The number one thing we hear from entrepreneurs and artists and creatives when we ask them about their education is about how irrelevant it was to their story. Sure, some folks had wonderful educational experiences, but for many their experiences left them feeling ill prepared for life and their careers. So, we wanted to create a space for folks to share their experiences and ideas for how we can improve our educational system.

Kelsey Gleason

While this is hardly a question to be answered in a short paragraph, my business partner Linda and I feel we are in a unique position to provide perspective on it with a total of 35 combined years in public education prior to leaving that field and becoming entrepreneurs. We were high school math teachers and our time in the classroom showed us that beyond an affinity for numbers, we enjoyed the act of serving our students and our community above all else. That love of service is what led us to the field of bookkeeping for small businesses and has helped make Educated Bookkeeping a great partner for growing businesses. Read more>>

Joe Gamez

I’ve spent a majority of my life as physical fitness enthusiast. Once college life came about, that all went out the window for quite some time. Long class hours, tedious work, desk jobs, and the general grind of life put my own health on the backburner. I gained over 50 lbs. since high school (probably closer to 70). Throughout that whole process, I became increasingly less happy with my own body image and capability. I wish I would have known how easily my health could fall apart and how hard it would be to rebuild who I once was. Read more>>

Neva LaRue

I spent 13 years in the public education sector as a high school culinary teacher, a job that I will always hold close to my heart. But boy, oh boy, are there some things that could change. The first thing I would change is to get rid of standardized tests and include more project based learning. Not all kiddos are great test takers and that shouldn’t reflect their other academic accomplishments. Read more>>

Linda Uribe

Currently the educational system follows a one size fits all model, often times leaving students discouraged and with a sense of unworthiness that in some instances causes them to give up all together. The educational system should focus on an individual’s talents and interests. It would create a more fulfilled, productive, and happy society. I can’t name one instance in which I have used calculus in my life (that’s my personal experience). Read more>>

Dr. Courtnie Gilmour

I would change how political the education system has become or always has been for that matter. I became an educator so I could change the world, in a sense. I wanted my students to have their own opinions based off of their own beliefs or research or thoughts. Not based on what everyone else says or does or thinks is right or wrong. We are a diverse country in the fact that we are all different. We all come from different background, we all learn and have learned from different people and different ways. Read more>>

Yolanda Gray

I would definitely incorporate financial literacy. While I do believe we should not totally depend on the school system to teach it children everything they should know going forward in life, I do feel that it’s impossible to teach someone else why you don’t know. Just like certain electives are mandatory, financial literacy should be amongst those “must haves” in order to fulfill credit requirements. Read more>>

April Lewis

Growing up, I was never taught about the importance of Financial Literacy. When I graduated from high school and started my first year of college, I was offered all kinds of different credit cards. One by one, I began to open up new credit card accounts. At the time, I was working at Wal-Mart as an Optician and whenever I wanted to get my nails done, go shopping, buy something new for my apartment, etc. I would use my credit cards to pay for it. I had a good system going at first, making sure I paid at least the minimum payment by the due date, but eventually I got behind. Read more>>

Robin Dayley

I have friends and family working as teachers and school administration, and I know there are deficiencies in funding and teacher pay. But I think there are also some fundamental issues with curriculum and the path on which we steer students. I grew up in a rural area and the school system there really only pushed two options: college for those who got good grades and vocational school for those who did not. And there was a stigma if you were one of the vocational students, you didn’t want to be one of the “dumb” kids. Now with 25 years of hindsight, I realize how wrong this was. Read more>>

Scott Tournet

I was not a good student. I hated homework and the whole classroom experience felt like punishment to me. I had one or two teachers that reached me and in those classes I did well so it wasn’t that I wasn’t capable, I just wasn’t inspired. After dropping out of college after my sophomore year, I found a progressive education school in Vermont called Goddard College. It was a weird little hippy school that let the students self direct their learning experience. I had recently fallen in love with music and I dove into school like never before. Read more>>

Brandy Miller

I got my A.S. in Elementary Education but the one topic of discussion that never came up was why we teach students what we teach them. Every ounce of our energy was focused on what to teach and how to get students to accept what we’re teaching. I think that’s the first problem we need to tackle. It’s unfair to ask students to blindly follow where we’re leading them if we aren’t willing or able to explain to them how learning what we’re teaching is going to help them achieve their goals and dreams. No adult would waste their time that way, why should kids be asked to? Read more>>