Time to Create Entrepreneurs in Hauppauge Schools, Scholar Says

On Monday, Yong Zhao, an internationally known scholar, author and speaker, whose work focuses on globalization, technology and education, visited Hauppauge Schools.  

In his most recent book, “World Class Learners: Educating Creative and Entrepreneurial Students,” Zaho confronts the current education system with questions about the kinds of students schools should produce and the societal roles our students will play in the future. As he sees it, students should be trained as job creators, not job takers, a part of the new workforce known as “black-collar workers” (taken from internationally-famous creative type, Steve Jobs and his trademark black turtlenecks).

Zhao spent the day moving throughout the district to discuss his ideas with parents, students, administrators and members of the business community, prompting them for responses as well as answering questions posed to him regarding his theories. Early in the morning, he met with the Hauppauge Career Advisory Board, a group consisting of school administrators as well as local business owners. From there, he took time to speak with students in the International Baccalaureate and Theory of Knowledge programs, asking them to reflect upon what it is they love to do and how these passions can be used to help other people in society.

After these more intimate meetings, Zhao gave a presentation in the High School auditorium to the high school student body, before presenting to the Hauppauge community later that evening.

In these talks, he likened the current education system to that of a “sausage maker” where a variety of ingredients are forced through the same system in an attempt to create a single product. Some schools may create better “sausages,” but ultimately, they all share the same essential qualities. For Zhao, this is not enough for the current economic climate in the United States, where he argues that typical middle class careers have slowly faded from existence over the past twenty years. Schools must find a way to foster the uniqueness of each child they serve.

During these presentations, he advocated that schools concentrate on helping children find their passions, saying that if Olymipic gold medalist, Michael Phelps, had been unable to concentrate on his true dreams and abilities, then, he may, be still “hooked on phonics.”  

Through more parental and community involvement and policies that focus on students as individual creators, Zhao said that schools can change for the better and help students achieve their fullest potential as contributors to society and have happy, meaningful lives. 

*This article was submitted by Joseph Salina/Hauppauge Schools.