Educational Field Experience (EFE) and Professional Work Program (PWP) are two hidden gems in the LM curriculum that I have discovered. They were designed to help students become more familiar with work skills such as healthy work relationships, personal integrity, ethics, networking, interviewing,and understanding work environments.
EFE and PWP, programs supervised by Ronnie Manlin, are part of a larger group of programs that fall under Community Based Learning. Other programs include community service, job shadowing and senior project.
EFE offers an unpaid internship in the “real world” for course credit. Conversely, PWP is designed for students that want to use their jobs as a learning experience for academic credit. Both these courses meet for one period per four-day cycle for a seminar with Ms. Manlin.
In class, I have the chance to reflect and discuss issues related to their chosen workplace. Ms. Manlin’s lesson plans focus heavily on “street smart” material. Students in these programs talk a lot in class because one of the course objectives is to figure out and learn from experiences through discussion. The classes are in groups of two or sometimes one on one. There is very little homework and instead a “hands on” approach.
The opportunities to which students can channel their interests are extremely diverse. For example, this year I am interning with nutritionist and dietician Courtney Shoepe because I am interested in pursuing nutrition as a career. Shoepe works at the Aquatic and Fitness Center in Bala Cynwyd, where I shadow her and ask questions regarding health and fitness. Aside from becoming more knowledgeable about nutrition, interning at The Aquatic and Fitness Center provides insight into a real workplace.
Some other students who participate in EFE or PWP are seniors David Hockey, Molly Edler, Kelly Clark, Dan Szallasi and C o n o r F o o t e , and junior Lenna Blistein.
Blistein participates in PWP by working at the Bala Cynwyd Library. She has worked at the library for three years, operating the circulation desk by checking books in and out, and inspecting each book in the library to see how well it’s holding together.
“It is nice to get a credit for something I’m already doing, and that only takes up one set per cycle,” said Blistein.
A fellow student in the EFE course is Szallasi, who is currently a volunteer EMT at the Narberth Ambulance and a volunteer firefighter at Belmont Hills Fire Company.
“The Educational Field Experience class is a great tool for those volunteering outside of school. As a volunteer EMT and firefighter, the class allows me to receive school credit for my service, while also providing valuable and insightful lessons about work through reflection,” said Szallasi.
I have learned that a workplace is similar to a classroom setting, in that I have to relate to a boss like I would a teacher, and I must make contributions to the environment around me. EFE and PWP differ from normal classes in that there is no defined syllabus; the class’s content is derived from the students’ personal experiences. Seminars are driven by essential questions that focus the direction of the class. Students also learn about workplace decorum, ethics, and manner. Ideally, if you can teach yourself how to learn on your own, then you can learn anything in the world.
Why should a student participate in these two courses? Well, they help students to better understand themselves and the world around them. Researching and finding placements also gives students exposure to vital job searching skills that undoubtedly will be needed later in life. On top of that, the programs help with college and career direction as well as establish contacts for senior project.
Thomas Hine perhaps sums up the main idea of EFE and PWP best in his book, The Rise and Fall of the American Teenager: “The job of young people is not, as we sometimes assume, simply to go to high school. It is to imagi n e a n d begin to construct their lives. They need to understand both their interests and abilities, a n d t h e s o c i e t y of which they are a part. And they need t o ma k e a self for the times in which they live. Adolescence needs to become a vital part of life, not just a long wait for ‘real life’ to begin.” Is this not true?
Lisa Li
Class of 2011
