Did you know that a class of seventh graders have started their own businesses, right here in school?
At the end of January Mr. Taylor’s CTE class started a new project: making pin-on buttons. The students worked together in groups and got to design their own buttons. Then they went to Mr. Rencher’s CTE class to “sell” the buttons to the kids. According to Mr. Taylor, the purpose of the buttons was, “to give an opportunity to show kids what real-life business is like.”
Mr. Taylor got the idea because it was a suggestion at a State Conference, and it seemed like a good activity. Each student in Mr. Rencher’s CTE class received $100.00 (in fake money, of course), and then they got to decide which buttons they wanted to buy. “I think everyone had fun,” Mr. Taylor said.
Mr. Taylor thought his students liked the project. “They’re not happy they don’t get to keep the buttons, but they enjoyed working on them,” he said. According to Mr. Taylor, there were a variety of pictures and themes on the buttons. Because the kids got to design them themselves, each group came up with different ideas.
Students in his class had a lot of good things to say about the button project. Matt Rawle, a student in Mr. Taylor’s seventh grade CTE class, said he thought the project was a good idea because, “it represents selling and marketing as a job. I liked working with other people, and working with my friends, and I like designing things.”
Wallin Mulipola, another student in Mr. Taylor’s CTE class, said, “I liked helping everyone work and I liked coming up with the slogan.”
Alicia Dunn, another student in Mr. Taylor’s class, said she liked the project because, “it taught us a new skill and we got to be creative.”
It looks like Mr. Taylor’s class has learned an important lesson in business!