The Importance of Real World Projects in the Classroom by: Joe O'Such

Stress. That is quite honestly the only feeling that is currently on my mind. Tomorrow I have a presentation that could make or break an entire class for the next two years. I have to present on a Junior/Senior year research project that I have spent the past 3 months coming up with. If I pass, I just cleared a major hurdle, if I don’t pass, I just tripped and fell on my face. This is the most weight that has a simple PowerPoint has ever had for me. The teachers leading this say that this is essentially presenting your doctoral defense, but about 10 years earlier. So yeah, that’s where I’m currently at. But this opportunity is a good one, regardless on how well I do on my presentation. Not only do we get a pizza party for our months of hard work and preparation, but this presentation is real world practice, where I have to defend a 2 year project against the wild questions of people who have at a minimum Master’s degrees in this stuff 2 of 3 the teachers have doctorates). It did cross my mind however that this is the kind of stuff one has to endure in the real world, backing up a point, a proposal, anything, to experts on the subject. This is seen throughout many careers like a consultant, researcher, small business owner, etc. I think the importance of real world exposure should not be underestimated. Not only does this exposure help a person later on, but for me, these teachers who exposed us to real world techniques not only go down as my favorites, but also have made the following years a breeze. I think this real world exposure is so important, because ultimately, this is what school should prepare us for. School isn’t supposed to prepare students for a life full of multiple choice tests, five paragraph essays, or cheesy PowerPoint presentations with note cards. Quite honestly, school is currently doing the following; teachers simply pushing along students so they can be somewhat prepared for the following year. Few teachers are actually willing to teach us for not just one year down the line, but for a lifetime. These teachers are not only tend to be my favorite, but they subsequently prepare me for quite a few years down the line. For example, since 7^th grade English, English has been a breeze, just because my teacher taught us in a way that was based one learning to understand and analyze the subject, not just to memorize. Granted I may have had one or two lax English teachers on the way, but regardless, this teacher prepared me for not only English classes, but also writing in general. Writing is something that is spread across so many jobs. Being a good writer is vital for so many jobs, so it is so critical that students, especially those in high school, are taught real world writings like resumes and official reports, not the standard 5 paragraph essay with sufficient details and sources and on and on and on. If you’re going to write a persuasive essay, the judge of that paper should ultimately take into account a single thing; whether or not your paper is persuasive. Ultimately, writing and presenting in a real world setting is vital to the future of students. Given the position of especially an English teacher, they possess the power to make students ready for the real world. By giving legit writings and presentations (maybe without the immense weight my current one has) to students, these students will be ready to jump over any hurdles that may come across their way.