Practical learning and classroom skills go hand-in-hand every Friday morning at Hardy Oak Elementary School. Special education students kicked off the new school year with a coffee cart program. Each Friday, teachers tape their orders outside of their doors for students to collect and take back to the classroom to compile and graph the results.
Next, students use a visual recipe to make the coffee and wait for it to brew. After it’s ready, they assemble the mobile coffee cart and make their deliveries. Each student has their own role, from greeting the teacher, collecting the money, pumping the coffee and hand-delivering the order. Special Education teacher Melissa McDonald decided to initiate this program in hopes that it would encourage and incorporate life skills for her students.
“The ultimate goal is that I really wanted to create an opportunity for both practical learning and positive interactions around campus for my students,” said McDonald. “One student was so proud of our work that she would announce, ‘This is our coffee!’ to anyone who passed us in the hallway. Another student at dismissal approached the teachers that he had delivered to that morning to ask, ‘Did you enjoy your coffee?’”
Friday mornings at Hardy Oak are now a little brighter as smiles and coffee are delivered one cup at a time.
Posted on 8-30-19
