By JOSH STEVENSON
At Foster High School, we know how crucial it is for our students to pursue a post-secondary education. Many challenges already face the high school graduate: rising tuition, limited enrollment, a recovering job market, and a rapidly changing workforce, to name just a few. In this new world, students must prepare for success, and it’s our job to help them.
To that end, several years ago we created Advisory classes, in which students use the Navigation 101 curriculum to help prepare for life after high school (you can visit their website at navigation101.com). In Advisory, students learn about career preparation and college readiness. As we continue to develop our Advisory classes, one of our chief goals is to help students understand the actual paths they might follow to certain careers or occupations. To this end, our advisories work to teach students how to plan for their future: how to understand their graduation requirements, how to choose courses of study, and how to ensure that all their time in high school is valuably spent.
An equally important goal is to help our students understand that they can, in fact, achieve anything. They can go to college; they can enter advanced careers. In our advisories, we help students understand how to set and reach these goals, and we help our students work towards reaching them, through teaching advocacy, good study habits, and college and career awareness.
Through such programs as Navigation 101 and IGNITE (a new program in which older students work as role models and mentors for younger students) we continue to teach positive academic skills, mentorship, and the value of working together. We continue to help students understand and prepare for a successful life beyond high school.
We’re excited for next year; and we’re looking forward to working with you, the Tukwila community, as we continue this effort.
Josh Stevenson is a teacher at Foster High School.
