The Next Generation of Entrepreneurs

“Successful entrepreneurship starts with believing in yourself and your vision” (Sara Blakely). Students at Marco Island Charter Middle School (MICMS) who took part in the computer science class all had a clear perception of what they were going to create. Technology teacher Mr. Tenney made sure of this by allowing every student to design and fabricate exactly what they had envisioned as their very own innovation for entrepreneurship. So, the students put their creative minds to work, collaborated with each other, and were then able to produce inventions that could only be made by the ingenious minds of middle schoolers!

The goal of every teacher is to allow all students to have fun, work together, and also allow them to learn positively. This entrepreneurship class was able to involve every one of those points to make a perfect class. Not only were the classmates able to be creative and have fun, but they also learned everything they needed to know for a successful business. Entrepreneurship equips every student with valuable life skills, including problem-solving, critical thinking, and teamwork.

Mr. Tenney, who is the instructor of the entrepreneurship class, was able to give the students the most realistic experience. This is because, as he explained, “I started my own company in 2007 and wanted to give the students the same opportunity that I had. I wanted to let the students learn with my own experience.” When Mr. Tenney was asked about how entrepreneurship is helpful for later life, he answered that, “It helps you learn how to own your own business, and how to be a leader that doesn’t have to rely on others all the time. You need to be able to step outside the box to produce a one-of-a-kind innovation that fulfills a need. To successfully be an entrepreneur, you need to have the passion and the drive to do it.” 

Entrepreneurship doesn’t have a limit to what you could create for it. Every student was able to do what they loved, whether it was painting or making candles, they all got to enjoy generating their innovations. Everyone was motivated and ecstatic to be able to try something new. They got to think by themselves while also sharing ideas. They respected each other's thoughts and always found the best way to fix every problem! Entrepreneurship has many positive effects in classrooms and in later life. Not only will cognitive skills be enhanced, but students’ creativity will flare! Everyone had fun being able to learn while also doing what they love and what their skills are set at.

In the future, if a student were to pursue a career in business, they will remember the experience they have had. They will know exactly where to start and to remain resilient until successful. The world needs every great innovation that anyone can offer. The students at MICMS can contribute to this through remembering everything that they have learned and maybe even creating the next famous invention!