Celebrating 50 Years of Junior Achievement of Lincoln | Coni's Story

Author: JA Lincoln
Corporate Responsibility
Published: Monday, 17 May 2021

Sharing

Image caption: Coni Schwartz, Retired LPS Principal and 1984 Coordinator at Arnold School

Coni Schwartz
Retired LPS Principal and 1984 Coordinator at Arnold School

"As the coordinator of Arnold School in 1984, I knew the curriculum could be enriched for both students and teachers if additional resources were available to promote and inspire economic understanding and success - for self, families, community, city, region, nation, and the world! Having insight and relationship to and with several business leaders involved in Junior Achievement, and when asked whether I thought Junior Achievement could promote economic understanding by and for elementary children, the answer was a definite YES!!! After all, the LPS Social Studies curriculum already spiraled from self to the world, and adding threads of economic inspiration and success from Junior Achievement lessons, would only result in greater impact for each child and teacher.

With the approval of the LPS administration to pilot a JA class at the intermediate level, and having an extremely open-minded child centered teacher who welcomed a JA consultant in the classroom, Arnold School soon celebrated additional success, achievement and community collaboration in helping students understand practical information about family members and their interdependence, business importance in occupations, all the way to global trade and economic interdependence! Needless to say, the concept of "Yes, I can start a business!", for example, was indeed conceived! The Cookie Business was just one of the many "companies" conceived and successfully run by students and teachers!!

To have been a small part of the inception of Elementary Junior Achievement in the classroom, was a movement of which I am proud, but more importantly, to see added earnestness of purpose and a balanced point of view by students, families, their teachers through Junior Achievement partnerships, still creates a feeling of incredible accomplishment."