Apparel Magazine’s publisher, Susan Nichols, attended Five Oaks Academy’s ten year anniversary event Synergy with Dr. Yong Zhao in September at the Hyatt downtown. Dr. Zhao is an internationally known scholar, author and speaker whose work focuses on the implications of globalization and technology on education. Dr. Zhao’s quick wit and amazing insight enthralled hundreds on his recent visit to the upstate and his message resonated with many parents, educators and leaders in our business community. Susan shares what she took away from the evening from an industry standpoint in Apparel Magazine’s November publisher’s note. She writes, “One of the most compelling issues our industry faces today is education —how do we attract, prepare, train, motivate and inspire incoming talent to do great things in our companies.” To read Susan’s article in it’s entirety go to http://apparel.edgl.com/magazine/November-2013/Don%E2%80%99t-Be-A-Wiener89236.
While Dr. Zhao is not a proclaimed Montessorian, his beliefs of cultivating the talents of each individual child and his focus on creativity, innovation, collaboration and entrepreneurship fit well with the Montessori philosophy. With the advancement of technology, many of the jobs that will be available in the 21st Century will require students to have a much higher level of skills than rote memorization, regurgitating facts for tests and following directions. It is up to the educators of today to cultivate these higher level skills within our students.
