O.L. Smith Middle School

Career Story!

Supporting Students’ Career Interest Story

I am the substitute for the hour in a social studies class. I am trying to display the assignment for the students on the Parmethion Board via the Elmo Projector but the technology is not cooperating. A student notices me and begins instructing me on what to do.  I reluctantly follow his lead. Then he steps over very carefully and meticulously and gets the problem fixed in a couple minutes. Then we begin talking about his career interests and his passion to become an engineer.  He follows with, “my mother picked me up from school  one day and told the office I had a doctor’s appointment but she really wanted me to fix the T.V., so I went home fixed the TV asked my mother what I should do and she said, since it is almost the end of the school day, just watch TV.”

As we further chatted, I learned he is getting reading support in two afterschool programs has improved his reading scores, his behavior and is a success in the making!