Are you one of those individuals to whom javascript, HTML and COBAL are part of your everyday language? If so then it will come as no surprise to you that the IBM Personal Computer, more commonly known as the IBM PC, is in fact the original version and predecessor of the IBM PC compatible hardware platform. This precursor of the multitude of neat little models sold virtually in any mall in the world was IBM model number 5150, and was introduced to the world on August 12, 1981, a mere 27 years ago. Yet in a little less than three decades, computers have taken the world by storm and virtually every home has at least one model in use. The growing love of the computer is in part thanks to Don Estridge of the IBM Entry Systems Division in Boca Raton, Florida. Estridge headed up and directed a team of engineers and designers who gave the ancestor of the computers used today its humble beginnings.
But all of this is common knowledge to Chad Surom, business instructor at Mid-Prairie High School, teaching not only business but computer courses, marketing, personal finance, and accounting. With a BA in Business Education from UNI and a Masters in Education from Graceland University, Mr. Surom certainly has a great deal of experience from which to draw within his busy day.
Teaching 15 years within the district, Mr. Surom taught when an 8 period day was norm. Since that time, the block system of teaching has come into effect and according to Mr. Surom, "It's really nice for a lot of the classes that I teach, as many are project based so with block scheduling we can get into a project much more before the end of the period. It used to be that we would barely get into a project before the period was over. Now we have time to really get into the project without wasting time reviewing as we often did with the former schedule."
Busy not just with basic courses, Mr. Surom also teaches several "dual credit" courses which allow students to obtain both high school and college credit for the course, a positive when it comes to helping students get ahead on post high school education. The two dual credit courses offered at this time are Computer Applications and a Multimedia course which allows students to work with PowerPoint, Moviemaker, as well as a program which allows students to record voices and music. Adding all the knowledge in Mr. Surom's Multimedia course certainly sounds challenging but students assure me it is one of the most popular courses to take to "really learn your way around the computer in a creative way."
If teaching multiple courses isn't enough to keep Mr. Surom busy, he is also the yearbook coordinator which not surprising to this reporter, is now created via a computer program sponsored by Jostens.
In response to asking what attracted him to Mid-Prairie as opposed to a larger school, Mr. Surom stated, "I really like the size of the school here and I like the kids. They are eager to learn and it shows. I've really got good kids in the classes and I think getting to know the kids better in a smaller school makes all the difference when it comes to reaching them with the material. The kids get a better grasp of the information put before them before they leave the classroom and that is what makes all the difference."
Mr. Surom's obvious appreciation for his students is returned in kind by his students as well. Senior, Stephanie Yoder had this to say, "I think Mr. Surom is a really good teacher. He teaches as lot of business classes and I think they are important classes that prepare you for your future, maybe even more than any other kind of class. His computer skills are great and a good knowledge of computer skills is needed a lot right now." Adding, "I think Mr. Surom also is a great teacher in that he gives us a lot of freedom in our classes so we work at our own rate, we sort of teach ourselves at the speed it takes for us to understand. We are able to make our own mistakes and he lets us make them but he's also there to help us figure out what we did wrong and how to fix them too."
It sounds to this writer, who grew up in an era where electric typewriters were on the cutting edge, that Mr. Surom is not only teaching his students how to be proficient in his courses but also how to think for themselves when it comes to realizing the importance computer technology does and will play in their lives. Under his guidance, students can leave Mid-Prairie with not only basic computer knowledge but with the knowledge and self-confidence they need to succeed. With this knowledge, it is clear Mr. Surom has succeeded in teaching these students in a way only he can and his knowledge will be put to use far past the time students leave Mid-Prairie for the world outside its doors.