In the quiet auditorium of Knights Elementary, musician Cliff Brown tunes his guitar, preparing for one of the most educational performances of his career. Standing alone on stage, the students file in, murmuring about his instrument.
He starts strumming. They stop talking.
One 30-minute mini concert later, and the students are convinced they, too, want to be rock stars.
“I like the guitar,” a little boy says, exiting the room excitedly with his friends.
Brown, of the band Clemons Road, was just one of many Plant City professionals that came to an area school for the annual Great American Teach-In. During the teach-in, students can learn about different types of careers from the guest speakers.
Every year, the most interesting professionals are invited to share their experiences. From policemen to beekeepers, each sets up a unique presentation. Some of the best presentations involve animals.
At Knights Elementary, representatives from Busch Gardens brought some wild friends along with them — an armadillo, alligator and sloth. Second-grader Carlos Charles learned one fact about each animal.
“(The Sloth) it’s low on the ground, but a good swimmer,” Charles says. “(Alligators) have sharp teeth and doesn’t use its nails as much. It only eats meat.”
But the armadillo was his favorite.
“Its shell is hard,” Charles says.
A fireman was another popular speaker. He brought his gear, including a helmet, oxygen tank, gloves and boots, to show the students. The demonstration made a big impact on 8-year-old Landon Merrill.
“He talked to us about firefighter medical,” Merrill says. “And I want to be a firefighter when I grow up — Plant City.”
Unfortunately for some students, the firetruck had to leave in the middle of the day for a real emergency. But, Brooklynn Vanhorn wasn’t upset. She got to see another type of truck — one from Tampa Electric.
“I was scared when he went up really high in the truck because I’m scared of heights,” Vanhorn says.
Wyatt Drawdy was also impressed with the TECO employee.
“He told us all about electricity,” Drawdy says. “The big green box — you cannot sit on it because it can shock you. He told us about big metal poles and the wires that go underground.”
The Plant City Times & Observer editorial staff also came to the Knights Elementary Teach-In. Seven classes of second-graders learned about writing letters to the editor, played with high-tech cameras and some were even interviewed for an article. At the end, they explored the paper by doing a scavenger hunt in the most recent edition.
Contact Amber Jurgensen at ajurgensen@plantcityobserver.com.