O.C. BUSINESS YEAR IN REVIEW
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Why Tiger Woods is the best thing to happen to the future of Orange County's business community
It all starts with a bunch of fifth-graders.
By Tina BorgattaPublished: December 01, 2008
Looking at a schedule of classes that includes rocket science, engineering, music recording, radio production, oceanography, veterinary medicine and forensic science, you might guess these are course offerings from a college catalog. But this is the kind of stuff the Tiger Woods Learning Center, in Anaheim, is teaching school kids.
And that’s why the best golfer in the world is also the best thing to happen to Orange County’s business community and its future: He’s producing the professionals of tomorrow.
Oh, sure, you’ll find golf instruction at the center, a nonprofit operation. There’s a 3-acre 18-hole putting course in addition to 20 tee stations. But even there, the kids learn much more than technique. They learn about playing by the rules, etiquette and sportsmanship – important qualities in business, as well as in sports.
“All the stuff they see on TV, the stuff they relate to, they can learn about at the center,” says Woods, who recently sat down with OC METRO for an exclusive interview.
Think of it as a supplement to traditional education. A vitamin-charged formula that energizes kids and gets them excited about learning and their future as adults – working members of society. But we’re not talking about rooms filled with desks facing a podium at the front of the class. Teachers aren’t lecturing at the students in these classrooms. This is an interactive environment, where kids get to build a miniature rocket or design a video game.
“Our model is to give kids the software and then get out of their way – let them create,” Executive Director Katherine Bihr says, peering over the shoulder of a fifth-grade boy as he navigates his way through a computer program. “It’s not a typical structured environment. … If you were to come here after school or on a Saturday, there’d be a group of kids on the computer designing video games, a group of kids in the music room recording.”
Meanwhile, a room across the hall buzzes with chatter from another group of fifth-graders who are learning about engineering by building carts out of computer disks, pieces of cardboard and rubber bands. One boy notices a small group of visitors and flashes a smile that stretches from ear to ear. He gives his cart a push, but one of the wheels falters: “Oh, no,” he says, looking up, his smile as bright and broad as a new half-moon. “I think someone sabotaged my wheels!”
From the center’s five-day immersion program and 15-day workshop series to its ongoing after-school instruction and homework assistance, students have an opportunity to enhance their traditional education and learn about careers by actually doing the types of things a real forensic investigator, for example, might do: analyzing fingerprints and hair samples, and extracting DNA from a crime scene (a fictional one, of course).
The center’s high school program matches teens with working professionals in fields such as aerospace, robotics, digital manufacturing and engineering – whatever happens to be a student’s area of interest. And a college advisor works full time at the center, counseling kids on admissions guidelines and course offerings at various colleges and universities.
The center is aimed at getting kids to think about their career choices before they even get to college. And it’s done that for about 20,000 students since the Tiger Woods Learning Center opened in February 2006.
Not bad for a little less than three years of work. But Woods is a perfectionist. That’s why he is who he is.
“It’s just a start,” he says. “We’re still looking for ways to improve. We need to figure out how long kids need to be there. The longer kids are there, the more their lives change for the better.”
Indeed, a team of UC Irvine faculty and student researchers who monitored the first two years of the learning center’s operations found that it reached “an impressive number of youth … with the majority representing low-income or underserved populations.”
Attendance increased by 81 percent during those two years. The number of middle school children attending the learning center rose by 53 percent, while the number of high school students jumped by 120 percent – “an important accomplishment, given the widely recognized difficulty of recruiting and retaining high school students in after-school programs,” the study cites.
Student interviews that the team conducted reflect the impact of the center’s creative approach to learning and personalized instruction – a philosophical foundation.
“It’s more like you’re interacting with people than just doing your homework,” an eighth-grade boy told researchers. “I’m always interacting with people and meeting new people. I’m working as a group to make a movie. And it’s also competitive and I just want to win. Our teacher makes it competitive, and he makes our group (work) to do their best.”
In addition, the study indicates that the center has been effective in meeting its goal of setting kids on career paths early in their education. Says one eighth-grader in the study: “I thought you could just go to school and then get a job, but I learned that you have to take different classes and also get, like, degrees and stuff. … Now I’m more focused on studying than playing around like I used to. So now I know how it really feels to, to live a life.”
Researchers also found that students experience greater long-term benefits the longer they’re involved with the center. School work habits, performance and interest in science improved after just nine days. Continued and sustained improvement, however, was more evident when students attended 30 days or more.
“The results suggest that the duration of a student’s attendance – the total amount of time they are simply affiliated with the TWLC – can have a positive effect on reducing negative behaviors, if the student remains an active member for at least 21 weeks,” according to the report.
And most students want to keep coming back. The 35,000-square-foot center itself is a magnet, with its state-of-the-art classrooms, 90-computer clubhouse and 230-seat theater, where students can stage performances, hear lectures or watch films (it has a movie-theater-type screen).
The center relies on private funding to keep the programs running. That’s where Woods’ star power comes into play. The annual Tiger Woods Learning Center Block Party draws an A-list crowd. The headliners for this year’s event: Grammy Award-winning performer Seal, who dazzled the event’s 700 guests with a concert featuring many of his greatest hits, and celebrity chef Mario Batali, who created a menu of gourmet delights. Dollars raised that night: 700,000.
But, as Woods says, there’s still much work to be done: “What we’re doing here in Orange County is our blueprint for what we’re going to do in the East Coast and around the world. So far, we’ve only helped 20,000 kids.”
Readers Feedback:
Very good article. It great to know that someone is helping our youths who are the future of this world. Keep up the good work TWLC.
Comment at 12/4/2008
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Looking at a schedule of classes that includes rocket science, engineering, music recording, radio production, oceanography, veterinary medicine and forensic science, you might guess these are course offerings from a college catalog. But this is the kind of stuff the Tiger Woods Learning Center, in Anaheim, is teaching school kids. And that’s why the best golfer in the world is also the best thing to happen to Orange County’s business community and its future: He’s producing the professionals of tomorrow. Oh, sure, you’ll find golf instruction at the center, a nonprofit operation. There’s a 3-acre 18-hole putting course in addition to 20 tee stations. But even there, the kids learn much more than technique. They learn about playing by the rules, etiquette and sportsmanship – important qualities in business, as well as in sports. “All the stuff they see on TV, the stuff they relate to, they can learn about at the center,” says Woods, who recently sat down with OC METRO for an exclusive interview. Think of it as a supplement to traditional education. A vitamin-charged formula that energizes kids and gets them excited about learning and their future as adults – working members of society. But we’re not talking about rooms filled with desks facing a podium at the front of the class. Teachers aren’t lecturing at the students in these classrooms. This is an interactive environment, where kids get to build a miniature rocket or design a video game. “Our model is to give kids the software and then get out of their way – let them create,” Executive Director Katherine Bihr says, peering over the shoulder of a fifth-grade boy as he navigates his way through a computer program. “It’s not a typical structured environment. … If you were to come here after school or on a Saturday, there’d be a group of kids on the computer designing video games, a group of kids in the music room recording.” Meanwhile, a room across the hall buzzes with chatter from another group of fifth-graders who are learning about engineering by building carts out of computer disks, pieces of cardboard and rubber bands. One boy notices a small group of visitors and flashes a smile that stretches from ear to ear. He gives his cart a push, but one of the wheels falters: “Oh, no,” he says, looking up, his smile as bright and broad as a new half-moon. “I think someone sabotaged my wheels!” From the center’s five-day immersion program and 15-day workshop series to its ongoing after-school instruction and homework assistance, students have an opportunity to enhance their traditional education and learn about careers by actually doing the types of things a real forensic investigator, for example, might do: analyzing fingerprints and hair samples, and extracting DNA from a crime scene (a fictional one, of course). The center’s high school program matches teens with working professionals in fields such as aerospace, robotics, digital manufacturing and engineering – whatever happens to be a student’s area of interest. And a college advisor works full time at the center, counseling kids on admissions guidelines and course offerings at various colleges and universities. The center is aimed at getting kids to think about their career choices before they even get to college. And it’s done that for about 20,000 students since the Tiger Woods Learning Center opened in February 2006. Not bad for a little less than three years of work. But Woods is a perfectionist. That’s why he is who he is. “It’s just a start,” he says. “We’re still looking for ways to improve. We need to figure out how long kids need to be there. The longer kids are there, the more their lives change for the better.” Indeed, a team of UC Irvine faculty and student researchers who monitored the first two years of the learning center’s operations found that it reached “an impressive number of youth … with the majority representing low-income or underserved populations.” Attendance increased by 81 percent during those two years. The number of middle school children attending the learning center rose by 53 percent, while the number of high school students jumped by 120 percent – “an important accomplishment, given the widely recognized difficulty of recruiting and retaining high school students in after-school programs,” the study cites. Student interviews that the team conducted reflect the impact of the center’s creative approach to learning and personalized instruction – a philosophical foundation. “It’s more like you’re interacting with people than just doing your homework,” an eighth-grade boy told researchers. “I’m always interacting with people and meeting new people. I’m working as a group to make a movie. And it’s also competitive and I just want to win. Our teacher makes it competitive, and he makes our group (work) to do their best.” In addition, the study indicates that the center has been effective in meeting its goal of setting kids on career paths early in their education. Says one eighth-grader in the study: “I thought you could just go to school and then get a job, but I learned that you have to take different classes and also get, like, degrees and stuff. … Now I’m more focused on studying than playing around like I used to. So now I know how it really feels to, to live a life.” Researchers also found that students experience greater long-term benefits the longer they’re involved with the center. School work habits, performance and interest in science improved after just nine days. Continued and sustained improvement, however, was more evident when students attended 30 days or more. “The results suggest that the duration of a student’s attendance – the total amount of time they are simply affiliated with the TWLC – can have a positive effect on reducing negative behaviors, if the student remains an active member for at least 21 weeks,” according to the report. And most students want to keep coming back. The 35,000-square-foot center itself is a magnet, with its state-of-the-art classrooms, 90-computer clubhouse and 230-seat theater, where students can stage performances, hear lectures or watch films (it has a movie-theater-type screen). The center relies on private funding to keep the programs running. That’s where Woods’ star power comes into play. The annual Tiger Woods Learning Center Block Party draws an A-list crowd. The headliners for this year’s event: Grammy Award-winning performer Seal, who dazzled the event’s 700 guests with a concert featuring many of his greatest hits, and celebrity chef Mario Batali, who created a menu of gourmet delights. Dollars raised that night: 700,000. But, as Woods says, there’s still much work to be done: “What we’re doing here in Orange County is our blueprint for what we’re going to do in the East Coast and around the world. So far, we’ve only helped 20,000 kids.” |
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Readers Feedback:
Very good article. It great to know that someone is helping our youths who are the future of this world. Keep up the good work TWLC.
| Comment at 12/4/2008 |
