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Forsyth brings real-world knowledge back to the classroom through Chautauqua summer externship

Chautauqua Guest Home administrator Susan Ayers, left, and Charles City High School science teacher Donna Forsyth, right, look over some records with Cara Heiselman, an LPN who started as a CNA at Chautauqua. (Press photo James Grob.)
Chautauqua Guest Home administrator Susan Ayers, left, and Charles City High School science teacher Donna Forsyth, right, look over some records with Cara Heiselman, an LPN who started as a CNA at Chautauqua. (Press photo James Grob.)
By James Grob, jgrob@charlescitypress.com

Despite the 10-hour days, Donna Forsyth is enjoying her summer job.

“It’s been awesome, I just love it,” she said.

Forsyth teaches biology and life sciences at Charles City High School and is also the Iowa Big North leader for Charles City students. She has been a teacher for more than 30 years, and has taught in Charles City since 1992. Before that, she taught in Tipton and Allison-Bristow.

This summer Forsyth is working with Chautauqua Guest Homes, a senior living and nursing home corporation in Charles City.

It’s called an “externship.”

Externships are full-time, six-week temporary summer positions in local businesses and agencies for secondary teachers of mathematics, science and/or technology.  Teachers earn a stipend of up to $4,800 (including two days of professional development), as well as one graduate credit through the University of Northern Iowa’s Continuing Education program.

The hands-on professional development experience is meant to allow Forsyth to show students how the material they learn in the classroom applies to real careers in Iowa — right in their home communities.

“I’m learning a ton of things to be able to take back to the classroom,” Forsyth said.

“Donna gives us that third and personal, impartial eye,” said Susan Ayers, mentor at Chautauqua Guest Homes. Ayers said that she learns from Forsyth, and in turn, Forsyth learns from her and the rest of the staff at Chautauqua.

“The collaboration is going to lead to improvements on both sides,” Ayers said.

Teachers are matched with workplaces near their school districts based on that organization’s needs and the teacher’s skills, STEM (science, technology, engineering and mathematics) content area, and interests.

By keeping the matches local, school-business partnerships develop that last throughout the coming school year and beyond, ultimately making students more aware of the skills needed to fill the jobs in the city or community they live in, according to the program.

“By matching the teachers’ skills and abilities with the goals of the extern host there is a tremendous return on the investment of time and effort put into the externship,” said Jason Lang, who manages the STEM Teacher Externships Program.

This year, the Iowa Governor’s STEM Advisory Council matched 76 teachers from schools across Iowa with local STEM workplaces, the largest summer cohort in the program’s 10-year history.

Teacher externships also intend to provide educators with the exposure to answer questions about real-world application, prepare students for careers they may have in the future, and improve educational experiences.

While teachers build new ways to tie state academic standards into the available jobs and skills needed by local workplaces, extern hosts find the help they need to complete significant projects that bring value to the organization.

Through her externship, Forsyth is looking into other opportunities that an establishment like Chautauqua can offer students, and looking into things like requirements and competency standards that employees need.

“They have a training and education program that is new to the staff, so I’ve had the opportunity to spend some time investigating that,” Forsyth said. “I’m helping them learn how to use that to help their staff with continuing education. In some cases, even some remedial assistance that some of them might need, so it’s a great resource for their staff.”

Forsyth said that her class, “exploring science careers,” makes a perfect connection with Chautauqua.

“Everything I do here directly relates to that,” she said. “It’s not just me taking what I think back to the students, it’s our community partners who are telling us specifically what they need.”

Ayers said the externship is the natural next step in the high school certified nursing assistant (CNA) program recently established between Chautauqua and Iowa Big North.

“Donna and I had tried to get the CNA program through for at least 10 years,” Ayers said. “We finally got approval, so we’re riding high on that.”

In April, the Iowa Department of Inspections and Appeals (DIA) approved Charles City High School’s application to offer a 75-hour CNA program, and a dozen high school students were certified in Charles City.

Iowa Big North students worked with managers at Chautauqua Guest Homes to obtain DIA approval and specifically tailored these classes to meet the needs of high school students. The program allows for flexibility to engage students in the class while still allowing them to be involved in the full high school experience.

The program contains a rigorous curriculum, established and approved by the state of Iowa. It is one of four high school programs across the state that is a stand-alone high school program not tied to a community college. The program is the first in the state designed and implemented by students through a business partnership.

Iowa Big North is a consortium of school districts in Northeast Iowa (Charles City, New Hampton, Osage and Rudd-Rockford-Marble Rock) that share resources to offer an educational experience centered on student passion, student-led, problem-based learning.

“I feel a little bit selfish about the whole thing,” Ayers said, smiling. “First I get CNAs, then I get Donna to come in and improve upon what we have.”

“It really is a snowball effect,” said Forsyth. “I’m not sure I would be doing this today if Iowa Big North didn’t provide the community relationship with Chautauqua, who provided opportunities for kids — and I thought I should continue to follow through with the externship.

“The success of the CNA program has provided the excitement and energy to look at more things we can do, with more kids,” she said.

Forsyth said she had wanted to try an externship in the past, but time issues and other constraints had kept her out of it.

“A six-week commitment is kind of tough with some of the other things teachers are involved in,” she said. “I really wanted to do it, though, and when I reached out to Sue to ask her if it was something we could look at doing, she was very excited about it.”

Forsyth is helping Ayers to improve upon the CNA program, as well as promote it to other communities and school districts around the state.

“If you’re going to have a program, why not make it the best it can be?” Ayers said. “We want to be able to say we’re the best.”

Ayers said Forsyth helps the Chautauqua staff with things that aren’t necessarily in the textbooks or training manuals.

“Donna also has helped us identify some of the ‘soft skills’ that are needed in the workplace,” she said.

By “soft skills,” Ayers is referring to the intangible and immeasurable characteristics that are important to every job, such as dependability, responsibility, friendliness and public relations.

Forsyth said that so far, her summer job has been an enjoyable one.

“My highlight is coming in here and watching people who have a passion to work with and care for the elderly population, and they’re good at their job,” Forsyth said. “They love what they do.”

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