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The youths\u2019 strengths and skills are developed by teachers and sharpened through interaction with community partners. Parents, individuals, businesses, and organizations in and around Franklin County, working with the students, impact their understanding of life in a community.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Steele said, \u201cWe definitely have to get our community members involved; that\u2019s part of being a STEM school. Bringing in community partners, we ask them how we can help our students prepare for the future. They\u2019re going to be close by, so what can we do to prepare our students to work in our county?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
These lessons develop skills and strengths that are further enriched when the community offers feedback and interacts with students.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n Steele explained, \u201cWe want to broaden their horizons and build career knowledge. We use problem-based\/project-based learning that incorporates multiple subject areas and lessons over a span of time. We have a driving question, a real-world problem we\u2019re trying to solve. The kids really have to dig in to help us solve that problem.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s a model that shifts the focus from the teacher as the single leader to the students working together toward a united goal. As they huddle and talk through their assigned problem, they listen to one another and learn from each other.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steele said, \u201cStudents are going to learn more if they\u2019re the ones leading the instruction. They listen to each other a lot better than they listen to us.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n Community partners like individuals, businesses, and organizations in the classrooms offer their experiences and perspectives and add more than ideas for lesson plans. They are a literal manifestation of the goals of the lessons. Students see adults in professional environments working together to solve problems and improve upon existing systems. They expose students to possible career choices and offer a closer look at the processes and workings of their industry or profession.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steele and the other teachers need more community partners. You may not realize how easy it is or feel you have nothing to offer. Steele disagrees.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIf you get in the classroom and work with these kids, you will not regret coming in and seeing the smiles on their faces. Even if you just visit and say hi, that\u2019s really all we need. As teachers, we need that support, too. It lets us know you\u2019re there, and you care about us,\u201d she said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Helping is easy and flows both ways. Consider ways to collaborate with the class. Allow them the opportunity to benefit your business. Involve them in your community projects. There are a hundred little ways to help them feel a part of the community, teaching them to take ownership and become more involved in the future as they grow.<\/p>\n\n\n\n While financial support is always beneficial, the outside personal interaction with students and teachers creates a sense of belonging.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cCome and talk to our kids because they need it. They don\u2019t all have the support at home they need. Show them there\u2019s good out there and people that support them and will help them. We need to come together for our schools. We need to build up our teachers and our students,\u201d said Steele.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Steele knows that learning occurs best in an environment where students feel safe, welcomed, and encouraged. \u201cWe\u2019re not only teachers, we\u2019re mom, dad, nurse, and psychologist to at least 30 kids in the class.\u201d Teachers\u2019 care and concern for their students is a 24-hour job with a sea of paperwork and responsibilities at home added to it.<\/p>\n\n\n\n You can hear Steele\u2019s heart for her students. \u201cDuring the summer you worry about them. Are they eating, being taken care of, and safe? You hear us telling them we love them and be safe this summer because you don\u2019t know if that\u2019s the last time you\u2019ll see them. It\u2019s hard. There\u2019s a lot of tears at the end of the school year.\u201d <\/p>\n\n\n\n It\u2019s an environment that encompasses all of Decherd Elementary School.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe\u2019re a huge family at my school. It feels good to walk into a school and feel like you\u2019re at home. We all collaborate, and we work together as a team because our ultimate goal is to do what\u2019s best for our students and our county to make it the best we can. We care about our students and our community. We want to be the best. We\u2019re educating our future, and that\u2019s a big responsibility,\u201d Steel said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n A brighter future in the Franklin County community is possible when everyone works together to involve our youth. What can you do this school year to help? GN<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" IT\u2019S NEVER too early to open young minds to their futures. It\u2019s essential to encourage students to dream big, but big dreams don\u2019t always take you away from home. Our community is rich with opportunities and benefits in day-to-day life that grow even better when we work together. Big dreams live and thrive there, too. 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