Jeremy Borkowski is the career education and student services teacher at Moniteau School District. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Preparing for life after high school can be a serious and difficult transition for some high school students.

At Moniteau School District, career education and student services teacher Jeremy Borkowski is attempting to make that transition a little easier for students, while also teaching them some valuable lessons on the topic of financial education.

Borkowski is in his 18th year teaching at Moniteau, and prior to becoming the career education and student services teacher this year, he was a ninth and 12th grade history and economics teacher, with a focus on financial education.

Today he leads a program at the school district that tries to reach students at all grade levels in some capacity with the goal of helping guide them toward the right career path, while also teaching them how to grow and spend their money wisely.

“It’s a program we are trying to build on to,” Borkowski said. “I don’t think we are in that final phase. It’s neat to see when they feel comfortable talking about these things. The older kids tend to really enjoy it because they can start to see their pathway.”

Borkowski starts most of his days at Dassa McKinney Elementary School, where he teaches fourth and sixth grade classes.

“We work on talking about different jobs, but also soft skills, such as how do we treat people, along with social and emotional skills,” Borkowski said.

Around noon each day, Borkowski makes his way to the high school, where he works with students between eighth and 12th grades.

The older the students are, the more career-focused the lessons and activities become.

“In ninth grade we went and did vo-tech tours and showed them all the careers that are down there,” Borkowski said. “We did presentations about salary and benefits, what kind of positions are available locally and nationally using the bureau of labor and statistics to figure out what those pathways could be.”

Borkowski spends a lot of time collaborating with other teachers in both the elementary and high schools.

At the high school, he is working with two English teachers to help educate students on important topics that can be utilized later in life, while also giving them real-world experience on how to help one another in the community.

“We are bringing in a financial literacy program focusing on mortgages, loans, credit and identity theft,” Borkowski said. “I also do a lot of stuff with student council. We work to do activities after school like dances. Right now we are working on a Christmas wrapping paper and Scotch tape drive.”

Borkowski also owns a small business, Clarion River Brewing Company in Clarion.

Being a small business owner, Borkowski is able to use his business as way to learn more from young adults about what gaps need to be filled when it comes to career and financial education.

“I think one of the gaps is credit, which we talk about,” he said. “I always say it’s very expensive to be poor in the sense if you have a bad credit score, it’s really hard to get, for example, an affordable car loan. Then we talk about what is the purpose of good credit and how can you establish it.”

Borkowski wants his students to be able to think of every possible scenario when it comes to spending.

To help accomplish that, he puts senior students in scenarios where they have to pay their bills, but he throws in instances where they have an unexpected bill that needs to be paid and he looks at how they respond to it.

“Do you buy a cellphone that's $1,000, or do you buy a cheaper one and pay less?” Borkowski said. “What needs to be sacrificed and can some things afford to be sacrificed.”

Another example of Borkowski’s lessons, but at the elementary level, is showing students a time-lapse video of how to build a house. The idea was to identify what kind of jobs it takes to complete the construction.

“There are plumbers, electricians and HVAC workers,” Borkowski said. “Then we were able to do a little research and look in our backyards and see what kind of jobs are here. They probably know someone that does those jobs, so it makes it real for them.”

Borkowski said he truly enjoys working with kids and helping guide them toward their goals. He said he hopes to continue growing the curriculum he teaches because he wants students to be prepared for the real world as much as possible.

“I love working my two jobs because I work with adults at the restaurant, and I have the kids here,” Borkowski said. “That’s so I can balance and see where the shortcomings are and fill in those gaps, because it’s the things I see younger adults struggling with a few years out of high school, and that’s hopefully what we can address at the high school so they are prepared for it.”

This article first appeared in the December edition of Butler County Business Matters.

Jeremy Borkowski is the career education and student services teacher at Moniteau School District. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Jeremy Borkowski meets with students Coleton Stiglitz, center, and Kyuss Butcherine in his office at Moniteau High School on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw

Jeremy Borkowski talks with students Kyuss Butcherine, center, and Coleton Stiglitz at Moniteau High School on Friday, Nov. 15, 2024. Rob McGraw/Butler Eagle

Rob McGraw