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Trendsetters: Education
Trendsetters in Education
Teaching Standouts
» Moving from a live training company to one with online offerings is a logical leap that’s proved successful for the three founders of SIM. The Tampa company gets 40% of its revenue now from The Sub-Hub (thesub-hub.com), its exclusively online, on-demand professional standards training program for substitute teachers, new teachers and aides. It’s used by Miami-Dade and 11 other Florida school districts and districts in other states. SIM gets paid $8 to $20 per learner, either by school districts or individuals who want the training. Co-founders, husband and wife Brent Fisher, 36, CEO, and Rachel Fisher, 32, COO, and Chief Information Officer Boe Quisenberry, 33, developed the program with professional educators and administrators. “We’ve had tens of thousands of subs in two full school years,” Rachel Fisher says.
» Science teacher David Makepeace’s marine science program at Coral Shores High School in Tavernier in the Keys has drawn national attention for its students’ work on restoring coral reefs, but students also have worked on seagrass restoration, water quality testing, fish counts and other environmentally beneficial work with community partners. “I firmly believe engaged students learn,” says Makepeace, 58, himself a Coral Shores grad.
» Susan Leeds, who teaches gifted and honors science at Howard Middle School in Orlando, and Martha Adams, who teaches anatomy and environmental ethics and heads the science department at St. Brendan High School in Miami, were both honored last fall by the U.S. Department of Education with its American Stars of Teaching award.
