To prepare students for what different careers are looking for, on January 28 teachers visited businesses to learn about a specific industry during the high school’s biennial Teacher in the Workplace Day.
Mentorship Coordinator Amy Tarlo, teacher in the workplace day began in order to give teachers knowledge about careers that they could then relay to their students.
“The goal is for teachers to go to companies to learn what they are looking for in hires,” Tarlo said. “For our teachers to go out, and see and share that information with students, it makes the difference.”
Social studies teacher Amanda DiFranco said it’s important to see how different types of jobs have changed over the years.
“[It’s] to help us prepare [students],” DiFranco said, “and to kind of get the pulse of what’s actually happening, and what the expectations are.”
For social studies teacher Nicole Harner, Teacher in the Workplace Day also relates back to the community.
“A lot of us stay within the community and the surrounding areas,” Harner said. “So, it’s also making those connections to the local area, and then being able to tell the kids [about them].”
Tarlo said welcoming new companies each year furthers the connections between students and the businesses who participate.
“You just don’t know where those connections lie,” Tarlo said. “They create conversations, and that’s what we want.”
DiFranco said that the experience also benefits teachers by validating what they may already be teaching their students.
“I think it is good for us to see what the expectations are, not just to tell you all, but to also plan our own assignments, and to guide our own lessons,” DiFranco said.
According to Harner, the experience shows teachers “how jobs are evolving,” and what skills may be important for students to focus on.
For Tarlo, she sees the experience only continuing to grow as teachers visit new companies to add to the mentorship and job shadow programs.
“This day always brings the program new professionals,” Tarlo said. “I think as long as teachers find value in this day, the district will continue to do it.”
Act II Playhouse marketing director Nick Cardillo, who hosted Harner and DiFranco along with English teachers Stacey Aronow, Jackie Schum and Angela Wahl, said he got involved this year in order to highlight the arts industry specifically.
“I think it’s important to have representatives of an artistic profession speak to the teachers, because those connections are few and far between here in Souderton and the surrounding areas,” Cardillo said. “It really opens up and shows new perspectives to the teachers, and I think that’s huge.”
Harner said that visiting Act II Playhouse was “eye-opening” for her on a professional level, but also on a personal one.
“Because I taught Nick, I was just so proud of him,” Harner said.
DiFranco said she enjoyed seeing how a former student had accomplished the goals he intended to. “To actually see him doing what he had talked about doing in class was really awesome,” DiFranco said.