Working Together

What if work world and school world collided? Meaning kids could become better readers, writers, and problem-solvers while working at a job they love?

There aren’t a lot of examples of learning spaces that combine work and school, but there are some – and they seem to be growing.

Take for example the partnership between Giving Words, a local nonprofit that supports single mothers, mainly through car repairs and donations, and Louisa County High School’s automotive technology program. For the past eight years, students enrolled in the school’s auto tech program have been reviving timeworn vehicles and giving them to single mothers for free. They work on about five cars per year.

Earlier this year, The Washington Post highlighted the partnership between Giving Words and Louisa County High School:

“Jessica Rader knew she was getting a car. Still, when the keys to a 2007 gold Prius were handed to her, she wept.”

“’It’s not just about the car,’ said Rader, 40. ‘It’s about community.’”

Rader’s new vehicle was a gift from the Louisa County auto tech students and Giving Words.

“Kids who never met me cared about me enough to put hard work into a vehicle to make sure myself and my kids were safe,’ Rader said about the Prius she received in 2023. ‘I got to meet all of them; it was breathtaking.’”

“’A broken-down car means she can lose her job, miss her appointments,’ said Eddie Brown, who founded Giving Words with his wife in 2018. ‘They’re relying on Ubers, buses and family, and some of those can be unreliable.’”

“Brown and his wife were both single parents before they met.”

“’The idea came from our own experience being single parents and struggling with transportation issues,’ Brown said.”

“Brown and his wife were both single parents before they met.”

“’The idea came from our own experience being single parents and struggling with transportation issues,’ Brown said.”

“Brown said he and his wife wanted to focus on helping single mothers because around 80 percent or more of single parents in the U.S. are mothers. They formed partnerships with local repair shops, as well as Louisa County High School and Charlottesville Area Technical Education Center, to be able to do more repairs and help more women. The cars are donated by individuals or automotive businesses.”

“About 20 students work on each car, handling such tasks as brake and tire repairs to heating and cooling systems, oil and fluid changes, and batter testing.”

“’They get a real shop experience,’ said Shane Robertson, an automotive teacher at the high school.”

“The whole class is very rewarding, said Holden Pekary, 16, who is in his second year of the automotive program. ‘It’s good knowledge.’”

“Before winter break last month, he and his classmates presented a repaired vehicle to a woman with a baby.”

“’We raised the garage doors, and we all clapped for her,’ he said. ‘It was nice. I put the license plate on the car for her, and she had a little baby in her arms.’”

“It gives you more of a purpose,’ Pekary said.”

Increased purpose on the part of a young learner. Isn’t that what building smarter and stronger learners is all about?

Sadly, even though many more automotive technology programs inside traditional schools could partner with non-profits to achieve what Louisa County and Giving Words have done in Virginia, not enough K-12 districts reach out to community partners to form partnerships designed to benefit their young learners. Too many traditional school districts are too guarded when it comes to sharing the responsibility to educate their community’s young people. Too many K-12 districts see themselves as solely the responsible party when it comes to creating a smarter and stronger young learner. Not enough of them are willing to share that responsibility with the community they serve.

That needs to change.

ABPTL will be away tomorrow, but back Thursday. Til then. SVB