The Classroom is Emptying...

Since last week went so well and most of you have your placements, our focus this week will be finding placements for anyone still job-hunting.  My focus this week, especially Monday through Wednesday when most of you will be out of the building, will be helping you place calls, practice interviewing, and finding the right fit for your Senior Experience.  On Thursday and Friday, we’re again going to engage in discussions about your work week, what went well, what you struggled with, and how you feel about your placement.  I found last week’s discussions, as well as the Twizzlers we shared during the discussions, to be extremely fun and engaging. We’ll also get around to some more role plays, but I want to also focus on some ideas for videos that can be included on your YouTube channels and websites. 

Below is the breakdown of your focus for the week.  I realize it’s the same as last week, however, you’ll likely do more than simply train and take more safety tests. 

Those With Placements:

1. Focus on the technical skills you learn during training
1. What do you do?
2. What type of tools do you use?
3. Is there software you need to learn about?  How user-friendly is it?  
2. During your observations, pay close attention to the technical skills of your mentor
1. Please use the same questions above 
2. Is there a clear difference between your skill and your workplace mentor's?

Those Without Placements:

1. Reach out to businesses that hire high school-age part-time employees
1. Call/walk in/apply online
2. Log all your contacts to make sure you are organized

**If you have interviews scheduled during class time, please let me know in advance so I can get clearance from the office for you to leave the building**

Monday through Wednesday:

This week, the focus is finding jobs and preparing for interviews.  You will document each of your attempts in the Google Sheet provided above and we will dedicate some class time to preparing for interviews.  I hope that some of you schedule interviews during class time so you can return to class and share out your experiences.  I have some contacts at local dentist offices as well as with the Department of Health due to our Academy’s outstanding work over the past three years.  Hopefully this turns into placements for a few of you.

Thursday

Just as we did last week, those of you who work Monday through Wednesday will return to class to share out your experiences for the week.  I thoroughly enjoyed the time we took to just talk about your experiences, the lessons you learned, things that opened your eyes about responsibility or life in general, and challenges you faced.  The simple 3 to 5-minute conversations each of you lead were extremely meaningful, and the variety of lessons you learned hopefully inspired you to learn more this week.  I expect this week’s discussions to be similar to last week’s. 

After our discussions, we will brainstorm as many ideas as we can for a class video about the course and the great things you’ve experienced in your first two weeks on the job. 

Friday

On Friday, you’ll work on your class video ideas and maybe begin writing some questions that can be answered on camera.  Think of opportunities to shoot B-Roll, royalty-free music that can be included in the video, and other elements of the project that will make it appealing for all viewers.  Work in groups of 3 to 5 and share out your ideas in the last 15 minutes of class.  I’ll pop in on conversations to see if I can be of assistance.

Let's have a great week! Good luck to those of you who start your placements tomorrow!  See you at some point in class.