Guest speakers for high school students can bring enrichment and liveliness to your students’ experience. I can recall in middle school, we loved having guest speakers. All the girls would murmur, “Did you hear, in Ms. Smith’s class, we’re having a guest speaker?” We would be on our best behavior to avoid any disruption in our “free period.” Students feel the same way. They long for a break from the monotonous work with someone who can reveal what the workforce is really like. When I had a guest speaker, I usually spoke a few minutes about how to behave properly when a guest speaker is present, gave them a note-taking sheet, and made sure the students were closely paying attention. My career exploration class loved guest speakers, and they took notes, sometimes two pages of notes. Have you thought of having a guest speaker? Having a guest speaker can bring a real-world connection within your class.
How do you get guest speakers into your class?
1. Take a survey of your students’ wants and needs. I was able to bring guest speakers that my students wanted to listen to from my surveys. During the first week of school, I gave students a survey of what occupation they were interested in and who they were interested in hearing. Many students stated that they wanted to hear from a nurse, cosmetologist, and marine biologist. A marine biologist was out of my radar that year. I may have to try harder to find someone in that field.
2. Create a calendar with the class’s periods and write a paragraph of what to say. My pitch was, “Hello, I’m Veronica George from Somewhere High School, where I teach career exploration. I am interested in having a firefighter visit my 9th graders to discuss the training and hiring of firefighters within the community.” The person who answers the call usually transfers me to another person or gives me the email address of the proper contact person.
3. A lesson I learned early, have your calendar and the school’s calendar in front of you. After my first call, when someone asked me the date and time and I said, “Umm,” I knew I had to be prepared. Before calling the organization, I had dates that were for teacher professional development, holidays, and early dismissals marked unavailable. I wanted guests to come on Fridays to make it consistent, so I always offered Fridays first.
Who do I call and how I get them to come into the classroom or Zoom?
4. Get guest speakers that are engaging and can help your students plan for their future. Start by calling multiple organizations within your community. Many organizations have someone in charge of their educational liaison and scheduling public speaking engagements.
5. After creating my list, I began contacting people I knew. One parent offered information about her daughter, who was a recent alum and enlisted in the reserves. I contacted the school nurse, who was happy to talk to my career exploration classes. I also added to the list and added a community center, a teen homeless shelter, and a reading-based community service organization. I was happy to hear that everyone wanted to come to the school to speak. Also, I contacted our local job and family services organization, and they directed me to the educational liaison for dressing for success.
6. The guest speaker for high school students from dressing for success was great! She presented a lesson on how to apply, dress, and act prior to and during an interview. The life lesson she gave to the students will always remain with them. If you have a guest speaker, especially for your high school, I strongly suggest that you have someone talk to the students about filling out their applications, creating a resume, and performing during the interview.
7. One guest speaker was from the teen homeless shelter. She talked about her job, but then she wanted to know more about the students’ career goals. She transitioned her speech into a motivational one. As she talked, she displayed two books she wrote and talked about Toastmasters, International. Afterward, she invited me to a book fair and to join a Toastmasters International club that focused on public speaking. I attended both the book club and joined a local chapter of Toastmasters. Another memorable guest was the reservist who came to the class with food, Ready to Eat meals. Everyone participated in the eating of meals.
8. During the spring quarter, I invited a manager of our local, large grocery store. She was phenomenal. Students were at attention as she talked about being a manager and what traits she looks for in new hires. When she left our school, she had established two interviews for future baggers. A gentleman from a nearby community center spoke to the students, and they loved him. He brought in color-changing cups and a PowerPoint show that gave background history and income rates of the community he served.
How can I make my students learn from the Guest Speakers?
I provided each guest speaker for high school students with directions of the school, class periods with the time, class sizes, and questions they can answer. Having a set of 6 questions helps put the guest speaker at ease because they are able to be prepared. This also provides an outline or organization of the guest speaker’s thoughts.
Each student was given a worksheet where they had two to five major points from the guest speaker and a summary of the speech. I was shocked that I received 100% completion, and some students wrote two pages of work. I knew at that very moment that having a guest speaker was a very valuable moment for my students. There were smiles and laughter during each lesson. I offered extra credit for asking questions, but many of my students were shy. The lessons that the students received were just like going on a field trip. They were able to interact with someone from the community, to view work through their eyes, and the guest speaker was a new person within the class.
Mock Interview Panel Participants
At the end of the year, I held a mock interview panel with people from the district’s Males of Color office and a parent. At the time, I did not think of it as being a moment of public relations for the district. I provided a light breakfast for the panel, which was comprised of two African American males and one African American woman, who was also a parent. Each student was interviewed by the panel, and when the student returned, they were glowing. The students felt confident, and the panel was highly impressed. The director of the Males of Color office visited the interviews and shook my hand. It was a huge moment for my students and me.
Take your class through a memorable lesson by having guest speakers for high school students within your class. Guest speakers can add a richness and an experience to your class that you cannot provide. Get started by surveying your class on who and what kind of occupation they would like to visit your class. Prepare your calendar, pitch, and information for your guest speakers. If your school is not allowing visitors, conduct a Zoom call. Have an outline or questions ready for your guest speakers to ease their nervous jitters and to keep them focused. Invite parents and administration staff into your class. If your guest speaker is engaging and interesting, your students will be too!
Tell me in the comment section below if you ever had a guest speaker in your class and if you did, tell me about your experience.
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