Category: High School

In the photo, Fairfax County Public Schools teacher Michele Anwyll (top, left) presents March 6, 2020 about the Emerge online program at a gathering of career and technical education (CTE) department chairs from Fairfax County, the nation’s seventh-largest school system.

Each year, Michele Anwyll’s students at Annandale High School in Fairfax, Virginia take the Workplace Readiness Skills Assessment (WRS Assessment).

The 100-question, multiple-choice exam gauges a student’s understanding of resumes, cover letters, email writing, applying for jobs, life in an office setting and professional etiquette.

Despite Anwyll’s best efforts and curriculum-driven instruction, her students have historically struggled on the exam with a pass rate around 65 percent. Students must score a 75/100 to complete the exam.

In the 2019-2020 academic year, Anwyll, a family and consumer sciences (FACS) teacher, used Emerge, our comprehensive online program that guides students through a series of activities that cover email etiquette, resumes, cover letters, job interview prep and more.

When the students sat for the WRS assessment, Anwyll saw a significant improvement.

Out of 147 students who took the exam through Anwyll’s classes, 133 have passed (the remaining 14 are allowed to retake the exam).

That’s a current pass rate of 90 percent.

“Emerge is full of information that aligns with the needs of my own classes in gourmet cooking and the topics covered on the WRS Asssessment,” said Anwyll, who has taught for 11 years after she left the professional world to become a teacher. “The activities have built-in scaffolding, use simple, clear language and even feature a language tool that translates and reads the text in 18 languages, including Spanish and Mandarin.”

To earn a standard high school diploma, it’s now mandatory for all students in Virginia to obtain a career and technical education (CTE) credential, which can be an industry certification, a state licensure examination, national occupational competency assessment or the Virginia WRS Assessment.

Now Anwyll, who teaches a large percentage of international students who are English language learners (ELL), has the resource she needs to ensure students not only pass the WRS Assessment but do so at a high rate.

As well, middle school teachers use Emerge curriculum to teach foundational skills in workplace readiness. Read about the inspiring work done by Mary Lynn Thurman and Trevon James at George M. Hampton Middle School in Prince William County, Virginia.

“Emerge is a perfect fit in FACS courses and for CTE pathways, in general,” said Fairfax County FACS Program Lead Reggie Morrone. “The material provides students easy-to-follow exercises that support literacy and leadership skills. Students develop confidence in their ability to learn and communicate as they pursue college and career opportunities.”

And for schools that use learning management systems (LMS), Emerge integrates with Canvas, Blackboard, Schoology and a host of other popular LMS programs.

The integration means Emerge embeds into a school website, and students do not need a separate username and password to access and complete Emerge activities.

“I finally have a workplace readiness curriculum I can trust in which my students can independently work on their own,” said Anwyll. “More than that, Emerge helps my students graduate on time and conduct themselves professionally in the business world and in settings that require professionalism.”

Ready to explore Emerge for your own school or district? Request a 30-day free trial today!

Request your free trial of the Emerge online program!

Often times, teachers prepare students to succeed in careers one day.

Other times, teachers guide students to excel in a job right now.

That’s the case inside Liberty County High School in Hinesville, GA. Jonnie Larson, who teaches early childhood education (ECE) and advises the school’s FCCLA chapter, relies on the Emerge online program to teach in-demand skills like email etiquette.

Four days a week from 830 am to 10 am, Larson’s 19 ESE students (ranging from sophomores to seniors) work at Liberty County Pre-K as part of their practicum. The students help the pre-k staff with four and five-year-old classrooms.

Whenever students can’t be at the pre-k center, they need to email the on-site coordinator with the reason.

Only a few weeks into the Emerge online program, Larson can already see a difference in the professionalism of her students’ emails.

“The quality of the emails are better,” said Larson. “Students have learned to write subject lines and email messages that are focused and to the point.”

Emerge covers a wide array of professional skills through readings, instructional videos and short activities. The program integrates into a school’s LMS of choice (ex: Canvas, Blackboard) and spans topics like email writing, phone etiquette, in-person correspondence, resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn and even communication for entrepreneurship and leadership.

Larson noted her students engaged in a recent discussion about professional email addresses. The conversation stemmed from a reading in the Emerge program about what constitutes an “appropriate” email address.

“What I liked is that the students read the material on their own, and then one of my students advised another student on effective email addresses. It was a peer-to-peer moment about professionalism that the Rubin program made possible.”

See a sample email below written by one of Larson’s student to the pre-k coordinator. Note: Prior to the Rubin program, the student did not use email subject lines.

—

Subject line: Attendance

Good morning,

Ms. Larson will be attending the annual winter conference for Family & Consumer Sciences teachers in Savannah today. While she is out we will not be coming to the Pre-K for lab hours. When she returns to work on Monday, February 3 we will resume the normal schedules of going to the Pre-K four days a week. Have a great weekend and see you on Monday!

[Student’s first and last name]

Request your free trial of the Emerge online program!

In the photo, student officers from the virtual company, Resha Hemp, pose with Rubin books of templates provided as ebooks inside the Emerge online program. Stockdale High School’s CTE classes rely on Emerge to help students communicate with business professionals.

At Rubin Education, we teach students practical employability skills they can apply in the real world.

That mission was never truer than inside a classroom in fall 2019 at Stockdale High School in Bakersfield, CA.

Teacher Brian Devitt led his students through the first module in the Emerge online program called Email Etiquette — Beginner. Devitt is also an adviser for Virtual Enterprises International (VEI), an educational nonprofit that allows students to create and run mock businesses.

In the Email Etiquette — Beginner unit, Stockdale students learned to create an appropriate email address, understand the difference between a text message and proper email and, finally, draft an entire email from the subject line down to the email signature.

And once the students learned to write an email, they composed messages to one minor league sports executive and two major league executives in the hopes of “selling” (it’s all for practice) promotional items at upcoming games.

The separate messages went to the vice president of operations for the Bakersfield Condors (AHL minor league hockey), assistant director of stadium operations for the Portland Trailblazers (NBA) and a ticketing official with the San Francisco Giants (MLB).

The students also held a sales-pitch phone call with Richard Fedesco, the Trailblazers executive.

In the photo, Kellelynn Lofton holds a copy ofWait, How Do I Write This Email?, the award-winning book of writing guides from Rubin. Lofton, a WBL student, used the book’s “storytelling” cover letter method to help her land a sought-after promotion at Wild Adventures, one of the top employers in Lowndes County, GA.

Kellelynn Lofton knew she had to be at her best.

The Lowndes High School senior wanted to move up from safety trainer to team lead at Wild Adventures, a theme park and zoo in Lowndes County, GA.

To land the promotion, Lofton had to compete with other up-and-coming Wild Adventures employees and sell herself through a compelling cover letter and interview.

That’s where Jason Van Nus, the work-based learning (WBL) coordinator for Lowndes County Schools, stepped in.

Van Nus uses the Emerge online program to teach in-demand communication skills and draws upon the Rubin book of writing templates called Wait, How Do I Write This Email?(provided to each student as an ebook).

Van Nus helped Lofton write a Rubin-inspired cover letter that demonstrates how Lofton helps guests at Wild Adventures create lasting memories.

The cover letter was so memorable that the hiring manager, who goes through 400-500 applications to hire park-wide during the busy spring/summer season, was able to recite Lofton’s story back to Van Nus when the two spoke in February 2020.

“The hiring manager remembered Kellelynn’s application right way,” said Van Nus. “Kellelynn’s storytelling cover letter allowed the hiring manager to visualize how hard she works.”

Bottom line: Lofton landed the promotion. For the 2020 season at Wild Adventures, she will be a team lead and supervise team members in the portion of the park that includes roller coasters.

“The Rubin program taught me that it’s better to give the employer an example of my customer service skills than to say I have strong customer service skills,” said Lofton. “I’m excited to start in my new role this season!”

Scroll to the bottom to see Lofton’s cover letter!

Emerge: A New Tool for WBL Programs That Gets Results

Van Nus visits classrooms across the county and, during his workshops, incorporates Rubin online material (ebooks, videos and activities). Rubin helps Van Nus to teach the following:

• Email etiquette
• Resumes
• Cover letters
• Phone etiquette
• Networking
• And much more

In the video, Van Nus holds a copy of Wait, How Do I Write This Email?, the award-winning book of writing/speaking examples for employability skills.

Again, the book is provided as an ebook in the Emerge online program.

Want to explore Emerge? Request a 30-day free trial here!

Video transcript:

“Hello, my name is Jason Van Nus, and I am the system-level coordinator for Lowndes County Schools in the programs of work-based learning and youth apprenticeship.

I first met [Rubin Education founder] Danny [Rubin] in summer 2019 at our GACTE summer conference, and I gained information about the program and this material.

I decided to implement into the training and recruiting for my program, and I have really enjoyed it.

The program is exceptional and has built-in scaffolding. I’ve used it with special ed classes. I’ve used it with honors classes. No matter what level of student I’m working with, they are all engaged. They are all producing good quality materials.

Resumes, communication…the kids love it. And it’s been an effective tool for me.”

“Storytelling” Cover Letter from Kellelynn Lofton

Dear [name of employer],

No one wants to make a little girl cry!

It was a normal day at the park; I was at Crunch’s Caboose in Discovery Outpost. The park had just opened and the day had officially begun. I observed a family excitedly walking toward the rides. Among the members of this family was a little girl, who was holding her brand new season pass, and she was so excited. I welcomed her and her family to the park and asked if she wanted to ride the Crunch’s Caboose. She was hesitant at first, but she was willing to be brave. She wanted her mom to ride with her, but I had to inform her that adults could not ride this particular ride. I assured the little girl that she would do just fine by herself.

Once she was seated and fastened securely, I asked if she was okay–she didn’t respond. So, I looked toward her parents seeking their feedback. They said that she was fine, so I continued. Right before the ride began, the upset little girl frantically tried to unbuckle the seatbelt–calling for her‘Mommy.’ I knew immediately she wasn’t going to complete this ride without an adult.

Because it is against protocol for adults to ride this particular ride, I had no choice but to remove the little girl from Crunch’s Caboose. She was disappointed but relieved to be back with her parents. I was saddened as I wanted her to enjoy her experience at Wild Adventures–after all, it was only a few minutes ago that she was ecstatic to be a season pass holder. I quickly obtained a map of the park and pointed out other rides offered at Wild Adventures that would accommodate both an adult and a child to ride at the same.

As the day concluded, who did I look up and see, but the same little girl accompanied by her parents. They returned to my station after a day of enjoying the attractions and rides at Wild Adventures so that the little girl could conquer Crunch’s Caboose all by herself.

Hello, my name is ______, and I am applying to be a Team Leader at Wild Adventures.

As your next Team Leader, I will bring this same level of attention to customer satisfaction,
communication, and overall customer experience as stated in the Seasonal Leadership Expectations.

My goal is making guests’ experiences enjoyable and memorable. Communication is key, and sometimes, as a team leader one has to know how to interpret both verbal and non-verbal cues from guests in order to give them the best experience possible.

---

Well, would you hire Kellelynn? Her poise and professionalism shine through.

Stories do all the selling.

Request your free trial of the Emerge online program!

On a Friday afternoon in Hillsdale High School in Hillsdale, Michigan, seniors in teacher Mindy Eggleston’s class were all smiles.

And no, the happy faces weren’t just because the school had Homecoming and a big football game that night.

The two dozen students grinned from ear to ear because they earned an “Email Etiquette” certificate (size 8×11) and digital badge through the Emerge online program.

That means the students walked themselves through a series of short (15-20 minute) exercises in which they learned to construct a proper business email — a workplace skill employers are desperate to find in new hires. Eggleston received lesson plans, discussion questions and rubrics from Rubin Education to assess the students’ work.

“It’s so important to help students write proper emails today and understand the difference between a text message and a professional email,” said Eggleston. “The Rubin Education digital badge and certificate is proof my students know how to conduct themselves properly as they pursue college and career opportunities.”

The students will now add the certificate to a binder of achievements they can use as they pursue college and career opportunities.

Through the “Email Etiquette” activities, the students learned:

• Why an email to an employer should be more formal than a text message to a friend
• How to develop a smart subject line
• How to address employers and other professionals in an appropriate way (Hi, Mr./Ms. ____)
• How to write the email itself
• How to create an email signature

Teacher Mindy Eggleston has already used Rubin Education to help her students take first place in job interview skills at a Business Professionals of America competition.

Now, she turned to our program to tackle email writing, a lifelong professional skill.

Look at these proud faces down below (including several on the football team).

Learning to write a proper email to open doors for yourself?

Now that’s a pre-game warm-up.

Request free, 30-day access and see what Emerge can do for your students.

And now…those smiling faces!

For rising high school seniors in Southwest Virginia, mock interviews proved to be just as stressful as the real ones.

That’s why, in preparation for the mock interviews, Elizabeth Honaker relied on Rubin Education instructional videos, ebook material and activities to ready her 27 students.

Honaker, a career counselor with Southwest Virginia Community College’s Upward Bound Program, led the students through a summertime class called Aspire, an initiative of Upward Bound’s Summer Discover Program.

Upward Bound is a national program implemented and monitored by the United States Department of Education. In the program, students from disadvantaged or low-income backgrounds receive specialized college and career training.

Honaker set aside a day in the school’s computer lab to coincide with mock interviews down the hall conducted by community college staff.

As each student went in for the interview, the others stayed in the computer lab and worked out of the Emerge with Rubin online program. The students, who come from nine different high schools across four counties, watched instructional videos on how to shake hands, answer job interview questions and even ask questions of their own.

As well, the students followed the step-by-step Rubin Education activities to construct a resume appropriate for a high school student. The activities cover how to write a resume “skills” section, the bullet points under the “work experience” area and also how to describe non-traditional “work” like babysitting and mowing lawns.

In total, Honaker believes Rubin Education material made her students “less anxious” about the application and interview process.

“Rubin Education was a great complement to our ongoing curriculum,” Honaker said. “The students appreciated the simple yet relevant instruction as they learn important career skills.”

Honaker hopes to incorporate even more Rubin Education activities during the 2019-2020 school year with additional Upward Bound programs.

High school teachers Jamie Anaforian and Kevin Pina have a 30-minute window every Tuesday they want to fill with practical career skills training for their seniors.

The perfect solution: Emerge online program.

The All Access curriculum is designed as a library of 20 to 30-minute exercises for writing and speaking skills for college and career opportunities.

Anaforian and Pina, who teach at Tokay High School in Lodi, California (south of Sacramento), decided to create “Rubin Tuesdays” and use various activities from the program to impart valuable employability skills like email etiquette and resume writing.

“The Rubin Education topics are relevant to our students’ lives. Plus, each activity provides a smart, focused lesson in a short amount of time,” said Anaforian, Tokay High School’s director of the school-to-career academy. “We’re excited to bring the material into our classrooms this fall.”

Below is the tentative “Rubin Tuesdays” schedule at Tokay High School for fall 2019:

Email Etiquette

Tuesday, August 6

• Video – Email Etiquette overview
• Discussion on appropriate vs inappropriate email addresses
• Activity – How to Create a Professional Email Address
• Activity – Understanding the Difference Between Texting and Email

Tuesday, August 13

• Activity – Part 1: How to Compose a Subject Line
• Activity – Part 2: How to Address People Appropriately
• Discussion: How to address your teacher in emails

Tuesday, August 20

• Activity – Part 3: How to Write the Email Body
• Activity – Part 4: How to Craft an Effective Email Signature
• Quiz: Identify the essential parts of an email

Life Skills 101

Tuesday, August 27

• Activity – How to Shake Hands in the Business World
• Activity – How to Hold a Face-to-Face Networking Conversation

Tuesday, September 3

• Activity – Phone Etiquette
• Activity – How to Do a Video Interview

Tuesday, September 10

• Activity – How to Learn from a Mentor
• Activity – How to Address and Mail an Envelope

Tuesday, September 17

• Activity – How to Email Your Instructor About a Poor Grade
• Activity – How to Email Your Instructor About Missed Class Time

Tuesday, September 24

• Activity – How to Email Your Instructor to Ask for a Reference Letter

Unforgettable Resumes

Tuesday, October 15

• Pre-test
• Video – Unforgettable Resume Overview
• Definition of resume
• Discussion – What if you don’t have work experience yet?

Tuesday, October 22

• Discussion of a sample resume
• Discussion of a resume outline
• Activity – Never, Ever be Vague

Tuesday, October 29

• Activity – Resume Objective Statement
• Activity – How to Write a Resume Skills Section

Tuesday, November 5

• Activity – Work Experience Bullet Points 1 and 2
• Activity – Work Experience Bullet Points 3 and 4

Tuesday, November 12

• Activity – Resume Miscellaneous Section
• Activity – Resume Education Section

Tuesday, November 19

• Activity – How to Select and Create a Personal Hashtag
• Start “Storytelling Cover Letter” and learn the power of a short story of success in a cover letter, personal statement or scholarship essay
• Video about telling stories in cover letter
• First Step: Map Out Your Story

Tuesday, November 26 (Thanksgiving week)

• Activity – How to Tell a Story in a Cover Letter (parts 1-3)
• Activity – Storytelling Cover Letter (parts 4-6)

When 33 high school students began the Elk Grove Civic Summer program in June 2019, many were too shy to start a conversation.

A few weeks later, the rising juniors and seniors from Elk Grove Unified School District (Sacramento County, California) found themselves talking confidently with each other – and with state and local politicians.

What happened in between? The students, who attend eight different career academies inside high schools across the district, received hands-on networking practice through the Emerge online program.

The program, which offers a variety of real-world communication skills activities and instructional videos for email writing, networking, resumes, phone calls and more, taught the students how to shake hands, look people in the eyes and hold meaningful conversation.

“Rubin Education gave my students a level of poise they didn’t even know they had,” said Carlos Garcia, the Elk Grove teacher who oversees Civic Summer, a six-week program designed to introduce students to local government and careers in public service.

The students practiced face-to-face networking through a Rubin Education activity in which students pair off and learn to ask each other meaningful questions. In doing so, the student who asks the questions takes a deeper interest in the other person’s background and interests.

Then, students applied the same strategy with U.S. Representative Ami Bera (who represents the 7^th congressional district which includes Sacramento) and members of Sacramento City Council. The elected officials were impressed at how well the students could pose questions and keep a discussion.

“Rubin Education was the perfect resource to help our students learn critical employability skills like listening and engaging with others to form relationships,” said Garcia.

Everyone knows how to shake a hand and hold a conversation, right?

Not so fast.

Students of all ages benefit from a foundation in communication skills as they pursue college and career opportunities.

That’s why students at Payette River Regional Technical Academy rely on Rubin to gain in-demand skills for the world after graduation.

Led by teacher Patti O’Maley, students use the Rubin Emerge online program to write effective emails, resumes, cover letters and LinkedIn profiles as well as hold meaningful face-to-face conversations.

O’Maley, a business teacher, has used Rubin resources in the 2017-2018 and 2018-2019 school years. She intends to do so again in 2019-2020.

“Emerge is an amazing tools for my classes,” she said. “I can tie the activities into curriculum I already have or use them as standalone lessons.”

In the photo at the top, students Karina (right) and Will practice a proper handshake, an activity in the module called Life Skills 101 in the online curriculum.

Below, listen to teacher Patti O’Maley discuss the value of Emerge.

---

Do you want to teach your students “adulting” skills like teacher Patti O’Maley?

Request 30-day trial access of Emerge today!

In Their Own Words

Student Drew Coffin: “Thanks to Rubin , I know how to be more professional whether I need to write an email, submit my resume or complete another formal task. I believe every student should receive the instruction I did because it set me apart in a competitive application process.”

Teacher Janet Brophy:“The Rubin Emerge online program is easy to use and gives the kids an advantage with any writing challenge. What Drew and others learned this year will translate to emails, research papers and other real-world skills for years to come.”

—

As Drew Coffin went through the application process for Colorado School of Mines, a top-tier engineering school located in Golden, CO, he noticed a section for “optional” material to submit.

Coffin’s “optional” choices: a resume and an example of personal success.

Good thing the 18-year-old was prepared with both.

Coffin, who hopes to one day work in robotics, graduated in spring 2019 from Haxtun High School in Haxtun, Colorado, a city in the northeast corner of the state near the Nebraska border.

Throughout the 2018-2019 school year, Haxtun High School teacher Janet Brophy used Emerge to train her students – including Coffin – to write and speak with professionalism.

The online curriculum features 100+ self-paced activities for email etiquette, resumes, cover letters, LinkedIn profiles, thank-you notes and more.

“I have worked in human resources and know the value of a well-written application,” says Brophy.

With each new lesson, Coffin paid attention and his effort paid off.

Resume

Rubin teaches the importance of quantifying success on a resume. Whenever possible, add numbers to show the reader how much or how many.

In Coffin’s case, he listed a community service achievement in which classmates raised money for a family who had gone through health issues. How much money did the students collect with Coffin at the helm? $250.

U.S. News & World Report ranks Colorado School of Mines as the 32^nd best public university in America. It’s selective. It’s tough.

Details like $250 matter.

Success Story

The other “optional” submission is a story of personal success. Thanks to Rubin, Coffin was ready again.

Coffin shared a story of how he revived Haxtun High School’s Student Council Association (SCA), which was shut down in his junior year.

Coffin worked hard during his senior year to gather interested students and prove to two skeptical teachers why they should serve as advisors (and why the SCA would not fold again).

After months of diligence, Coffin restarted the SCA, served as president and leaves behind 20 excited members who will carry his legacy into the 2019-2020 school year.

Consider Colorado School of Mines impressed.

What can the Emerge online program do for your students?

Request a 30-day free trial and find out!