In her two years teaching business classes at Columbus Bishop Ready High School, Cassandra Eschweiler has been an advocate for faith, respect and communication in her classroom. Eschweiler, who attended both a Catholic grade school and a Catholic high school, teaches a variety of business-related courses to students of all grades at Bishop Ready. 

Eschweiler said that in her courses she likes to “look at the social responsibility of the businesses.” She also gives her students a realistic view of the workplace. For example,  in her Personal Finance class, she creates a real-life job scenario. 

“Students are basically ‘paid’ for being students,” she said. “They get payment for showing up to class, showing up on time and doing assignments.”

The students are given a paycheck after two weeks in class, but they must pay rent on their desk and chair. The paycheck has taxes deducted from the total. When the students receive their paychecks they can discuss the taxes and total. 

“I try to give them experiences that are truly applicable to the workforce,” Eschweiler said. 

The students can experience other real-life business scenarios through their involvement in Future Business Leaders of America and by running the school’s Spirit Store. 

“I try to empower the students,” Eschweiler said.

She also encourages respect and active discussions in her classroom. She said that a benefit of teaching at a Catholic school is that there are more opportunities for students to talk about their lives and faith. 

“I definitely encourage students to have their voice,” Eschweiler said. “That has created an atmosphere where students feel more comfortable sharing their opinions.” 

She also helps her students with other aspects of life, such as enforcing a “no gossip” rule in her classes. 

“You should not be talking about that person because they aren’t here to give their perspective. They aren’t here to defend themselves,” Eschweiler tells her students. 

According to Eschweiler, the students have accepted the no-gossip rule and have even begun to enforce it with one another. She also plans to start a “Thankful Thursdays” in her classes, when students can share one thing they are grateful for from the week and engage in a gratitude prayer.  

Eschweiler provides many opportunities for her students to grow in faith and in real-world experience, striving to prepare her students for their entrance into the workforce and build confidence in having their voices heard.

Jenna Mar is a Columbus Bishop Watterson High School graduate and a student at Kent State University.