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Something positive in South Carolina education
By Jimmy Bailey
Op-Ed
It seems that all we hear about in South Carolina is the failure of our education system. While I do not dismiss the problems or take the situation lightly, there are some good things happening that all too often get lost in all the news about drop-out rates, SAT scores, math and English achievement and so forth.
The National Governors Association convention, held in Charleston in August, ended with a call for creativity and innovation in our schools. Gov. Mark Sanford said, “We need to harness imagination and creativity in education.”
A number of things have occurred at the state level through the efforts of our Legislature. One innovative idea was the creation of the Review Board of Excellence. This board awards $30 million annually to the state’s three research institutions. This initiative has produced some remarkable opportunities such as the International Center for Automotive Research at Clemson University, the hydrogen fuel cell project at the University of South Carolina and medical research at the Medical University of South Carolina.
In April, Time magazine had an article pointing to boredom as a chief reason why many of our young students drop out. Stressing math and science to kids who don’t see themselves as doctors or scientists becomes an obstacle to these students.
We at Youth Entrepreneurship South Carolina believe we may have found a way to reach our youth who are bored or may not end up at college; that secret could potentially change the image of South Carolina education forever.
Thus far, more than 140 teachers have been handed the keys to unlock the secret so that they can share it with the next generation of South Carolinians. Teachers across our state are educating students to become entrepreneurs regardless of their academic, social or economic status.
The idea began after I lost the mayoral race in Charleston. Several weeks after the election, my friend and local entrepreneur Tommy Baker encouraged me to continue with an idea I talked about during the campaign: providing entrepreneurial instruction to our young people.
It was that encouragement that led to the creation of a small group that put up money to bring in an instructor from the National Foundation of Teaching Entrepreneurship. That instructor was able to train teachers to begin educating their students about the process of wealth creation and business formulation.
This summer, training was made possible to all public school teachers in South Carolina because House Majority Leader Bobby Harrell, R-Charleston, and state Sen. Glenn McConnell, R-Charleston, paved the way for money to be appropriated from the state budget. State Rep. Daniel Cooper, R-Piedmont, and Sen. Hugh Leatherman Sr., R-Florence, also supported the legislation.
This summer, an additional 100 teachers were trained through the College of Charleston, Clemson University, Midlands Technical College and Francis Marion University. The curriculum, which involves a variety of hands-on activities, promotes opportunities for kids to learn about owning and running a business. In fact, studies show that the entrepreneurial way of thinking can significantly change lives.
As a result of the entrepreneurial training, a group of teachers created Biz Camps geared toward young people. They worked with teens from the Cainhoy Boys and Girls Club and Carolina Youth Development Center as well as with students in the Hollywood, Ravenel and Edisto areas. At the end of the week, those children were different people as a result of the hands-on teaching that occurred. For the first time, someone showed them how to make money and what was needed in order to become financially independent.
The National Foundation of Teaching Entrepreneurship provides instructors to train teachers in entrepreneurship. There are 13 NFTE-certified entrepreneur instructors worldwide. Of these 13, two are from South Carolina: Carly David of Isle of Palms and Harriett Templin of Walhalla.
As a NFTE programs partner, YESCarolina is committed to “sharing the secret.” The program has just begun to flourish in South Carolina and we are on the cutting edge of an educational revolution. Our mission is to train teachers statewide so that they will reach students regardless of the students’ social, economic or academic status.
In South Carolina, our students are screaming for hands-on educational opportunities.
Positive, creative, innovative; it is happening in South Carolina.
Jimmy Bailey is the chief executive officer of YEScarolina. He can be contacted at www.yescarolina.com, or by mail at P.O. Box 210, Charleston, SC 29402.
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