There is more to school than going to school. Entrepreneurship should also be taught in school. Did you just nod your head imaginatively? Unfortunately, not everyone sees it that way. And I would like to explain this in more detail.
Together with my co-author, I wrote the children’s and teen’s book “Die Start-Up-Gang”. These are four children who quickly realize that the dream of having their own start-up does not depend on their social background, but on a brilliant idea, a lot of courage, perseverance and the ability to work in a team. .
Reaction to the book has been very positive, especially on social media. But there are also malicious reviews – entirely predictable reviews. In concrete terms, traditionalists believe that young people should not be “poisoned” by greed for money.
We should stop keeping business and entrepreneurship away from our children
For these whiners, business is still something to keep away from children and young people. We have already had enough difficulty in familiarizing them with the themes of business creation, self-employment and entrepreneurship in modern forms of education.
Those who only favor permanent employment with a fixed salary and fixed hours explain why we are still where we are in modern education.
What is Germany’s position on digitization? According to an OECD study, we rank 76th out of 78 in digital teacher training – only Hungary and Japan rank lower. According to GEW, 33% of schools are digital lagging – they are not well positioned in digital education. Only 12% are marketed as “digital pioneers”.
This is embarrassing for one of the greatest economies!
So how can we no longer be at the level of a developing country in terms of digitalization and only three German companies (VW, SAP, Siemens) are among the 100 most valuable in the world? My clear opinion: We must support startups.
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The Startup Gang: Our Biggest Adventure – From Idea to Success
The earlier the entrepreneurial spirit is awakened, the better
This not only requires legal and tax advantages, but above all mentalities must change. And it starts in adolescence, because that’s when young people are the most imaginative and creative. And that’s exactly what I mean.
Children are the most imaginative people and with their limitless thinking, they have the greatest potential for great inventions. That’s why I think it’s important to equip them with an open and inspiring mindset from an early age. The earlier the entrepreneurial spirit is awakened, the better. I am firmly convinced of this.
And here, no child’s soul is hurt because they learn how innovations can become great. On the contrary! This is the only way children learn the importance of working in diverse teams – because only through each and everyone’s complementary strengths can more variations and perspectives emerge.
But how do you instill that mindset in kids now?
Kids are supposed to write poetry, but they have no idea about taxes and business
- New fabric! Economics and entrepreneurship should be even more part of the curriculum. In addition to the Pythagorean theorem, even more would be learned for life. Good topics would also be: taxes, business, entrepreneurship. Students should be able to write a poem with a jambus verse, but when it comes to the topic of sales, which is important for start-ups, there are only question marks above. above their heads. It doesn’t work that way!
- Create models! And what better way to show it than with living examples? The former student who founded the company should be invited and tell her experiences. Communication and presentation are essential for this, and this should be valued just as much as memorizing vocabulary.
- Modern thoughts! Training courses should also include the topic of entrepreneurship. Because these are the teachers who are supposed to teach our children later. Exactly, they can make a difference!
- Various examples! The professional world described in textbooks is rarely entrepreneurial. It does not correspond to the present, something is missing. There is another way: in Sweden, it has been common for decades for entrepreneurship to be featured in school textbooks. So why not in Germany yet?
- System restart! And, of course, digitization needs to move more into schools. No one should be excluded because of their social background. Concretely, this means that schools must be equipped with more laptops, smart boards and digital teaching materials. By the way: this is also quite normal for our neighbors. Currently unimaginable in Germany.
It’s not about “being rich” – a healthy thirst for success never hurt anyone
The current situation is that children and young people who gain an understanding of the economy at home benefit. And everyone else looks in the tube. It must not continue like this. And it has nothing to do with “being rich” as a goal. It’s about discovering opportunities that unfortunately haven’t been shown to children until now. And a healthy appetite for success never hurt anyone.
So let’s get to it: when will the classroom in Germany finally become a workshop of ideas?