Daily Archives: March 12, 2008

This is my teaching philosophy, what is yours?

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You cannot be a good teacher if you do not reflect about the assumptions you bring to class with you. Good teachers take care of the consequences that their paradigms have in their students.

“I believe people learn in different ways. In formal teaching, some enjoy theoretical prescriptions while others learn through controversial discussions. Depending on the subject, there are different ways to teach well. Good teaching is highly influenced by the attitude and interests of the teacher and the students while they coexist in the classroom. Fortunately, attitudes can be changed if people want. Interests can be served if people communicate them.

Commitment with self development and respect for diversity make the difference between emancipatory and controlling teaching. The more control you have over your motivation the less supervision you need from the instructor. I believe most adults learn better when they are having fun, few need close supervision”.

The Kauffman Firm Survey: how entrepreneurs start

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Available at SSRN: http://ssrn.com/abstract=1098173

Some highlights:

* Nearly 60 percent of the businesses had no employees in their first year. Just under three-quarters of businesses had one employee or less, while about one-quarter of businesses had two or more employees. Very few businesses (less than 4 percent) had more than 10 employees.
* More than a third of businesses (37 percent) had no revenue in their first year of operation. About 45 percent of businesses in the KFS experienced a profit during their first year, compared with about 55 percent of businesses that experienced a loss in their first year. About 17 percent of businesses had profits in excess of $100,000.
* Nearly 44 percent of new businesses had no debt financing during their first year of operation. Many businesses were started with very little debt financing: 17 percent of businesses started with $5,000 or less; nearly 11 percent started with $100,000 or more.

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