AIER founder Col. E.C. Harwood encouraged the institute to apply John Dewey’s ideas on the education of young minds. In his book “How We Think” (1933), Dewey postulates that experience “is not a rigid and closed thing; it is vital and hence growing. … Experience also includes the reflection.” To provide a dynamic experience, we encourage students of all levels to learn about the institute’s history, mission, and research, and to reflect on this knowledge.

On March 28, a group of students from a local high school in Lenox, Mass., came to AIER for a career day. By welcoming the students to our campus, we fulfill AIER’s mission of educating individuals about our research on economic issues and of providing charitable service to the community. In addition, we deliver to students the experience of interaction with our staff and our ways of doing research, thus, in Dewey’s words, aiming at “arousing enthusiasm, … [and] evoking energy” in those young minds.

Our collaboration with Lenox High School goes way back. The teacher who spearheaded the trip, Ms. Ann Barber, participated in our Teach-the-Teachers Initiative workshops this past November and in November 2015. In addition, she invited me to her classroom in January this year to kick-start the Stock Market Game’s online simulation for students. In this game, teams of students from various high schools compete in a virtual stock market.

During their visit to AIER this Tuesday, members of two teams from Lenox High discussed their portfolios’ composition and performance with Luke Delorme and Charles Murphy of American Investment Services (AIS). Through these interactions with professionals, students reflected critically on their strategies and will be adjusting their allocations accordingly.

Students also heard from Patrick Coate of AIER and Tricia Storti of AIS about their career trajectories and decisions they have made in selecting their fields of study. Since many students in the group were juniors and seniors, I made sure they were introduced to AIER’s College Destination Index and our methodology to calculate it. Also, during the event, Max Gulker presented his work on Blockchain technology, which fascinated the students and provided ground for a fruitful discussion.

As we follow the legacy of Col. E.C. Harwood in educating youth, Career Day events afford the opportunity to share the abundant content and professional knowledge created by the institute during its 85-year history. This experience is exciting and rewarding for everyone involved.

Picture: The group from Lenox High School in front of AIER during Career Day on March 28, 2017.

Back row from L to R: Meet Patel, Piero Merino, Jaimie Henderson; Second row from L to R: Bridget Collins, Ann Barber (teacher), Julian Hashim, Alexis Fletcher; First row from L to R: Liam Lindsay, Hailey Patel, Hannah Beckington.

Click here to sign up for the Daily Economy weekly digest!