A teacherpreneur? What’s that?

Ok…this is actually a term that has been growing over the past few years, so you may have heard of it. If you haven’t, a “teacherpreneur” is an educator who uses their talents and business savvy to share their work, passion, and philosophy with others. (You can read more about them here)

This could be something as simple as becoming an educational blogger, consulting, speaking at conferences, writing a book or even creating a website (like this one!). This can also include taking on more leadership in your own district. I’ve been a teacherpreneur full-time for a few years now, and there are some amazing benefits that I want to share.

1. It Increases Your Impact.

As a teacher myself, something I always hated was the limit that a single classroom had on what I was doing. I’m not trying to downplay the impact you can have as a teacher on 30 or 100 kids a year (depending on your grade level), BUT…no matter how good you are as an educator, you are limited by the number of kids in your seats.

By reaching for opportunities outside of the walls of your classroom, or sharing great ideas and best practices that work, you can show other educators the power of your ideas, methods, strategies, and let’s be honest…GREAT IDEAS! Once you share those ideas, they have become exponentially more powerful and so has your impact on education as a whole.

2. It Will Make You A Better Teacher.

This may sound a bit backwards but by sharing your amazing work, you will actually get better as a reflective teacher. As you continue to share you will hone your instruction and skills, and even how you deliver your ideas to people. All of these things will make you more thoughtful about what you are doing in your classroom and make you more effective!

You will also get more opportunities to network and connect with other educators, whether it’s through presenting at conferences, comments on your blog, or maybe just a Facebook group you join. Connecting with other educators that share your passion is always going to give you some perspective and help improve your teaching.

3. You Don’t Have To Stop Teaching.

Luckily there are tons of opportunities to become a teacherpreneur that don’t require you to leave the classroom. A lot of these things can actually help build your skillset and reflect on your own instruction, and will be fully supported by your school or district.

I lied…#4. WE NEED YOU IN THE FIGHT!

I’m not gonna lie, I started writing this with 3 ideas, but this last one needs to be said. Education is by no means perfect and a lot of the aspects of both instruction and the systems currently in place need fixed. If we don’t stand up and use our skills as teachers to make these changes ourselves, things will just stay the same and students will continue to struggle.

Teachers are already organized, professional, and educated. We are uniquely equipped with the tools that entrepreneurs utilize to get the word out about what they are doing and grow amazing ideas. Why shouldn’t we as teachers be doing the same to our market of teachers? It has been, and always will be, my philosophy that true change in education must happen from the classroom out, not the other way around. We need amazing teachers like you to do everything you can to spread the word and share the amazing things you’re doing with as many people as you can!

So…do you have what it takes to be a teacherpreneur?