SURF's Coffee Cart
COVID taught us how to pivot and be creative in our teaching. COVID forced us to either learn online or in small communities on campus. I teach an Adaptive Living Skills, Community Based Instruction Program. My students work towards a Certificate of Completion rather than a diploma. During COVID we were not able to practice our work skills at off campus work sites and thus our on campus coffee cart was born. The students serve coffee, tea, homemade lemonade and baked goods to the staff on campus. Through this they practice real life work skills both technical and soft skills. They learn how to be on time for worked, dress and presentable, create drinks and snacks, take orders, prepare the orders, compute totals and make change. They are also able to work on their communication skills while working on the coffee cart. The special education students are joined by general education students who help to work at the coffee cart creating an inclusive environment.