We’re all students. And we’re all teachers. Some of us just have a more formalized role in either capacity. Great teachers are continuous students and great students continuously learn, often by teaching.

As a society, we task teachers, especially at the elementary and secondary levels, to develop critical abilities and skills within youthful minds. And they need to balance out developing skills that the students can practically use from one grade to another, while keeping their eye on the larger goal…employment. This is difficult because the skills we need for contributing team members (CTM’s) is always changing. And teachers are asked to do more with a smaller set of resources.

But, teachers don’t educate within a vacuum. They need to reach out to community members who are willing to share their stories, their challenges, and their needs. Realistically though, most teachers are limited in their engagement with community members who are family, friends and neighbors. So, how do they expand their opportunities to include a larger circle for more enriching stories to share with their students?

It’s not as difficult as it may seem. Our Mindscape team recently hosted four educators from West Michigan as a part of the Educators in the Workplace program, sponsored by the Grand Rapids Chamber of Commerce. This program gives educators, and not just specifically teachers, the opportunity to engage directly with local businesses. They’re listening, watching and doing (in some cases) what happens in these businesses. And throughout the course of the week, they’re interacting with a varied set of perspectives from different roles, businesses and industries. At the end of their experience they must connect what they learned to a teaching objective for their students. And they must implement their plan when their classes are back in session.

When hiring individuals for our Mindscape and Hanon McKendry teams, I’m always looking for individuals who are continuous learners. And as an educator, the experiences, knowledge and stories I share with my students in the classroom at Davenport University, adds significant value beyond what they read in a text or hear from their peers.

Educators must be committed to continuous learning, not only for themselves, but more importantly for the young minds they inspire. They must be able to connect the stories of ancient history, geometry and language arts to those skills used every day in a workplace. This doesn’t happen by just reading; they need to interact and engage with those who utilize those skills to care for others; to manufacture needed products and to provide services that keep our community alive.

People involved in businesses must be committed to opening their doors and sharing their stories. Many business leaders haven’t been in school for a long time. Or their interaction with a school is limited to parent/teacher conferences; a sporting event or an occasional field trip.

Connect for our youth:

Educators set a goal to meet with three new business people this year…over coffee, for lunch or for a longer period of time at their site. And ask them about their points of pain and what they need within the talents of their teams.

Business leaders set a goal to meet with three new educators this year…over coffee, for lunch or for a longer period of time at their site. And ask them what you can do to help them with their challenges and their desires to create effective members of the workforce.