To both educate and prepare students for the “real-world” is sometimes a tricky balancing act. Mark Suter, a computer tech teacher from Ohio, found a way to combine after school programming with real-world business. He took his entrepreneurial tech club and turned it into “Rockettech,” a company that is grossing more than $14,000 in donations for its work — money that is reinvested into the club. From web design to video production the kids are busy getting hand’s on experiences. They use content management systems to build the products, but then work with the companies to train them to maintain those products through personal meetings and/or customized video tutorials.

“I think there is a great opportunity right now for schools to add a real-world component to computer science and STEM classes. The lesson to be learned from what we have done is that yes, when you try something new and messy it’s going to flop sometimes, but when it is successful, it’s unbelievably satisfying not just for the student but for the teacher.” – Mark Suter

Check out the interview with Mr. Suter about the club and the experience.