In the movie, Field of Dreams, a voice beckoned the main character to build a baseball field. The voice whispered, “If you build it, they will come.” After pondering this idea, fueled by his passion for the game of baseball, he did build “it”, a baseball field. His field of dreams came true. At the end of the movie the people did come. However, in reality I have noticed that many rink owners think in the same way, “If I have a STEM program, they will come.” Through my 20 of years experience while both working in education and designing curricula I have learned – Educational programs will only get your foot in the “Education Door.” You might peak their interest when you mention that you have a science program. It doesn’t mean the schools will come or come back. Laying the right foundation is very important to having a successful science program. Over the next three Blogs I’m going to share my personal thoughts from the perspective of writing, working in and with school districts, as well as writing/speaking in Private and Homeschool Education. I want to show you the purpose for creating rollingwithscience.com .
It Started With a Conversation
It’s a culmination of passion from two different worlds brought together with one common purpose – education. In 2015, I sat down with owners Shawn Castro Jones and Lance Castro of FunCity Sk8 roller skating rink in Webster, TX. During our conversation I heard their heart for not only their community but for the schools within their community. They both know that people of all ages enjoy roller skating. For many years Shawn has known that with skating there are huge health benefits as well as educational benefits. Both Shawn and Lance had a desire to do something new. Shawn reached out to her friend who was a teacher and a colleague of mine where we worked together at a school. Shawn’s friend knew my teaching style along with writing my own curricula would be a perfect fit. My passion is education. I strive to engage students in hands-on science that entertains and educates while producing authentic learning. I saw a need and a NEW opportunity not only at FunCity SK8 but within the roller skating rink community to tap into the Educational Market in a new way. Seeing this need, I created rollingwithscience.com. Over the next 3 RWS Blogs I’ll go into more detail about the many ways rollingwithscience.com can help the local rink owner to be more proactive at getting the best results out of a rollingwithscience.com science curriculum. For the rink owner, I want to provide your rink with a quality tested curriculum and offer tools to help your rink generate more bookings. For your teacher, I will be providing training on how to better communicate the curriculum. Again, I’ll go into greater detail with upcoming RWS Blogs.
It Starts With Questions and a Commitment
When starting an educational program at your rink you must first ask honest questions. Why do I want a STEM program at my rink? Do I really want to make an investment in creating a STEM program? There is a tremendous opportunity to create more revenue during the school week by using this curriculum as an “Educational Hook” to reel in old/new schools who need to have an educational benefit to book any field trip due to tight school budgets. Over the years, i’ve used this tactic and it does work. However, the success of your program depends solely upon your level of commitment to providing a quality educational experience. You must be willing to invest your time, effort, money, and realize the importance of finding the right teacher. You must be able to see the big picture. As an educator/curriculum designer I want you to have a quality product that when properly executed will give you an amazing return on your investment. There has to be accountability. That’s why rollingwithscience.com requires each rink to take the next step and become a certified educator and proudly display your certificate and your rollingwithscience.com decal. When you take the extra step rollingwithscience.com wants to come alongside with your rink/rinks and in turn invest in your rink as a rollingwithscience.com Certified Educator. This connection will promote your rink with links to your rink’s website on our “Local Certified Educator web page.
Don’t Focus Challenge, See it as a New Opportunity
Don’t focus on the challenges of starting a new educational program. Look at it as a new opportunity to expand your influence within your community. When your priorities, your vision, and commitment are in line with education – “They will come…”