Junior Achievement Concludes for the Year

This year, five Hixson associates volunteered their time and talent to once again teach Junior Achievement (JA) classes at our partner in education school, St. Francis De Sales. The Hixson volunteers led classes on a number of financial and economic-based topics, each of which was tailored for the specific grade level of the students.

We asked our instructors to tell us more about their experiences. Read on to discover what we learned!

What was your favorite part of teaching JA?

• “The level of engagement increased as the classes continued.” (Ron Weber, Hixson Construction Administrator)
• “My favorite part about teaching JA this year was being able to positively impact the next generation of society. Seeing all those young minds with their own individual aspirations is very inspiring.” (Justin Taylor, Electrical Engineer)
• “I genuinely enjoy seeing students connecting their everyday lives to a larger understanding of how the global economy works.” (Jim Schreyer, PE, Senior Project Manager)
• “Discussing topics with the students that they don’t learn about regularly.  It is entertaining and refreshing to hear the outlook 7^th graders have on careers and different jobs.” (Jeff Dotson, CPA, Hixson Chief Financial Officer)

What was one takeaway from your time as an instructor?

• “In my case it was a literal takeaway: At the end of the last class one of the students presented me with a cartoon drawing that she is developing as part of her career path to be a cartoonist!” (Ron Weber)
• “One takeaway from this experience was being able to observe the thought process of kids growing up in this technological era, and seeing how similar and different they are to myself when I was their age.” (Justin Taylor)
• “The St Frances Students are very appreciative of volunteers offering their time and energy to teach a class.” (Jim Schreyer)

What’s the best part about being involved with JA?

• “Seeing the students develop over the six weeks and that, as an older person, I can still connect with younger people.” (Ron Weber)
• “The best part about being a part of JA is being able to have a positive impact on young minds.” (Justin Taylor)
• “Junior Achievement, St. Frances DeSales and Hixson have established a strong partnership that is highly supportive of any volunteer needs.” (Jim Schreyer)
• “Interacting with kids about topics outside the core subject matters.” (Jeff Dotson)

Many thanks to this year’s volunteers!