A class act by business leaders
By ERNEST HOOPER
Published September 1, 2006
They feared the uncertainty.
Twenty-two volunteers from the Greater Tampa Chamber of Commerce agreed to be part of a pilot program that would take them into a daunting world - an eighth-grade classroom.
The business leaders went to Buchanan Middle School in May hoping to inspire kids to stay in school, value their educational opportunities, plan for the future and look forward to being vital members of the area's work force.
"We were 22 volunteers, and we were 22 nervous volunteers," said Jose Valiente, chairman of the chamber. "When we got through that morning and we went to the cafeteria for debriefing, we were 22 pumped-up volunteers because they saw it work. They saw the kids gobbling it up."
Now Valiente's goal of spurring a support program between business and educational communities is weeks away from a full launch. On Sept. 12, "Diploma-see" will take hundreds of volunteer mentors into classrooms across the county.
Initiating this effort has been one of Valiente's primary pursuits as chamber chairman since he read an article about the rising dropout rate in local schools.
"We have an incredible need for a well-educated work force," Valiente said.
School superintendent MaryEllen Elia and other educators told Valiente eighth grade was a critical time because the dropout rate significantly rises in ninth grade. Valiente took that information and enthusiastically spoke about his plans at the chamber's leadership retreat last year.
Valiente said AAA Auto South chief operating officer John Tomlin jumped out of his chair like a rocket and said the chamber had to partner with Junior Achievement Tampa Bay, where he is a board member.
Now each mentor enters the classroom with training for a national Junior Achievement program designed to explain to students the economic benefits of an education and how choices today affect life tomorrow. The program includes a board game that reflects how those with more education make more money.
"As you can imagine, by the third item, the person making minimum wage is out of money," Valiente said. "These are the kind of things we're teaching them."
The mentors come from diverse backgrounds: from master craftsmen to chief executive officers, from skilled auto technicians to CPAs. Valiente said having business people from all walks of life is critical because the kids need to know there are opportunities for people who don't go to college.
"We have to dispel the myth that if you don't go to college, you are a failure," Valiente said. "I tell the kids I have clients who are plumbers, carpenters and small contractors, and they're millionaires even though they didn't go to college.
"But they did finish high school. We need kids to finish high school."
Valiente also has worked to create ethnic diversity among the mentors because the dropout rate is higher for African-Americans and Hispanics. Such role models can help kids realize they can achieve greatness.
"The reason they drop out is because they think it's not possible for them to succeed," Valiente said. "They believe they're not going to have the resources, that nobody is going to help out, but if they stay in school, the resources will be there for them."
Every mentor has to go through a background check and attend a two-hour training session. Two training sessions are scheduled for Tuesday and Wednesday. In short, if you want to be part of this effort, you still have time.
Contact Gloria Anthony, chamber vice president for work force and community development, at 813 276-9414 or ganthony@tampachamber.com
Valiente hardly can contain his enthusiasm for the initiative, because he truly believes it's going to make a difference.
"We're going to attack the middle schools," Valiente said. "This is our future work force. I tell them, 'We're here because you are very important people.' That grabs their attention."
What grabs my attention is that the business community is not only talking about the need for strong schools, it's doing something to make it happen.
That's all I'm saying.
Ernest Hooper can be reached at (813) 226-3406 or hooper@sptimes.com.