For 4 years, Lisa Holland, a teacher at Pershing Elementary School in San Juan USD, has been teaching the BizWorld program to her 4th grade GATE students. Holland loves that her students learn the basics of running a business, but it’s the skills they develop that they can put to use in the real world that she sees as the real value of the program.

“My students learn how to work together, cooperating and compromising for the good of their company. They learn to talk things out and listen to everyone’s ideas, really thinking through the long term ramifications of their decisions,” Holland said. “Each session is another opportunity for them to practice skills that hopefully will make their company profitable. However, these same skills will be essential to their success in many areas, both in school and out in the real world.”

Holland also liked seeing her students connect with the program. “I loved seeing the light­bulbs go on and those little moments where they made connections between what we were doing in class and the real world,” Holland said. Most importantly, the BizWorld program works well with her curriculum and meets Common Core standards. “BizWorld is an excellent, well­ organized project-­based learning opportunity for the students that also fits in well with the new CCSS,” said Holland. “I appreciate how BizWorld.org is constantly refining the curriculum to incorporate new educational thinking and philosophy.”