The power of DO
"Just do it," and "Let's do this" are the powerful and memorable slogans of Nike and Home Depot. The slogans are a succinct call for personal action, thanks to the small but ever so powerful verb, DO. They are appreciated even more because the slogans send a subliminal message of encouragement. They smartly promote personal confidence when getting something started. Whether it's training on the court, or starting a home improvement project, nothing gets done until we decide to fearlessly make the step toward doing.
Learning by doing is Bradley Tech’s 110-year living legacy. We teach for students to build a foundation of skills used in carpentry, welding, machine tool, engineering, mechanical drafting, website design, and graphic arts. Students often find hidden interests and all explore rewarding careers that are in high demand. Ask a Tech graduate years after graduation and many will say that Tech has helped them get where they are today.
Why do thousands of Tech graduates credit their high school experience for their adult success? Why do our alumni, many of whom are not doing the career they studied for in high school, point back to Tech as such a life-changing experience? It’s a common reference that Tech introduced them to the process of learning for the workplace. The “let’s do this” slogan has been applied in our classrooms for decades. Tech curriculum and the instructors, they proudly say, encouraged learning new skills through a process of doing.
Our ninth grade Trade and Technology (TT) Survey is an experience of rotating through eight different shops . The class is what makes BT special, and so different from any other school. Tech alumni usually refer to their ninth grade experience when they explain what made their high school so beneficial today.
Nearly a year before it was implemented this month, our staff has worked to layout a new learning plan for our ninth grade students. Guided by a shared student and instructor checklist of learning goals, our incoming class of 2020 has 21 school days to spend in each of the eight careers we are teaching. With our partners, MATC and UWM, our staff is learning how to teach the skills that will reach a college-equivalency by the time the student reaches their sophomore year.
It’s a very worthy challenge, and one that will be rewarding for our graduates in the years to come. This fall we have the chance to try new projects, invite guests into our classroom, and to develop a new learning approach to an age-old goal: Helping our students reach the workplace and excel.
Bradley Tech has been and always will be Milwaukee’s high school shop. We have never forgotten that our Milwaukee school has been the national model for career and technical education. This year is off to a strong start. Shop curriculum is aligning to MATC and instructors and students are launching new and exciting projects. We invite you to visit and participate in our shops and classrooms to help encourage our students to explore and learn by doing. You can help our students develop rewarding careers, and create the next generation of Milwaukee's thriving workforce.
To borrow a popular slogan, but emphasize it for our students: Let’s DO this together.
