Reflections on a trade school fair

Earlier this month, Pete and Mary took students to a trade school fair at the school district's offices. Here are Pete's reflections on the experience:

Sometimes providing an opportunity, some moral support and even just being there can help students overcome their insecurities.

Before the Holiday break Mary and I took a few students to a technical and vocational career fair at the Main Office of the School District. These students had attended a Hispanic College Fair in October which I also chaperoned. On that day, these students wandered around a small gymnasium floor in a dizzying crowd of students from many different high schools. They didn’t really talk to any of the college representatives and seemed to grow disinterested quickly. I tried to encourage them, but we only had 45 minutes and our time was up quickly.

Some weeks later, one of these students expressed an interest in technical training, so Jen arranged this trip as an opportunity for those students who were looking for something other than a “traditional” college or university path. We left the school around 4 o’clock, and after a brief stop for some fast food, we braved the gloom and drizzle. We arrived before five, and I was surprised to see that many of the tables were empty.

I went with one of the students to talk to someone at one of the first tables we encountered about electrician training, while Mary gathered information from other technical schools for some other students who were not able to attend, and for our resource room. This student and I were able to get an application and useful information about the school and program. I think that having Mary and I close by gave the student more confidence to ask questions as well.

Another student was interested in careers in aerospace, so we encouraged him to talk to representatives from several different schools and I stood close by to provide moral support, while he spoke to the admissions person This same student even learned about other careers he had not considered, like computer technician and automotive specialist.

Interacting with career professionals, as an English learner, can be a very scary undertaking. I am glad we were able to support these students by giving them a chance to obtain career and training information that met their needs.