Tom McEvoy (he/him), Curriculum Director and Co-Safety Officer of the Training Center for Operating Engineers Local 4
On Wednesday, January 22, 2025, Tom McEvoy visited Sarah O’Leary’s K1 classroom at Josiah Quincy Elementary School. Sarah’s students have been learning about how buildings and spaces can be designed to meet the needs of people that live and work there, and about the different jobs that support building a city. Tom trains apprentices for the Operating Engineers Local 4, so he’s an experienced educator, but his students are adults; in advance of the visit, Sarah prepared Tom for her young students’ enthusiasm, as well as their reasonably short attention spans. Tom showed up with a box of props, including a hard hat and model cranes and excavation equipment, and quickly earned the students’ rapt attention. He also incorporated multimedia components, including photos and videos of construction sites, which the students loved.
Heavy equipment is a hot topic for the K1 set, and meeting Tom allowed students to draw connections between their knowledge of construction machines and the equipment they see in their neighborhoods. They identified the functions of excavators, bulldozers, front-end loaders, and tower cranes, and shared ideas for how operators can stay safe at job sites. Tom also emphasized the importance of operators having strong math skills.
We invite Pathfinders to speak to all grade levels, from K1 through 12th grade, which allows us to foster curiosity and career aspirations for students of all ages. To bring your own career story to a BPS classroom, contact [email protected].
