From Community to Classroom: How Teacher Externships Enrich Student Learning
For the seventh year, Georgetown ISD (GISD) and the Georgetown Chamber of Commerce partnered up to pair GISD educators with local businesses in an externship program. Educators are paired with businesses based on the curriculum they teach and their areas of interest. 26 educators – a record number – were placed in externships this summer for an opportunity to expand their knowledge and enrich the classroom experience in the new school year.
Gaylor and Biddle at City Hall
“My job is primarily to help teachers grow in different learning ways, so my hope for the externship was to bring back something that would benefit other educators,” Ashley Gaylor, Learning Design Coach at Wagner Middle School (WMS) said.
Gaylor was matched with the Office of the City Manager - Georgetown, where she spent her week shadowing various departments of the city under the guidance of Shannon Biddle, Executive Assistant to the City Manager.
“I was excited to get the chance to share with someone exactly what city management does, because a lot of people don’t know,” Biddle said. “My hope is that Ashley can share her newfound knowledge with teachers so they can tell their students about the many career paths that are available to them in a city office – many that they would’ve never imagined.”
“What’s also really cool is, the City of Georgetown and GISD have similar programs in place that focus on leadership development and people relations,” Biddle said. “It was easy to make connections between what Ashley observed at the city, and how some of these processes could benefit the work in GISD.”
Ashley’s week at the city was jam packed with exposure to new experiences. She connected with the city-wide Learning Coordinator, met with the City Manager, shadowed at the Georgetown Public Library, and even visited the Public Safety Center where she learned more about GISD School Resource Officers (SROs).
“Something I heard during my time at the city was, ‘It’s about making the connections before the learning happens.’,” Gaylor said. “I’m eager to take that wisdom back and apply it to the way I work with my teachers. And once that foundation of trust is built, my hope is that they can then take it to their students.”
Agnew shucking an oyster at City Post
Tori Agnew, Culinary Arts Teacher at Georgetown High School (GHS) didn’t do as much traveling around at her externship, but it was just as valuable and exciting.
“When I applied for the program, I expected to be paired with a restaurant and learn about health and sanitation, serving – all the things that go into a restaurant business,” Agnew said. “I’ve gotten that, plus so much more.”
Agnew was paired with City Post Chophouse, where she shadowed owner and entrepreneur Kevin Cummins.
“Here at City Post, it’s not just about serving a meal…you want to do life,” Cummins said. “The intention is that with every person that comes here, we create an experience for them. That’s what I really wanted Tori to take away from this – how to create an experience and build those important relationships.”
Cummins and Agnew co-developed the agenda for the externship to ensure that Agnew was getting the most out of the experience. She did a mini new hire orientation, worked with the head chef, supported various events that were held at the venue, and visited Sweet Lemon, the bakery owned by Cummins’ wife, Rachel.
“We spoke a lot about culture and the importance of creating connections with people in our restaurants,” Cummins said. “It’s guest by guest, team member by team member, relationship by relationship. If Tori hears that, then maybe her students hear that. These are life skills that are super important.”
“It’s interesting because my externship was not what I expected at all. Yes, we covered cooking, sanitation, service, and that was great,” Agnew said. “But what I’m most excited to teach my students is that there are many different ways of looking at success.”
If you are interested in reading more about teacher externships, you can check out the following stories:
Teacher Externships: Building a Bridge Between Community and GISD
