TEACHERS GAIN SKILLS IN BUSINESS, INDUSTRY

Most educators use their three-month summer vacation to recuperate from working in classrooms, but several educators are using the time to gain technical experience they hope will improve their job performance.

Some 20 area teachers and counselors are participating in the Educators in Business and Industry summer internship program. Participants from Advance, Cape Girardeau, Jackson, Leopold, Oak Ridge, Perryville and Ste. Genevieve schools are involved in the program, which was created this year through a Mineral Area College grant.

The program enables secondary or post-secondary educators to work in a two-week paid internship so they can learn what technical and educational skills employers look for in potential employees. Once the internships are completed, teachers will have gained technical skills and knowledge they can then incorporate into specific lesson plans and activities to improve opportunities for students.

"The reason (the program was developed) was to get educators involved in business and industry in order to help students know the kinds of responsibilities they will be needing when they get a job," said Sherry Ford, a remedial reading teacher at Central Junior High School. "The grant pays our salaries, so it did not cost (the businesses) anything, other than they got extra help."

Ford said she had prior experience working at a grocery store that prepared her for an internship at Schnucks Food and Drug, but the new experience was a good refresher course. Good computer skills are a must, but knowing how to follow directions, interpret needs and talk and work with others is equally important, she said.

"It taught me a lot about having good, personal working skills so I can be a better customer when I go in," she said. "I learned what the job entails but also what it takes to keep a job."

An internship with Christian School for Young Years was a far cry from Jackson High School teacher Mary Green's work with students that have learning disabilities, but she said the experience would enable her to relate to her students' job expectations. Many students she works with are pursuing vocational educations in horticulture, health fields and child care, so it was critical that her internship involve one of those areas, she said.

"It's key for us to know what kids are going into, otherwise they won't be productive adults," said Green. "It would have been frivolous to go into something that they don't go into."

Employers said they were happy to see educators researching the skills needed for jobs in business and industry. Students need to know what skills are important for the jobs they want, and it's beneficial for educators to have first-hand knowledge of how those skills are used, they said.

"I'm sure we'll do it again," said Eric Dahl of KBSI-TV. "I think anytime you can give people in the community and the public an idea of what actually goes on in a job, it benefits everyone."