Teacher Tuesday: Efficiency Comes to Shepherds College!

Thank you to Jennifer Eakley, Instructor, for writing today's blog.

Effici-what?

What started with the Gilbreth’s popularized Time-Motion Study to improve business efficiency has now evolved and made its way to Shepherds College! As our students chop and plant their way to Appropriate Independence™ (Ai), we ask ourselves, “What else can we do to help students become the best employees that they can be?”  With the help of the Specialty Major Instructors, Chef Cassandra Comerford and Mr. Owen Lackey, the students will begin to practice strategies to improve efficiency during their 1^st year Study Skills class! 

What is efficiency? According to Dictionary.com, efficiency is the ability to accomplish something with the least waste of time and effort. In short, we will learn to work smarter, not harder. The 1^st year students will be completing tasks that simulate skills that they may perform in a job. We will monitor our skills to see how we grow and improve! 

How will they do it?

To start, students will complete a task three times. We will average these into a baseline data score. Next, students will set goals to improve their speed and accuracy, thus improving efficiency. Finally, students will chart their progress each time they complete the task to see how much faster and more proficient they can become. The goal is that this process can be replicated with any task or skill to help students improve job efficiency. Tasks include bagging rice (used to practice pan-flipping skills in Culinary Arts), distributing items into plug trays (from the SC Greenhouse), disassembling Lego structures and sorting them into categories, sectioning paper into even pieces, and sorting major-specific flashcards into categories.    

As students complete tasks, they will self-assess and problem-solve ways to improve their efficiency. This is a new level of self-advocacy that will allow students to select, implement, and evaluate strategies that can be used in any job! They will be assessed on their effort, growth, and reflections as they learn this imperative new skill recently added to the Study Skills curriculum. 

What’s the point?

Horticulture students will improve the speed in which they transplant plugs into pots while minimizing air pockets that could harm the delicate roots. Culinary Arts students will more quickly chop ingredients while maintaining industry standards. These skills will help prepare students our students for jobs in their specialty majors making them more competitive with other workers. The students learn so many new skills with us at Shepherds College; now it is time to take it to the next level! 

Appropriate Independence™ (Ai) is defined as supported self-sufficiency aligned with the strengths of each individual and guided by Christian values.  The four principles of Ai are:  we are designed on and for a purpose; we are created as individuals for community; SC trains individuals for life after college; and the goal is to empower students to serve.  To fulfill the aspect of training for life, students are given the training and the opportunities to practice their skills. When students have the opportunity to practice efficiency growth in class, they are more prepared for their 3^rd year Field Experience (FE) where they are placed with local businesses. At their FE sites, they will have the opportunity to exercise the skills they have learned which will ultimately earn them a certification in either Culinary Arts or Horticulture. 

As our students grow, so do we; and it is hard to contain our excitement when the students continue to amaze us with their growth of Ai in all aspects of their lives. All of the courses offered at Shepherds College are specifically designed to support students in various areas to provide them with the skills and strategies necessary to live as individuals created on and for a purpose, empowered to serve their community, and trained for life! All of the staff at Shepherds College feel honored to be a part of such an amazing organization!


Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Have You Heard?

There’s a rumor going around. Have you heard? 

Heads are bowing together, lips are moving, nods and knowing looking are being exchanged as this bit of news is shared – 

“Shepherds College only hires THE BEST people…”

Normally, I run screaming from rumors, but I have to stand firm and tell you, this one is absolutely true!

The college can’t take too much credit though. In all honesty, God only brings us THE BEST people so our pickins’ are… well, pretty amazing to begin with. It’s obvious He has big plans for the future of Shepherds College when the quality of the people populating the offices, classrooms, dorms and hallways is observed.

Are you ready to meet the latest of the greatest faculty members God has called to join our team? 

Here’s Cassie Comerford, Lead Instructor of Culinary Arts. She did such a complete and charming job of answering my questions, I’m going to let her tell her own story in today’s blog:

Shepherds College: “Did you always want to be a chef? Can you pinpoint when and why this desire started?”

Chef Cassie: “Actually, no. Being a chef never was in the picture. I come from a large, Polish family, and cooking – good cooking – is just what you did for your family. I had great teachers – my mom, my grandmothers and all the Polish ladies at my church. Everything was homemade. I didn’t know Polish sausage could be purchased at a store. I only knew how to make it at home. 

My short story? I received my Bachelor of Science degree in Interior Architecture from the University of Wisconsin, Stevens Point. While working in Chicago, I was pursuing my Master’s degree in Architecture and kept walking past this culinary school. I saw some interesting classes and signed up for a 6-week class. I thoroughly enjoyed it, was smitten and the rest is history.

Since earning my Culinary Arts degree from Kendall Collage, I’ve had the pleasure of working in fine dining rooms, private clubs, small boutique bakeries, large production bakeries, vegetarian and vegan restaurants, as well as private consulting on a few start-up cafes creating recipes, developing menus and running a Raw Food Kitchen in Puerto Rico.”

Shepherds College: “You’ve had such diverse experiences in the field! What would you say are your ‘specialties?’”

Chef Cassie: “Beside Polish cuisine? Vegetarian and vegan, raw foods, and gluten-free baking.”

Shepherds College: “What is the most creative meal you’ve ever cooked for anyone?”

Chef Cassie: It was a Raw Vegan Lasagna, prepared for, and shot on location in Milwaukee for Good Food America, featuring Nathan Lyon, an Emmy nominated chef on the Veria Living network.  It consisted of zucchini and yellow squash ‘noodles,’ with walnut ‘meat’ filling, macadamia nut ‘ricotta cheese,’ red bell and sun-dried tomato marinara sauce and parsley-basil pesto, topped with micro greens and pine nuts. It was so much fun and, I hope I’m not giving away a TV secret, but it took about over four hours to shoot that four minute episode.

Shepherds College: “Wow! You sound very health conscious. What are your thoughts on the influence food has on health?”

Chef Cassie: “That is a biggie. It is so important.

I worked for a couple of years in Puerto Rico at a Raw Food Health Institute. I saw people walking (or barely walking due to inflammation, arthritis, etc…) into the program. After only a few short weeks of letting go of the processed foods and sugary sodas common in the Standard American Diet (SAD), I saw these people feeling so much better! By eating whole, fresh, clean foods, toxins were released from their bodies, and they were now walking upright with a spring in their steps.” 

Shepherds College: “Do you already have plans for bringing something new to the Culinary Arts Program?”

Chef Cassie: “My plans are to continue the great job that has already been done, especially continual training of the students in proper and safe knife skill techniques. I’d like to add additional knowledge in the areas of nutrition, healthy cuisine, vegetarian and vegan, how to do delicious and healthy food substitutions, along with some background in ‘Raw Vegan’ cuisine and, of course, gluten-free baking.”

Shepherds College: “I have to ask – with your extensive cooking and travel experiences, what is the craziest thing you have ever eaten?”

Chef Cassie: “A double-dip cone of Salted Cod and Avocado Ice Cream in Puerto Rico.”

 

Shepherds College: “…Oh…um… yum? 

Actually, with your adventurous spirit, love of good food and the desire to improve the lives of people through high quality, nutritious meals, we know the Culinary Arts students are going to LOVE you… just nix the dried fish ice cream.

Chef Cassie: “My hope is that the students will see my passion for teaching the culinary arts, my heart’s desire to help them learn, and that cooking and baking can be so much fun and rewarding.”

Shepherds College: “Last question, and then I’ll let you get on with your lesson plans – how does your faith influence your work?”

Chef Cassie: “I pray that I am the hands and the feet of the Lord, and that my teaching blesses each and every student.”

 


Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.

Caught Between a Rye and a Hard Roll

My earliest food memory is a sandwich.

From the age of two and on throughout my childhood, my aunt, who was the pianist for the Milwaukee Ballet, would take me with her to performances at the Performing Arts Center. I loved every moment of it – getting ready in a dress and “big girl nylons,” honking our horn in the tunnel as we drove into the city, sitting dead center in front of the orchestra pit all by myself, watching the beautiful dancers on stage, and talking to Romney, Peter, Myron and the other performers after the show. 

As special as all of this was, my favorite part of each evening was walking hand in hand with my aunt to The Velvet Chair, a plush, dimly lit restaurant on the lower level of the PAC, and sitting at the bar. My aunt, in her flowing dress, with her dark hair tucked up in an artfully crazy bun and a long cigarette in an engraved holder perched between her red-tipped fingers, would wave the bartender over and order two BLT sandwiches, a Coke and a cup of black coffee. 

It could have been the 1940s-style elegance to the whole scene, or maybe the excitement of each occasion, but every time I took a bite of that BLT, I thought it was the best thing I had ever tasted. That food memory is tightly linked to joy, anticipation and pleasure in my mind, and even though decades have passed, I still can’t eat a BLT without remembering those long ago days with a smile. The sandwich is a bond to happy moments in my past.

These days, I count the BLT among my favorite sandwiches even though my tastes have matured and gotten more adventurous. I’ve tried everything from basic bologna to exotic camel and love to experiment with making mile-high creations for my family. My son, Nic, used to say, “You can tell how much Mom loves us. Just look at her sandwiches.” 

Recently, I received an email from Miss Van Oyen, the Culinary Arts Para. She was teaching the 2^nd year students about sandwiches. I so wanted to be in their classroom rather than sitting behind my cluttered desk! I imagined wonderful conversations about fresh breads, new ingredients to blend into spreads, mayo versus Miracle Whip, soft versus hard cheeses, white meat, red meat or no meat, an endless variety of vegetable combinations, grilled or cold, cut in half or served whole… sigh. 

Miss Van Oyen had her students study sandwiches from top to bottom, then fill out a worksheet to create a café menu filled with delectable, delicious, delightful sandwiches. They needed to include all seven types of sandwiches - closed-face, open-faced, club, griddled, cold, hot, finger and tea sandwiches.  They also needed all four elements of a sandwich - bread, spread, filling, and garnish. 

Then they named their creations.  Here are some names and sandwiches the students came up with:

-      Wade named his sandwiches:

·         The Famous Chef Wade Sandwich

·         Bomb of the Year Sandwich

·         Creativity Sandwich

·         The Salami Supreme

·         The Best of the Best Cold Sandwich

·         The Best Creation on the Planet Earth Sandwich

·         Caribbean-Style Sandwich

-      Other names were The Gobbler and Tiny Tom.

-      The students used fillings such as hummus, guacamole, cream cheeses, flavored mayonnaise or butters, etc. Not just mustard and mayonnaise!

-      They used different breads like pumpernickel, rye, sourdough, baguettes, bagels, pita, rolls, and even Triscuits for tea sandwiches. 

-      The meat they were asked to use was turkey, but they used honey roasted, smoked, turkey bacon, and turkey hot dogs to add creativity.

It was a lesson filled with creativity and almost limitless possibilities.

I hope, through this exercise, the students developed fun memories of the sandwich that will make them smile well into their golden years. 

I hope that their family and friends will feel loved when they someday eat one of these fantastical creations made by their own skilled chefs.

I hope that one day I’ll stop by a café owned by Wade to try his The Best Creation on the Planet Earth Sandwich. 

I’m sure it will become my new favorite.

Just for Fun:

Our favorite sandwiches – 

Mrs. Harvey – Oooooh! One of my favorite sandwiches is a warm Reuben, or just about anything with sautéed onions and green peppers.

Mr. Gaschke – In the summertime, I enjoy a good BLT – garden fresh tomatoes, thickly-sliced bacon, dark, leafy lettuce and Miracle Whip.

Miss Houk - Jimmy John's Turkey Tom

Mr. DeCiccio – A Spicy Italian from Subway with pepper jack cheese, jalapenos, lettuce, oil & vinegar, and salt and pepper.

Miss Miles – I like grilled chicken sandwiches with lettuce, tomato and avocado on a pretzel bun.

Jimmy John's #9 on wheat

Mr. Canright – A Beach Club from Jimmy Johns! Sprouts, avocado slices, turkey, provolone… I like to sprinkle Jimmy’s jalapeno chips onto the sandwich. It provides a little crunch to the texture.

Mr. Andrus – Jimmy John’s #9 on wheat 

Mrs. Anderson - My favorite sandwich has to be a "fluffernutter." It has peanut butter and marshmallow fluff together.  It tastes wonderful!

Mrs. Konopasek - Turkey Panini!!  Yum

Panera's Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich

Mr. Kolkman - My favorite sandwich is the “Bacon Turkey Bravo” from Panera Bread. It has smoked turkey breast, bacon, smoked Gouda, lettuce, tomatoes, Panera’s signature dressing, all on Tomato basil bread. Love it!

Mrs. Kolkman - Panera’s Mediterranean Veggie Sandwich!  So yum!

Mrs. Luchterhand - Ummm… A turkey and cheese bagel sandwich… Or a turkey (Sun-Dried Tomato Turkey) and lettuce wrap.

Mrs. Patton - My favorite sandwich is a BLT with swiss.

 

Mrs. Wright - You choose – BLT, Tuna or Peanut butter with grape jelly.

Miss Pollard - My favorite sandwich is the “Bacon avocado chicken sandwich without bacon” from Chili’s. It’s faaaaaaaaaaabulous! 

 



Shepherds College - Guiding Your Transition to Appropriate Independence. Please visit us at www.shepherdscollege.edu.