Cathedral Parish School fifth grade students in Glenna Graff's social studies class recently went on a four-week journey that covered hundreds of thousands of miles without even leaving the classroom.
As part of the focus on careers, Graff enlisted the services of Katie Waters, a parent who is also one of the few female commercial airline pilots in the country. Capt. Waters introduced the students to the Southwest Airlines Adopt-A-Pilot Program.Developed in cooperation with the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum, the National Association of Teachers of Math, and professional education consultants, it is aimed specifically at fifth grade students as they begin contemplating careers. Waters, as the adopted pilot, challenged the students to begin setting career goals. She met with the students one day a week for four weeks to offer guidance and discuss choices. While on flight duty the pilot kept in touch with the class by sending post cards to them from airports. The class tracked her travels by marking the routes on a large poster of the United States that they titled, "Where is Capt.Waters?"
Perfect fitGraff, who has been teaching for 36 years, commented that the career program fit perfectly into the curriculum."It was a great hands-on educational tool," Graff said. "It encompassed science, math, geography, writing, and presentation skills with an emphasis on character building."
An important part of the program, F.L.I.G.H.T. values, explained as traits that will help the students to soar, included Fearlessness, Leadership, Imagination, Gratitude, Honesty, and Tenacity. The importance of teamwork was also emphasized.
Students were asked to interview and write a report on an adult who works in a career similar to what they may be considering. Parents were also invited to discuss their careers with the class. Debra Mullins, a parent of one of the students and also a CPS science teacher, introduced Bernoulli's Principle, which explains how wings produce lift to allow planes to fly.
The hands-on part of the program mixed science and math as it applies to an airplane, including observation of the releasing of an air-filled balloon as it responds to air pressure. Students also figured out miles per gallon of fuel usage. Airport takeoff procedures, control tower communications and terminology, and ground signals were demonstrated.
It wasn't totally academics, however. Waters assisted the students in the design of their own airplanes. She described the geographical diversity of the country, using as examples the many places her planes land and the time zone differences.
More than 110,000 students have participated in the Adopt-a-Pilot program nationally since Southwest Airlines introduced it 10 years ago. Over 600 Southwest pilots participate each year.
Cathedral Parish School was Waters' fifth program. "I've done similar programs in Houston; Jackson, Miss.; Annapolis, Md.; and Chatham Mass.," the pilot said.
On her fourth and final classroom visit, Waters presented the students with Adopt-A-Pilot diplomas, airline snacks and miniature inflatable Southwest Airlines planes.
In the final questions and answers session, Waters fielded questions like the number of miles she's flown, how many years she's been a pilot, and some technical questions, but when one student asked, "Have you ever crashed a plane?" Waters, who has logged more than 15,000 flight hours, raised her eyebrows, grinned, and replied, "No, but once I did lose an engine."
"Wow!" the student responded.
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