“Gross,” Jade said. Dressed in a white coat, she was looking at a pair of human lungs that she and her classmates were about to inflate. My fifth graders were visiting the University of Mississippi Medical Center to get a sense of what it’s like to be in the medical field.
“I thought you wanted to be a pediatrician,” I said to Jade.
“I still do,” Jade replied, “but after this trip, I realize I’m going to have to get myself used to some nasty stuff.”
The day was filled with similar “aha” moments for all my students as they learned how to check pulses, conduct CPR, administer Epi-Pens and help injured human-body models. After just one experience, my students walked away buzzing with ideas about their futures.
My students and I are lucky that my school can make such experiences possible. Many schools in Mississippi, including three at which I previously taught, do not have the resources to set up such a trip. In my previous schools, there were very few relationships between the schools and the businesses in the community that our students might have visited. The cost of field trips, such as hiring bus drivers and paying facility fees for students no matter how small, was usually prohibitive.
As a teacher, I know that when Jade and children like her are exposed to different places, people and career opportunities in late elementary and early middle school, their perspectives are broadened, and they view life through a lens of possibilities instead of seeing those options as distant dreams. I also know that we can take steps to make experiences like Jade’s a reality for all students in Mississippi.
Firstly, local businesses should partner with schools to provide free, or at least more affordable, field trips for students to introduce them to experiences and possible careers within their own communities. Oftentimes, students like Jade have ideas of things that they want to do or be when they grow up, but they can’t see a clear path of putting their plans into action. If field trips are not feasible, business owners and representatives could visit classrooms to share experiences of their careers with students. For example, a local architecture firm could bring plans and models into a classroom like mine and discuss the ins and outs of their projects around the city.
Secondly, districts like mine should allocate some of their budgets to field trips and other enriching student experiences. As circumstances stand now, many districts have students cover the cost of their own trips—including paying to use a bus as transportation, the hourly wage for the driver and any charges from the business. While schools can get outside funding for some field trips (Title I schools, for example, can apply to the Mississippi Aquarium to cover admission costs), students usually still have fees they must pay to participate. Teachers like me are not allowed to cover the cost of trips for our students, so if a student’s family cannot afford the cost of the trip, that student will miss out.
Finally, we should ensure that students like Jade can learn of the options open to them by visiting colleges and universities, including technical colleges like Hinds Community College. Rather than solely catering to juniors and seniors in high school. Colleges and universities should also collaborate with elementary and middle schools to host visits for younger students so they can begin to see just why applying themselves in school is so important.
Every Mississippian wants to see our future generations flourish and our students grow up to be successful adults who contribute positively to society. Early exposure to different life experiences and career opportunities can spark hope and probability in the future. And one of these experiences could mold a child into a future pediatrician or a doctor who finds the cure to cancer. Jade and all our students deserve nothing else.
This MFP Voices opinion essay does not necessarily represent the views of the Mississippi Free Press, its staff or board members. To submit an opinion for the MFP Voices section, send up to 1,200 words and sources fact-checking the included information to voices@mississippifreepress.org. We welcome a wide variety of viewpoints.
