The Value of Massage Education

Greetings,

I wanted to share some exciting community happenings with you today.  I am a current member of Leadership Thurston County, class of 2016.  As a member of this organization, my goals are to connect with the community, network with other emerging leaders,  and to learn more about how the county works.  This is important to me because I didn’t grow up in Thurston County, so having a sense of the community is something I feel will improve my goals to bring Bodymechanics School more recognition.

Leadership Thurston County is designed to:

Identify and recruit highly motivated emerging and current leaders to participate in the program.

Inform, challenge and engage participants about the opportunities and needs of the community.

Develop interpersonal relationships and an esprit de corps among the participants.

Create a dialogue and rapport among participants and community leaders.

Assist in identifying opportunities for community involvement.

We  recently set out into the Tumwater school district to see what amazing things are happening in our schools.  Obviously, I was excited to learn more about the school system in this county, since I own a vocational school.

The biggest ah-ha moment from me during the Education Day was seeing the pride of everyone we met – from students, to teachers to administrators.  I was reminded of a meme going around, that says  “if a child can’t learn the way we teach, maybe we should teach the way they learn.”  This concept was so noticeable everywhere we went in the Tumwater school district.  The programs were designed to reach students in ways they can and want to learn.

Our agenda for the day included visits to New Market Skills Center, Black Hills High School, Tumwater Timberland Library, and SPSCC.  We ended the day with a higher education panel with the presidents from St. Martins University, SPSCC and the Academic Dean from The Evergreen State College.

During the panel discussion, Dr. Roy Heynderickx, President of St. Martin’s University said this “education is good for both the person and the community.”  He spoke of the value of discovering the roots of living a good life, and being happy with your education choice.  Many students today still choose to go to college because it’s the thing to do – without having a plan of what will make them happy for the long term.  I really appreciate this sentiment because it perfectly aligns with my thoughts of living your soul purpose – finding that thing that will make you excited to get up each morning, knowing you are happy and contributing to society.

Here are key items that I feel Bodymechanics School is in perfect alignment with the 3 colleges in town – small class size, compassion, support, peer mentors, internships and helping students find their moral rudder.  Additionally, each college had incredibly high success rates with exams, job placement and graduate success.  Bodymechanics School clearly succeeds with our graduates as well – as evidenced by our 99% pass rate on the national certification exam taken to become licensed as well as the numerous requests for graduates we receive every week from community clinics, spa’s, and private offices.

We attended an after-hour social and I had the opportunity to talk with Dr. Timothy Stokes, Presidents, SPSCC and talk with him about our mission.  Specifically, we talked about the competitive nursing program and what happens to the nearly 75 students that apply for the nursing program, but who are not accepted each year because of space constraints.  Dr. Stokes encouraged me to send him an e-mail as a vocational massage education might be something those students would pursue while waiting to get into the nursing program.

I truly believe Bodymechanics School provides a valuable education model in our market area with both our massage and personal training programs.  A vocational education is perfect for the youngster who hasn’t found their life-long career, or who doesn’t have the funds to attend a larger college.  A vocational career is perfect for an older population as well – for those who possess a strong desire to help others feel better and who are ready to run their own business and set their own schedule.

As Bodymechanics School grows, I look forward to becoming a stronger leader in the community.  I look forward to producing strong business owners, who will strengthen the communities they reside in.  I look forward to creating lasting relationships with leaders in Thurston County.

I would just like to close it by saying that I am impressed with our well our community supports education.  Our kids are so well prepared to enter the workforce or continue on for higher education.  I am excited for Bodymechanics School’s contribution on an on-going basis.

Kind regards,

Shari Aldrich, LMP
President
Bodymechanics School