I was a traditional student who had good grades, never got into any major trouble, and knew how to follow rules. Despite my effort at achieving, I had teachers throughout the years of my education who discredited my talents, my knowledge, and who I was. Some assumed I wasn't going to amount to anything substantial. They discredited my determination to succeed. Few saw the innate drive that I had. Some only saw that I "talked too much." My own family didn't realize the potential held within me. All of these assumptions were based upon the knowledge and world experience of those teachers and family members. None of it had anything to do with who I was. Only I knew what I was capable of. A rare few challenged me to grow in ways that I needed to grow to become what I am today. A rare few saw the spark within me - that is what gave them the knowledge to know how to help me develop those raw innate talents.

This educational experience carried over into my own teaching. I always strove to find that spark in every student. I'd even go so far as to say that I have a real skill at uncovering that spark for the student. Students that I have worked with have ranged from the "well-behaved" to the completely rebellious. All of whom were challenged to rise to their highest potential while in my classroom. This created a student-teacher bond not found in many of today's classrooms. Most teachers truly do not have the time to devote this kind of one on one attention or acknowledgment. Most students who "behave badly" are truly seeking to be approved of and to have their own incredible knowledge and talents recognized. Once they truly feel that this has been acknowledged, that behavior changes overnight. That student's desire to learn and participate shifts to self-motivation and excitement.

This realization has also carried over into my own parenting experience. My son, who is now 17, was what most teachers considered ADHD and/or ODD. They went so far as to push me to medicate him so that he would behave in their classroom. They didn't have time to devote to him to the level HE needed. He was too challenging, too much work, and too distracting for the other students. What they didn't realize was that he was too smart and knew the material. He was smart enough to know how to get himself removed from the classroom so he wouldn't have to stay there and be bored. After many years of daily derogatory phone calls about what my son did that day, I finally pulled him out and we tried homeschooling via online schools. This helped his behavior, but he was still unable to complete all of the work without constant pushing. It was very challenging for both of us. Even as a credentialed teacher, spending my entire focus just on him, it was difficult. After 2 years of this kind of "schooling" we decided to allow him to enroll in the local community college (at 16 years old). He had no high school diploma and no GED. They admitted him without hesitation. His Compass scores rated him at college level. His independence would make him an incredible entrepreneur.

In my doctoral research, I have spent extensive time studying alternative education, democratic education, and self-design. I have researched quite heavily into their histories, success rates, urban myths about traditional schooling (aka you have to have a diploma/GED in order to get into college, etc.), and how these methods cater to the individual student. Ironically, these students have no self-motivation challenges unlike traditional public and private school students. Students self-govern, have healthy relationships with one another, and seemed much more mature than their public/private school counter-parts. I was intrigued! Another area that I noticed they seemed to grasp much more firmly than public/private schools was entrepreneurship. They had very innovative students who were encouraged to create from their own curiosity and many have launched their own successful businesses at very young ages.

In summary, the Apprenticeship Learning Program was birthed out of my own experiences as a student, as a teacher, as a parent and as a researcher. My own entrepreneurial experience of 15 years has influenced this school's focus. I am very confident that I have created a school that will empower students to levels they may never have known following the traditional curriculum-based mainstream education. I believe that each student's individual future, a future of confidence, self-motivation, self-empowerment, and knowing they are completely supported is so much more important than passing any standardized examination. We are creating businesses who will bring jobs to the Dallas/Forth Worth Metroplex. Sustainability of our economy and of our community is number one.

Shella R. Zelenz, MAEd, EdD Candidate