Easton Area kids peer into possible futures at career fair | Commentary

What are you going to be when you grow up?

That’s not an easy question for most 9- and 10-year-olds.

But it’s never too early for young people to start thinking about their futures.

Gifted-education teacher Lisa Simon invited more than 40 professionals from around the Easton area to meet Thursday at Shawnee Elementary School for a career fair.

It was a diverse assortment. Gathered at the Forks Township school were a pilot, a doctor, a therapist and a videographer. There were engineers and technical workers for a cement plant. And, there was a news reporter (me). We sat at tables and the students came with questions:

Do you work during the day or at night? (My answer: both.)

Do you work indoors or outdoors? (Both.)

Do you need to go to college to do your job? (Yes.)

The grown-ups brought displays, devices and props to help immerse the kids in their careers. Next to me, for instance, were fur pelts and turtle shells and feathers from the Department of Conservation and Natural Resources’ environmental education experts.

That table never lacked for a crowd. Demonstrating how to write in a blog tool and post stories to lehighvalleylive.com just lacks the draw of dead animal parts (even if getting the news out was critical to the climax of this year’s “Superman” movie).

But I did give away all my lehighvalleylive.com screen-cleaning microfiber cloths, and most of my lehighvalleylive.com Post-it pads.

Everyone likes free stuff!

One of the presenters was barely removed from her time as a Shawnee student. Palmer Township resident Maya Turner started a slime-making company with her sister, Arita. Maya has moved up to the middle school but was invited back to Shawnee to talk about being an entrepreneur.

“My dream was always to make slime,” Maya said.

With a handful of ingredients, including glitter glue and an “activator,” you can make a sticky substance and squeeze it for stress relief. Thus, Slime and Shine was born. The girls sell slime as party favors. They set up a table at Belleville Market in Easton. You can follow them on Instagram.

“They are bright young girls who believe in the benefits of slime play on the psyche,” Simon said.

I’m grateful for the invitation to participate that so many other professionals participated as well. We all have busy lives. But really, what’s more important than sharing our experiences with the next generation?

Spoiler alert: We won’t live forever. Those kids are going to take over for us someday, and that day is coming fast. It’s never too early to get them thinking about what they want to be when they grow up.

“We want them to begin envisioning their futures and understanding the many possibilities that await them,” Simon said.

Another spoiler alert: Hanging around with kids is a fun way to spend your afternoon.