Students in Ms. Kilburn’s class are in the business of learning. Each year, Kilburn teaches Entrepreneurship to 10–12th grade students. The course gives teens a primer in the essentials of running a business, “I have my students develop an idea they are excited about—from a business plan to location to funding, discussing obstacles they might encounter,” she says.

Kilburn doesn’t rely on abstract information in textbooks, but integrates real-world examples. Each year, she hosts Entrepreneurship Week, when local business owners share their experiences with the class. Students are able to learn about partnerships, retail, service-industry, and franchises through the guest lecturers. This year, students were joined by Steven Kingsland from Rowdy BBQ; Donna Puglin and Lisa Varon from Sub Zero Nitrogen Ice Cream; and FlexScreen’s Joe Altieri, who was able to share about pitching his business on Shark Tank. Students love hearing the trials and travails of ownership and the chance to ask an entrepreneur about the nuts-and-bolts of running a business. The guest lectures are so popular they attract students from other classes, sometimes doubling the class size.

Kilburn notes that the exposure to the passion and hard-work of small business owners has influenced the consumer habits of her students. She shares, “It makes them think, ‘Amazon is great and Walmart will deliver everything, but these small businesses make up the community.”’

Whether her students go on to chair Fortune 500 company, run a side-hustle, or operate as more thoughtful consumers, Kilburn hopes to create more informed members of our community through her course. She explains, “My goal is that students understand what goes into being a business owner—whether you have a small little Etsy shop or in years you take this idea you have a full-blown corporation—you understand how and why you got there. I want students to be well rounded, understanding what business ownership looks like and what role they play in the economy today.”