Press Release
- FROM: Manny Otiko, Public Information
- Oklahoma Department of Vo-Tech Education
- 1500 W. Seventh Ave., Stillwater, OK 74074 (405) 743-5109
e-mail: motik@okcareertech.org - Oklahoma Department of Vo-Tech Education
High School Senior Job Shadows
Glenpool High School senior Leslie Harris' long-term ambition is to be a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher. And after a day of job shadowing with the Family and Consumer Sciences Education (FACSED) division at the Oklahoma Department of Vo-Tech Education in Stillwater, she now realizes the job will be more than just playing with children.
Harris recently spent a day observing the FACSED division. The visit was arranged by Jody Dreier, Family and Consumer Sciences teacher at Glenpool High School. During her job shadowing Harris discussed curriculum with Donna Kates, program specialist for the southeast district, and talked to Cindy Oldham, program specialist for the north district, about the roles and responsibilities of a Family and Consumer Sciences instructor. She also met with Virginia Sasser, FHA/HERO (the Family and Consumer Sciences student organization) state adviser, and Edna Mahaffey, state program administrator. Harris said she learned many new aspects of Family and Consumer Sciences during her visit such as the requirements instructors need to meet in their course work and the fact that students are required to participate in a certain number of community service projects. Harris also discovered Family and Consumer Sciences is not an area exclusively for women. "I didn't know that the percentage of males going into the Family and Consumer Sciences program was increasing," she said. Harris also said her shadowing experience emphasized the importance of Family and Consumer Sciences for all students. "I realize that they (educators) are really trying to teach kids how to balance having a career and family, whether you are a man or a woman," she said. |
Leslie Harris (seated) is pictured here with Edna Mahaffey, state program administrator for Family and Consumer Sciences Education. |
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Harris credits Dreier for sparking her interest in becoming a Family and Consumer Sciences teacher. Although this was Harris' first job shadowing experience she said she would recommend it to other students. "I think a lot of people have a flowery picture of a job," Harris said. "Job shadowing shows it is not always fun and games." Harris said job shadowing also helps young people get a clearer idea of what they want to do after they graduate from high school.
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