The statements below range from all sectors that NBL curricular programs have touched: Students, corporate leaders, business owners, education thought leaders, parents, and school administrators.
Thought Leaders
Peter Senge, MIT senior lecturer, author–The Fifth Discipline:
“One of the great failings of contemporary secondary education is fragmentation of the learning process for young people from their larger life as members of a community. For all of human history, once a person passed the age of 13 or 14 they became a member of an adult community and had different responsibilities than when they were a child. Current secondary education more or less still treats them as children. What Scott Beall and “DoRight Enterprises” has been doing is a wonderful example of the powerful learning that ocurrs, for young people and adults alike, when we re-connect the learning process with issues in the larger community. I can only hope that more people will learn from this and extend this work of crucial innovation.”
Students
Margaret Eminizer (Due to complete PhD in experimental physics at Henry A Roland Department of Physics and Astronomy at Johns Hopkins University in 2019; was student of IVL in Scott Beall’s classes in grades 4-8):
“Scott Beall is teaching tools for building a more conscious society that works better for everyone by encouraging young people to build their own knowledge, seek fulfillment in individualized inquiry, and think and act with compassion and an open mind. There is no way forward for our planet in an era so rapidly changing unless we find ourselves willing to swallow our pride and engage honestly and courageously with whatever unprecedented challenges the future will hold. Scott’s approach to multidisciplinary education is a call to action to raise critical and innovative thinkers ready to love themselves and each other. We as a society are responsible for this legacy: to do better than we have for ourselves in the past. I and many of Scott’s other students have lived this betterment within ourselves, proving to us with our own experiences that it’s achievable in greater context, leaving us ready to build it by starting somewhere familiar and asking the right questions.”
(Click here to read entire statement.)
Eric Ficinus (Post middle school reflection as a young adult — quoted from the Poughkeepsie Journal):
“It [Mr. Beall’s course] opened up our minds to what the world could be… the class totally changed me and became my life’s passion. There is no other course like it.”
Madeline Skaller (grade 8) :
“DoRight Enterprises is more than just a curricular program, it’s a life changing experience that will be with me throughout my life. Its positively exhilarating to know that a 14 year old girl can change the world . . . I have become an entirely new individual who radiates confidence and inspires other youths to get involved and make change for what they believe in. I’ve learned that age doesn’t matter when it comes to being the change you want to see in the world, it’s passion and determination that really count. “
James Smith (grade 8):
“People really grasp this project and see it as a life changing experience, not only on environmental topics, but (they see) the whole world around them in a new, self-empowering fashion.”
Brian McPartland (grade 8):
“People care about this stuff, and it’s not just a school project –it’s real life.”
Business Owners
(Clients of DoRight student consultants)
Christine Reger, Brewster Sports Center following a DoRight audit by 8th grade consultants:
“The students were remarkably professional and knew exactly what they were doing. As a result we have substantially redesigned and expanded our recycling program. I think it’s fabulous to have these students engaged with us like this.”
Tom Sprague, Bob’s Diner following a DoRight audit by 7 th grade consultants:
“I’m impressed, without a doubt. I had no idea how old they were going to be when they first called. I’m curious to see what they found out.”
Parents
Audrey Smith:
“It’s wonderful to see your child so excited about something so important. This has been so empowering for him. He can actually make a difference. He is more self confident. He talks to relatives about ways to save energy.”
School Administration
Dr. Jane Sandbank, Superintendent, Brewster Public School District, Brewster, New York:
“This outstanding program (DoRight Enterprises) embraces a philosophy that I’ve always believed in, of learning best by doing something, and doing something that is relevant in the real world, so DoRight Enterprises really encompasses that. In my many years of working in education in many capacities, I can say that DoRight Enterprises is the most impressive program I have ever seen. With the whole DoRight program and your teacher Scott Beall . . . the classroom is the world, and that’s today’s world.”
Student Reflection
How DoRight Changed My Life
Madeline Skaller, student, Grade 8, Spring 2007
“Back in 6 th grade before I knew anything of DoRight Enterprises, Mr. Beall, or even sustainability, I could have never pictured myself where I am today. I was a shy awkward pre-teen with very little confidence. When I was told I could make a difference as a kid, I didn’t believe it. But then something inside me just clicked and when I was audited the local hospital I was more confident than I had ever felt. When they adopted my sustainability recommendations on the spot I was glowing. It was then that I realized that I had the power to change the world all along, but the DoRight program helped me to realize my potential. Ever since then, I have become an entirely new individual who radiates confidence and inspires other youths to get involved and make change for what they believe in. I’ve learned that age doesn’t matter when it comes to being the change you want to see in the world, it’s passion and determination that really count.”