I taught my first Junior Achievement class about 18 months ago at an inner-city urban high school by the name of Central. The memories of my first day walking into that classroom will never leave my mind. I have to admit, I was definitely out of my comfort zone. Thankfully I knew one of the teachers from back in the day and he was a huge help with getting me the respect I needed to lead the class for eight weeks. Since that first class I’ve taught at the Jr. Achievement Center a couple of times and led other classes. I love being in front of the room with all the young people, hopefully sharing something with them that will “stick” throughout their lives. The most enjoyable experience I’ve had has been with Barbara Sauer’s 5th grade class at Northaven Elementary. For some reason, we just clicked, especially with each passing week. The Kentuckiana JA is a wonderful organization based very close to Downtown Louisville. The organization serves educational needs about financial responsibility, entrepreneurship and small business to over 44,000 children over 26 counties. They’re always looking for volunteers to assist with workshops, classes and sometimes at the James Robinson’s JA Center for Freedom of Enterprise. They can be found online at www.jaky.org. I challenge everyone who wants to teach to contact JA and see what you can do to assist them with spreading their very unique message.
Interesting fact…JA Worldwide was founded in 1919 by Theodore Vail, president of American Telephone & Telegraph; Horace Moses, president of Strathmore Paper Co.; and Senator Murray Crane of Massachusetts. Its first program, JA Company Program, was offered to high school students on an after-school basis.
