We started our construction class with an online OSHA certification course. The students will receive a card showing that they have completed the course. The course is different certification for the 2nd year students. These certifications should have value with future employers. We have been in the shop doing electrical work the last few weeks. Most of the students like hands-on electrical work. We completed that faze of the construction course this week. We will be heading out to a job site next week to do some concrete work. After that we will do another out of shop project, weather permitting. Our in shop work this fall & winter will include, framing, roofing, plumbing, hvac, drywall and possibly other things, depending on the scope of our out of shop projects.
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HOYA 2 students did a great job with their first Community Health bulletin board addressing the important subject of Suicide Prevention Awareness. In addition to the bulletin board, students designed a Google slide presentation. On Monday they will be planning the October monthly community health board. The focus of these assignments can be the “community” of CareerTEC students here at St. John’s or the entire community.
As teaching is a significant part of any healthcare career, students are also busy starting their planning stage of their Teaching project where they will go to local schools and teach something healthcare related to children at the 5th grade level or younger. This is always such a favorite assignment for the students.
We also have addressed the elephant in our classroom. Remember, the only way to eat an elephant is one bite at a time. Our “elephant” is our Medical Terminology curriculum of at least 350 medical terms. So the medical terms are broken into weekly “bites” of approximately 25 word parts and terms.
As healthcare is ever changing and bioethics and technology advances are at a pace never seen before, the students have just completed their bioethical persuasive essay. They presented both pros and cons and then discussed their view. The essays covered AI (artificial intelligence) in Healthcare. Should it be welcomed or feared? I have been provided with some thought provoking information as I am reading through the essays.
In October students will be working on their second memo on employability skills and academic foundations. We will be looking into out of the ordinary healthcare careers. We are just finishing up with Complementary and Alternative Medicine.
In the last half of September, students took the nationally-recognized food manager exam. Upon passing the exam, students receive their food manager license, making them desirable candidates as employees within the food service industry. They also began learning about moist heat and dry heat cooking methods. For example, to learn how to steam, students prepared steamed Asian dumplings filled with pork, cabbage, onion, garlic, ginger, and scallions. To learn to poach, students made yam hash consisting of yams, russet potatoes, carrots, bacon, and garlic, topped with a poached egg. In the first half of October, students will continue to practice cooking methods by preparing a wide variety of foods. Also, students will learn about vegetable cookery.
Careers In Business (CIB)
October 2024
Students have been working on their communication skills during September and into October. Their first project was using team and conversation skills to design and plan the order of a new CareerTEC shirt. They did a great job and once the final decision has been made, we will advertise on the CIB Facebook page, CareerTEC’s website, and our local school.
Another project was a to complete a college, trade, or military business proposal. They chose a one of the three they wanted to go to upon graduating high school and researched 20-25 different metrics about that institution to educate themselves. Then, they created a business proposal and provided this information to their parents for review. It’s a great way to utilize new communication skills with real world applications.
They are also writing different types of business messages such as: letters showing appreciation, apologies, expressing sympathy, creating memos, announcements, and making claims to name a few.
Students will also learn to plan and deliver different types of business presentations. One project will be to envision where they want to be in 10 years. They will present about their career, where they would like to live, financial situation, housing, vacations, and everything in between. Again, communication skills that are relevant to them and about them.
The latter part of October we begin business math and personal finance which is typically a class favorite. Have a safe and Happy Halloween!
The students are settling in nicely. Over the past few weeks, we have learned about the legal aspects of healthcare, how to identify the signs and symptoms for potential abuse, when to report, barriers to communication, and how to overcome them. Skills we have acquired this far include, how to properly wash our hands, oral care, and nail care. The students had a lot of fun brushing each other's teeth! Over the next few weeks we will identify proper infection control procedures in order to keep our patients and ourselves safe while caring for others. Skills we will learn next include how to measure and document height and weight, and how to properly put on and take off personal protective equipment.
Careers In Business (CIB)
August/September 2024
Welcome to CIB or Careers In Business where we learn an obscene amount of information used
in the business world and in everyday life! The first few days we spend time getting to know one
another through different games, ice breakers, and conversation. We are focusing on
communication skills as they are the most important skill set in any career. It takes skill have
conversations with people you don’t know or that you may disagree with. We discuss what
we’ve learned to real life situations in school, sports, and the workplace. Students are currently
working on creating an agenda, holding their own group meetings where they design and market
this years’ career gear which will be sold in the next week or so. After that, students will quickly
dive into writing college business proposals, different types of business letters, and memos. They
will also begin using MS Word to help them accomplish their writing.
CIB II has a massive group of amazing seniors who have an internship at local businesses. Some
of the students began their internship this summer to accommodate their busy school schedule
while others have just started. It was the student’s responsibility to find their own internship.
Below is a list of the students and their home school.
Brody Black Pecatonica
Maren Davis Pecatonica
Jaxon Diedrich Pecatonica
Ava Gasparini Pecatonica
Jordan Gassman Pecatonica
Cooper Hathaway Freeport
Cooper Hoffman Pecatonica
Brylee Knutti Pecatonica
Sydni Lower Pearl City
Madison Roach Pearl City
Liam Swiss Pecatonica
Aurelia Vasquez Freeport
Samuel Weitzel-Lopez Pecatonica
In addition to their internships, we meet weekly where they work portfolios, college and career
papers, volunteering, and presentations just to name a few things. This is a group that I adore
because they are all hardworking and fun! (Selfishly, I wish we met daily!) It’s so excited to see
their growth throughout their internship this year.
Culinary Arts is off to a wonderful start! Students are currently learning about food sanitation and knife skills. In the first half of September, students will take the Certified Professional Food Manager exam, and if they pass with 70% or more, they will receive their sanitation license. Also, students will continue developing their knife skills through the preparation of recipes such as pico de gallo and clear vegetable soup.
HOYA 2 students have been busy discussing their current internships; they were all extremely busy over their summer break working and getting some of their required 255 total internship hours. We have a wide variety of internships; hospital, nursing homes, home health are just a few options the students have chosen. They will be building upon the skills they learned in HOYA 1 as well as working on their employability skills.
Since we have moved classrooms, the students are helping make the room into “THEIR” classroom with each student choosing a personal motivational poster to add to our walls. I am a huge proponent of “choosing your attitude” which is demonstrated by the Mindset is Everything poster that was my personal favorite.
In the coming weeks, HOYA 2 students will embark on an exciting project: planning and constructing their first Community Bulletin Board. This initiative is an essential part of their curriculum, allowing students to creatively express their knowledge and insights while engaging and teaching the community of other CareerTEC students as well as followers of our HOYA Facebook page. Stay tuned for the unveiling of their work and the valuable insights it will bring!
The initial chapter of their studies this year will focus on a review of healthcare's past, present, and future. This exploration will enable students to understand the evolution of healthcare practices, advancements in medical technology, and the emerging trends shaping the future of the industry. The students will be looking into the pros and cons of AI in healthcare.
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