"Best Practice"

"Choices"

Down-to-Earth examples of career related "Choices" shaping the students lives NOW and In the FUTURE

A Unique/Valuable "Careers" Awareness Supplement For Schools - Targeting 9th Grades

NOTE: The Delta Partnership is targeting all 6,000+ 9th graders in the Mesa Public School System. Personnel from other school systems have been "Choices" trained. The Delta Partnership is planning to accommodate those additional school districts during the 1999-2000 school year. For additional information:

Contact:
Hal Wochholz, Delta Partnership Coordinator (602) 891-6200 or
e-mail: hal.wochholz@boeing.comCHOICES

The Boeing Company has an exclusive license from the "Choices" producers - US West Foundation - to present "Choices" materials to the Mesa School District. The following two "Choices" pages generally outlines the program.

"Choices"
Increasing Your Options

The attached CHOICES brochure and information describes an exciting business/education partnership activity. If you take a few minutes to review its contents, you will quickly discover that CHOICES is not a typical partnership program.

CHOICES is a classroom seminar presented to ninth grade students by trained volunteer speakers from Industry. The seminar deals with motivation, time management, academic decisions and career consequences.

We believe many students do not realize the future consequences of today's academic decisions. It is this lack of understanding, NOT a lack of educational opportunity, which contributes to poor attitudes, decisions and performance. For most students, CHOICES is a real "eyeopener" regarding the importance of education and its impact on their lives. For others, it reinforces concepts introduced at an earlier age by parents or teachers. For some, it plants a seed for future nurturing. While the education process takes place over a life time continuum, CHOICES is an appropriate and effective checkpoint.

Through the purchase of license agreements from the non-profit US WEST Education Foundation, Boeing/HTIC/STW has obtained classroom materials, speaker training and the exclusive right to deliver the CHOICES message to Mesa Schools, free of charge. We feel CHOICES is an exciting concept to say the least, and one from which every participant benefits:

• Students benefit from a real world message presented by a respected and credible community source.
• Mesa Schools receive the community support they so desperately need.
• Mesa Community benefits by having business support education objectives of parents and schools

We feel that CHOICES is the right message at the right time by the right messenger. We are sure that as you review this material you will agree. CHOICES is very effective as a "stand alone", but you will also sense how it can be used in conjunction with other educational activities, such as: dropout prevention programs, decision-making curriculums, career exploration and guidance services.

STUDENT LEARNING OBJECTIVES

Through discussion, demonstration and role play exercises contained in the following segments, trained volunteer speakers from business or community organizations convey the relevance of education in preparation for adult life -- all in a two class period seminar presented on two consecutive days.

FIRST CLASS PERIOD OBJECTIVES

FACTORS INFLUENCING WHO I AM
• Identify 30 factors in life that influence each individual and make him/her unique
• Determine which factors they control
• Discover that they control over half of the factors
• Identify self-discipline as the most important factor
• Define self-discipline in their own words
DECISIONS AND CONSEQUENCES
• Learn that every decision or non-decision has a consequence
• Discover the importance of anticipating consequences before making decisions
• Discover that some short-term decisions have long-term impacts
TIME MANAGEMENT
• Determine how many free time hours they have each week
• Discover that they have enough free time to do homework
• Discover that they still have free time even after they do homework
MONEY MANAGEMENT
• Discover how much money it takes to live on one's own
• Learn how education relates to level of income

SECOND CLASS PERIOD OBJECTIVES

MONEY AND TIME BUDGETS
• Understand the concept of budgeting
• Learn how, just like money, time and school decisions need to be budgeted
SCHOOL DECISIONS & CAREER CONSEQUENCES
• Understand the connection between level of education and career options
• Learn the five building blocks of academic success:
types of classes; grades earned; attendance; free time activities; relationships
• Realize the importance of what goes in each building block
CONNECTIONS BETWEEN SCHOOL AND WORK
• Understand that there is very little difference between what is expected of them at school and what will be expected of them at work
FUTURE IMPACTS
• Learn to think about future consequences
• Look beyond themselves by thinking about how their decisions today may impact others in the future
• Use a hands-on technique for thinking ahead
PROGRAM SUMMARY
• Review the main point of each segment of the CHOICES program
• Believe that their decisions in school now will have long-term consequences
• Reinforce that self-discipline is the key to success