Full Transcript:
Joy Walczak (JW): Welcome to the Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast where we celebrate student success one dream at a time. Today we're talking to a lot of dreamers here at Endeavor Elementary School in Kentwood and we are here as part of their summer program. We're finding out what students are dreaming about becoming when they grow up and also how education is helping them to make their dreams come true.
Students: My name is Queen and I am in third grade and right now I’m ready to go into first grade. Yeah, and I'm Cleveland and I'm in fifth grade, and when I grow up, I want to be an FBI officer. My name is Mason, and I'm in the fifth grade. My dream is to be a soccer player or a basketball player.My name is Esther, and I go to Hamilton. And I want to be an actress and a singer when I grow up. My name is Celine, and I'm in fourth grade. I would like to be a teacher, an artist, or a singer because I want to help students learn and mostly because I'm always constantly teaching my little sibling stuff.My name is Payton. I'm in third grade. I want to be an artist when I grow up. We do a lot of art in our classroom.
JW: And we also have an educator here with us today. Why don't you introduce yourself and tell us what you do here in Kentwood?
Tim Hargis (TH): Yeah, so I'm Tim Hargis. Currently I'm the director of communication for Kentwood Public Schools, my 22nd year in the district. I've spent time as an instructional coach at the elementary level and also was an elementary principal at Meadowlawn Elementary before taking on my new role as a director of communication, which I'm in my fifth year, unbelievably, and that role is now.
JW: Well, congratulations. That's a wonderful career. And you know students well. Today we're asking them what they're dreaming about. Why do you think it's important for educators to even ask that question?
TH: Our students have so much potential and they have so much they can add to this community and any community. And we are committed to helping foster their dreams and to give them the opportunities they can have to be successful because what they can offer a community is limitless and it is our job to capture their energy and their spirit and their dreams and help move that forward for them to be successful.
Students: My name is Ila and I’m going to third grade and I want to be a dentist.My name is Chloe.I'm in kindergarten.I want to be a vet to save animals.My name is Ronnie Harris and I'm going to sixth grade. I'm going to be a famous hockey player. I really like when they teach me a lot of math and reading and I think that's going to me a lot when I make it to my career.I'm hoping I can achieve my dream when I turn 16.
TH: One thing we embrace in Kentwood is the idea of real-world learning and the first thing that comes to the top of mind is, just two days ago, I got a chance to tour a home here in Kentwood that was built by the residential construction class at East Kentwood High School. For more than 40 years, students from our high school have been building homes in this community and the most important thing is to hear and see those students talk about the work they've done, share it with members of the community, share it with their parents, and the pride and the excitement to share what they've done was something else. And then we did a Facebook post about the home and people are like, “I built a home in 97. I love that they're still doing this. This is just such a great thing”. So, it's really trying to provide some concrete opportunities in the learning realm to help foster those dreams and move our kids forward.
JW: And our kids today are sharing dreams of becoming everything from a singer and a police officer to a doctor or an aeronautical engineer.And what kind of opportunities our elementary school kids getting every day in your classrooms?
TH: Our students know that they're welcomed, they're safe, and they're valued. And to me, that helps build that esteem and that belief that they can do whatever they want to do. Giving them opportunities to talk and learn together is going to set them up for success down the road.
JW: Absolutely, and I do want to explain that what we're hearing around us today is Maranda's Park Party Recess. Why is it important to collaborate with community members like Maranda and everyone she brings together here today?
TH: Community partnerships are at the core of what we do. There is no success for a school district if you don't have a partnership with your community.But the broader community,Maranda, other entities that show up year after year for our kids, really matters, too. If members of the community are going to give time and volunteer and services to bring some joy and fun and experiences to the kids today, that just is a great example of how these kids are valued and how they have so much to give and they will give back to the community someday.So, give and then give.
JW: Thank you so much for the work you do here in Kentwood.
TH: I appreciate it. Thank you, Joy.
JW: We want to thank everyone who participated in our podcast today and all of those who are listening, too. If you know a student who dreams big, let us know. You can find the Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast on KentISD.org and WGVU. This podcast is presented in partnership with WGVU. I'm Joy Walczak for the Your Dream Is Our Dream podcast.
