career fair helped them feel empowered to speak to professionals about their futures. I was grateful to have the experience of accompanying my students on a field trip that helped them begin to think about their futures. The knowledge that students gained around the skills they will need to continue to develop throughout their educational career and interacting with professionals allowed them to start critically thinking about their future. Ultimately, they were able to begin connecting what content knowledge and learning skills match what specific career or career field. Finally, it provided them with an opportunity to step outside of their comfort zone and take advantage of the people and resources they have access to.
Houston Community College Guest Speaker
From a survey that I conducted surrounding what my students wanted to pursue upon graduation, I concluded that the majority of my students want to pursue attending a university or continuing their education at a community or technical college. After reflecting on this data and thinking about how I want to provide my students access to people, programs, and resources, I decided to plan a visit from a dean at Houston Community College. This was a relevant experience for my students because it further increased their access to information about opportunities available to them upon graduation and what they need in order to prepare for their future.
In addition to giving my students information about the opportunities available to them upon graduation at a local Houston community college, this speaker is very relatable to my students’ background. My students and I met the guest speaker at the career fair discussed above. My students were very intrigued by his personal journey, his job, and what Houston Community College has to offer for them.
Research Prior to the Event:
In order to better understand what type of opportunities my students wanted to pursue after graduating from high school, I conducted a survey using a Google Form. It was my hope that having students complete this survey would give me reliable data that would help inform my decision regarding what potential access resources to provide for my students. From this data, I understood that approximately 51 percent of my students wanted to attend a four year university upon graduation. I also understood that approximately 28 percent of my students did not know precisely what they want to do after graduation. It is also important to note that approximately 20 percent of my students want to go into the military or go straight into the work force upon graduation.
This research informed my decision to bring in a guest speaker from Houston Community College because I wanted to provide an experience that further increased students’ knowledge about college or help them think about potential options they may have not previously considered.
Planning the Event:
The first step I took in planning this event was reaching out to my assistant principal to ensure that I had permission to bring a guest speaker to campus. After discussing the timing and relevancy of the event with my assistant principal, I reached out to the guest speaker. The guest speaker was very willing to come and speak with my students. He was happy to set aside time to discuss college and career opportunities as well as how he attained success throughout his life. After I secured the event with the guest speaker, I reserved the necessary space that was needed for the 8th graders to listen to the guest speaker. Below you will see evidence of the planning that went into bringing the guest speaker to campus.
Here is the initial contact I made with the guest speaker. After this initial email, the guest speaker and I discussed logistics of the event through additional emails and phone calls.
Here is additional evidence that occurred between the guest speaker and myself. This line of clear communication was valuable because throughout the planning process, it was important to me that I was aligning my preparation work with what the guest speaker was going to discuss.
Here is the email correspondence that occurred when I was reserving the space for the 8th graders to attend the guest speaker’s presentation.
Here is the initial contact I made with the guest speaker. After this initial email, the guest speaker and I discussed logistics of the event through additional emails and phone calls.
Student Preparation Work
Below you will find examples of the preparation work students completed prior to the guest speakers visit. I wanted my students to complete this preparation work so that his visit had a clear purpose that was already articulated to students. The preparation work allowed them to understand who the guest speaker was, what he was going to talk about, and their role in the visit. It also allowed students to brainstorm potential questions to ask the speaker. It was my hope that the preparation work would make the visit more beneficial for students.
Located above are questions students prepared prior to the guest speaker's visit.
Pictures of Guest Speaker
Below you will find pictures of the guest speaker engaging with students throughout his visit. You will also see evidence of students actively engaging with the guest speaker by asking and answering questions.
The guest speaker spent the beginning of his presentation sharing his background with students. He discussed how he used his passion of art to get into collage and out of the Projects in Alabama. After discussing his background, the guest speaker got to know the students by asking them their interests and what career they want to pursue in the future.
Students were eager to engage in the guest speaker’s presentation. After getting to know the students, the guest speaker reviewed what opportunities his college had to offer. During this portion of the presentation, the guest speaker also shared his tips for success with students in a handout he made, which is shown in the left picture.
After his presentation, students got the opportunity to ask questions to the speaker. Students asked follow up questions about what his college had to offer and about what lead him to success. Students appreciated hearing about the challenges he had to overcome in college and throughout his life.
The guest speaker spent the beginning of his presentation sharing his background with students. He discussed how he used his passion of art to get into collage and out of the Projects in Alabama. After discussing his background, the guest speaker got to know the students by asking them their interests and what career they want to pursue in the future.
Student Reflection
Below are examples of student reflections complete after the visit from the guest speaker. I wanted to provide students with the space to think about what they thought about their future plans prior to the visit. I wanted them to think about how the visit from the speaker influenced their ideas about the opportunities they thought were available for them upon graduation. In addition to providing them with space to think about how the visit expanded their ideas about the opportunities available to them, I also wanted to provide students with the space to think about any additional questions they have about what was discussed by the guest speaker.
This reflection demonstrates that this student’s potential path was changed due to the guest speaker’s visit. Before hearing the presentation, this student did not think college was “necessary for [their] dream”. However, after hearing from the guest speaker, this student realized that college could potentially help him “becom[e] an artist”. The visit also helped him think about another passion he might want to pursue, music.
By looking at this student's response to question one, you can clearly see that the guest speaker’s visit “opened up a lot” of ideas for this student. Throughout the presentation, this student was particularly enlightened about how you can double major in something. In addition to double majoring, this student was also made aware of a digital art’s and animation major he was previously unaware of.
The guest speaker’s visit opened up this student’s idea about college affordability. During the presentation, the guest speaker talked about how it was more economical to go to a community college and then transfer to a university. That idea resonated with this student as a possible opportunity. In addition, from this reflection, you can clearly see that the guest speaker’s personality and overall knowledge was inspiring for students.
This reflection demonstrates that this student’s potential path was changed due to the guest speaker’s visit. Before hearing the presentation, this student did not think college was “necessary for [their] dream”. However, after hearing from the guest speaker, this student realized that college could potentially help him “becom[e] an artist”. The visit also helped him think about another passion he might want to pursue, music.
Teacher Reflection
It was my hope that the visit from the guest speaker would provide students with the opportunity to hear about their potential opportunities available to them upon graduation. In addition, I wanted the experience to provide them with access to a person who was able to engage them in a discussion that helped them understand how to take advantage of those opportunities. The guest speaker used his background and experiences to facilitate a powerful conversation between students about their futures. The guest speaker helped students understand the importance of connecting your passions to your career and opened up their minds to possibilities they may otherwise not have known about. In order to continue to provide opportunities for my students, I plan on staying in contact with this speaker so that I can bring students to the college he is an administrator at. Helping my students stay connected with this individual will open doors for them upon graduation.
Houston Hispanic Forum
The vast majority of the students that I have taught identify with the Hispanic culture. Since beginning teaching, I have become increasingly aware of the discrepancy in achievement when comparing Hispanic students to other sub-group populations. For example, currently within Spring Branch Independent School District, the graduation rate among Hispanic students is 13 percent lower when compared to Caucasian students. In addition, the dropout rate among Hispanic students within Spring Branch Independent School District is 3 percent higher when compared with Caucasian students. I do not want the lack of resources or knowledge to be the reason that some of my students do not graduate high school and go on to pursue opportunities upon graduation or dropout of school due to lack of support. Therefore, when thinking about providing opportunities of access, I wanted to provide my students with an ample amount of information about how to be successful in high school and how to navigate the challenges that they face.
Attending the Houston Hispanic Forum allowed students to obtain valuable resources and hear valuable information that will help them be successful in high school. Students could choose to attend a session that focused on problem solving skills, high school success strategies, or how to find guidance and support if they needed it. Each session provided students with the opportunity to engage with both the facilitators and their peers to learn about and discuss the topic of their choice.
When thinking about providing opportunities of access, I also wanted to provide my students with an experience that connected them with individuals who shared a similar background. This was important to me because I believed that it would allow my students to hear stories and relate to how individuals overcame adversity throughout their education and careers. During the forum, students were also able to select career panels to sit in on that were made up of professionals who represented their demographic.
The first step I took in planning this event was reaching out to the Community in Schools (CIS) representative that previously spoke to me about this experience. Speaking with the CIS representative allowed me to understand the steps that needed to be taken to ensure that I was able to register students for the event. Registration was free, so I did not have to worry about funding for the event. After I secured my students registration, I continued to work with our CIS representative to plan the remaining logistics. The CIS coordinator and I met two times prior to the trip. I was charged with finding parent volunteers to chaperone the trip and the CIS coordinator was charged with securing the busing and permission slips. I already had a list of parents who were willing to chaperone field trips, so I worked from an already created list to call parents. Below you will see pictures of the event, student reflections about their experience, and communication that helped guardians and families navigate the resources that were provided to students at the forum.
Pictures of Event:
Below you will see examples of the people that students had access to. You will also see students engaging with these people to discuss topics that were presented in each session.
After listening to the session of their choice, students were able to ask questions to the facilitators. This picture is evidence of a student talking with the facilitators who talked about their journey from high school to their current careers.
Here is an example of a presenter engaging students in a conversation about high school. She discussed college level classes that are available for students to take when they are in high school. This was relevant information for my students to hear because if they are thinking about attending a university or community college, taking post-secondary courses in high school will help them get ahead. She also discussed financial aid and how students’ GPAs will impact the money that they receive.
Here is an example of presenters engaging students in a discussion about immigrants in higher education. This presenter discussed some of the challenges that first generation students face and the support that is available for them. They touched on the idea about owning up to the challenges that you face and not handling them internally. This was valuable information for my students to have access to so they know how to face adversity in a healthy way.
Communication with Parents:
Below is an example of the letter I sent home to parents after their students attend the forum. I believe it is important for students to hear about the necessity of beginning to prepare for their future at an early age from both their support systems at school and at home. Because all parents did not get to chaperone the trip, I wanted to provide them with supplemental information that would help them support their student’s success in high school and planning for their future. The resources that I included in the letter discuss how parents can start supporting their student’s planning starting in 9th grade. The letter also included resources about college entrance requirements. Finally, I included resources that would help parents find mentors for their students if they wish. After the trip, many of my students articulated how they appreciated hearing from people who have similar experiences to them. Therefore, I thought it was fitting to include mentorship resources so my students could continue to receive that support.
Student Reflection:
Below are examples of student reflections that were completed after the forum. When completing the reflections, I wanted students to think about how hearing from people who represented their demographic was beneficial. In addition to providing them with space to think about how hearing from other people who represented their demographic was beneficial, I also wanted students to reflect on the benefit of hearing people talk about their different careers and educational experiences. Below you will see reflections from students who attended sessions about immigrants and higher education, becoming a bilingual teacher, and attending a community college.
Teacher Reflection:
The Houston Hispanic Form gave my students free access to outside resources and connected them to people that increased their knowledge of the resources and support that are available to them as they navigate high school and prepare for college and future plans. It was my goal to message to parents that the future of their student is in their hands. Therefore, I wanted to empower them with resources and information that would guide them in supporting their student throughout high school.
In the future when I attend this event, I want to bring along more family members. Prior to attending, I did not know there was a whole day of sessions solely devoted to helping parents understand the resources specifically available to them. Although sending a letter home including resources does empower families to help their student attain success, actually attending the forum and hearing the information first hand would be far more empowering and beneficial for families.
Conclusion
It is fundamental to provide students access to opportunity. It enables every student to pursue personalized goals that are significant to them. When students are provided with adequate access, they have the skills that are needed to make informed choices about their future. Throughout this section, I have demonstrated how I have provided access to students and their families. The experiences they have been given will guide them on their pathway to their future. Students and their families were given opportunities that will help them understand and utilize the people, programs, and resources that are available to them on their journey to success.