Advice from Students for Professionals in School-to-Work
This section is an excerpt from the Students
Only! page on this website. Students wrote their page and also help
to answer questions that come through regarding student involvement in school-to-work
opportunities and local partnerships. The students thought it might be helpful
to share the same information here on the local school-to-work partnership
page.
The Students say...
As students, we aren't always taken seriously! But we are really interested
and want to be involved in the school-to-work initiative because it's our
futures that are at stake. We want to share some of our ideas with people
working on school-to-work issues and to tell you what we, as students, really
think!
Advice from us to professionals in school-to-work:
- There isn't only one way to learn things - from books - hands on experience
is most important.
- It should be a mandatory requirement for every student to have many
job shadowing experiences out in the work place, all four years of high
school.
- School boards should have students on their boards so that they can
help to make the decisions that will affect them.
- Instead of worksheets, try hands-on learning.
- Trust students and their ideas.
- Provide more opportunities in the "real world."
- Give encouragement and support.
- Give information through a variety of ways, not just lectures.
- Students need to be given opportunities to develop self-advocacy and
leadership skills.
- Encourage creativity.
- If you want kids to know what goes on in the real world, they should
be out there more!
Involving Students as Leaders in School-to-Work
- "We need to include all learners in our school-to-work efforts,"
I said.
- "Get real," he said.
- "Exactly my point," I said.
- " It's great to include and involve as many different groups as
you can, but there are limits to what is realistic," he said.
- "I can see that your a realist," I said.
- "The realists are the ones who get things done. Give me a task
and I will complete it with efficiency, while following every regulation
and rule," he said.
- "Give me the insight and the wisdom to include all learners and
ensure they benefit from our school-to-work efforts, and I will show you
the meaning of
- success," I said.
Students are the key to every locked door we face. We spend hours discussing
ideas for improving services, advocating for better options, and fighting
for the rights of students with disabilities, without really including students
in the process. The list of excuses as to why we can't do this is endless:
- Our meetings are at the wrong time of day.
- We can't provide transportation for students to attend our meetings
because of liability issues.
- Students wouldn't really understand what we are trying to do anyway.
- Students can't take that level of responsibility for our work.
- It's all I can do to just get through the day and now you're asking
me to find a way to include the students in our project?!
I have news for you - students will actually prove you wrong if you give
them a chance. If only we took the time to actually work with students at
meetings and on projects instead of planning for them, we might find that
their input and insights contain the answers we are looking for.
I recently paid a visit to a class of a friend and colleague of mine.
I went there to get input from her students on creating this student page
for the All Means All School-to-Work Project Website. I had been struggling
with what to put on the school-to-work student page. What would students
be interested in? What would be important to them? What would be useful
to them? I wasn't disappointed. Not only did the students give me great
ideas, but they volunteered to help write the student page, gave me advice
for students and school-to-work professionals, and agreed to serve as a
brainstorming group for questions we receive about student involvement in
school-to-work activities. The student page may be the best section of the
entire website.
Students can and will work with you, given the opportunity. They are
creative, invested partners and set no limits when it comes to developing
solutions to problems. If you would like to get students more involved in
your partnership, activities, or committee work, here are some steps you
can take to make it happen:
1) Recruit student representatives. You'd be surprised how much
fun meetings can be when students are there. Whether it's your local school-to-work
partnership or a smaller task force, do whatever it takes to ensure students
are included as representatives. Provide adult mentors for students to explain
partnership operation, rules, and your purpose. Make sure you have more
than one student on your committee - students need their peers for support.
Be persistent and you will find that including students on your committees
will be the best thing to happen in a long, long time.
2) Go to the students. If your partnership or project staff don't
meet in a place or at a time that's convenient for students, then move your
meetings to where the students are. Students have open periods, stay after
school for activities, have meetings for clubs and organizations they're
involved in, and may give time during their classes to respond to your questions.
Find a way to get their input on issues that will directly affect them.
Then, make sure you actually listen and follow through on their ideas. Students
will stay involved if they believe you will take them seriously.
3) Include students in planning and implementation. Students need
to be included from the very beginning. Developing a plan and then asking
for input is not the same as asking students to help develop the plan in
the first place. When it's time to implement, ask the students for help.
If students are truly included, they will take ownership of their role and
help to make your project or activity a huge success.
4) Don't underestimate a student's abilities. Every single student
has talents and skills to offer. If a student wants to be involved, support
them to do whatever it is they are interested in doing.
Students are our greatest untapped resource when it comes to improving
our schools and our communities. It is up to us to find ways to ensure that
students have a say in what is being planned for their future. As one student
put it, "If you want kids to know more about what goes on in the real
world, they should be out there more!"
(Article from the "What's Working in Transition" Newsletter
at the Institute on Community Integration - University of Minnesota)
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