11/20/20

Courtney Miller

1020 Daniel Dr.

Stevens, PA 17578

Lloyd Smucker

127 Cannon Hob,

Washington, DC 20515

Dear Congressman Smucker,

I am an educator working in a childcare facility with toddlers. I am advocating for

the childcare facilities along with the public school system on the topic of “Real World

Learning.” You are probably curious as to why I am advocating for this topic. I am

advocating for this topic because I personally feel at a loss within my preparation for life

after school and I know many other people that feel the same way. I strongly believe

that we should be teaching our children about real world problems and ways to solve

them rather than teaching test questions. I have done research on this topic as well.

In my research I discovered that the meaning of “real-world” learning is putting

yourself in an uncomfortable and unpredictable situation. This means that one will have

to focus on all of the things going on around them to see the bigger picture. This

prepares a person for the unexpected roadblocks in the real world, it forces them to

learn how to reevaluate the situation and come up with a new solution. According to the

article, ​The Importance of Real World Education, ​on the website ​Remote Year, ​it states
the best way to learn is to put yourself in the real world and see scenarios through

travel, that is the best way to learn about the environments around us. Hands on

experience is important for students to learn at their own pace but also to mock real

situations. There is only so much that can be learned reading a book or watching a

video, it takes time and mistakes to understand and become proficient in a task. Think

of it this way, watching a video and reading a book about how to drive makes it seem

easy, when in reality it is more difficult than it looks because a person needs to watch

their surroundings, remember the rules of the road and much more. The basis and

foundation of learning to drive a car is watching the videos and reading the books but

that is not where the learning stops. A person needs to have this real world practice to

know how to safely execute. On the ​Keiser University ​website it states that, “We want

students to feel like they are in the workplace, where they are getting hands-on

experience.” This shows that putting students in a learning environment that mocks the

real work environment will prepare them for transitioning into the workforce. Imagine not

learning how to cook, students would never know how to feed themselves or their

families healthy meals. Not having the knowledge to know how to properly clean places

could lead to bad health. Students should be taught how to balance checkbooks and

sew to help their own futures.

I am requesting that the school curriculums change. I would like to see more real

world education happening. I would like to see students more prepared for their futures.

This can start as early as the toddler years, teaching students and children how to

execute proper health. The best way to provide the youngest children with these

opportunities is to incorporate these learning subjects into dramatic play and the art
centers and story time. As the younger children grow older and build on the foundations,

students can be challenged with new concepts. If completely changing the curriculum is

not possible, even changing half of the curriculum to create a foundation with book

knowledge to hands-on learning activities to wrap up the concept. Thank you for your

time and consideration for changing the curriculum to “Real-World” learning.

Sincerely,

Courtney Miller