From classroom to career: SJSD educators gain hands-on experience to take back to classrooms
Praji Ghosh
ST. JOSEPH, Mo. (News-Press NOW) — The St. Joseph School District gave local educators a chance to step outside the classroom this summer.
Through its educator externship program, teachers and counselors explored different career paths right here in St. Joseph.
The program also connected them with local employers, providing educators with real-world experiences they can now share with their students.
Bethany Juhl, a high school counselor, was one of the educators who took part in the externship. She says the group had the chance to visit four different workplaces across St. Joseph.
“I participated in the externship program through the district and we went to four different places in the community, to local workforces and we toured different places,” Bethany Juhl, Highschool counselor said.
The goal of the program was to give educators a better understanding of local job opportunities so they can pass that knowledge on to students. Juhl says the experience helped her see what skills employers are really looking for.
For Juhl, who’s now in her second year as a counselor, the externship was also a chance to build stronger connections — both with local employers and with her own students.
“It really helped me bridge a gap between the workforce and our school and it was so eye-opening because it gave me background knowledege of what skills these places are looking for in our students,” Juhl said.
Along with exploring different jobs, the program helped educators form new relationships and strengthen ties with local employers.
“I wanted to participate in the extrenship because this is my second year as a highschool counselor and being involved in their career development helps me connect with the students more,” Juhl said.
Juhl hopes the experience will help her guide students toward the right career paths and give them chances to put their classroom skills to use.