Local students learn about everyday adult life at ‘Itty Bitty City’
Choosing a profession is typically one of the most important decisions a person will make in their life.
Though there are often deviations from the path, the usual goal is to choose something that interests you, receive whatever education or training you need to work that job, and then find a career you can build a life around.
Career coaches Emily Edwards with Tuscumbia City Schools and Amy Dodson with Muscle Shoals City Schools work with students in every grade from kindergarten through 12th in their systems.
Choosing a career path is a major goal for a high school-age student, but it’s never too early to learn about your options.
Edwards and Dodson were working together trying to come up with an idea for a career-based event for elementary school students when they took inspiration from the McWane Science Center in Birmingham, a popular field trip destination.
The McWane Center has a section called Itty Bitty Magic City, a child-sized exhibit where visitors can learn about Birmingham, nicknamed the Magic City, with exhibits catered to young learners.
“We have been trying to expand to our elementary schools for a while,” Edwards said. “We were trying to think of something we could work together on. We wanted to do something where we could bring our first grades together and share an event.
“Kids can play in there and explore. They have a diner, an automotive center, a grocery store and a home. We thought, what if we could do something kind of like that? We made it where the kids can pretend to be grown-ups and move through the city.
The duo took that concept and came up with Itty Bitty City, an interactive event where elementary students could learn about different areas of adult life by visiting stations run by local businesses and organizations.
“They get to stop by the radio station, check out a book at the library, stop at the store, get money from the bank and get to ‘buy’ something,” Edwards said. “They get to see what these careers are like. We are trying to get them excited and give them some early career exposure.”
Around 450 students from Webster Elementary, Highland Park Elementary, G.W. Trenholm Elementary and R.E Thompson Intermediate schools got to take a trip to the gymnasium at Northwest Shoals Community College for Itty Bitty City on Nov. 20.
The event was divided into six different major areas.
The first was Connecting and Supporting Success.” This included stops at the library and radio station.
Singing River Media Group invited kids to create a radio soundbite for either the Muscle Shoals or Deshler football teams, both of which had upcoming playoff games.
Members of the Helen Keller Public Library in Tuscumbia helped the kids check out books and learn about other services offered.
The next area was Financial Services, where the students were allowed to take “money” out of the bank to be used to “buy” something at the grocery store.
Third was Cultivating Resources, where students learned about things like agriculture and construction. Where their food comes from and how things are built.
The Colbert County Extension Office taught students about soil and how crops are planted, while a group of electrical workers showed tools from their trade.
Next was a Creative Play Area, followed by Caring for the Community.
Members of the Muscle Shoals Police Department and Tuscumbia Fire Department told students about their professions and how they work to help their cities.
Students also learned about health care from local hospital workers.
Finally, the sixth area was Creating and Experiencing. The kids learned about things like cosmetology, automotive repair and welding from NWSCC students and faculty.
“I think it’s going great,” Dodson said. “The kids seem to be really excited and having a lot of fun. Our plan was to let them pretend they are running errands over the weekend. They are going to the library, going to get their hair done, going to the store and the bank. They are learning about different careers in the area they will see on a regular basis.”
“It’s incredible,” Edwards said. “Amy and I are both career coaches for our district, so we get to work with kindergarten through 12th grade. Helping the kids at a younger age already kind of know what careers are out there for them can only help them in the future. I couldn’t have asked for a better partner.”
Edwards and Dodson said they are looking forward to keeping Itty Bitty City going in the future after the success of the inaugural event.
“It has gone really well so far,” Edwards said. “We have had a great time doing it. You learn things from the experience, and we already have even more ideas for next year. We definitely want to keep doing this.”
“It’s very rewarding,” Dodson said. “We already share students because some from Deshler attend the Muscle Shoals Career Academy. We thought if we were already working together at the high school level, we wanted to figure out how to work together with elementary kids, too. That way we aren’t trying to do separate events. We get to expose the kids to things now, so maybe they will be a little better prepared when they are in high school.”
