Column: Delta Force students learn about challenges teachers face

ESCANABA -- Delta Force students learned from education leaders at the Delta-Schoolcraft Intermediate School District (DSISD) and the professionals at the Learning Center during Education Day on March 23. In this session, students explored the issues impacting education in Delta County, and gained a deeper understanding of the complexities facing our educators today, along with their successes and future goals.

The day started at the DSISD in Escanaba with breakfast and introductions from Superintendent Doug Leisenring. Students then learned about the DSISD's Mental Health Systems from Kristy Alimenti, and how they support students who are experiencing mental health issues.

Students learned about the Early Childhood Department, including the Great Start Collaborative and Family Coalition, as well as the Growing Families Home Visiting program. They learned the importance of talking, reading and singing with young children and how these early learning strategies can make a difference in a child's life.

Mallory Clicker, DSISD administrative assistant, then gave Delta Force students a tour of Small Wonders Preschool, which is now part of the ISD's Early Childhood Department as a full-day Great Start Readiness Program. They even got a chance to read a book to the preschool students.

Students also took a bus ride to the ISD's Learning Center, where they received a tour of the center with Learning Center Supervisor Tim Racicot and Liz McCall, Director of Special Education. Students saw the special education teachers in action, patiently guiding and teaching students in hands-on projects and exercises.

Next, DF students learned about the ISD's special education services from McCall. She discussed the ISD's resources and specific individual educational needs that students may have and how the professionals at the ISD meet those needs.

After touring the Learning Center and seeing how the teachers interact and work with moderately to severely impaired students, Delta Force student Emily Noblet said, "I learned a lot today. It was very eye-opening to see the compassion that the teachers and staff have for the special education students. It's nice to see that our community has these high-quality resources to offer."

Students enjoyed lunch at Escanaba High School, and then heard from more professionals at the ISD, including learning consultants, Laura Carlson, JoeyLynn Selling, and Mike Maki, who discussed General Education and gave the students math and literacy problems to illustrate some of the challenges students face.

Career and Technical Education (CTE) Director Trent Bellingar then led students on a walking tour of the CTE classrooms, specifically the building trades, machine shop, CAD, welding, and health science II classes, where students were doing hands-on projects and obtaining career-ready skills.

Delta Force students saw Education Day as a valuable opportunity to learn about the day-to-day issues that educators face and were impressed with the vast amount of knowledge that Leisenring and his staff have.

"We got a crash course on how the public school system works. There is so much behind the scenes that goes into not only the basic operations, accreditations, state laws, budgets, ... the list goes on and on! And, this is all on top of ensuring a safe and educational environment for kids," Delta Force student Jessica Beaver said. "I had an appreciation for our public schools prior to this day, but now more than ever -- especially coming out of a pandemic -- it's truly impressive and I am grateful. The takeaway is, be nice to your teachers and the staff; they all have the best interest of our youth in mind."

Delta Force students then learned from Superintendent Leisenring about the challenges facing educators, including mental health issues, how educators deal with rumors spreading on social media, and the balance between security and educational instruction.

Leisenring said he hopes that the Delta Force students left the Education Day sessions with a new understanding of the educational system in their community: "Our hope is that the Delta Force students have a better appreciation of the opportunities that the students in our district have and how we, as educational leaders, support them in their educational journeys."

On April 27, during Government Day, Delta Force students will take part in a mock city commission meeting and learn about the political process from area municipal and government leaders.

Created and facilitated by the Delta County Chamber of Commerce, Delta Force encompasses a series of ten full-day sessions covering key segments of our community. Visit HYPERLINK "http://www.deltami.org/delta-force-leadership-program" www.deltami.org/delta-force-leadership-program for more information.

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Victoria LaFave is communications director with the Delta County Chamber of Commerce.