says.
“Yes,”
I say. “My boy is four years old and I’m looking for a good school.”
“I’m
just security. Let me have you speak with Eduardo the director.” He picks up a
phone. “Eduardo, there is someone here. Okay.” He replaces the receiver. “He’ll
be right down.”
“Thank
you.”
Eduardo.
That was the name Colton said into his phone outside the gym. Same Eduardo?
What was the other name he said? Carmelita.
I
look at the brochures while I wait.
Entrepreneurism
For Kids. Grow Your Own Business. Lemonade
Stand Day. This school is very capitalism-focused, I see. Not geared
toward going to college, but rather hands-on business skills. Strong emphasis on basic math. Other classes include
marketing & advertising, customer service, and bookkeeping &
accounting.
Along
the wall are pictures of graduates. One is a young man standing in front of a
gas station smiling into the camera. Another is a girl standing in front of an
office door that reads AudioMix . A much younger girl
who looks about twelve holds out a tray of cupcakes. She’s biting down on a
stack of hundred-dollar bills.
“Hello,”
says a bright-eyed young man as he reaches the bottom step. Twenty-one, I’d
guess. Good-looking in a young lean way. Will be
irresistible in ten years. “My name is Eduardo, director of Bright Eyes
Academy.”
Seems
a little young to be in charge. “ You’re the director?”
“Yes,
I know I look like I’m barely out of grammar school myself but I’m the
co-founder of this academy.”
He’s
wearing tan chinos with a plaid shirt. On the shirt is a pin. It’s an eagle’s
talons. I get a flash of Colton Stark’s chest tattoo. An eagle’s talons holding
a document with a quote by... what was the name ?... Milton Friedman.
I
shake his hand. “Hello Eduardo, my name is Michelle. I have a four-year old and
I’m looking for a charter school. I thought I’d come by and see what you have
to offer.”
“Oh,
wonderful. We are a complete K through twelve school .
Small classrooms. Lots of individual attention.”
“What’s
the difference between going here or to a public school?”
“Our
philosophy is based on free-market capitalism.”
“Really?”
“Of
course. The United States is the strongest nation in the world because of
capitalism. The industrial revolution created more wealth than the world had
ever known. It was the foundation of the lives we all live today. Here we teach
kids that the backbone of life is work. So while we do teach English, science,
math, and history, we also prepare kids to start their own businesses because
we believe we’re all entrepreneurs. What do you do?”
“I’m
an insurance investigator.”
“Then
you are an entrepreneur too.”
“No,
I work for a company.”
“But
the company may fire you at any time, sí ? I’m willing to bet you are a skilled insurance
investigator. So you could easily take those skills and offer them somewhere
else. Or start your own insurance investigation company. My point is that
whether you’re a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick-maker you are
self-employed. You are only as good as your skills. We are all freelancers
whether we know it or not.”
“Uh-huh,”
I say, squinting my eyes and folding my arms. “What about going to college?”
“We
have nothing against college. It’s necessary if you want to be a doctor, lawyer,
scientist, architect, or engineer. If your kid knows for sure that’s what he or
she wants to do, then Bright Eyes Academy is not the best option. We focus on
inner-city kids who are trapped in a school system geared toward college that
is only going to be a waste of time and money for them when they could be
learning real-world skills like bookkeeping, sales and marketing, and
negotiation. Stuff they’re actually going to use in their life instead of
biology or algebra.”
I
nod and smile. “You’ve given this pitch before.”
He
smiles back. “Would you like to sit in on a class?” he
“Yes,”
I say. “My boy is four years old and I’m looking for a good school.”
“I’m
just security. Let me have you speak with Eduardo the director.” He picks up a
phone. “Eduardo, there is someone here. Okay.” He replaces the receiver. “He’ll
be right down.”
“Thank
you.”
Eduardo.
That was the name Colton said into his phone outside the gym. Same Eduardo?
What was the other name he said? Carmelita.
I
look at the brochures while I wait.
Entrepreneurism
For Kids. Grow Your Own Business. Lemonade
Stand Day. This school is very capitalism-focused, I see. Not geared
toward going to college, but rather hands-on business skills. Strong emphasis on basic math. Other classes include
marketing & advertising, customer service, and bookkeeping &
accounting.
Along
the wall are pictures of graduates. One is a young man standing in front of a
gas station smiling into the camera. Another is a girl standing in front of an
office door that reads AudioMix . A much younger girl
who looks about twelve holds out a tray of cupcakes. She’s biting down on a
stack of hundred-dollar bills.
“Hello,”
says a bright-eyed young man as he reaches the bottom step. Twenty-one, I’d
guess. Good-looking in a young lean way. Will be
irresistible in ten years. “My name is Eduardo, director of Bright Eyes
Academy.”
Seems
a little young to be in charge. “ You’re the director?”
“Yes,
I know I look like I’m barely out of grammar school myself but I’m the
co-founder of this academy.”
He’s
wearing tan chinos with a plaid shirt. On the shirt is a pin. It’s an eagle’s
talons. I get a flash of Colton Stark’s chest tattoo. An eagle’s talons holding
a document with a quote by... what was the name ?... Milton Friedman.
I
shake his hand. “Hello Eduardo, my name is Michelle. I have a four-year old and
I’m looking for a charter school. I thought I’d come by and see what you have
to offer.”
“Oh,
wonderful. We are a complete K through twelve school .
Small classrooms. Lots of individual attention.”
“What’s
the difference between going here or to a public school?”
“Our
philosophy is based on free-market capitalism.”
“Really?”
“Of
course. The United States is the strongest nation in the world because of
capitalism. The industrial revolution created more wealth than the world had
ever known. It was the foundation of the lives we all live today. Here we teach
kids that the backbone of life is work. So while we do teach English, science,
math, and history, we also prepare kids to start their own businesses because
we believe we’re all entrepreneurs. What do you do?”
“I’m
an insurance investigator.”
“Then
you are an entrepreneur too.”
“No,
I work for a company.”
“But
the company may fire you at any time, sí ? I’m willing to bet you are a skilled insurance
investigator. So you could easily take those skills and offer them somewhere
else. Or start your own insurance investigation company. My point is that
whether you’re a butcher, a baker, or a candlestick-maker you are
self-employed. You are only as good as your skills. We are all freelancers
whether we know it or not.”
“Uh-huh,”
I say, squinting my eyes and folding my arms. “What about going to college?”
“We
have nothing against college. It’s necessary if you want to be a doctor, lawyer,
scientist, architect, or engineer. If your kid knows for sure that’s what he or
she wants to do, then Bright Eyes Academy is not the best option. We focus on
inner-city kids who are trapped in a school system geared toward college that
is only going to be a waste of time and money for them when they could be
learning real-world skills like bookkeeping, sales and marketing, and
negotiation. Stuff they’re actually going to use in their life instead of
biology or algebra.”
I
nod and smile. “You’ve given this pitch before.”
He
smiles back. “Would you like to sit in on a class?” he
Similar Books
