Jon Wilson ’01 on Work-Based Learning and His Path to the Classroom

By Jill Perry-Balzano

This year, Jon Wilson took on a new role at Burr and Burton in addition to teaching social studies: Work-Based Learning Coordinator. The Work-Based Learning Program is designed to expand internship opportunities for Burr and Burton students while promoting individualized and authentic learning experiences.

For Wilson, a native Vermonter who left after high school graduation and returned after a life-altering experience, the inspiration behind this work is a deeply held belief in community connection and equity.

This semester, Work-Based Learning has grown significantly to facilitate internships for nearly 60 students. Though he’s pleased with this growth, Wilson is excited to take further steps to formalize and expand internship opportunities, making them available to more students.

How did Work-Based Learning come about, and what drew you to this role?

The position came about because we’ve had students doing on-campus and off-campus internships for years now, and there was a desire to further leverage this existing program and make it even better.

CONNECTING STUDENTS TO THE INSTITUTIONS OR HUBS IN OUR COMMUNITY AND SHOWING THEM THAT THERE ARE PATHWAYS TO FIND MEANINGFUL WORK, MAKE A LIVING, AND GIVE BACK TO THE COMMUNITY RIGHT HERE.

A big inspiration for me is to help kids learn more about the opportunities that exist here in Vermont. Connecting students to the institutions or hubs in our community and showing them that there are pathways to find meaningful work, make a living, and give back to the community right here. Around the country people are asking, “How does secondary education fit into our regional economic development?” Part of the answer is giving kids career exposure and some training, and helping them to see the opportunities that exist in our communities.

I was ready to leave Vermont when I graduated high school—I went to college out west, and then I was drawn back to the area. A number of people I grew up with also left and some have moved back, and a number of people want to come back but maybe don’t see a pathway for it. That is one overarching purpose for me in this work.

Another piece that I want to work toward in the coming years is to help facilitate connections with students and the trades. How do we create a way for kids to explore the trades? There’s a lot of work here in Vermont. I’m from a family of tradespeople, and I know it can be incredibly meaningful work. We have a huge skills gap and labor shortage when it comes to trades in our area. It’s a really promising pathway for a young person to avoid lots of debt and become financially independent in just a few years.

What are future plans for the program?

For next year, I’m really focused on some [fixed] internships that we can capture in our course of study—kind of like a menu of existing offerings that provides exposure to all students. We have these important hubs in our community like Hildene, Orvis, MEMS, Manchester Medical Center, and others. I’m working on creating a [fixed] internship with a description that carries over from year to year so students can plan for them and apply for them.

It’s more equitable that way too, because in the past it was dependent on existing relationships or connections—a family friend or something like that that helped make the connection. Not all kids have the same social capital, so I want to create existing offerings that all students can learn about and apply for.

I’m also working on weaving in the BBA alumni network as part of this work-based learning infrastructure. We have alumni in so many fields, and current students and alumni have an immediate connection to build on.

How did you come to teaching?

I grew up here; I went to MEMS and my mom was my 6th grade social studies teacher. She became the principal of MEMS and eventually the [BRSU] superintendent. My dad was the town manager and then a state representative. All that goes to say, I grew up around a dinner table where public service was very much valued.

After graduating from BBA, I went out west to Colorado College. It was a good experience; I met my wife there. We got married right after college, and we moved to Cape Cod where I have some family. I worked as a carpenter for a bit, and then I got a job as a legislative aid for a politician in Boston.

Then I got cancer, and I had to have my leg amputated. While I liked my work, having cancer really pushed me to pursue work that was more meaningful to me; you could say it expedited my timeline. I considered who had made the biggest impacts on me. I thought of my mom, and my middle school teachers, Mrs. Connor and Sunny Wright, and I made the decision to become a teacher and move back to Vermont.

A guy I worked for growing up gave me some great advice; I used to work for him doing landscaping, painting, and carpentry. He told me, learn to use both your hands and your mind in case you lose one of them. It was good advice. It would have been hard for me to continue working as a carpenter having lost my leg. You know, a lot of schools focus on career or college readiness—but really, it’s got to be both.

How does work-based learning fit into your path as an educator?

[This program] felt like it would be a great new challenge, and an opportunity to get creative and help kids find alternative pathways to learning—and having kids working on more individualized, personalized learning. What they’re assessed on is based on individual needs and skills they want to focus on. Both the hard skills that are relevant to the industries they’re working on and the transferable skills—BBA’s spires—as well as the professional skills. Some of these jobs may not even exist in 20 or 30 years, but we know that professional skills like communication, work ethic, active learning—these things will matter forever.