Our classroom coffee cart started this year with a single cup coffeemaker and generous donation of coffee from Starbucks. Our students were excited deliver coffees and they didn’t even know that they were working on so many other skills. Our small operation was breaking even and making everyone’s day.
Then my co-teacher, Abby, and I posed the question, “What if we bought team tee-shirts from another student run business?” We looked into pricing and shared with the team, we would need A LOT of money. So, we did a brainstorming session, “How could we raise the money we need for our tee-shirts?” Every single group named the coffee cart in their brainstorming, charge more and create specialty drinks, raise prices, get more customers. We talked about the risks and benefits of raising our current prices, how long we would still have to save, etc. And then one student said, “What if we sell coffee to all of the teachers at all of the schools?!”
It all started with that “Yes and…” We were off and running. We hired an advertising manager (student) who then drafted and wrote a letter to our district administration about the possibility about us selling at the next professional development day. We also expanded and hired other student roles. We capitalized on the specialty drink idea and ran flash sales. We were invited to participate in our district wide Shark Tank, to get funding to grow our student run business from a single cup machine to a 100 cup operation. Our class ran with this idea because they were excited and invested in it!
Team Imagine did a great job of proposing an expansion to the coffee business today! Thanks @mstaylor_teach and Ms. Monday for inspiring our learners to create! #WAWMproud pic.twitter.com/CzKMjUUIxO
— Deidre Roemer (@deidre_roemer) February 7, 2020
Why did this work? It worked because Abby and I had taught our students to brainstorm. It worked because we believe in the power of students who take risks. It worked because we grew, from day one a cooperative community of learners who all felt like they belonged in our classroom. It worked because the leadership in our building and our district believed in letting our whole class give something like this a try.
The power of saying, “Yes and…” back in February, has led us to many other yes and thoughts and I can’t wait to see where the next “Yes and…” will take us!