Norman — When Jeff Hoffman reigns as teacher, its strawberry doughnuts — not apples — that earn second-graders gold stars and double points. No joke.
Hoffman, a distribution engineer for OG&E, notched an extra tick mark to Kennedy Elementary second-graders who decorated their doughnuts strawberry-flavored during a doughnut-making assembly line race that taught students the efficiency of teamwork, when he took over Gretchen Slate’s class Friday.
On Friday, 25 OG&E workers traded in their regular day jobs for a one-day teaching gig, where workers — placed in every class at the school — taught students financial literacy lessons through curriculum by Junior Achievement of Oklahoma, Inc., which has partnerships with OG&E and Kennedy.
The achievement program places business professionals in classrooms to connect classroom learning to real life, teaching students lessons such as teamwork and innovative thinking.
“I love the fact that it’s the community coming in. To see people who aren’t their parents or teachers care about their education is great,” said Slate, as Hoffman counted down for the students to finish “mixing” — rather sticking — the eggs, milk and sugar stickers for their doughnuts.
This was Kennedy’s first year to participate, but Hoffman’s third.
And besides a day out of the office, the opportunity to inspire kids — particularly those weighing a college education — keeps him coming back to the front of the class, strawberry doughnuts or not.
“Not everyone’s motivated, I think. If they see someone from a professional job come in, maybe they’ll have aspirations of going to college and doing the same thing,” said Hoffman, after the second graders, now quasi bakers, exited to lunch and recess.
In the 2008-2009 school year, the organization served Madison and Washington elementary schools, along with Irving and Whittier middle schools and Norman High School.
Amy Serrata, development director for Junior Achievement, said that during the organization’s audit, it discovered that elementary school students who participated in the program possessed more basic economic, personal finance and business knowledge than others, and 95 percent of teachers reported that these students had a better understanding of how the real world operates.
“They don’t get that anymore,” said Jeff Koons, community relations director for OG&E, of teaching financial literacy in the classroom. “It helps develop these kids to become good citizens. They’re the future and they’re going to be the business leaders one day. If we can get that in there now, it’s better.”
Koons, a veteran of the program, rounding out 20 years this year, stressed the importance of innovation and creativity, as he surveyed hand-drawn business models by his fifth-grade class. The models showed ways to improve services to industries such as health care and transportation, like the OG&E bus a group of four recommended that carries a $5 fare charge to work or school, with all ticket sale profits mailed as a donation to Haiti.
And the students assured that it would be equipped with emergency exits and kits. Just in case.
“Those are the kinds of things we need,” Koons said between laughs of the OG&E inspired bus.
And while the curriculum stresses the management of paper and plastic, Koons took a minute to set aside the hard issues of money, explaining that securing a passion in something that foots the bill is equally — if not more — important.
“If you’re in something you like, it’ll make your life a lot easier,” he said as he asked the kids to close their eyes and fast forward 20 years to a potential married with kids scenario. “There will be a time when it’s not all about you.”
Nanette Light 366-3541 nlight@normantranscript.com
