A Community Connection

Written by Stephanie Wixon, Shawnee Mission North Teacher

When considering the implementation of client-connected projects, it may be difficult to imagine what projects in math and world language classrooms across middle and high school may have in common. However, our team, made up of teachers across these disciplines, discovered that we face many of the same struggles and enjoy similar successes. Particularly, we found that we could enhance classroom projects across the board by ensuring that the projects are relevant to students’ local communities.

Bess Hayles, a teacher from Lee’s Summit High School, had her French students work to make a difference in the global environment by collaborating with a local partner, Lee’s Summit Resource Recovery Park. Hayles noted that the students “gained hope [that] they can make a difference” by connecting local changes to global ones

.

Grandview High School Math teacher, Raquel Robinson’s students used calculus to study world population and depression, and through this project, they developed a sense of empathy. Further, learning about how improving customer satisfaction and engagement could lead to overall economic growth in their area fostered a sense of community and belonging.

Similarly, Lesli Lame’s Harrisonville Middle School students worked with local businesses to analyze energy consumption and will see some of their ideas implemented in their community. Lesli wrote:

This [client-connected project] benefited my students in so many ways. They learned that math can be useful outside of the classroom and that what they are learning does have actual real-world implications. To quote one of my students, “It wasn’t just some made-up pretend business for a test question — it was a real business with real people looking for a solution to a real problem.” Students were able to learn at a middle school level the importance of communication, professionalism, and working as a team. Academically, they learned the importance of data analysis and how to investigate [graph patterns]. Furthermore, students have said they now know the importance of energy consumption in their own homes. I have students who now say that they realize it is important to turn off the lights when they leave a room — talk about a win!

Lesli Lame, Harrisonville Middle School Teacher

In response to her students’ interest in sharing their own cultures to help their classmates feel a sense of belonging, Libia Kosisek, a teacher at Lee’s Summit High School, worked with her Spanish students to create a “museum of our lives.” Students brought in artifacts from their own culture and created a museum exhibit that reflects the diversity of their school and district. This museum was visited by students and families from around the district.

All four of the teachers in the discussion highlighted the ways their students confronted the challenges they faced and how these projects could grow and evolve in the future. Each member of our team wished for more time to delve deeper into their projects. When students are engaged in applicable learning, classroom time flies by. The teachers were thrilled at the level of engagement and learning that the students demonstrated in their projects.

For anyone considering taking the leap into client-connected projects, Lame gives this advice: “Don’t be afraid to take on a [client-connected project] with a younger group of students — let them show you how capable they are!”