During this COVID-19 closure, teachers got creative with distance learning lessons. Jacob Smith, Eisenhower Middle School technology teacher, decided to reach out to some friends with “cool jobs.”
“During the distance learning time, I wanted to continue to expose the students to technology in the “real” world through different professions,” said Smith.
The lessons started with a Navy Pilot stationed in the Philippines, then, a Vice President of a bank in Dallas, who also used to teach at Eisenhower. The students also got to learn lessons from a landscape architect living in Los Angeles.
“He has worked on some large Vegas projects and with some ‘famous’ people,” Smith explained.
But this latest lesson was with the owner of Puro Sound Labs, a headphone company focused on eliminating noise-induced hearing loss.
“I was happy that Jacob reached out to us and understood our mission, it actually surprised me,” said Dave Russell, owner of Puro Sound Labs. “Jacob understood that Noise-Induced Hearing Loss (NIHL) is very prevalent in the world, and I thought that we could help out his students.”
The students were encouraged to do the lesson with their parents so that they could be educated on NIHL as well. During the video, the students were asked to answer various questions about hearing loss and how the technology works.
Several parents messaged Mr. Smith and even tweeted about how they and their students learned valuable lessons during the assignment.
One student told Mr. Smith, “I thought it was really cool to talk to a business owner. He seemed like a very nice guy. The interview was different; it broke up assignments and was a nice change.”
At the very end of the conversation, students were treated to a nice surprise. Russell offered to send headphones to all the students who took part in the lesson.
“I am not sure the video caught the shock that was going through my mind,” said Smith.
“It is our pleasure to help out when we can,” said Russell. “The more we can get the word out about NIHL and Puro Sound Labs, the better for us and everyone.”
He also added this message to the students, “Education is a very important part of building a foundation for kids to achieve their goals. Not everyone has the opportunity to go to college or university. Having a network of friends/professionals/mentors is a large part of everyone’s success. When you blend a good education with a great network, you have a better chance of success.”
