When students in Joe Mika’s class this week build new computers from outdated ones, they will get to take their new creations home.
Maine Township High School District 207 donated 20 computers, plus 12 monitors and keyboards to Mika’s class, Learning to Assemble Your Own Computer. The class is one of several enrichment courses being offered for the first time as part of the district’s effort to expand its summer school program.
It gives teachers a chance to offer courses–such as Automotive Careers and Traveling to Europe via the Internet–that they are interested in but cannot provide during the regular school year because of size limitations.
For Mika, who teaches metals, woods and an introductory technology course, showing students how the inside of a computer works is not feasible during the regular school year curriculum.
“This is something the school won’t have much of a chance to teach. We just won’t have the computers to give away each year,” Mika said.
But for these teachers, who proposed the ideas for the courses and planned the curriculum on their own, it is an opportunity to share something they have a passion about, said Judy Bovenmyer, assistant principal at Maine West High School.
Not only are the classes smaller, allowing for more one-on-one attention, but the 3-hour time slots each day make it easier to plan activities and outings.
For once they don’t have to stop a chemistry experiment midway through and then set it all up again where they left off the next day, Bovenmyer said.
After working in the industry for 10 years, automotive instructor Greg Serrano wanted to show his students their career options.
“They all want to work on cars, so I tell them: Sure, you can be a mechanic, but someone has to write the manuals and be the engineer,” Serrano said. “There’s nothing wrong with being an auto mechanic, but there are other things you can do too.”
All week a small group of upperclassmen, who have already taken his automotive course during the regular school year, will tour industries and factories in the northwest suburbs to discover career possibilities.
“They are going to see real industry going on, not just listen to Mr. Serrano stand up in front of the class and tell them about it,” he said.
The bulk of summer school classes continue to be geared for at-risk kids with the stigma that you only take them when required. But many educators are devising ways to increase attendance, by encouraging students to take advantage of the summer to get ahead or take something they couldn’t fit into their regular school-year schedule.
“Summer should be a profitable time for kids to take courses they want to take. During the school year their schedules are crunched. Some don’t even have lunch because they are taking so many classes,” said Suzanne Millies, District 207 assistant superintendent for instruction.
Still, low enrollment forced the district to forgo some of its enrichment courses this year.
Astronomy and a medical and technical terminology class didn’t make the cut, and teachers were surprised that Introduction to Morphing failed to get a following, but surmised that students might not have realized what the often humorous image modification process was.
But in this case, what the students want goes.
“These kids are doing it because they want to be here,” Serrano said.
