Reflections on Another Successful Junior Achievement Program
As part of Hixson’s commitment to serve the communities in which we live and work, six Hixson associates once again volunteered their time and talent to teach Junior Achievement (JA) classes at our partner in education school St. Francis De Sales. The Hixson volunteers led classes on a number of financial and economic-based topics, each of which was tailored for the students in grades three through eight. Below is a sampling of the feedback we received from our volunteers about their time as JA instructors.
WHAT DID YOU LIKE BEST ABOUT BEING A JA INSTRUCTOR?
- “Seeing the kids get super excited each time I came to the classroom, probably because there was usually a game incorporated into the lesson, but it always put me in a good mood.” –Sean Kinney, Electrical Project Engineer
- “I really like working with kids, and seeing them learn a bit more about their city. They always have fun and interesting things to say about the topics!” –James Fiorini, Mechanical Engineer
- “I teach Economics to the 8th grade at St. Francis De Sales. I love being able to do something so different from my day-to-day job. Many of the topics we cover are not covered in typical school curriculum, so it is great to know that I have an impact on the financial literacy of the students.” –Kevin Hansman, Hixson Vice President and Department Manager of Plumbing Systems and Fire Protection Engineering
- “I enjoyed the regular cadence of meeting with the students and the rapport we developed over time.” –Jim Schreyer, Senior Project Manager
WHAT WERE SOME OF THE MOST REWARDING MOMENTS OR SUCCESSFUL OUTCOMES YOU ACHIEVED WHILE TEACHING FOR JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT?
- “For the final part of my session, we put together a paper city, and the students each went above and beyond to make multiple buildings each to build out our town. I was really happy with how excited they were.” –James
- “Getting 7th graders to be engaged in the topic of careers.” –Jeff Dotson, Chief Financial Officer
- “The interaction I had with the students and learning about what interested them was enjoyable, but seeing them make a connection between the global economic issues we discussed and their own daily lives was incredibly rewarding.” –Jim
- “It demonstrates that it is possible to interest and inform young kids about our economic system, the purpose of money, and its responsible use.” –LT Thorn, Senior Project Architect
HOW DID BEING A JUNIOR ACHIEVEMENT INSTRUCTOR CONTRIBUTE TO YOUR OWN PERSONAL OR PROFESSIONAL GROWTH?
- “It helps me professionally with my public speaking, even if it is in front of grade schoolers.” –Sean
- “I always feel like I take away more than I teach every time I do JA…it never feels stagnant. Every session I learn how to better approach the lesson, especially with how tech and pop culture changes. At the very least, I know that kids like vbucks more than legos now.” –James
- “My classes were at the end of the day right before the kids were done with school and went home. If you can present/teach 7th grade kids about Careers at that time and keep their attention, you can do any presentation.” –Jeff
Many thanks to all of our volunteers!
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