Introduction
Walt Disney, the animator, entertainer, and philanthropist, stated, "If you can dream it, you can do it." 1 Walt encountered many setbacks, but he never stopped believing in himself and his great ideas. Despite his humble beginnings and bankruptcies, he kept on going with his vision of tomorrow. His legacy includes hundreds of movies and several theme parks which entertain children and adults worldwide. Walt was a visionary and a self-made entrepreneur.
This quote is an inspiration for my business and marketing students. If they have a great idea, they should do something with it. Creativeness is required to stand out among the crowd. Marketing is everywhere, whether the teenager is purchasing a new pair of jeans at the mall or listening to a commercial on the radio. My students need to realize that when they are on an interview for a job they are marketing themselves at the interview. A future employer needs to see the confidence that the individual has in order to be certain that he or she has a good worker who can increase sales in the business.
Teenagers need to feel confident in their abilities and accomplishments. They do not know how or where they fit in at home or at school. This in-between time— when the student is neither a child nor quite yet an adult—is confusing. We, as teachers, must motivate and prepare our students for the next step in life. Our students need our guidance as important decisions are made, like which classes to take or how to obtain a first job, in order for full potential in high school to be achieved. This is a time to cultivate interests towards setting a career path. After high school and/or college, perhaps he may want to open up his business and work for himself. As guides, we need to help him discover his dreams and vision for the future.
This curriculum unit will provide students with an understanding of what makes up a biography, how a job can turn into a career, what an entrepreneur is, and how to interview entrepreneurs in order to write their biography. This will be a meaningful and memorable experience for the teens as they begin to create their own life story as they develop their career. This could be that pivotal moment when teens discover what they want to do with their lives by setting achievable goals.
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