Gary, This is such a valuable strategy for you to use. I am a big fan of guest speakers and field trips for the reasons you list. Guest speakers help students to see the reason why the content being taught is valuable and they reinforce the standards you have for the course. They make everything real for the students. After a guest speaker my students are always ramped up and motivated to work even harder. When ever they start to wear down I bring in another speaker so I can keep them on a high and excited in relation to their career preparation. Gary Gary Meers, Ed.D.