By participating in the Teacher Externship program, teachers will:

• Be introduced to modern workplace equipment and actual workplace problems.
  
  
• Have the chance to work together with employers to understand what students need for success in the workplace.
  
  
• Learn ways to connect the classroom to the modern workplace.
  
  
• Help employers understand the importance of classroom instruction.
  
  
• Have a real world experience in a career field related to their teaching field.
  
  
• Build alliances with local employers and gain personal mentors from the workforce.

The 2008 Externship schedule is as follows during the week of June 9-13:

Monday Morning: Extern teachers and sponsors attend kickoff breakfast. From there, extern teachers report to business workplace to become familiar with company.

Tuesday-Thursday: Extern teachers report to work as if they were regular employees of the company and participate in their Worksite Learning Plan.

Friday: Extern teachers complete their workplace experience and review it with their primary point of contact at their host business. In the afternoon, a company representative and the teacher extern attend a follow-up celebration event to gain feedback and thank teachers and employers.

Teacher participants will be expected to:

• Submit a complete application to Houston A+ Challenge.
  
  
• Attend a half-day orientation prior to the start of the program to learn about employer expectations, including appropriate dress, as well as campus expectations. Parking, lunch and other logistics will also be discussed.
  
  
• Keep a daily journal to reflect on the externship experience.
  
  
• Provide feedback to workplace hosts to detail the program’s value and their return on investment.
  
  
• Develop an action plan to incorporate at least two workplace experiences into the classroom and share this with host business.
  
  
• Provide feedback about the experience to Campus Externship Coordinator and Career Academy Coordinator.
  
  
• Share externship experiences with colleagues at school staff meetings, career academy meetings and other presentations.
  
  
• Attend Friday culminating event to thank host employers.
  
  
• Attend a follow-up meeting to share experiences with Houston A+ Challenge.