Meet our Design Education Strada Team! Between T.J. Burghart, Megan McGee, and Sara Sterchak, this team brought over 32 combined years of experience in the architecture and design fields to Philadelphia classrooms. This team of coworkers taught in Bregy Elementary over the Spring 2024 Semester. Their goal was to make a positive impact on the future of design education and they did just that! This team blended into the Bregy community in a way we had never seen volunteers do before (See photo of them rocking their Bregy t-shirts as proof!). They believe this was a great opportunity to be inspired and learn from the future designers and community leaders- the students of Philadelphia!
 

Q: The Design Education program requires partnering and planning with a team over the 6-week period of your lessons. How do you believe this improved the culture at Strada and how you communicate with co-workers?
Megan: “By collaborating on this effort, our team cultivated strong bonds on both personal and professional levels.  These bonds are key for success in the workplace.”
Sara: “This design education program gave our team at Strada an opportunity to go back to the design basics together! It connected us by having to share how we all learned design so we could then teach it to others.”
T.J.: “It was an opportunity to learn from my colleague's experiences and exposed me to more design fields, like landscape architecture!”


Q: “How do you feel learning to teach younger students about your craft has improved your presentation/management skills?”
Megan: “A lot of what we do in design is about communication.  Knowing how to present material to your client and then to read the room and respond accordingly is critical.  Having a younger audience certainly keeps you on your toes and opens your eyes to seeing things new again.  This kind of re-set to the design brain is refreshing.”
Sara: “Teaching younger students that most likely have not yet been exposed to the profession is a great opportunity to practice speaking clearly and concisely about topics and tasks. It was good practice to learn how to break up the content we were teaching to keep focus from the students and keep them engaged/excited.”
T.J.: “Teaching with younger students helped distill what are open big, challenging ideas in more simple questions. I feel it helped me communicate with a clearer picture.” 
 

Q: Each of you spent a great deal of time working hands-on with students to teach them what it is like to be a professional architect or designer. Why do you think it benefits students to be exposed to these ideas and professions at such a young age?
Megan: “I think it’s pretty common for creative fields to remain a mystery to those who don’t have direct experience with it.  My dad was an engineer so I just so happened to be exposed to seeing blueprints at a young age.  If I hadn’t had that direct connection, I’m not sure if I would have found architecture, or at least my path to architecture would not have been as straightforward as it was.  Exposure of youth to design fields helps to open their eyes to more possibilities, and even if design is not in their future, I believe the exposure to design can have impacts on problem-solving strategies and teamwork.”
Sara: “Exposing students to the profession and general design thinking strategies is great because it either can spark a passion for design or opens their minds to different tools that they can use in any aspect of life. Design learning teaches students to think creatively, critically and to problem solve – all valuable skills to have in life even if they don’t grow up to become designers.”
T.J.: “I think greater exposure to the design fields can increase the possibilities and interests of students, especially in a 7th grade classroom.  Moreover, exposure to design thinking can help them see the built environment and their own neighborhoods in a different way.”

Q: Your team was assigned a 7th grade Math/Science classroom at Bregy Elementary School. Did anything surprise you about working with teenagers?
Megan: “I don’t think it was so much a surprise, as it was an “Oh right!” moment.  It’s been a while since I sat in a 7th grade classroom.  Teenagers are dealing with complex emotions and are still learning to grapple with that.  Mr. Dustin Owen, their teacher, was clearly a supportive role model for them, and helped navigate those waters.  What was delightful was seeing that emotion allow them to feel their successes and wins in a much stronger way.”
Sara: “What surprised me most about working with the 7th grade Bregy Elementary class was their design preferences. I loved seeing all of the different outcomes and things that each student cared about with each activity. During our final pocket park design charrette, I loved seeing which students prioritized planting or built components in their design.”
T.J.: “I think it was powerful to see each team of students take the initial idea and make it their own and prioritize their interests. Our final activity was developing a pocket park for their neighborhood, and each team created a different experience.”

Q: “T.J., This is your second time volunteering with our Design Education program. For your second semester, you got to work alongside your colleagues at Strada. What motivates you to continue and expand your involvement in the program?”
T.J.: “I have enjoyed being inspired by the student’s thoughts and ideas. In each session, I am amazed at the creativity and how each student ‘owns’ their own designs sharing what is most important to them. There has often been an ‘ah-ha!’ moment where students analyze their own neighborhood or park, and offer their own thoughts and solutions, becoming a change agent in their community.”

Interested in volunteering with DesignPhiladelphia's Design Education program?  Please reach out to Michael Spain (michael@designphiladelphila.org), Liza Niles (liza@designphiladelphila.org), or Carly Clifford (carly@designphiladelphila.org) for more information.