Elementary school students at the Enlighten Chinese School (启明中文学校) language school in San Jose, California enjoyed readings of all four Little Launchers books and a lesson from illustrator Li Zeng this week!
Illustrator Li Zeng visited Enlighten this week to speak with K-4th grade students enrolled in the language school’s summer camp that covers a breadth of topics, including our favorite: Entrepreneurship!
This week at summer camp, students are learning how to start a business — what better way to get inspired than with the stories of the fearless Little Launchers Sebastian, Gabby, Jason, and Rachel?
“It was very exciting to see those young kids at Englighten interested in learning about stories of other kid entrepreneurs,” says Zeng. “Throughout the lecture, the kids paid extra attention to our books and the stories from the four entrepreneurs. I hope it’s inspiring for them to see that you don’t have to be a ‘grown-up’ to start a business!”
Students at Enlighten Chinese School join illustrator Li Zeng for a group photo.
Zeng’s visit included an overview of the keys to entrepreneurship — what entrepreneurs actually spend most of their time doing — and a full reading of all four stories in the Little Launchers book series, including:
- “Sebastian Creates a Sock Company“
- “Gabby Invents the Perfect Hair Bow“
- “Jason Saves the Environment with Entrepreneurship“
- “Rachel Turns Her Passion Into a Business“
Zeng highlighted four key lessons from the books:
- Start with your passion: You will spend a lot of time on your business. Build it around something you love.
- See and solve problems: Successful businesses solve real problems. The bigger the problem, the better.
- Always be learning: Entrepreneurs need to understand every aspect of their business, beyond their original interests. Always learn and grow.
- Serve a social good: Business is not just about making a profit, it’s about serving those around you and making a difference.
“That’s exactly what we want our kids to learn from such entrepreneur classes,” Mrs. Hui Shen, principal of Enlighten Chinese School, told us. “We want to bring a sense of purpose to our kids and let them figure out how they want to serve society while studying to become excellent problem solvers.”
“Many people had great ideas, but few can be persistent to really make it happen,” Mrs. Shen continues. “We love the Little Launchers stories, because they demonstrate such great heart in serving the world and the importance of being persistent in pursuit of goals.”
Illustrator Li Zeng introduces the Little Launchers books to students at Enlighten Chinese School in San Jose.
The visit ended with questions from students about how to start a business and when you know you’re onto something.
In all, the day was full of insights and collaboration around the future of entrepreneurship education as delivered in the Chinese language — both in America and in China. Also in attendance at the discussion was Limin Chen, EdTech writer and Chief SF Bay Area Representative of Jiemo Media, a leading Chinese-language EdTech media publication. After the visit, Zeng and Chen had an opportunity to share insights on education, entrepreneurship, and innovations in China.
Little Launchers is looking forward to continuing to help educators innovate in youth entrepreneurship education. It’s school leaders like Mrs. Shen, media specialists like Chen, and incredibly motivated students like those at Enlighten Chinese School that make innovation in education not only worth it and possible… but incredibly fun!
