Three-time Grand Slam winner and tennis great Arthur Ashe once said, “One important key to success is self-confidence. An important key to self-confidence is preparation”.
A new change in classes for juniors at Monroe High School seeks to instill confidence in our students by asking them to prepare for their careers after high school. Next school year, juniors will take a new English class that challenges them to work on important English skills while also allowing them the freedom to explore their own interests and potential career paths. Students will do this in many different ways, the most important being career exploration and research, completing a job shadow related to a potential future career, and partaking in a mock interview that tests their soft skills and ability to research a company.
A version of this class has already been a popular elective at MHS for the past six years, and both students and community members have shared high praise for the practiced skills and proficiencies that students gain while completing the class. However, the project that receives the most positive feedback from students is the job shadow experience, with one recent student commenting that the job shadow was, “one of the most beneficial assignments I have ever done for a high school class.” Other students shared that the experience helped them build confidence, better understand what they want to do after high school, and that the assignment itself was a lot of fun (even if they were a bit nervous about it at first).
As the primary teacher for this course, the main reason I am writing this piece for The Monroe Times is that I want to spread the word that students will be reaching out to our local businesses in greater numbers than ever before, and I want to encourage local businesses to consider allowing a MHS student to shadow for four to eight hours to gain a better understanding of a day in the life of a business and career. The benefits to our students and local businesses are multifold, but none of this magic can happen unless businesses continue to keep an open mind in allowing a young person to see the exciting work that makes our local economy thrive.
In the many years that I have taught the elective version of this class, I have seen students find passions for professions that I would have never imagined. One student returned from a shadow at Shriner Hager Gohlke Funeral Home in Monroe absolutely elated that she had discovered a passion for helping families in their time of need through the exciting work of mortuary science. Another student who rode along with a MPD officer returned to tell his classmates about the amazing behind-the-scenes work that our law enforcement officers do. Students in previous trimesters have had fruitful experiences shadowing welders, marketing specialists, tattoo artists, teachers, nurses, pilots, engineers, park rangers, data analysts, scientists, electricians, and radiology technicians, just to name a few. These experiences, though brief in time, leave lasting impressions on our future leaders, and I am asking that if one of our students reaches out, that you consider saying yes. This also allows businesses to see everything that our students have to offer and even gives an opportunity for businesses to do a bit of recruiting. There have been many instances where students and businesses have built a relationship in this short shadow that turns into a long-term career right here in Monroe.
One final request I have before I close is that those interested in testing students’ interview skills reach out as we prepare to mock interview over 150 students as part of the final exam for the course. Those who have already helped in the past would say that this experience is a lot of fun while also providing students an opportunity to practice one of the trickiest social interactions we have in our society: the job interview.
I am hoping to enlist the help of anyone who has experience on either side of the interview table. The interview experience only requires about an hour of time, and the benefits for students are substantial. This project, along with the job shadow described above, is one small step in building students’ self-confidence that requires them to work on “adulting” in a low-stakes environment before the big show after high school.
Any interested individuals, organizations, or businesses can contact Ryan Strunz at ryanstrunz@monroe.k12.wi.us.
— Ryan Strunz is an English teacher at Monroe High School. He filled in as a guest columnist in place of Cara Carper, the School District of Monroe Student Occupation and Academic Readiness (SOAR) Coordinator.
