Grade 9 students from Vanier Collegiate have learned the value of a day’s work during the Learning Partnership’s national Take Our Kids to Work day Wednesday.
“I think it’s a great initiative that is getting kids out of the classrooms and into the real workplace,” said Dr. Jeffrey Reihl, a chiropractor at Crescent Park Chiropractic Clinic.
Reihl’s son, Aiden, was one of approximately 100 Vanier students participating in Take Our Kids to Work day.
Most students were paired with their own parents, but some students were unable to go to work with a parent and were instead paired with a member of the community.
Jeffrey said the day provided kids with a valuable opportunity to gain real world experience in the workplace.
“There’s a common misconception we’re spoiling our youth and giving them whatever they want,” he said, “this gives us a chance to show them the value of a day’s work.”
Even though Aiden thought the day was “really fun”, he said he still wants to be a dentist.
“I just like working with the mouth, and I find teeth really cool,” he said.
“One of our friends is a dentist, and he certainly looks up to him as a mentor as well, and is interested in that career,” explained Jeffrey. “When you have these personal relationships and see what they do for a living, that’s where the interest level comes from.”
Even though Aiden intends to be a dentist, Jeffrey stressed that he is still learning valuable lessons by coming to his dad’s practice.
“There is some cross-over,” he added, “(dentists and chiropractors) are both involved in healthcare, and deal with patients one-on-one, too. Something like this, for Aiden... I think he really gets a feel of what the day-to-day job is like. Except, instead of dealing with backs, he’s dealing with teeth.”
