Students Get a Jump on Job Market

It is never too early to start considering a career, even in the first grade.

Or, at least, that’s what elementary school students in the Los Angeles Unified School District are learning, now that career awareness has joined the curriculum.

The career awareness movement advocates bringing working people from all walks of life into elementary school classrooms, where they tell students--from kindergartners to sixth-graders--about their jobs and the educational and technical skills needed to hold them.

Career days have been common for high school students about to graduate. But to some parents it may appear to be overkill to discuss career options with elementary school students, who have six to 12 years of school ahead of them.

“Actually, it’s funny that educators years ago didn’t realize that it is a good thing to start children thinking and preparing for the job market at an early age,” said Irene Gregory, the school improvement coordinator for Vintage Fundamental School in Sepulveda.

“It gives them a reason to study. It gives them a reason to do homework. And it gives them people to look up to besides the firefighter and the police officer.”

Genevieve Shepherd, principal of the Crenshaw District’s Dublin Avenue School, said, “The addition of career awareness to the program inspires the children to shoot for heights that they never dreamed of before. If they didn’t have these kind of firsthand experiences, many of them would never consider some of these careers.” Dublin is the only district school to formally add career awareness to its curriculum.

The career awareness movement in the Los Angeles school district started 11 years ago at 52nd Street School in Los Angeles, when teacher Melba Coleman decided that her inner-city students needed working adult role models as an incentive to study.

“Some of them had never seen a parent get up every morning and go to work. Others had no aspirations beyond junior high,” recalled Coleman, principal of Harding Street Elementary School in Sylmar.

WOW Program

“I wanted to create something that would give them an idea of what it takes to make it in the world.”

What Coleman developed was a curriculum package called “The Wonders of Work,” or WOW. Geared toward fourth-, fifth- and sixth-graders, WOW provided 40 minutes a week for students to discuss themselves, their interests and their career plans.

WOW was such a success that Coleman won a $100,000 grant to start a pilot career awareness program at seven public and two private Los Angeles area schools. She later became the career awareness coordinator for elementary schools in the district.

“Most people find a career by chance rather than by choice,” Coleman said. “What we are trying to do is reduce the chance and show children that they have many choices.”

Effect Still Felt

Although Coleman no longer holds the career awareness post, the impact of her program is still felt. The district now requires all predominantly minority schools--elementary through high school--to hold some kind of career awareness program during the year.

Coleman helped to develop the program at Dublin Avenue Fundamental/Career Awareness School, where career awareness is stressed in every part of the curriculum, along with the so-called fundamental style of teaching that emphasizes drill, reinforcement and enrichment.

And, this spring, hundreds of elementary schools, such as Glenfeliz Boulevard in Los Feliz and Fair Avenue in North Hollywood, along with Harding and Vintage, held career awareness programs.

Career awareness week at Fair Avenue, a year-round school, started Monday with the announcement of winners in a poster contest based on the theme “I’m not too young to dream.”

Ex-Pitcher Appears

Former Dodger relief pitcher Joe Moeller, now a pitching coach at USC, spoke to Fair Avenue students, as did an optometrist, a real estate appraiser, a Municipal Court judge and a veterinarian.

“We asked the speakers to talk about the mental skills needed for their job, the educational requirements, working conditions, salary and their daily routine,” said Esther Louie, Career Week coordinator at Fair Avenue.

Harding school took off the Friday afternoon before spring vacation to meet in small groups on the playground. The students listened to about a dozen professionals from different fields.

“We even have someone talking about careers in education,” said Coleman. “Because the kids see us do our thing every day, sometimes they don’t realize that teaching is a profession just like other jobs, so we invited a teacher to discuss career opportunities in education.”

Evaluation Forms

At the close of Career Awareness Day at Glenfeliz, students were asked to fill out evaluation forms that included questions such as: “How many jobs require a college education?” “Which jobs can be done by both sexes?” and “Which job would offer the most desirable life style or personal satisfaction for you?”

Probably the most ambitious elementary program in the district is at Dublin Avenue, where career awareness is an everyday part of school life.

Every classroom has a bulletin board with a career awareness theme. Many classes have set aside part of the room as a career awareness center, where students can read or work on projects related to the job market. Even the sixth-grade reading book stresses career awareness.

Once a month, a guest speaker visits Dublin Avenue to discuss his or her job. Afterward, student council members meet with the guest.

“This school is a pre-professional job, and we tell the children that the way they dress, the way they conduct themselves on the playground and in class will help determine success in their later life,” said Shepherd.