How Teacherpreneurs are Changing the World of Education
Shreelekha Singh
October 8, 2024
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8 min read
The traditional brand of teaching has changed in many ways over the years. Not only has there been a greater proliferation of technology into the pedagogy, but the degree of innovation has also increased significantly.
One of the most empowering innovations perhaps to change the style of teaching in recent years has been the rise of teacherpreneurship. By merging the role of an educator with that of an entrepreneur, this idea has equipped the modern-day teacher with a higher degree of control over how they teach.
The focus on personalized learning, in conjunction with the ever-increasing use of technology, has prompted many to become teacherpreneurs.
Most educational institutions have fundamentally differentiated between those who frame policies for learners, like curriculum specialists, and those who implement them, that is teachers. The policymakers and the teachers are two distinct identities playing separate roles in shaping the future of learning.
The concept of teacherpreneurship strives to break this compartmentalization and merge these varying roles into one. The idea of teacherpreneurship essentially hybridizes the distinct roles of teaching and policymaking. In doing so, it equips the teachers with a renewed sense of innovative freedom to realize their creative aspirations for learners.
The Global Educator defines the teacherpreneur as someone who takes all the best practices in education and the latest advances in technology and uses them to blaze new trails in teaching and learning that focus on connection and collaboration.
A teacherpreneur is, therefore, someone who demonstrates educational leadership and brings an entrepreneurial spirit to the classroom. They focus on their strengths as a teacher while incubating and executing their enterprising ideas in the realm of policymaking and curriculum development.
Heather Wolpert-Gawron opines that a teacherpreneur merges the image of the innovative classroom teacher with the risk-taking and entrepreneurial leadership that we commonly associate with those who create his or her own place in the professional world.
Muhammad Azfar Bin Ali, founder and head coach at School of Judo, tells us how he believes the role of a teacher has evolved over the years. “The teacher or coach is no longer a person who only works to impart knowledge; he or she is also expected to keep up with the times, both technologically**—**like using AI in teaching, and socially—becoming more aware and sensitive to the values and beliefs of the younger generation. The teacher/coach is expected to be less of an authority figure and more of a trusted partner.”
Amy Crawford, Managing Director of Northern Dance Company, sheds light on how the role of a dance teacher has evolved in recent years. “Dance educators now nurture not only physical abilities but also emotional resilience, mental health, and personal growth. Through movement, students develop core life skills such as discipline, creativity, collaboration, and confidence, which they can carry into all aspects of their future lives. This well-rounded approach ensures that dance education fosters lifelong learning and personal development beyond the studio.”
Researchers at Ryerson University delved into the idea of a teacherpreneur and defined them as “teachers who develop and 'sell' their pedagogical talent while finding innovative solutions to challenges facing the education industry”.
Multiple factors and advances in the realm of education have contributed to creating a conducive environment to allow them to realize this idea. Some of these factors driving the growth of this idea are:
Awareness about Learners: The one thing that empowers learners the most is their knowledge of what the students need. With their experience in the classroom, they are better equipped than most others to create positive changes in favor of the learners.
Entrepreneurial Acumen: The most pivotal factor that would not have made the idea of a teacherpreneur possible a few years ago is today’s business culture. The present-day teacher is surrounded by start-ups and young entrepreneurs to seek inspiration and set on his or her own journey of entrepreneurship.
Surge of EdTech: The consistent rise in the development and use of education technology in recent years is perhaps the most crucial factor in realizing the idea of teacherpreneurship. Teachers have access to a varied set of tools to try new ideas and overcome any challenges to focus their energies both within and beyond the classroom.
Pamela Song, founder and vocal coach at Emberays Vocals, talks about the profound impact that technology has had on the teaching landscape, and on music education in particular. “With the rise of virtual lessons and online platforms, teachers are now able to connect with students from all over the world, making music education more accessible than ever before.
Interactive apps, recording software, and online resources allow students to practice and refine their skills outside of traditional lesson time. Students now also have access to a wealth of online tutorials, music sheets, and play-along tracks, which complement their learning and offer more opportunities for self-study.”
Kyle Koopman, director of 9 Miles Swimming Academy says technology has made things a lot easier on the administrative side of things, giving educators more time to focus on teaching.
Amy Crawford acknowledges the role of technlogy in aiding both, teachers and students. “Students now have skills and access to technology to enhance their learning. From the management point of view, technologies and softwares like Classcard work so efficiently and allow me as a business owner and teacher to do what I do best .”
A teacherpreneur differs greatly from a teacher, the former being a champion of change. The idea of teacherpreneurship simply enlarges the purpose of a teacher. A teacherpreneur can pursue multifarious paths beyond the classroom to leverage their skills. Some of the most popular job titles that a teacherpreneur dons are social media manager, content creator, blogger, or simply an online educator.
At its best, teacherpreneurship is essentially about creatively using your knowledge, skills, and resources to create an enterprise of your own.
One of the main reasons why teacherpreneurship appeals to many teachers is the freedom it offers in comparison to working at an institution. However, it comes with its set of challenges.
“Time management and role management is challenging. Managing time as a teacherpreneur means dividing time between teaching tasks, and business tasks. There is a need to balance the two well to avoid burnout or business neglect. Role management is also a challenge because as a business person, the main focus must be on revenue, cash flow, expenses, profit—yet a teacher has to see beyond that and prioritize student education and welfare,” shares Muhammad Azfar Bin Ali.
So while it may seem exciting to venture onto the entrepreneurial road, it is important to follow a process.
The foremost step to starting your teacherpreneurship journey is to introspect and glean a clearer understanding of the basics - why you are doing this and who you wish to reach through your initiative. Figuring out your objectives will ultimately lead you to your target audience. For instance, if you wish to create video lectures for high school Mathematics, then you can easily define your ideal customer.
The next most important step is to focus on what you can do best. Whether it is framing a curriculum, creating audio-visual teaching resources, or designing unique creatives, think of your strengths as a teacher.
This step will help in narrowing down the scope of the work you can take up. Say, for instance, your strength lies in preparing short and concise notes. You can take up blogging and create a repository of all your wisdom online! If you are more intrigued by interacting with students, then you can start your own coaching class.
Ultimately, transitioning into a teacherpreneur calls for the development of a trustworthy brand that people value. This is the only way to expand the scope of your services and scale greater heights. Use social media and email marketing to reach out to as many relevant people as possible.
Teacherpreneurship has not only empowered teachers to scale greater heights but it has also impacted the field of education at large. Many teacherpreneurs have and are addressing the dynamic challenges in the world of learning through their emphasis on innovation.
Studies have defined some of the most pivotal issues that a modern-day teacher must tackle in his or her classroom:
Teacherpreneurs are dealing with these issues through their work in policymaking to carve a more personalized and productive form of learning. Not only in the field of policymaking, but teacherpreneurs are also making great strides in reforming the classroom from the very core. In breaking down the restrictions of a traditional class, a teacherpreneur strives to augment their teaching in more ways than one.
Sharing how their favorite teachers influence their own teaching style, Kyle Koopman tells us, “My favourite teacher has inspired me to connect with the kids before anything else.”
“My favorite teacher is my first Judo coach, Sensei Mori. We were kids but he treated us as adults and made us feel empowered to improve ourselves in the sport,” says Muhammad Muhammad Azfar Bin Ali. “I aspire to be such an influence to my students.”
The need to deftly address the wide-ranging issues that ail the present education ecosystem has made the role of a teacherpreneur all the more relevant. With the concept of teacherpreneurship, teaching becomes more adaptive to cater to the needs of the learners.
Join the revolution of teacherpreneurs with Classcard! Our intuitive and practical class management software eases all your administrative hassles—from scheduling classes to managing bookings and tracking attendance and payments to facilitating communication with students and staff. Leave the heavylifting to us while you focus on innovating, inspiring, and making a lasting impact on your learners!