Fringe Benefits

For the past week or so two of my classes have been discussing employee benefits that companies may offer as incentive to work for them. As a way to incorporate technology I had students to do an internet search of company benefits. They were instructed to find Fortune Magazine’s list of the Top 100 Companies to Work for 2011. They also conducted a search on the Ben & Jerry’s and the Google company sites to find the benefits given to their employees. At first the students were hesitant and really didn’t want to do the research.

In all actuality the activity was twofold. I did want them to find the employee benefits but I also want them to learn how to do research; digging for the answers, discovering new questions, and then digging even deeper. As a teacher, I want my students to be prepared for college and for life after high school. The answers will not always be given to us in life. It is up to us to seek out resources and investigate the answers. However, that is for another blog post perhaps. Let’s get back to the employee benefits…

It started with a spark. “Whoa, this company offers free art classes!” Then the comments and enthusiasm for conducting the research spread like wild fire. “Well, this company gives messages and yoga classes.” “That’s nothing; at this company you get free ice-cream!” As one student found and shared a benefit, the others became excited and tried to out-do each other with finding the best benefit. The point was to get students to think about more than just the salary but the total benefits (salary/wage plus any benefits) that the company provides.

Anytime I ask students to do something, I have already done it myself. If directions or the wording is confusing to me, then chances are it will be confusing to them. So of course, I have already considered the total benefits of my job; teaching. This week, I experienced two of the greatest benefits. First, it is the overwhelming feeling of hearing a student tell you, “Ms. Hardin, sometimes I get so frustrated with life, then I come to class and you smile at me. After that, I know things will be okay.” What do you say/do after that? Priceless! Secondly, after a seemingly never-ending, cold week, you walk into class and on your desk you find this….

To me, it’s a masterpiece! As a student teacher and future classroom teacher, I’d say corporate America can’t compete with benefits like this.