Bristow Montessori School held Career Day in which students ages three and older attended presentations from local professionals during a morning assembly on Friday, Nov. 9.
Dr. Vivian Trinh, a dentist at Gainesville Dental and mother to students Tiffany and Timmy Tran, brought along a stuffed dragon to demonstrate proper dental hygiene. Luckily, the dragon did not breathe fire, but he did have a set of perfectly white teeth, which Dr. Trinh used to demonstrate proper brushing and flossing techniques.
Trinh taught the children about caring for their teeth and gums, while introducing them to dental hygiene in a kid-friendly manner. She reminded the students that they should brush twice a day and told them to visit their dentist twice a year.
When students asked about the Tooth Fairy, Trinh told them, “She likes only clean and healthy teeth. You have to take care of your teeth.”
When it came time to ask if anyone was interested in becoming a dentist, a quarter of the students raised their hands. Trinh told them, “You have to do well in school.”
Students left the assembly with a sticker and a new toothbrush from Gainesville Dental.
Another parent, Chandra Tiwari, also presented to the assembly. Tiwari is a principal engineer with Micron Technology Inc. in Manassas, who works with process engineering for microchips and smartphones. He brought along a silicon disk to demonstrate that computer chips, which serve as the “brains” of the computers and other electronic devices, are made of sand.
“You make everything from sand,” said Tiwari, who asked the children if they enjoyed playing in and making things out of sand. Most of the students raised their hands to answer that they did.
Tiwari then compared the circuitry of a computer to electrical wires that run through a building only on a smaller scale. He said circuits in a computer or smart phone are much smaller, so that “you cannot see them with the naked eye.”
Tiwari explained the wires he works with are so small that he requires a microscope to see them. He also uses computer screens to magnify the microscopic objects.
When a student asked how cell phones work, Tiwari answered that they transmit light signals, like light from the sun; however, we are unable to see these light waves.
Bristow Beat also participated in Career Day, as reporter and editor Stacy Shaw explained the job of a reporter to the children.
Shaw explained that reporters cover events, ask people questions and inform community members of what is happening around them. She said that some reporters report on T.V., others write news that is published in newspapers or the internet and read on computers.
She told the children that she has attended events featuring important people like the President of the United States, and has also interviewed children like them at events in town.
Students asked salient questions, like “how does one person cover all the news in the world?” and “how does one decide what is news?”
Shaw explained that it has to do with importance and proximity, and news organizations that cover world news work with many people all over the world.
The majority of students raised their hands, saying that they liked writing. Many of them thought that they might also like to be a reporter.
According to Bristow Montessori Marketing Director Rebecca Maguire, Career Day is an annual event at the school. Although the children are young, the teachers and administration likes to introduce them to different careers. In fact, the Montessori model encourages students to pursue their interests and students’ interests inform their individual curriculum.
This was evident during the 2012 kindergarten graduation, when students listed careers that they may like to pursue in their graduation speeches. While many students said they wanted to play professional sports, some students were specific enough to say they wanted to be inventors or work for NASA someday.
If students continue with a Montessori education, they will likely be encouraged to investigate their career interests and explore learning opportunities that will help them to prepare careers that incorporate their passions and talents.
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