Career planning course detailed for Dixon Public Schools board

DIXON – Dixon High School Assistant Principal Jessica Meusel and teacher Brandon Woodward were on hand for the Dixon Public Schools board of education meeting in March, describing and prompting discussion about the career planning course that will start in 2022-23.

The initiative enables high school seniors to begin work in the educational field as part of college preparation and also to confirm their interest at this early stage – providing them time to set their college plans accordingly.

The program is in a pilot this year, in which a handful of high school students are taking part, learning about whether they want to become career educators. They have taken field trips to Illinois State University and are supervised by teachers within the district in something akin to student teaching. One student informed the board at an earlier meeting that one of her potential college choices told her the program would count for college credit.

With the board’s OK, the district hopes to have five to 10 students in a full program next year.

Woodward said that providing the education career path was the easiest for the district to fulfill. But the program could expand, adding manufacturing, medical or agricultural disciplines. “As it grows, it matures,” he said.

Board member Rachel Cocar said this program could play a role in bringing students back to the community as full teachers when their college degree is completed.

The board approved the particulars. This will be a one-semester course worth 0.5 credits toward high school graduation. The program’s exploratory process is broken down into eight modules.

These modules cover topics such as a self-assessment of career interest, how to “fail forward” during the process, digital citizenship, personal finance and empowerment, personal goals, career clusters and pathways, developing a resume, and preparing for job interviews.

A section on developing employment competencies covers on-the-job survival skills such as teamwork and conflict resolution, communication, problem solving, decision making, critical thinking, adaptability and flexibility, initiative and self-drive, reliability, accountability, workplace culture and organizational planning.

Participating students will also develop a career pathway portfolio to document their classwork. This includes high school transcripts, the individualized learning plan, career exploration interviews with two or more professionals in the field, research on other related jobs, how to complete a FASFA (Free Application for Federal Student Aid) and building a list of employment references.