wistv.com - Columbia, South Carolina |Students learn one-on-one from professionals in dream job

COLUMBIA, SC (WIS) - The famous question "What do you want to be when you grow up?" has legs at Red Bank Elementary School.

As part of their 21st century learning initiatives, a business mentor program kicked off this year giving students the chance to learn firsthand from those who they aspire to be like one day.

In the library at Red Bank, several fifth grade students sit at separate tables with their mentors. Fifth grader William Fowler is dressed in a Marine utility uniform given to him by his mentor Retired Staff Sergeant Rod Spangler.

"He was in the Marine Corps for 6 years and he went to Parris Island for the basic training," said Fowler. "He's going to take me to Parris Island."

Students Alex O'Connor and Eric Ford are at a second table building a replica of Sun Life Stadium with guidance from Craig Richardson of Hoover Building Systems.

"I love it," said Richardson. "I love working with kids and it's amazing to see their bright minds going and thinking through the whole thing."

At a third table student Candice Branham is learning medical word stems. She wants to be a nurse like RN Lindsay Coppney who works on the maternity floor at Lexington Medical Center.

"In class they are learning Latin word stems and so we're making that connection that she can use later in life when she's a nurse," said Coppney .

The students picked their field of choice and Coppney and the other professionals are volunteering their time to give each fifth grade student's individual dream one-on-one attention.

"It came out of the idea of personalizing learning and that's a big concept to explain because we're used to schools having a factory model," said Red Bank Principal Marie Watson. "Everything's boxed into a time box and we realized in this century that we really need to change that because nothing operates that way anymore."

Watson says while the dreams of a fifth grader may change, the lessons they're learning will sustain through any career.

"They're learning a lot of skills about being self-directed with their learning because none of us in our jobs do the same thing as everybody else does at the same time," said Watson.

Mentors say they're learning too, and for Craig Richardson everything has come full circle. He's a Red Bank Elementary alumni and is thrilled to be mentoring while living his dream job.

"I'm thankful for doing it every day. I did not imagine that I'd get to do it," said Richardson.  "It is amazing, so just keep your passion strong."

In addition to meeting at the school, mentors will take their students on field trips to their workplace. There are currently more than 30 professionals who volunteer their time for the business mentor program.

Copyright 2012 WIS. All rights reserved.