BY FRED SMITH
Last year, my wife Martha was tutoring a sixth-grade student at Brookside Community Church. He demonstrated exceptional math skills for his age, doing algebra problems at age 11. When asked what he might want to do for a career, he thought for a moment, and then said, “A math teacher.” Teaching is a worthwhile career; however, we immediately realized this child might have only had teachers as role models. The only person he knows that uses math in a career is his math teacher. Back here in Carmel, a student like this would most likely respond with a doctor, a scientist, or maybe, an engineer!
Photo by Dennis McClintock
This encounter with a sixth-grade student inspired me to start Career Day at Brookside Elementary School. I met with the Brookside principal in late January to discuss this proposal. The good news was she thought it was a great idea. The challenging news was we needed about 50 volunteers to speak about their jobs.
I wasn’t sure how we would get that many people. I was amazed when I asked several friends and they all said, “Yes!” without hesitation. I also called about a dozen Northview people suggested to me, and I had a great response. The remaining slots were filled with the help of Anne-Marie Williams (Northview Local Outreach Coordinator), who was invaluable to the success of the event.
A police officer shares about her occupation during Career Day at Brookside IPS School 54. Photo by Dennis McClintock
On May 27 we met in groups and visited different classes for 30-minute segments in the morning and afternoon. There was a wide array of jobs represented: a home improvement contractor, police officer, an accountant, chef, veterinarian, an air traffic controller and a few engineers. The students’ questions ranged from the simple to surprisingly inquisitive. Not only did the students learn something about our jobs, we also learned some things about the students as they shared their experiences.
In the afternoon, I told them engineers design many things, including smartphones, cars, buildings and bridges. I think this helped them see the relevance of engineering in their everyday lives. I also found some of the students thought engineers drove trains!
Career Day was a big success. I was reminded of how blessed I have been to have grown up in a home with very supportive and loving parents, who always told my siblings and I education is the key to a bright future. Unfortunately, many of the students at Brookside and other schools in urban neighborhoods, do not have a supportive home life.
I hope some of the speakers were inspired to get more involved in Brookside, or other schools, by mentoring students that don’t positive role models in their lives. Perhaps, as Pastor Steve Poe often says, we can “link arms” with other churches through City Mosaic to reach many of the elementary schools in Indianapolis.
I want to thank all the volunteers who spoke at Career Day. We may never know how we might have changed the course of a young person’s life.
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