The first thing most people think about when planning a Career Day for young kids is fire trucks and police cars. Please, please, don't fall into that trap. Kids can, and do, see these things all the time. Think outside the box. The best thing to do is send out a notice to the teachers asking if they know of any parents with exciting careers who would be interested in coming. I had a dance instructor and a respiratory therapist/pro wrestler come who's children attend the school. You never know what you will find. Once you have that information you need to choose which of those careers you would like to see represented and contact those parents. Then it is time to start looking for other careers. There are so many interesting jobs out there that kids love to hear about. One place to look is your local college.
I have gotten a couple of geologists and a paeleontologist from there. You wouldn't believe how good they were with the younger students! Other careers that have been represented are; Sherriff's K9 Officers, chef, weather man, crane operator, board shop owner, author, plant biologist, Humane Society, and everyone's favorite last year California Highway Patrol Air Ops brought a helicopter. The dancer I mentioned before taught each class a hip hop dance instead of just talking about what she does. We have also had realtors, US Forest Service Personnel, and many other interesting careers represented. The most important thing to remember is, don't be afraid to ask. All they can do is say no and you move on to someone else.
Good letter writing skills will help get you the speakers you are looking for as well. You letter should include, the date of the event, the grade levels they will be speaking to, why this is important for the students, and contact information for the coordinator. Also, let them choose when possible if they prefer to speak to older or younger students. This should be written on school letterhead as well. Once you have confirmation from the speakers you will then send out a confirmation letter closer to the date of the event. This letter should include the date, a thank you for agreeing to speak, directions to the school, the times they will be needed, some ideas for what to talk about, and remember to ask them to bring items that they use as visual aids. Be prepared to tell them how many students they should expect to be talking to because they sometimes like to bring hand outs or goodies for the kids. Here is an example of a confirmation letter.
March 12, 2007
Dear Speaker,
I am writing to confirm your agreement to serve as speaker at our career day Friday, March 30th. Lower grade sessions begin at 8:15 and upper grade sessions begin at 8:30. Please check in with one of the secretaries in the school office at 8:00 lower grade speakers ,8:15 upper grade speakers. She will tell you the classroom in which you will be a speaker. There are 6 sessions for lower grades and 5 for the upper grades. The various classes will rotate through the classroom in which you will be speaking. If you are a lower grade speaker, you will be finished by 11:25. Upper grade speakers will finish at 12:30.
Lower grade presentations are 25 minutes each. Upper grade presentations are 40 minutes. Your talk may include:
- Your educational background and how you got into your current career.
- What you do in your job. Kids enjoy hearing about what speakers actually do.
- Are reading, math, and writing important in your job?
- Do you like what you do? Would you change careers if you could?
- Anything that you use in your job that would be interesting to the students would be helpful to bring.
We will have snacks and coffee for you in the school library during the recess break. Also, please plan to join us for lunch afterward if your schedule permits.
Thank you for your willingness to provide our students with your life experiences. If for any reason, you are not able to come on March 30th, please notify me as soon as possible. If you have any questions please call me.
Cordially,
Christy Tuller
Career Day Coordinator
Once you have all of your speakers lined up and your schedule complete, it is a good idea to have it approved by the principle before you send it out to the staff. Always make sure that ALL staff members recieve a copy so that they are aware of the schedule. The aides and cafeteria staff will need to be notified due to possible changes in their schedules as well. When the day comes be there and have fun! Take pictures if you have time. You could be doing a lot of running around. After the day is over, write a letter to the local paper thanking the speakers by name and career. Remember that Career Day is supposed to be a fun learning experience for the kids and the teachers enjoy it as well. The best part about planning Career Day is seeing the smiles on the kids' faces and hearing about how much fun it was.
