# Handout 3.19: Human Services Careers Walk

Name: ______________________________ Date: ______________ Group: ______

**Directions:** Part 1 is the eight career cards; the teacher posts them large around the room (four more are on the back for the stretch). Part 2 is your walk sheet: at each card, read all three lines, then rate the three questions 1 to 3. Total each career. Circle your top one. Fill the pathway line and the unit skill line. Turn this in with your test.

## Part 1: The career cards (teacher: print large, one per station)

**Card 1. Teacher (elementary or middle school)**
Does: Plans lessons, teaches 20 to 30 students a day, checks work, talks with families, handles conflicts, keeps a room safe.
Needs: A bachelor's degree, a teacher preparation program, and a New York State teaching certificate (tests and student teaching). About four to five years after high school.
Uses from this unit: I-messages, the five conflict steps, the four listening moves, ages and stages.
Cluster: Education and Training.

**Card 2. Pediatric nurse**
Does: Cares for babies, children, and teens in a hospital, clinic, or doctor's office. Checks vital signs, gives shots and medicine, teaches parents, calms scared kids.
Needs: A nursing degree (two-year associate or four-year bachelor's), then the NCLEX exam for a New York nursing license. Two to four years after high school.
Uses from this unit: safe sleep, choking rules, the eight caregiver jobs, listening to a parent who is worried.
Cluster: Health Science.

**Card 3. Social worker**
Does: Helps families through hard times: a job lost, a housing problem, a child in foster care, a family in crisis. Connects families to supports like WIC and 211. Sometimes works in a school.
Needs: A bachelor's degree in social work (four years), and a master's (two more) for a New York license as an LMSW. Four to six years after high school.
Uses from this unit: family structures and transitions, community supports, healthy and unhealthy signs, when to tell.
Cluster: Human Services.

**Card 4. School counselor**
Does: Meets with students one at a time and in groups about stress, friends, family changes, and school. Runs peer mediation. Helps with schedules and high school plans. The person on the who-to-tell list.
Needs: A bachelor's degree, then a master's in school counseling (two years) and a New York certificate. About six years after high school.
Uses from this unit: everything in Topic 3.2 and 3.3: stress, peer pressure, listening, conflict, the signs.
Cluster: Education and Training (also Human Services).

**Card 5. Child care director**
Does: Runs a child care center or a pre-K: hires and trains teachers, keeps the building safe and licensed, plans the day, talks with parents, handles the budget.
Needs: Often starts as a child care teacher (a high school diploma plus the CDA credential, or an associate degree in early childhood), then a bachelor's degree for many director jobs. New York requires specific training hours for licensed centers. Two to four years after high school, plus experience.
Uses from this unit: ages and stages, the babysitting rules, the activity kit, safety checklists, community supports.
Cluster: Human Services (Early Childhood Development and Services).

**Card 6. Speech therapist (speech-language pathologist)**
Does: Helps children (and adults) who have trouble talking, understanding, or swallowing. Works in schools, hospitals, and clinics. Plays games that build words and sounds.
Needs: A bachelor's degree, then a master's in speech-language pathology (two years), a clinical year, and a New York license. About six to seven years after high school.
Uses from this unit: ages and stages (when words come), the activity kit (a game that builds one thing), listening, talking with parents.
Cluster: Health Science.

**Card 7. Coach (youth or school sports)**
Does: Teaches a sport, runs practices, manages a team of 12 to 25 kids, handles conflict between teammates, keeps players safe, talks with parents.
Needs: For a school team in New York, a coaching certificate (first aid, CPR, and coaching courses); many coaches are also teachers. For youth leagues, a background check and a short course. Months to a few years, depending.
Uses from this unit: the five conflict steps, saying no and being heard, peer pressure, stress, healthy team signs.
Cluster: Education and Training (also Hospitality and Tourism for recreation).

**Card 8. Family lawyer**
Does: Helps families with legal changes: adoption, guardianship, divorce, custody. Writes papers, goes to court, explains the law to families in plain words.
Needs: A bachelor's degree (four years), then law school (three years), then the bar exam for a New York law license. Seven years after high school.
Uses from this unit: family structures and transitions, listening, conflict management, I-messages with a client who is upset.
Cluster: Law, Public Safety, Corrections and Security.

### Stretch cards (grade 8; print on the back or as four more stations)

**Card 9. Pediatrician.** Does: A doctor for children from birth to 18; checkups, shots, sick visits, growth. Needs: a bachelor's degree, medical school (four years), a residency in pediatrics (three years), and a license. Eleven years after high school. Uses: ages and stages, safe sleep, the eight jobs, talking with parents. Cluster: Health Science.

**Card 10. Occupational therapist.** Does: Helps children (and adults) do everyday tasks: holding a pencil, dressing, eating, playing. Builds activities for one skill at a time. Needs: a bachelor's degree, a master's or doctorate in occupational therapy (two to three years), and a license. Six to seven years. Uses: the activity kit, ages and stages, small movements. Cluster: Health Science.

**Card 11. Family mediator.** Does: Sits with two people or two sides of a family who disagree and helps them find the shared want and agree on steps, without a judge. Needs: a bachelor's degree and mediation training (a 40-hour course and practice); many are lawyers or social workers. Four years plus training. Uses: the five conflict steps, listening, I-messages, repair. Cluster: Human Services (also Law).

**Card 12. Youth program director.** Does: Runs an after-school program, a summer camp, or a youth center: plans activities, hires staff, keeps kids safe, works with families and the community. Needs: a bachelor's degree in recreation, education, or human services is common; a summer camp job at 16 is the usual first step. Four years plus experience. Uses: the activity kit, the babysitting rules, conflict steps, community supports. Cluster: Human Services.

Career names in other languages [check with a native speaker before printing]:

| English | Turkish | Portuguese | Spanish |
|---|---|---|---|
| teacher | öğretmen | professor / professora | maestro / maestra |
| nurse | hemşire | enfermeiro / enfermeira | enfermero / enfermera |
| social worker | sosyal hizmet uzmanı | assistente social | trabajador social |
| counselor | rehber öğretmen | orientador / orientadora | consejero / consejera |
| child care director | kreş müdürü | diretor de creche | director de guardería |
| speech therapist | konuşma terapisti | fonoaudiólogo | logopeda / terapeuta del habla |
| coach | antrenör | treinador | entrenador |
| lawyer | avukat | advogado / advogada | abogado / abogada |

## Part 2: The walk sheet

At each card, read all three lines. Then rate:
- Q1. Would I like the daily work? (1 no, 2 maybe, 3 yes)
- Q2. Could I do the training? (1 no, 2 maybe, 3 yes)
- Q3. Do I have, or want, the unit skill it uses? (1 no, 2 maybe, 3 yes)

| Career | Q1 daily work | Q2 training | Q3 the skill | Total (out of 9) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Teacher | | | | |
| 2. Pediatric nurse | | | | |
| 3. Social worker | | | | |
| 4. School counselor | | | | |
| 5. Child care director | | | | |
| 6. Speech therapist | | | | |
| 7. Coach | | | | |
| 8. Family lawyer | | | | |
| 9. Pediatrician (stretch) | | | | |
| 10. Occupational therapist (stretch) | | | | |
| 11. Family mediator (stretch) | | | | |
| 12. Youth program director (stretch) | | | | |

**My top career (circle it above):** ______________________

**The pathway (what it takes to get there, from the card):** ________________________________________________

**One skill from this unit it uses, and where I practiced it:** ________________________________________________

Stretch: **One thing I could do this year to start toward it** (the babysitting course, volunteering, a club, a class in high school): ________________________________________________

* * *

## Teacher key

- The walk sheet is checked for all three ratings on at least six careers (eight for everyone but grade 6 support), a circled top career, a pathway line that matches the card's "needs" line (not a guess), and a unit skill with a lesson or activity named ("the five conflict steps, in the role plays").
- Training lines on the cards are general and reflect New York requirements as commonly described; [Sal: confirm each against the NYS Education Department's Office of the Professions and Office of Teaching Initiatives before printing. Licensing rules change.]
- A student who rates everything 3 gets the question "which one would you not want to do at 7 a.m. on a Monday?"
- A class's most-circled career is written on the board tomorrow with the pathway line, as the two-item debrief at the start of Unit 4.