Gary Ruskell, chair of the Math Department and technology coordinator at Big Foot High School in Walworth County, spent three days this past June at West Side Machine Tool Inc., in Elkhorn. Ruskell shadowed Bob Neault, who programs the company's CNC milling machines.
Ruskell was one of 45 Walworth County teachers and guidance counselors who participated in summer externships through the Southern Walworth County Business Education Partnership. Following are excerpts from his report to district administrators. As these excerpts clearly show, businesses stand to gain as much as educators form increased interaction:
This was a wonderful externship experience. I was made to feel a part of the West Side Machine Tool Inc., operation from the moment I walked in the door to the moment I left on the third day...
The majority of my time was spent observing Bob program the CNC machines. However, math questions came up often and we sat down and solved them jointly. Bob had several math questions for me that had been troubling him for some time...
...a number of math applications became visible throughout my three day externship. They include:
As a side benefit to this experience, I learned that Bob is also willing to have a high school student work with him during the school year...
Both my math and my technology classes will benefit from this externship experience. Math students always ask: "When are we ever going to use this?" Not only do I have another answer for them, but I have an answer that could reward them with a $45,000 to $55,000 starting salary...
The Southern Walworth County Business Education Partnership is overseen by LVEC Tina Cipriano and Business Liaison Joe Cardiff of the Gateway Technical College/K-12 Public School District Consortium.