School. For many, the simple word conjures images of blackboards, yellow school buses and Friday night lights.

But for today’s children, school’s definition is so wide and varied a few fleeting memories couldn’t possibly capture it all.

College credits. National culinary competitions. German exchange programs. National Parks exploration. Early colleges. Dino digs at geological sites. Blended learning. On-the-job training. Therapeutic riding programs.

These are just a few of the stories to be discovered at public schools throughout Michigan.

And that’s why we’re here. InspirED Michigan was developed to introduce you to the new reality of Michigan’s public schools and the innovative and inspiring stories happening every day for Michigan’s 1.5 million public school students.

Each month, we’ll bring you features and news from around the state of Michigan, focusing on topics like how technology is being used in the classroom, how public school students are enriching the world around them and how we’re preparing our students for the workplace. Plus so much more.

Unique experiences abound
To help us start understanding what’s really happening inside our classrooms, we spoke with teachers from around the state about what they experience every day in our schools.

“I wish everyone could see what I see after I take attendance each day,” says Jay B. Gross, an English, speech and debate teacher at Shepherd High School in Shepherd. “I look up and see these eyes, all looking toward me, filled with so much hope, excitement and wonder. Kids today want to be challenged, to be better than they are.”

For Gross, much of that challenging happens far outside the traditional classroom. Gross and his students participated in a program called the Great Western Experience, where he and fellow teachers took students out West for rafting, mountain climbing, canyon exploring and science experiments in our National Parks.

“I remember one 16-year-old girl hiking up a 13,000 foot plus mountain. She wanted to give up and turn back, tears running down her cheeks.” After a quiet chat to help her visualize her goal of reaching the top, cheered on by her family and friends, Gross saw a light go on in her eyes. She finished the climb with her teacher and classmates.

“Still to this day, many years after, every time I see her that light comes back and she smiles the biggest smile while running toward me.”

Michelle O’Meara’s experiences in – and out – of the classroom have been vastly different, but no less inspirational. O’Meara teaches in Eaton Regional Education Service Agency’s program for students with moderate cognitive impairments.

Her students participate in a therapeutic horseback riding program called Eaton Special Riding.

“I have witnessed students saying their first words while on the horse, making eye contact with an adult for the first time and showing us parts of their personality we have never seen before.”

That’s an experience that would be impossible for O’Meara outside of a public school.

“One of the only options for the students with the degree of impairment that my students have is a public school,” she says. “Our school provides them with the skills they need to become as independent as possible as an adult.”

“Public schools are a platform for students to be able to express themselves through many avenues including the stage, classroom and athletic fields to name just a few,” says Corbett Day, the culinary and hospitality instructor at Ingham Intermediate School District’s Capital Area Career Center in Mason.

Diverse at their core
But the value of public schools goes far deeper than unique experiences. At their core, diversity is one of the key differences for students attending today’s public schools.

“The world is facing so many new obstacles and challenges that are very threatening to the well-being of everyone,” says Jimmy Hagan, a math, world history and social studies teacher at Bath High School in Bath. “Every day in public schools, students from all different types of ethnic backgrounds, political ideologies, religious affiliations, languages, nationalities and income levels come together to work on better understanding crucial skill sets that are important for 21^st century learners, while doing so collaboratively and appreciating each individual’s ability to provide a unique perspective to the developed outcomes.”

Erin Wynn, a seventh grade language arts teacher at Abbott Middle School in West Bloomfield, loves the puzzle of designing a lesson that addresses what all students need to know while engaging each of those students in a meaningful way.

“Schools are microcosms of our communities and they give students the experience of learning in their own communities alongside peers who have backgrounds much different from their own. This rich diversity allows students to experience a wide range of perspectives throughout their education.”

Strengthening our communities
And yet, that diversity of background, ideology and opinion also bonds together students, teachers and their communities.

“Individuals may benefit personally from a quality school experience, but we all benefit from a better informed citizenry and a highly-skilled workforce,” says Eric Hoppstock, assistant superintendent and chief academic officer at Berrien Regional Education Service Agency in Berrien Springs.

Chef Corbett Day left a long corporate sector career to become a teacher and give back in his community.

“By not only taking the role as teacher, but a counselor, friend, father, colleague and mentor, I have grown my ‘family’ to over 500 students in the last 10 years,” he says.

And students are giving back too.

“In our society today, people are looking to have community support for each other,” says O’Meara. “Public schools help the community connect with each other.”

And that’s important, for our students and our communities.

“Within our schools, teachers and the student body have the ability to create a culture that is strictly defined by us as a group,” says Hagan. “Every school has the opportunity to build up its community and help make positive changes that will impact so many lives.”