Career Week exposes young Westfield pupils to variety of professions

June 15, 2022 | Amy Porter
aporter@thereminder.com

Retired nurse Betty Esposito, center, and kindergarten teacher Kara Iserman field questions from Franklin Avenue Elementary School kindergartners during Career Week.
Reminder Publishing photo by Amy Porter

WESTFIELD – During the week of June 6, elementary schools in Westfield participated in Career Week, when parents and community volunteers visited classrooms to talk to the students about the work they do, and the different careers that could be available to them.

On the morning of June 8 at Franklin Avenue Elementary School, students heard from a nurse, a superintendent and a senator.

Retired nurse Betty Esposito, who also mentors a kindergarten student in the school, spoke to the kindergarten classes about how to become a nurse.

Esposito started by saying she wanted to see their smiles. She described herself as a grandmother of four, the youngest of whom is five years old.

“We’re going to talk about what I did for 50 years,” she said, putting on a nurse’s cap that she received when she graduated, and showing them her stethoscope. She said both men and women become nurses, and asked the students if any of them have family members who are nurses. Half a dozen children raised their hands, and talked about their mothers, aunts and grandparents who are nurses.

Esposito said as a nurse she worked both in a hospital and also as a visiting nurse.

“I really enjoyed that,” she said. “I got to meet families, the dog in the house and the cat in the house.”

She then read the book, “My Mommy is a Nurse,” that was written by four nurses. Afterwards, she donated the book to the classroom.

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