Wednesday, October 24, 2012

Doing What It Takes To Support Learning (Part 2)

A few weeks ago I published a post titled Doing What It Takes To Support Student Learning (Part 1).  In a continuation of that piece I am posting a second student reflection on a summer learning experience that our school supported for one of our students.


Mr. Sheninger,

I would like to thank you for generously supporting my trip to the Foundation for Free Enterprise’s Summer Business Camp. Without the support of Mrs. Vicari, the Board of Education, and yourself, my successful experience with the program would not have been possible. I very much appreciate the encouragement of opportunities such as this one, and I highly recommend continuing the program of in-school and out-of-school collaborations with the FFFE.

Through the Summer Business Camp, students were given the opportunity to learn about various fields of businesses and were privileged to have informative lessons instructed by knowledgeable executives in relevant areas of business. Students explored the ideas and concepts pertinent to any business including economics, employment, banking, accounting/financing, business law, marketing and advertising. Students were also educated on important life skills applicable to anyone looking to be successful; for example, public speaking and the college/job application process. All activities and seminars proved to be appropriate for high school students interested in business and especially beneficial to those preparing to take business-related courses in high school and college. The availability of a true campus-life experience also allowed students to be subjected to different learning and living environments, which they now have the advantage of being familiar with.

Personally, the FFFE’s Summer Business Camp was an unforgettable experience that I was fortunate to be a part of. Not only did it reinforce and expand on the knowledge I had on business, but it solidified my interest in pursuing business in high school, college, and as a career. Forming a business complete with its own business plan within a group of other students was a creative and practical way to develop team-work, communication, and time-management skills necessary in any field of business. In addition, I was glad to have become acquainted with eminent executives in business, be inspired by success stories, and to form lasting friendships with my peers.


Sincerely,



Stelios Giannoulis

1 comment:

  1. Please know that I speak as a software engineer and business analysis guy.

    I *LOVE* the idea of encouraging people to think like an entrepreneur.

    Why?
    (1) It can create an environment for project based learning. Imagine if we regularly asked students to discover their passion. What if we asked them to figure out how to support their dream with a business plan??

    (2) Over the long term, this behavior would help support the creation of small business.

    (3) It creates an environment where the student is working their fluid intelligence. (not crystal)

    (4) From the blog posts, it appears that your students are more engaged in their mission of learning. Why? You've helped them to establish a dream for themselves.

    (5) From the side of business, I KNOW that the business leaders must have appreciated the opportunity to hear from young voices. Every generation has a culture. This environment helped businesses learn about the challenges young people encounter today.


    I wanted to share one last idea. If executed well, it could be a cool fund raiser for the school.

    I attended a one-day business leadership course from Dave Ramsey called Entreleadership. To hear some of the content from this event, check out the following set of podcasts:

    http://www.daveramsey.com/entreleadership/podcast

    I especially like "starting with why/personal selling/personality styles."

    I am pretty sure Dave Ramsey and his crew will do this one day training course again. What if your school hosted the course for your students?

    Why would you do this?
    (1) The content is designed to inspire learners on EVERY aspect of business. (marketing, leadership, communication, making choices, etc.)

    (2) If your school hosts the one day, your students receive a reduced rate on the course.

    (3) You could open up this learning opportunity to your community. Your school can sell tickets and make a small bit of profit from it.

    (4) Please know that I do not work for Dave Ramsey in any way. I just really believe in his style of inspirational teaching. I believe the world needs inspiration. I believe our country needs a generation of bright business leaders to rock our world.


    I really affirm YOU and your team for encouraging business leadership in your school. This is huge!

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