Teach-In Gives Students a Window into Their Futures

They're only in first grade, but some students at say they already know what they want to do when they grow up.

Lily Huff wants to be a nurse. Owen Donohue is determined to be a baseball player. And Hailey Santos has decided on a career as a baker.

On Nov. 17, for the Great American Teach-In, the children dressed like the professionals they hope to someday become. There were policemen, fashion models, martial arts experts, cheerleaders and sailors.

Deciding on a career is the easy part, former professional baseball player Kevin Ohme told the children at Cimino. But accomplishing their goals take good grades and hard work, he told fourth-graders at the school Thursday.

Ohme was among the hundreds of professionals who returned to school Thursday as part of the Great American Teach-In. During the annual event, people from all walks of life visit public schools to talk about their careers and what it took to realize their dreams.

Ohme said it took more than skill and talent to become a professional baseball player. A left-handed pitcher, Ohme played 12 seasons of professional ball, including stints with the Minnesota Twins and the St. Louis Cardinals. An elbow injury ended his baseball career in 2004.

Then, he told students, he focused on his next career. He returned to school, obtaining his degree in business management from the University of South Florida and now serves as director of the Ministries Activity Center at First Baptist Church of Brandon and is a Little League coach.

"With any endeavor, you have to apply yourself," Ohme told the students. "Like with baseball, you need to practice every day and be willing to learn something new."

He told students that they're training now for the job they will get in the future.

"If you're not qualified, another person will get the job you want," he said. "You  have eight more years to make sure you're the person who get the job."

In addition to good grades, Ohme told the students it takes integrity, honesty, responsibility and a strong work ethic to achieve their goals.  

"Integrity is doing the right thing when no one else is around to see it," said Ohme. "Those are the characteristics employers are looking for. If I hadn't had those characteristics, I probably would not have done as well in baseball.

"At the end of the day, I wanted to be able to look at myself and the mirror and know I gave it everything I had," he said.