Tour of Jackson Businesses

Today my kiddos learned about what it would take to be a small business owner, to work in a credit union, to own a catering business, that there are great opportunities in many varied careers at Allegiance, that the most-stolen item at Allegiance Hospital is candles from the gift shop, that steel costs about a dollar per pound, and, most importantly, the more education you get, the more likely you are to make money in our job! They also learned that being a small business owner has its own risks and sometimes pays less than you might think!

All this information came straight from the sources, too, from people who were at their jobs, dressed for their jobs, doing their jobs.


Our first stop was Baker Builders, Inc., run by Mr. Aaron Baker. He and his crew talked to the kids about being a small business and let them practice their hammering and drilling skills! They loved the orange flashlights Mr. Baker gave each of them!

Addie taking her turn at the drill.

Emma practicing her pounding!

Keeley and Merritt,
with Taylor looking on.

Nevaeh is definitely our drill champ!

Jonathan getting some
support from Hunter and Bailey!

A very focused Cole.

Safety first for Katelyn!

Devin getting in his drilling practice.

Hammering practice for Tayla and Kiah!

Michael working on the drill with
buddies waiting their turn!

Taylor doesn't look too
 sure of herself on this!

Danielle smiling at her success!

Our next stop, at CP Federal Credit Union, gave the kids an opportunity to learn the difference between debit and credit cards, along with a host of other financial topics. Seeing a bank vault and asking how many transactions the tellers make in one day, the kids were all hands-on.  The color-change pencils were a big hit, too!

Watching what a teller does in the drive-through.

Mr. Crist telling our students about CP Federal Credit Union

Then we were off to lunch at Gene Davis and Sons Banquet Center, where the kids enjoyed a taco/nacho lunch. They were able to interview Nick Davis, one of the sons, and get valuable information on running a catering and restaurant business!

Our next stop was Allegiance Health, which is Jackson's largest employer! The kids were able to hear from a nurse, a pharmacist, a food service manager, and a security guard, along with the volunteer coordinator of the hospital, who was our contact. They were fascinated with variety of careers available in a hospital! Upon our departure, Mrs. Sayles gave each of the kids (and parents and teachers) a stress ball, which was appreciated by all! :)

Allegiance Health - A nurse talking about what made him
decide on his career. Cool stuff!

A pharmacist at Allegiance Health
talking about her job and education.

The Food Service Manager, who buys $60,000 of groceries each week!!!

  

Alro Industrial's Mr. Martoia, who wonderfully explained the
process of manufacturing and distribution to our kids!

The final stop of the day was at Alro Industial, with Mr. Rick Martoia as our host. The difference between the hospital's setting and this was a real eye-opener for the kids. They weren't too thrilled with the smell or noise in the plant but were quite taken with how a flame could cut through a thick piece of steel! They were busy taking notes about the whole process Alro goes through, though, and were surprised at how quickly a customer could get an order processed through Alro! When Mr. Martoia presented the kids with their cool Alro black LED flashlights, they were pretty happy campers!

As a follow-up to this amazing trip, the kids began writing about what they remember and learned from the trip. We worked on that in class and will finish them up after Thanksgiving break!

We truly appreciate the time and energy each of these businesses put in to make this trip a success!!! What a fantastic day!!!