Pettit Park fifth graders learn about careers at United Way
Mar. 20—Student council members at Pettit Park Elementary School help deliver Buddy Bags to other students.
Buddy Bags are filled with extra food for needy children.
It got special education teacher Diana Heard, who oversees student council, thinking about ways to get students out in the community.
She started with the United Way of Howard and Tipton Counties, which administers the Buddy Bags program.
"We wanted the kids to understand where does it start," Heard said. "All our kids really knew was Buddy Bags on a cart, and we deliver them."
That morphed into a field trip for fifth graders last week to the United Way, where they learned about careers from a few speakers, including Kokomo Mayor Tyler Moore.
It was an opportunity for the kids to hear from adults about jobs and what one needs to be a good employee — things like empathy, teamwork, cooperation and perseverance.
"We're trying to teach employability skills to kids," Heard said.
Fifth grader Raheem Smiley learned to be mayor, one needs to listen and solve problems.
"The mayor's boss is the people of the town," he said. "He has to find out what they want."
He also learned you can get free stuff from Comcast (one of the speakers worked for the telecommunications company).
Raheem wants to make content as a YouTuber or streamer. He already has some anime-inspired ideas.
Bob Kretz, a financial adviser at PNC Bank, encouraged the kids to take initiative.
"I've always told my kids don't be the one who has to be told to go do stuff," he said. "You'll find you'll get ahead faster."
Having a job one enjoys is more important than a job that pays a lot of money was Brook-Lynn Moon's main take away. Honesty is an important trait, too, especially if you're handling people's money.
"You need to not be lying in your job," Brook-Lynn said. "You need people to trust you if you want to work in a place like this."
Brook-Lynn wants to be a writer — she's written two books — a fashion designer or maybe a chef. Being a hairstylist would be cool too, she said.
More Pettit Park classes will visit the United Way this spring. Heard hopes to form a partnership with the organization where kids can pack Buddy Bags.
It'd be a good way for kids to learn about what the community does for them and that it's OK to need help sometimes, according to teacher Miesha Abresch, who read a picture book with her class about food pantries.
"That was my biggest goal," Abresch said. "I really hope they take that away."
Spencer Durham can be reached at 765-454-8598, by email at spencer.durham@kokomotribune.com or on Twitter at @Durham_KT.
