Mind your own business

Teaching Pre K-8, Nov/Dec 1999

In Cheshire, Connecticut, eighth graders make and market foods and fabrics with panache and professionalism

Nothing new about schools encouraging students to be entrepreneurs. It happens in schools all across the country. Kids make simple products, announce their sale in advertisements and sell them to other students and teachers - all for a good cause, of course.

Few schools, however, take it quite as far or quite as seriously as Dodd Middle School in Cheshire, Connecticut. There, students sew and sell children's clothing (in different sizes), bake and deliver food delicacies, create sophisticated ads, design business logos, read spreadsheets, become familiar with government regulations and top it all off with a sizeable contribution to a local charity.

Threefold benefit. Why do it? In a letter sent home to parents, Kathleen Muzyczka and Linda Biedrycki, the Family and Consumer Sciences teachers who created the program, wrote:

"This course will provide a threefold benefit to students. Life skills will continue to be taught and developed. Workplace readiness skills in areas such as reading, writing, math, technology and communication will be addressed to prepare students for the world of work. Students will also make definite links to their community through their contributions to a charity. Through this course, we will be providing a school-to-career link for our students at the middle school level."

Running strong. The program, known as Mind Your Own Business (MYOB), has been such a hit at Dodd Middle School that it's now in its third consecutive year. Chances are, it will still be going strong years from now if current popularity is any indication.

But judge for yourself. Here, in a few short paragraphs, is what Mind Your Own Business is all about:

Who works where. All eighth graders at Dodd are given a choice: Two semesters of technology or two semesters of MYOB. If they choose the latter, they work either for a sewing company (Kathleen Muzyczka, CEO) or a food company (Linda Biedrycki, CEO). Students attend 45 MYOB classes a semester, regardless of whether they opt for threads or breads.

Name dropping. Each of the two divisions has 16 companies and, thanks to youthful imaginations at work, the companies all have fanciful names. For example, are you looking for some place mats? You'll find them at a company called Little Debra's Magical Place Mats. How about some boxer shorts? Try Bad Boy Boxers, and if they don't have what you want, there's always Fancy Pants Boxers.

The names of the food companies are just as far out: Doughlicious Cookies, Pastries du Jour, Gingerly Sweet, The Grateful Breads and Man 0' Man 0' Cotti, to name just a few.

(Eighth graders who are really Madison

Avenue professionals in disguise? Man 0' Man, you said it!)

Makers and bakers. The students really do make the products they sell. They learn to use a sewing machine, cut fabric, read recipes and measure ingredients. All manufacturing is done at Dodd Middle School.

Here are some of the products made by the sewing companies: aprons, children's shorts, tote bags, cat and dog place mats, dish towels, quilt squares, pillows, teddy bears and stuffed animals.

Food company products include yeast breads, gourmet mixes, manicotti and ravioli, muffins, pies, scones, pastries, cookies and gingerbread houses.

The offerings change frequently. New products are introduced and slow-selling items are discontinued. This year, MYOB is introducing gift baskets and eyeglass cases.

Related topics. MYOB does more than just make and sell products. Students also learn a wide variety of useful information - from how to apply for a job and time management to marketing plans and codes of ethics. They hear guest speakers who discuss such topics as dressing for success, business plans and customer relations.

Money matters. If you think MYOB is a nickel-and-dime operation, think again. In 1998, the foods component, which sells to Dodd students and staff throughout the year, had gross yearly sales of $1,700, and the sewing component, which sells only at the school's Business Exposition near the end of the school year, had gross yearly sales of $3,310.

What happened to the money? Well, the kids used some of it to throw themselves a party; they plowed some of it back into the business; and the American Cancer Society received a sizeable check, courtesy of several hundred young entrepreneurs.

Like to know more about MYOB? Kathleen Muzyczka and Linda Biedrycki will be happy to provide you with more information. You can reach them at the Dodd Middle School, 100 Park Place, Cheshire, CT 06410-2100.