Wow! Y.E.K. experiences bring so many things to mind. First, Y.E.K. has provided some of the most relevant, valuable training I have experienced in my 23 years of teaching. Training both in a variety of forms such as Koch Industries training sessions, summer teacher training, access to community events, a variety of teacher sharing platforms (which we are in the process of expanding and improving), and collaboration between educators, Y.E.K. staff, universities, community and business leaders. All of these things make the Y.E.K. teacher experience more valuable! Another huge part of the Y.E.K. experience that impacts my experience as a teacher, is the financial support our classrooms receive. If there are curriculum, activities, or anything out there that can help us impact kids, Y.E.K. makes sure we are adequately funded in order to bring these things into the classroom. In addition, this enables us to “practice what we preach”, that incentives work. Through this financial support teachers are able to find ways to incentivize students, thus impacting the classroom. Although the areas I mentioned above are HUGE, they are not the most memorable part of the Y.E.K. teacher experience for me.
The most memorable experience is being able to work with students in the area of entrepreneurship or dream building. The empowerment many students feel as they begin to look at themselves as creating value not just taking a paycheck is rewarding. Although we as teachers are sometimes frustrated that this empowerment doesn’t happen easily or overnight for all students, that is at the same time what is so rewarding. We only get to have these students in our program for 9 months, if it was that easy to change lives and get students to be entrepreneurial thinkers overnight, the experience would not present such a rewarding challenge.
In my 20+ years of involvement in the Y.E.K. program, seeing students at North High School (and other schools) continue to grow after experiencing the program, as they “battle” as “owners” to create value for themselves, for their families, educationally, and professionally. As Y.E.K. teachers, staff, funders, and supporters, the experience is not only rewarding, but vital to our community's future. Although students may enter the entrepreneurial thinking path at the beginning, middle, end, somewhere in-between, or for many not even on the path, the Y.E.K. experience gets them on the path, and moves them forward at an accelerated rate. AND THAT IS A CHALLENGING, FRUSTRATING, and (Oh, YES!) REWARDING EXPERIENCE! Why I love Y.E.K. so much!
The most memorable experience is being able to work with students in the area of entrepreneurship or dream building. The empowerment many students feel as they begin to look at themselves as creating value not just taking a paycheck is rewarding. Although we as teachers are sometimes frustrated that this empowerment doesn’t happen easily or overnight for all students, that is at the same time what is so rewarding. We only get to have these students in our program for 9 months, if it was that easy to change lives and get students to be entrepreneurial thinkers overnight, the experience would not present such a rewarding challenge.
In my 20+ years of involvement in the Y.E.K. program, seeing students at North High School (and other schools) continue to grow after experiencing the program, as they “battle” as “owners” to create value for themselves, for their families, educationally, and professionally. As Y.E.K. teachers, staff, funders, and supporters, the experience is not only rewarding, but vital to our community's future. Although students may enter the entrepreneurial thinking path at the beginning, middle, end, somewhere in-between, or for many not even on the path, the Y.E.K. experience gets them on the path, and moves them forward at an accelerated rate. AND THAT IS A CHALLENGING, FRUSTRATING, and (Oh, YES!) REWARDING EXPERIENCE! Why I love Y.E.K. so much!
-Matt Silverthorne
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