Enhancing Teaching and Leadership Initiatives With Teacherpreneurs: Emerging Research and Opportunities [1 ed.] 1799820742, 9781799820741

Table of contents :
Cover
Title Page
Copyright Page
Book Series
Table of Contents
Preface
Chapter 1: What Is a Teacherpreneur?
Chapter 2: Characteristics of a Teacherpreneur
Chapter 3: Teacherpreneurs as Agents of Reform
Chapter 4: Teacherpreneur Models
Chapter 5: Getting Started as a Teacherpreneur
Chapter 6: Benefits of and Challenges to Becoming a Teacherpreneur
Chapter 7: Final Thoughts and Recommendations
Appendix
Related Readings
About the Author
Index

Citation preview

Enhancing Teaching and Leadership Initiatives With Teacherpreneurs: Emerging Research and Opportunities Pam Epler Youngstown State University, USA

A volume in the Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership (AEMAL) Book Series

Published in the United States of America by IGI Global Information Science Reference (an imprint of IGI Global) 701 E. Chocolate Avenue Hershey PA, USA 17033 Tel: 717-533-8845 Fax: 717-533-8661 E-mail: [email protected] Web site: http://www.igi-global.com Copyright © 2020 by IGI Global. All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored or distributed in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, without written permission from the publisher. Product or company names used in this set are for identification purposes only. Inclusion of the names of the products or companies does not indicate a claim of ownership by IGI Global of the trademark or registered trademark.

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data

Names: Epler, Pam, author. Title: Enhancing teaching and leadership initiatives with teacherpreneurs : emerging research and opportunities / by Pam Epler. Description: Hershey, PA : Information Science Reference, 2020. | Includes bibliographical references and index. | Summary: “This book defines what a teacherpreneur is and how they can be used by current classroom teachers and school administrators to improve and enhance the teaching profession”-- Provided by publisher. Identifiers: LCCN 2019036928 (print) | LCCN 2019036929 (ebook) | ISBN 9781799820741 (hardcover) | ISBN 9781799820758 (paperback) | ISBN 9781799820765 (ebook) Subjects: LCSH: Effective teaching--United States. | Educational change--United States. | Classroom environment--United States. | Teachers--Professional relationships--United States. | School administrators--Professional relationships--United States. | Entrepreneurship--United States. Classification: LCC LB1025.3 .E65 2020 (print) | LCC LB1025.3 (ebook) | DDC 371.102--dc23 LC record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019036928 LC ebook record available at https://lccn.loc.gov/2019036929 This book is published in the IGI Global book series Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership (AEMAL) (ISSN: 2326-9022; eISSN: 2326-9030) British Cataloguing in Publication Data A Cataloguing in Publication record for this book is available from the British Library. All work contributed to this book is new, previously-unpublished material. The views expressed in this book are those of the authors, but not necessarily of the publisher. For electronic access to this publication, please contact: [email protected].

Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership (AEMAL) Book Series ISSN:2326-9022 EISSN:2326-9030 Editor-in-Chief: Siran Mukerji, IGNOU, India & Purnendu Tripathi, IGNOU, India Mission With more educational institutions entering into public, higher, and professional education, the educational environment has grown increasingly competitive. With this increase in competitiveness has come the need for a greater focus on leadership within the institutions, on administrative handling of educational matters, and on the marketing of the services offered. The Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, & Leadership (AEMAL) Book Series strives to provide publications that address all these areas and present trending, current research to assist professionals, administrators, and others involved in the education sector in making their decisions. Coverage • Technologies and Educational Marketing • Educational Leadership • Faculty Administration and Management • Educational Management • Marketing Theories within Education • Students as Consumers • Advertising and Promotion of Academic Programs and Institutions • Educational Marketing Campaigns • Academic Pricing • Consumer Behavior

IGI Global is currently accepting manuscripts for publication within this series. To submit a proposal for a volume in this series, please contact our Acquisition Editors at [email protected] or visit: http://www.igi-global.com/publish/.

The Advances in Educational Marketing, Administration, and Leadership (AEMAL) Book Series (ISSN 2326-9022) is published by IGI Global, 701 E. Chocolate Avenue, Hershey, PA 17033-1240, USA, www.igi-global.com. This series is composed of titles available for purchase individually; each title is edited to be contextually exclusive from any other title within the series. For pricing and ordering information please visit http://www.igi-global.com/book-series/advanceseducational-marketing-administration-leadership/73677. Postmaster: Send all address changes to above address. Copyright © 2020 IGI Global. All rights, including translation in other languages reserved by the publisher. No part of this series may be reproduced or used in any form or by any means – graphics, electronic, or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, taping, or information and retrieval systems – without written permission from the publisher, except for non commercial, educational use, including classroom teaching purposes. The views expressed in this series are those of the authors, but not necessarily of IGI Global.

Titles in this Series

For a list of additional titles in this series, please

visit: https://www.igi-global.com/book-series/advances-educational-marketing-administration-leadership/73677

Evidence-Based Faculty Development Through the Scholarship of Teaching and Learnng (SoTL) Rachel C. Plews (Haute école pédagogique du canton de Vaud, Switzerland) and Michelle L. Amos (University of Central Missouri, USA) Information Science Reference • © 2020 • 470pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781799822127) • US $195.00 Utilizing Technology, Knowledge, and Smart Systems in Educational Administration and Leadership Mehmet Durnali (Ereğli Faculty of Education, Zonguldak Bülent Ecevit University, Turkey) Information Science Reference • © 2020 • 364pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781799814085) • US $195.00 Handbook of Research on Literacy and Digital Technology Integration in Teacher Education Jared Keengwe (University of North Dakota, USA) and Grace Onchwari (University of North Dakota, USA) Information Science Reference • © 2020 • 442pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781799814610) • US $245.00 Collaborative Strategies for Implementing Equitable Learning Opportunities Jason Jolicoeur (Washburn University, USA) and Binh Bui (University of Houston, USA) Information Science Reference • © 2020 • 300pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781522593355) • US $185.00 Leveraging Technology to Improve School Safety and Student Wellbeing Stephanie P. Huffman (Missouri State University, USA) Stacey Loyless (University of Central Arkansas, USA) Shelly Albritton (University of Central Arkansas, USA) and Charlotte Green (University of Central Arkansas, USA) Information Science Reference • © 2020 • 329pp • H/C (ISBN: 9781799817666) • US $195.00 For an entire list of titles in this series, please visit: visit: https://www.igi-global.com/book-series/advances-educational-marketing-administration-leadership/73677

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Table of Contents

Preface................................................................................................................... vi Chapter 1 What Is a Teacherpreneur?.....................................................................................1 Chapter 2 Characteristics of a Teacherpreneur......................................................................24 Chapter 3 Teacherpreneurs as Agents of Reform..................................................................42 Chapter 4 Teacherpreneur Models.........................................................................................61 Chapter 5 Getting Started as a Teacherpreneur.....................................................................79 Chapter 6 Benefits of and Challenges to Becoming a Teacherpreneur.................................98 Chapter 7 Final Thoughts and Recommendations...............................................................116 Appendix............................................................................................................ 130 Related Readings............................................................................................... 142 About the Author.............................................................................................. 157 Index................................................................................................................... 158

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Almost 50 years ago, Peter Drucker characterized entrepreneurs as those who ‘search for change, respond to it and exploit opportunities.’ It is time to cultivate teacherpreneurs who will do the same, deepening and spreading best policies and practices for 21st century teaching and learning. —Barnett Berry (2013)

OVERVIEW This book is about teacherpreneurs, a relatively new term that describes innovative educators who want to extend their responsibilities beyond the scope of typical classroom activities. For some of these educators, like classroom teacherpreneurs, it means choosing to remain in the classroom while at the same time extending their activities into practices such as mentoring; developing new classroom strategies for specific grades, the school as a whole, or even district-wide; performing leadership roles such as professional development; or advocating for educational policies and practices at the community, state, or national level. Others become consultant teacherpreneurs, educators who move beyond the classroom into businesses—either working independently or as a consultant with an educational company—to create and market their own particular educational skills, products, and services. Often, the teacherpreneur fulfills both roles, remaining a full-time educator as well as supplementing their teacher’s salary by marketing their talents through various means. This book defines and describes the characteristics of a teacherpreneur, what it means to be one, and how this phenomenon is changing the educational environment in the 21st century. As with most concepts within the educational realm, there

Preface

is no one way to become a teacherpreneur, and, as such, numerous models are provided, as well as tips and suggestions on how to get started becoming a teacherpreneur. One primary advantage to becoming a teacherpreneur is that it benefits the educator’s students while also exposing them and other educators to the newest research available. These benefits and other advantages and disadvantages of practicing teacherpreneurship are discussed herein. In addition, one chapter offers a plethora of current resources for anyone who is interested in pursuing this career on either a full-time or part-time basis. Finally, because this topic is in its infancy, this book provides not only a helpful overview of the limited research that exists on the concept but, more importantly, specific recommendations for future research that will be needed to assess the impact of teacherpreneur initiatives in the field.

TOPIC FITS It is well known that teachers in general are underpaid. Granted, they are typically employed for only 9 months of the year, but the hours and hours that teachers spend outside of the classroom developing new instructional plans and materials for their students to learn state standards or the additional time spent meeting with parents and completing paperwork like lesson plans or individualized educational plans are not covered in the typical salary. Because of this phenomenon, many educators seek outside employment. Some have part-time jobs outside of the industry, but many are now turning to their skill set and are developing materials, assessments, worksheets, and strategies that they have found successful in their own classroom and giving them to other teachers to use in theirs. They may also be developing courses or professional development classes to teach other educators what they have learned from their own teacherpreneur experience. Consequently, this book was developed to assemble into one location information for the prospective teacherpreneur to use to hone their skills and, further, to provide resources for them.

TARGET AUDIENCE There are three groups of classroom teachers who will benefit from this book. The first group are instructors who are motivated to conduct research to find the absolute best and new ways to educate all the students in their classroom. They use the ideas and concepts they find to create new and vii

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innovative methods to improve their instructional strategies and educate their students. These teachers enjoy developing products and assessments for their classroom. They are also willing to share their ideas with other educators in their school, school district, nationally and internationally. Thus, they look for ways to share their ideas via word of mouth or on a more global scale through websites like Teachers Pay Teachers where they can reach more educators. These educators are known as teacherpreneurs. The second group of classroom teachers who will benefit from this book are those who enjoy teaching in the classroom but who also want additional responsibilities—like being an administrator. These educators do not want to be in charge of a school because they still enjoy working with students, but they need more to motivate them to teach. These educators may consider becoming a teacherpreneur in order to develop professional development classes, both face-to-face and online, for their colleagues. They may also wish to mentor other teachers within their school building or district or may even present at conferences. Much of the content herein can serve to guide in these endeavors. Finally, a third group that will benefit from this book are the preservice students who are thinking about going into the educational field. The discussion found in these pages can offer guidance and instruction about alternative educational avenues available within the teaching profession. Many of the resources contained in these chapters should assist them if they elect to branch out from traditional instructional roles. Since teacherpreneurship is not yet a part of the curriculum of higher-learning educational programs, this book will provide them with a valuable overview of a rapidly expanding movement within the educational field.

CHAPTER SUMMARIES The chapters in this book cover a wide variety of information related to the topic of teacherpreneurs, ranging from introducing readers to the topic to providing practical tips on actually becoming a teacherpreneur. Following is an overview of each chapter. Chapter 1 is an introduction to the topic of teacherpreneurship. The chapter provides definitions of the term teacherpreneur, which has only been in existence for about 10 years, although many of the concepts it embraces have been around for as long as teaching itself. The hybrid term was coined due to the symbiotic relationship between a teacherpreneur in the field of viii

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education and an entrepreneur in the business world, which is delineated within the chapter. The chapter also provides detailed descriptions of the three principal types of teacherpreneurs—classroom teacherpreneur, business teacherpreneur, and consultant teacherpreneur. Chapter 2 presents and explains in detail the characteristics that a successful teacherpreneur embodies, which include being ethical, passionate, creative, resourceful, empathetic, persistent, flexible, and self-motivated. In addition, teacherpreneurs are visionaries, risk-takers, networkers, advocates, and leaders/ mentors. In-depth explanations and examples of all of these characteristics are provided, as well as additional readings that elaborate further on these many traits. Teacherpreneurs are changing the landscape of education, which is why a discussion about teacherpreneurs as agents of change and reform is presented in Chapter 3. Topics explored include conveying why teacherpreneurs are ideal candidates to implement change and reform, identifying which educators are best suited for this role, and what specific roles teacherpreneurs can fulfill as change and reform agents. In addition, the chapter discusses specific steps that can be taken by administrators to empower teacherpreneurs to become productive agents of change and reform. Chapter 4 looks at a variety of models used within teacherpreneurships. These models include the classroom teacherpreneur, the consultant teacherpreneur, and the business teacherpreneur. It describes how each model’s aspects can be applied and what each entails. The models depict progressive steps the teacherpreneur moves through, as well as how some teacherpreneurs might simultaneously incorporate various aspects of some models, if they so choose. The models also illustrate how administrators should proceed when implementing teacherpreneurship initiatives among staff. The chapter concludes with a section about innovative online approaches that can be implemented using the various models. Chapter 5 describes some of the practical steps to be taken if one is to become a teacherpreneur. Practical suggestions include performing research, seeking a mentor, taking an online course, or pursuing other professional development. The chapter divides its focus between the classroom teacherpreneur and the consultant teacherpreneur, although, as is pointed out, the synergetic relationship between the two categories means that much of the provided information pertains to both classes of teacherpreneurs, which often overlap in practice. Further, the chapter includes an additional section that highlights some avenues of opportunity for the aspiring teacherpreneur, as well as a

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section containing helpful websites that offer additional explicit advice and counsel when entering the field of teacherpreneurship. As with any profession, there are benefits and challenges to becoming a teacherpreneur, and Chapter 6 provides an overview of the most prominent ones. Digesting the information in this chapter will give the reader assurance that becoming a teacherpreneur can provide many benefits, both inside and outside the classroom. It will also aid in preparing for the inevitable challenges that will invariably arise during the process. Overall, as the chapter explains, the benefits far outweigh the challenges. The concluding chapter, Chapter 7, provides final thoughts on the status of teacherpreneurship and how it should be incorporated within the realm of education moving forward. Prominent topics include recommendations for spreading the practice of teacherpreneurship; an overview of existing research followed by recommendations for future research that focuses on both classroom and consultant teacherpreneurs; and key takeaways from the research performed in the writing of this book—including suggestions for both teacherpreneurs and administrators—that should assist in advancing the success of teacherpreneurs in the future. Finally, an Appendix that provides a variety of resources to assist educators in learning more about the concept of teacherpreneurship and becoming a teacherpreneur is included. Resources are organized by categories ranging from entire books dedicated to the topic; to online resources such as websites, articles and blogs, and videos; to case studies on the topic in practice. Although some of these resources may overlap with references or additional readings provided in other chapters, the information in the Appendix was specifically chosen based on its appropriateness for providing comprehensive and particularly useful information for learning about and implementing teacherpreneur-related initiatives.

IMPACT IN THE FIELD The United States is suffering from a growing shortage of qualified teachers in its public schools. Strauss (2017) noted that nearly 90% of the demand for new teachers is due to former educators deciding to leave the profession. Finding ways to reverse this trend could end the teacher shortage overnight (Carver-Thomas & Darling-Hammond, 2017). One way to help reverse this trend is to change the landscape of education for teachers by allowing them to address some of the most important factors that lead to their leaving x

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the profession, such as the need to make more money and the desire to be innovative and appreciated instead of being expected to simply function as outdated, uninspired, and unproductive educators. Teacherpreneurship is an emerging issue within the field of education that offers educators an opportunity for a fresh, innovative educational experience that can revitalize the field by injecting new methods and the possibility for growth into an instructor’s career. There is much more to being a teacherpreneur than simply utilizing websites to experiment with different educational products in the classroom. Teacherpreneurs can also change school policies by working with their school and state officials, they can assist their school administrators by mentoring rookie or struggling teachers, they can develop online classes to teach other educators about becoming a teacherpreneur, and they can provide professional development workshops for others to learn about a new concept. Regardless of the method, the driving motivation for any teacherpreneur is a concern for all students’ success. Thus, understanding and embracing the rise of teacherpreneurs promises to have a positive impact on the field of education. Assessing this impact will be a critical component, thus opening a new avenue of research in the realm of education as well.

REFERENCES Berry, B. (2013). Teacherpreneurs and the future of teaching. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 1(2). Retrieved from https:// www.ijicc.net/images/Vol1issue22013/barnett%20berry%20article.pdf Carver-Thomas, D., & Darling-Hammond, L. (2017). Teacher turnover: Why it matters and what we can do about it. Learning Policy Institute Report. Retrieved from https://www.fcis.org/uploaded/Data_Reports/Teacher_ Turnover_REPORT.pdf Strauss, V. (2017, September 18). Where have all the teachers gone? Washington Post. Retrieved from https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/ answer-sheet/wp/2017/09/18/where-have-all-the-teachers-gone/?utm_ term=.6dc24402436b

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Chapter 1

What Is a Teacherpreneur? ABSTRACT This chapter introduces the reader to the concept of teacherpreneurs and elaborates on the emerging teacherpreneurship movement. Several general definitions of teacherpreneurs are provided, followed by background information on the origin of the concept and the connection between entrepreneurship and teacherpreneurship. In addition, three types of teacherpreneurs are discussed: classroom teacherpreneurs, business teacherpreneurs, and consultant teacherpreneurs. Each type and how it functions in the educational environment are described in detail, and a brief review of related literature is presented. The information conveyed in this chapter provides the foundation for understanding the content included in the remaining chapters of this book.

INTRODUCTION The kind of teaching needed today requires teachers to be high-level knowledge workers who constantly advance their own professional knowledge as well as that of their profession. —Andreas Schleicher (2012) The term teacherpreneur seems to have emerged around the year 2010, though it is unclear who coined the word. Because the concept is a fairly new one within the realm of education, an abundance of consensus on the idea does not yet exist. However, organizations such as The Center for Teaching Quality (n.d., para. 4), whose goal is “to serve as a catalyst for teachers DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch001 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

What Is a Teacherpreneur?

and administrators to collectively drive needed change in education, from classroom-level improvements to systems-level innovation,” have begun making strides in changing the educational landscape by supporting the development of teacherpreneurs. So what, exactly, is a teacherpreneur? A definition encompasses many facets, and since no formal definition exists, the myriad of descriptions of the term range from simple to complex, as seen in the following descriptions: •

•

• •

•

•

2

Teacherpreneurs are “classroom experts who teach students regularly, but also have time, space, and reward to incubate and execute their own ideas—just like entrepreneurs! They create products to fill teaching voids, frequently sharing and profiting through the use of technology” (Lynch, 2019, para. 1). A teacherpreneur is “an educator who has a passion for finding opportunities to make a difference, share their knowledge and expertise, and innovate the world of education to increase student success” (Gargas, 2017, para. 1). A teacherpreneur is “an educator who combines creativity, skills, and expertise to develop products, resources, and services outside the classroom to earn additional income” (Palmer, 2017, para. 3). A teacherpreneur “becomes involved in educational leadership, writes their own curricula, researches educational philosophies, educates other teachers and even works to reform official educational policies” (University of Kansas School of Education, 2019, para. 2). Teacherpreneurs are “the learning innovators who are developing expansive learning transfer processes for the learner-hungry people by circumventing the barriers built up by the centuries-old, introspective and outdated ‘industrial-age’ education system. Teacherpreneurs are innovative knowledge plumbers who are connecting a life-giving resource to the knowledge-starved people of the planet” (Revolution in Learning, 2012, para. 6). Teacherpreneurs “are motivated to initiate action. They execute, which is a key idea, because there are many new ideas out there, but without the execution of getting it done, it remains just an idea” (Ahdoot, 2015, para. 6). In addition, teacherpreneurs “know how to get it done. There is a capability component, which entails partnering with the right people” (Ahdoot, 2015, para. 7).

What Is a Teacherpreneur?

According to Shelton and Archambault (2019), the typical teacherpreneur is an educator who has been in the teaching profession for a considerable period of time. Teacherpreneurs view themselves as dedicated to assisting other teachers. They enjoy collaborating with other educators who are as devoted to teaching as they are and enjoy developing innovative educational resources. According to the International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE, 2015), a teacherpreneur has similar traits to an entrepreneur; this similarity means that the teacherpreneur is “willing to be innovative . . . to go off script to bring new ideas into the classroom” (para. 1). Teacherpreneurs also “possess a certain drive or attitude that pushes them” (ITSE, 2015, para. 1); they see a problem and work to figure out a way to solve it—or at least devise several solutions and apply them until the best one is found. The teacherpreneur is a leader both in and outside the classroom. Moreover, teacherpreneurs are willing to take risks and accept that not every idea will be successful; likewise, the school administrators for whom these teacherpreneurs work must give them the leeway to try things with the understanding that not all will go as planned every time (ISTE, 2015). Like in any good business, failure often comes before success. This chapter introduces the reader to the concept of teacherpreneur. The background of the concept is discussed, and an overview of the types of teacherpreneurs recognized in literature is presented. This foundational information is critical for understanding the content included in the remaining chapters of this book.

BACKGROUND Entrepreneurship in its purest form started in the business world, specifically within the realms of management and economics. Numerous definitions of the term entrepreneur exist, but in a broad sense, an entrepreneur is someone who “exercises initiative by organizing a venture to take benefit of an opportunity and, as the decision maker, decides what, how, and how much of a good or service will be produced” (Entrepreneur, n.d.). Although many definitions assert that an entrepreneur is motivated by profit, economist Joseph Alois Schumpeter (1883-1950) posited that entrepreneurs instead regard profit as simply a standard for measuring achievement or success (Angelovska, 2018). In this sense, a business owner who is typically motivated by profit is not necessarily an entrepreneur. To help make the distinction, Peter Drucker, 3

What Is a Teacherpreneur?

who is known as the father of modern management, revised the definition of entrepreneur to emphasize change and opportunity; his definition noted that an entrepreneur is “someone who always searches for change, responds to it, and exploits it as an opportunity” (Angelovska, 2018, para. 1). With this definition in mind, it is easy to see how entrepreneurship has extended beyond the profit-driven business world and into the realm of education. According to Neto, Rodriguez, Stewart, Xiao, and Snyder (2018), education in particular is a field in which people can develop entrepreneurial competencies and become entrepreneurs of education—or teacherpreneurs. The extension of entrepreneurship into the field of education has led to the rise of teacherpreneurship, which in the broadest sense is “an emergent movement whose advocates claim that teachers can provide leadership within and across the profession without leaving the classroom” (Bingham, 2013, p. 1). This movement is resulting in a change in the educational landscape. According to the University of Kansas School of Education (2019): Most teachers enjoy working with students, but in the past, those who have had dreams of making a greater impact on the educational frontier at large were required to leave their positions to pursue career opportunities in administration or the private sector. That is no longer the case, and these teacherpreneurs who choose to pursue teaching and policy making at once can take on this hybrid role by working simultaneously both inside and outside of the classroom. . . . Teachers who choose this path are dedicated to working with students and choose to stay because they love connecting with their students, but are also dedicated to going beyond classroom teaching to make systemic changes to better our education system. (para. 3, 8) In other countries’ educational systems outside of the United States, the concept of the teacherpreneur has existed for some time (Berry, 2013a). For example, in the Far East, teachers regularly collaborate with one another in lesson studies throughout the school day to improve their teaching skills (Berry, 2013a). However, in the United States, many teachers only have the opportunity to meet with their colleagues before or after school because collaboration is neither readily recognized as important nor included in the daily teaching schedule. This noncollaborative culture in many districts has been just one driver of the rise in teacherpreneurship. Several types of teacherpreneurs have been identified by researchers: (a) classroom teacherpreneurs—educators who are in the classroom at least part of the time; (b) business teacherpreneurs—educators who teach students to 4

What Is a Teacherpreneur?

become entrepreneurs; and (c) consultant teacherpreneurs—individuals, often former educators, who set up their own business or work for an outside company that consults with school districts. Typically, when the term teacherpreneur is used, it refers to the first type—classroom teacherpreneurs—because one of the most important focuses of the teacherpreneurship movement is shifting to a teacher-inclusive model of leadership in schools. Likewise, the classroom teacherpreneur is the primary focus of this book. However, a description of the three recognized types is provided in the next section to help educate the reader on the overall concept.

TYPES OF TEACHERPRENEURS Classroom Teacherpreneur The vast majority of information on teacherpreneurship relates to classroom teacherpreneurs. Classroom teacherpreneurs are: teacher leaders of proven accomplishment who have a deep knowledge of how to teach, a clear understanding of what strategies must be in play to make schools highly successful, and the skills and commitment to spread their expertise to others—all while keeping at least one foot firmly in the classroom. (Berry, 2010) Development of this type of teacherpreneur is the driving force behind the teacherpreneurship movement, which seeks to allow teachers to lead without leaving the classroom. Existing literature on classroom teacherpreneurs focuses extensively on describing this group’s characteristics (which is the focus of Chapter 2 of this book). Briefly, classroom teacherpreneurs have been described as being persistent, creative, visionary, passionate, and resourceful (Lynch, 2019). These teachers utilize their talents and skills “to help other teachers learn new ways of teaching, locate new and fresh curricula, and become revitalized by new ideas” (Lynch, 2019, para. 2). Classroom teacherpreneurs are altruistic and ideological, and they want to “make a difference by impacting and improving the academic environment and responding to students’ needs” (Neto et al., 2018, p. 256). They bring ideas and resources into the classroom so that they can create opportunities for their students to discuss and brainstorm solutions 5

What Is a Teacherpreneur?

for educational issues (Foote, 2012), and they perceive and explore issues and problems that others ignore and figure out ways to solve them (Maranto, 2015). Any general discussion of teacherpreneur characteristics such as the above may lead readers to ask one simple question: how is a teacherpreneur any different than a teacher? The answer primarily lies in the desire and skill to innovate and lead. According to Moss (2016): There have always been teacherpreneurs; it’s just that they have been lacking a label until recently. They are teachers and educationalists who see gaps in their learning environment, are passionate about filling the gaps, and actively take steps to do it, all the while teaching and leading the life of a regular educator. They are action-orientated individuals, ambitious, overworked, but inspiring, and are often responsible for great advancement in teaching and learning, all achieved under great pressure. (para. 7) Many discussions about teacherpreneurs focus on how these innovative individuals are also active in the online education marketplace, selling their ideas and materials via such platforms as Teachers Pay Teachers—an open marketplace where teachers buy and sell original teaching materials. This element is important (and discussed in a later chapter in this book), but it is not recognized as the driving force behind moving from teacher to teacherpreneur. As Berry (2013b) noted, “Teacherpreneurism is not so much about establishing a new income stream for individuals as it is about promoting and spreading a new culture of collective innovation and creativity in the education sector, which has woefully (and ironically) lacked it” (p. 4). Classroom teacherpreneurs are more focused and concerned about obtaining resources and using creative instructional strategies to improve academic success than securing any material gains that may be made while teaching. Countless teachers who possess all of the critical characteristics of a classroom teacherpreneur and long to make the transition from teacher to teacherpreneur may be inhibited from doing so by one critical element outside of their control: time. Unlike their peers in several other countries, accomplished American teachers have few opportunities to extend their impact beyond their classrooms while continuing to teach students. Too often, ambitious teachers face a difficult choice: teach full-time or leave students behind for full-time administrative roles that broaden their reach (and often boost their compensation). The latter option is less than appealing: 84 6

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percent of the nation’s teachers report that they are not interested in becoming administrators. But nearly one in four is “very” or “extremely” interested in serving in a hybrid role that makes it possible to lead without leaving the classroom behind. (Berry, 2013b, p. 3) Many educators are pushing for nationwide educational reform that is driven by teacher-based leadership found in teacherpreneurs. For instance, since around 2012, the Center for Teaching Quality (n.d.) has been supporting the development of about two dozen teacherpreneurs. These expert teachers typically have a reduced teaching load (by 50%) that allows them time to lead bold reforms at the school, district, state, and national levels. Chapter 3 presents a more in-depth discussion of this reform. Students will view classroom teacherpreneurs as role models who recognize and take action on opportunities when presented with them, take the initiative to start a new project or act on an idea, and are willing to risk failure in order to improve their knowledge and skill base. Classroom teacherpreneurs want to assist students on their journey of learning by taking the student from where they are at and moving them to the next level by meeting their specific needs. In order to accomplish this goal, classroom teacherpreneurs take the initiative and look for opportunities to form new partnerships with colleagues, community businesses, and community leaders. They search for funding opportunities, both big and small, on a variety of grant websites to obtain more resources for their classroom or create an original lesson for their students. In addition, they can further their own education through professional development activities their school may provide and/or they can attend a class at a local college in their area. Seeking new and unique opportunities for the classroom is at the heart of being a classroom teacherpreneur (Neto et al., 2018). However, risk comes in seeking these new educational opportunities. Classroom teacherpreneurs must be cognizant of the fact that presenting and using a recent technology tool or trying a new activity may or may not go as planned. Classroom teacherpreneurs (Neto et al., 2018) learn quickly to forecast the risk and make provisions for events that could go wrong. They have a Plan B or Plan C. This type of preparation assists them in being proactive and in integrating new and additional instructional strategies into their classroom. The classroom teacherpreneur is primarily focused on managing creativity in order to accomplish excellent academic outcomes within their own classrooms (Neto et al., 2018). Thus, classroom teacherpreneurs provide a valuable wealth of knowledge, and by encouraging their students to think creatively, they are improving the 7

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educational system for everyone (Neto, Rodriguez, & Panzer, 2017). These classroom teacherpreneurs are role models for their pupils and are proof that if an educator works hard, they can accomplish any goal, which is exactly the sort of inspirational motivation needed in some school environments. In addition to encouraging students to develop their own ideas, classroom teacherpreneurs also must be responsible and explain any and all risks that must be considered in order for their students to be successful when starting a new business or creating a different product (Neto et al., 2017). Classroom teacherpreneurs should also demonstrate for their students how to locate resources and other opportunities so that a project can come to fruition. Armed with this type of knowledge, students should be able to one day achieve tangible results in their professional endeavors (Neto et al., 2017). Currently, individuals who want to become a teacher in an elementary, middle, or high school within the United States must attend an approved and licensed 4-year teaching program. Neto et al. (2017) argued that in order to accommodate preservice teachers’ knowledge about classroom teacherpreneurship, more courses need to be added to the university’s curriculum. Unfortunately, some college-level administrators will balk and argue that adding courses to an already very full study curriculum is either unreasonable or impossible. To address this concern, developing teacherpreneur skills with new-hire teachers can be accomplished through professional development. Regardless of which method is chosen to disseminate information to the educators, classroom teacherpreneurship should be a vital part of teachers’ learning tools (Neto et al., 2017). Wibowo, Saptono, and Suparno (2018) supported Neto et al.’s (2017) assertion, arguing that in order for classroom teacherpreneurship to continue to be successful, educators must attend additional courses at universities and colleges; go to seminars and conferences at the local, state, and national levels; and read current research on the topic. In addition, and perhaps most important, they suggested collaborating and conferring with other educators who are interested in classroom teacherpreneurship. Through collaboration, teachers can brainstorm ideas and produce innovative ways to teach the content, such as co-teaching, to make the topics more interesting to their students (Wibowo et al., 2018). Neto et al. (2017) found that when teachers perform teacherpreneurship within the classroom environment, they tend to be more satisfied with their job overall. They also appear to be more motivated to “raise funds, gather resources, and plan and coordinate new projects with the objective of creating a more enjoyable, technology-enabled, and tools-enriched learning 8

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environment” (p. 256). Often when teachers do take these extra steps to get their students to learn, recognition comes from others. School administrators notice that the student academic scores on state assessments improve. Students themselves feel more a part of the classroom and learning process. Parents notice their children looking forward to going to school and enjoying the invigorating learning environment. Businesses within the school community may also notice the difference a teacher makes, especially since it may assist them with hiring these students once they graduate from high school. The adrenaline rush a teacher experiences from teaching students a skill they can use once they finish high school promotes job satisfaction and very often is an instrumental factor in the decision to remain on the job and not seek employment elsewhere. Such positive change and results emphasize how important teacherpreneurial instruction is in the classroom. It is a win-win for all stakeholders within the community and school (Neto et al., 2017). Cuthbertson (2014) contributed additional information on an important facet of being a classroom teacherpreneur by noting that although it is important for these educators to be in the classroom working with students, it is equally important for them to work outside the classroom too. Part of the workday for the classroom teacherpreneur should be spent focusing on educational policies to improve the educational environment for all students. They may attend state legislature meetings to try to influence lawmakers to improve or change current educational laws. They may also collaborate with other teachers to assist them with improving their instructional delivery of a lesson or improve their classroom management of students with challenging behaviors. These educators will also serve on and lead curriculum committees to improve the lessons other teachers are using to educate students. On any given day, the classroom teacherpreneur wears many hats and is utilized in a variety of positions (Cuthbertson, 2014). Berry (2011) described a subtype of classroom teacherpreneur that he called the innovator teacherpreneur. These teacherpreneurs are most interested in developing ways for all students to learn to the best of their abilities. They want to try to close the achievement gap. This type of teacherpreneur finds time within the busy school day to collaborate with other teacherpreneurs to solve issues that all teachers face or to devise creative ways to educate young people. In order to achieve this level, Berry suggested that the newcomer teacherpreneur be mentored by a more seasoned teacherpreneur so that they can learn the ins and outs required for this approach. As Berry (2011) pointed out, innovator teacherpreneurs want to work with all stakeholders, including parents, students, school administrators (such as 9

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the principal and superintendent), and even the school boards—both locally and statewide—to think of creative ways to use resources, both financial and human, to best educate all children. They think outside the box in order to create the best learning environment for all students in any type of schooling situation: urban, rural, or suburban. The innovator teacherpreneur uses technology and social media to not only do research about how other teacherpreneurs are operating but also to get their ideas and resources out to other educators (Berry, 2011). Instead of just staying behind the closed door of the classroom, innovator teacherpreneurs use technology to spread their platform about ways to better utilize resources as well as to share ideas and concerns (Berry, 2011). Thus, they make effective teaching more visible to the public and let school administration know that their voices need to be heard rather than stifled. Emphasizing the development of classroom innovator teacherpreneurs will be one way to advance the educational system in the 21st century in a new and creative way (Berry, 2011).

Business Teacherpreneur Because of the implementation of the federal Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA, 2015), school districts around the country are required to educate every student so that they are career- or college-ready. Students who elect to be college-ready take classes so they can pass the college entrance exams, typically the SAT, and gain entrance into a higher educational institution. Students who choose the career path typically take classes that are in the career or technical fields, such as culinary arts, computer repair and designing, cosmetology, auto mechanics, air conditioning repair, welding, robotics, or even masonry. Indeed, a myriad of options are available to those students hoping to fast-track their entry into the business world after high school. Unfortunately, the skills related to entrepreneurship are typically not taught in these classes. In fact, entrepreneurship classes are typically not taught at any level in the U.S. K-12 educational system, but according to Rodov and Truong (2015), they should be. These authors pointed out that the U.S. educational system has, because of the new ESSA (2015) laws, made improvements and now includes career and college standards in the curriculum, such as teaching students to work collaboratively with others, infusing art and engineering skills into science and math classes, and incorporating both online and faceto-face classes. However, the educational system is still missing crucial 10

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elements, such as encouraging students to think creatively and motivating them to do so. Their point is that if preservice education courses in college are not teaching these entrepreneurial skills, then no possibility for it being passed from instructor to student in the classroom exists. A business teacherpreneur, simply put, is someone (whether an instructor or community business leader) who teaches entrepreneurial skills to students so they can develop a business on their own at some point in the future. In essence, a business teacherpreneur is a prototypical classroom teacherpreneur because of the complexity of teaching skill involved in developing students into entrepreneurs. Consequently, business teacherpreneurs are classroom teacherpreneurs by default. For example, Rodov and Truong (2015) revealed that students who have decided they want to become an entrepreneur are in many ways atypical of the other students in the general education classroom. They have median intelligence and are B-average students. They typically do not learn from reading books and instead learn by doing. Business teacherpreneurs recognize these students and the challenges they present and initiate two procedures: first, they change their instructional strategies so that the lessons are more hands-on; second, business teacherpreneurs incorporate real-life experiences into their lessons (Rodov & Truong, 2015). Thus, subject matter dictates that business teacherpreneurs remain constantly vigilant to innovative methods, ideas, and strategies, and it is mandatory to develop personalized learning that focuses on the individual student’s creative strengths. Clearly, these traits place business teacherpreneurs squarely in the category of the classroom teacherpreneur. Because the concept of the business teacherpreneur is in its infancy stage, few clearly defined models exist for imparting those necessary skills to students motivated to pursue entrepreneurship, but several researchers have suggested various approaches and methods to incorporate into the learning environment in order to prepare students for real-world success. One overriding necessity, Rodov and Truong (2015) determined, is for the schools to reach out to the community leaders within the school’s district and ask for their assistance. If a school can partner with an outside business entrepreneur, this person can serve as a mentor for students, especially those students in low-income schools who need a positive adult figure in their lives in order to avoid the various pitfalls of their environment. Since entrepreneurship education applies to all students regardless of socioeconomic background or academic ability level, an outside mentor can encourage students to think outside the box and develop unique talents that will help change students’ lives for the better and make them contributing members of society. Such 11

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influence instigates a reciprocal domino effect whereby once the student is successful in their own business, they give back to their community to assist others who come from a similar background. Thus, positive outcomes are achieved for everyone involved (Rodov & Truong, 2015). To accomplish this strategy, business teacherpreneurs can contact local businesses and see if select employers might be willing to collaborate with a student one-on-one. Further, the business teacherpreneur can see if their students might assist local businesses in any way. Perhaps a newly opened local business is interested in getting assistance in order to attract new customers. The students in the business teacherpreneur’s class can collaborate with the owner and develop a plan. Such activities provide the students with real-life experience and the business owner with a workable plan. The business owner can also from time to time report back to the students with the results and, if needed, receive the students’ assistance in further tweaking the process (Rodov & Truong, 2015). Moreover, Dawson (2017) suggested several entrepreneurial skills that students can develop within the business teacherpreneur’s classroom. By incorporating Dawson’s ideas, either of two outcomes should occur: First, the student will be able to gauge their comfort level in making a decision to start a business on their own, or second, the student will acquire skills needed to prepare for college. Some of these ideas are presented below: •

•

•

12

Any time students participate orally in class or present material to a study group, treat it is as a speaking engagement. Successful entrepreneurs must speak to investors in order to get funding for their projects. By learning this skill and practicing it frequently, the student will feel less pressure when presented with this type of scenario in real life. Instead of the traditional lecture type of classroom, set up a personalizedbased learning classroom so students can work on projects that are interesting to them. This process makes learning more relevant and enjoyable for the student. When researching specific topics (e.g., environmental issues, economic issues, social injustices), instead of using traditional textbooks, use present-day information. The business teacherpreneur can have students research what current businesses are doing to resolve the issue and have students develop some type of plan to assist with solving the problem. To enhance the learning experience, the student plan, if deemed appropriate, might be shared with a local business that can

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•

benefit from the outcomes in order to receive feedback and constructive criticism on whether the plan is viable. Have the student learn and work with the same tools that a typical entrepreneur uses. By using these tools, students will experience what it is like to share ideas and work in the working world. For example, a Go Fund Me or YouTube page may be appropriate for students to use if given parental and school district permission. This experience will also teach the student or students what it is like to perhaps experience failure because not every idea will be a success. Sometimes it takes several tries before an idea or concept is accepted by society, and it is better to experience failure within a classroom setting and learn how to deal with it while the student has the support of the business teacherpreneur than learn it for the first time on their own outside of the school environment.

Shulman (2018) provided some additional instructional strategies that business teacherpreneurs can present to their classroom. First, encourage students to brainstorm entrepreneurial concepts with their classmates. Next, set up an area in the classroom where students can post an entrepreneurial idea on a bulletin board or place a suggestion in a box. Then, once a week (or whatever timeframe fits into the class schedule), review the suggestions and prioritize which ones can be discussed and perhaps brought to fruition. This strategy can be done either as a whole class group, or if preferred, smaller groups can each work on a different idea or suggestion, or every student can work as an individual. Schulman (2018) also encouraged the use of a solution box. Instead of complaining about something that is wrong at the school or perhaps even at home, students place their complaint into the box or place it on a special bulletin board, and the class brainstorms solutions. Again, this assignment can be done as a whole group project from the start, or in small groups, or individually, and then each group or individual can, after arriving at a solution, present it to the entire class. Regardless of which way the solutions are derived, students will learn vital collaboration skills from these exercises. They will also gain knowledge about how their peers solve problems when presented to them and learn that their solution may or may not be the best one. The business teacherpreneur should teach these problem-solving skills because an entrepreneur must be well versed in the practice of them in order to be successful. 13

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The reality TV show Shark Tank, where contestants pitch business ideas to major investors, has a version for children, and Shulman (2018) encouraged business teacherpreneurs to have their students watch several episodes. While engaged in the show, have the students look for techniques such as how the student presenter acted and whether they maintained eye contact in front of the investors. In addition, business teacherpreneurs should have students identify what type of pitch was done and determine how the presenter developed their product or what type of service was created. If possible, after all these topics have been discussed, the instructor can conduct their very own Shark Tank within the classroom. Community businesspeople can be invited who will provide students with the same type of feedback given on the television show. Learning these skills provides essential tools for any student interested in any type of entrepreneurship, as well as fosters vital lifelong learning skills in the student. Finally, Shulman (2018) suggested setting aside time weekly for the student to either work on their own or in a small group of two to three students on a project about which they are passionate. Students can create strategies or do research on a topic that interests them. Some students may struggle with this concept since most are not used to being in charge of their learning, but by encouraging the student, helping the student to brainstorm ideas, and following up with them to ensure they are headed in the correct direction, business teacherpreneurs can be assured that their students are learning skills necessary for them to be successful once they graduate high school. Frequently, teachers may feel that only students in the general education classroom should be permitted to take entrepreneurial classes. However, many students with disabilities can benefit from these types of classes as much as if not more than their nondisabled counterparts (Rodov & Truong, 2015). For example, many students with attention deficit disorder (ADD) or attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) have been told in school to sit still and learn the lesson being taught to them. However, in an entrepreneurial class centered on hands-on learning, these students, due to their heightened energy levels, can accomplish a lot, which is a huge benefit for someone starting a business (Rodov & Truong, 2015).

Consultant Teacherpreneur Another ancillary type of classroom teacherpreneur is the full-time consultant teacherpreneur, although the name might be a little misleading because a 14

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consultant teacherpreneur is actually a former teacher who has their own consulting business and assists schools in improving academics. Gone are the days when a teaching career was over after 20 or 25 years. In today’s world, although some teachers may elect to stay in the classroom for up to 40 years, often teachers decide to leave the classroom, but they take with them many years of rich, vital experience that should not be lost simply because the teacher decides to leave the profession. Many veteran retired teachers still want to work on a part-time basis or work in a different capacity. Some of them go to universities and colleges and teach classes. Others decide to venture out on their own and use their expertise as a consultant teacherpreneur. These teachers go to school districts and lend their expertise in areas such as building rapport with parents; supporting administrators in a variety of capacities (e.g., being in charge of state assessments or writing curricula); providing professional development for administrators, teachers, and staff on a variety of topics, such as special education laws and individual educational plans for students with an identified special need; or discussing a new reading or math program. The consultant teacherpreneur also provides support for the classroom teacher who may need assistance with classroom management or using research-based instructional strategies (Woods, 2017). Any educator considering becoming a consultant teacherpreneur should put in the time and effort required to become a productive one. Fruin (2015) noted that when someone is thinking about becoming a consultant teacherpreneur, they should become an expert in the area about which they are passionate and learn as much as possible about one or several topics concerning that particular area. They should go to the local university or college library or obtain articles online and read current research on the topic. Also, they should look for current educational trends on social media and get involved with sites such as Twitter and Pinterest. Moreover, they should follow interesting experts in the field and notice who those experts follow. This strategy will assist the consultant teacherpreneur in remaining current about educational needs and allow them to think about how to provide solutions. Fruin (2015) also suggested becoming involved in the community where one intends to consult. Attending that community school’s PTA is a clever idea, and so is getting involved in any available community organizations. The consultant teacherpreneur should also get involved with state and national educational organizations because one is bound to affiliate with someone who could either immediately or in the future be of assistance in obtaining a job. It is equally important to be involved in teacher-related organizations. Moreover, whatever one’s area of expertise, getting involved by presenting 15

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at and attending workshops in both the local state and national levels is vital for making contacts and making acquaintances who may be at some point be able to assist you (Fruin, 2015). Although professional development is one of the many jobs a consultant teacherpreneur may practice when working for a school district, it is equally important to ensure that one’s own professional development is complete and current (Fruin, 2015). Professional development opportunities allow the consultant teacherpreneur to achieve credit toward renewing a teaching license and to gain current knowledge on the topic. If the consultant teacherpreneur has been out of teaching for an extended period of time, they may not have the most up-to-date information at their fingertips. Finally, the most important suggestion Fruin (2015) offered for someone who wants to become a consultant teacherpreneur is to network. They cannot be shy about going up to someone and introducing themselves and providing the person with a one- to two-minute speech about what they can do for this person and their school. Word of mouth is the best way to get recognized for their work and to let others know what can be accomplished for them. Without this skill, they will not be able to have a successful consultant teacherpreneur business.

CONCLUSION Most current teacherpreneurship scholarship separates teacherpreneurs into three distinct categories—the classroom teacherpreneur, business teacherpreneur, and consultant teacherpreneur—but places preeminent focus on the classroom teacherpreneur, recognizing it as the progenitor of both the business and consultant teacherpreneur. Very often, the line between classroom and consultant teacherpreneur becomes blurred because many classroom teacherpreneurs also practice consultant teacherpreneur activities, electing to teach full-time and market their skills, products, and services parttime on the side. Nevertheless, though each type can provide an important and valuable function within the educational system in the United States, emphasis is currently being placed on fostering and nurturing the classroom teacherpreneur within the nation’s schools, with the understanding that once an established network of classroom teacherpreneurs is in place, a network of business and consultant teacherpreneurs will necessarily follow. The following chapters provide greater detail on the characteristics classroom 16

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teacherpreneurs embody and the various mechanisms required for cultivating teacherpreneurs’ development in the nation’s classrooms.

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REFERENCES Ahdoot, R. (2015, March 2). Starting the conversation on teacherpreneurship. Retrieved from https://www.smartbrief.com/original/2015/03/startingconversation-teacherpreneurship Angelovska, N. (2018, October 10). The 8 P’s of entrepreneurship. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ninaangelovska/2018/10/10/ the-8-ps-of-entrepreneurship/#7d4f73a514f5 Berry, B. (2010). Teaching 2030: What we must do for our students and our public schools—Now and in the future. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Berry, B. (2011). Teacherpreneurs. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(6), 28–33. doi:10.1177/003172171109200606 Berry, B. (2013a). Teacherpreneurs: A bold brand of teacher leadership for 21st century teaching and learning. Science, 340(6130), 309–310. doi:10.1126cience.1230580 PMID:23599480 Berry, B. (2013b). Teacherpreneurs and the future of teaching. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 1(2). Retrieved from https:// www.ijicc.net/images/Vol1issue22013/barnett%20berry%20article.pdf Bingham, C. S. (2013). What is a teacherpreneur? Ask Sarah Henchey. Retrieved from https://gardner-webb.edu/Assets/gardnerwebb/academics/ cild/teacherpreneruship-notes1.pdf Center for Teaching Quality. (n.d.). About CTQ. Retrieved from https://www. teachingquality.org/about-ctq/ Cuthbertson, J. (2014, February 19). So, you want to be a teacherpreneur? Education Weekly: Teacher. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/tm/ articles/2014/02/19/ctq-cuthbertson.html Dawson, G. (2017, December 15). How to teach entrepreneurship to students [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://blog.thinkcerca.com/how-to-teachentrepreneurship-to-students Entrepreneur. (n.d.). In Business dictionary. Retrieved from http://www. businessdictionary.com/definition/entrepreneur.html Every Student Succeeds Act of 2015, Pub. L. No. 114-95 § 114 Stat. 1177 (2015). 18

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Foote, C. (2012, July 26). Edu-preneurship: Being more than “just a teacher.” Retrieved from https://www.techlearning.com/news/0002/ edupreneurship/64921 Fruin, C. (2015, July 19). From to classroom to consultant in 6 smart steps. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-07-19-from-theclassroom-to-consultant-in-6-smart-steps Gargas, J. (2017, May 30). 5 signs you might be a teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/5-signs-mightteacherpreneur/ International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2015). How to think like a teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/ Lead-the-way/How-to-think-like-a-teacherpreneur Lynch, M. (2019, May 7). What is a teacherpreneur? The Edvocate. Retrieved from https://www.theedadvocate.org/what-is-a-teacherpreneur/ Maranto, R. (2015). Did the teachers destroy the school? Public entrepreneurship as creation and adaptation. Journal of School Leadership, 25(1), 69–101. doi:10.1177/105268461502500104 Moss, P. (2016). 2015-2020: The rise of the teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://teachthought.com/the-future-of-learning/2015-2020-riseteacherpreneur/ Neto, R. C. A., Rodriguez, V. P., & Panzer, S. (2017). Exploring the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior and teachers’ job satisfaction. Teacher and Teacher Education, 63, 254-263. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.001 Neto, R. C. A., Rodriguez, V. P., Stewart, D., Xiao, A., & Snyder, J. (2018). The influence of self-efficacy on entrepreneurial behavior among K-12 teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 72, 44–53. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2018.02.012 Palmer, P. (2017, April 9). Teacher to teacherpreneur: How to monetize your professional skills. Retrieved from http://contact.teslontario.org/teacher-toteacherpreneur/ Revolution in Learning. (2012, March 31). What is a teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://revolutioninlearning.wordpress.com/2012/03/31/ what-is-a-teacherpreneur/

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Rodov, F., & Truong, S. T. (2015). Entrepreneurs in inner city education: Why schools should teach entrepreneurship. Entrepreneurship Education. Retrieved from https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/245038 Schleicher, A. (2012). Preparing teachers and developing school leaders for the 21st century: Lessons from around the world. Washington, DC: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development. Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019). Who are online teacherpreneurs and what do they do? A survey of content creators on teacherspayteachers. com. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(4), 398–414. do i:10.1080/15391523.2019.1666757 Shulman, R. D. (2018). 5 ways teachers can introduce entrepreneurship skills in their classrooms. Forbes. Retrieved from https://www.forbes.com/sites/ workday/2019/07/22/warner-music-group-how-to-create-a-harmoniousworkplace-culture/#582c9cf347d6 University of Kansas School of Education. (2019, September 8). What is a teacherpreneur? Retrieved from https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/ what-is-a-teacherpreneur Wibowo, A., Saptono, A., & Suparno, N. J. (2018). Does teacher creativity impact vocational students’ entrepreneurial intention? Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 21(3), 1–12. Woods, L. (2017). Career trend: Teacher consultant duties. Retrieved from https://careertrend.com/list-6453486-teacher-consultant-duties.html

ADDITIONAL READING Barseghian, T. (2011, April 11). What the heck is a “teacherpreneur”? Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/mindshift/10394/what-the-heck-is-ateacherpreneur Berry, B. (2013). Teacherpreneurs: A bold brand of teacher leadership for 21st-century teaching and learning. Science, 340(6130), 309–310. doi:10.1126cience.1230580 PMID:23599480

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Berry, B. (2015, March 9). Effective teachers for all classrooms? It’s time for teacherpreneurs [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality. org/effective-teachers-for-all-classrooms-its-time-for-teacherpreneurs/ Berry, B., & Hess, F. M. (2013). Expanded learning, expansive teacher leadership. Phi Delta Kappan, 94(5), 58–61. doi:10.1177/003172171309400513 Buckley, A. P., & Nzembayie, K. F. (2016). Teacherpreneurs: From vocation to innovation. Retrieved from. Carpenter, J. P. (2016). Teachers at the wheel. Educational Leadership, 73(8), 30–35. Crowley, B. (2016, September 15). Why I left a profession that I love [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/ brianna-crowley/why-i-left-profession-i-love Cuban, L. (2006). Educational entrepreneurs redux. In F. M. Hess (Ed.), Educational entrepreneurship: Realities, challenges, possibilities (pp. 223– 242). Cambridge, MA: Harvard Educational Publishing Group. Falk, B. (2015). Teacher leadership for educational quality and equity: Learning across Singapore, Canada, Finland, and the United States. New Educator, 11(2), 105–106. doi:10.1080/1547688X.2015.1026781 Gargas, J. (2016, July 18). Why teachers make awesome entrepreneurs [Web log post]. Retrieved from http://www.trepsunite.com/maybe-you-should-beteacherpreneur/ Goodwin, A. L. (2017). Innovation in teacher education: Cutting edge? Or on the cutting room floor? In X. Zhu, A. Goodwin, & H. Zhang (Eds.), Quality of teacher education and learning (pp. 3–16). Singapore, China: Springer; doi:10.1007/978-981-10-3549-4_1 Holland, J. M., Eckert, J., & Allen, M. M. (2014). From preservice to teacher leadership: Meeting the future in educator preparation. Action in Teacher Education, 36(5-6), 433–445. doi:10.1080/01626620.2014.977738 Hunzicker, J. (2017). Using Danielson’s framework to develop teacher leaders. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 53(1), 12–17. doi:10.1080/00228958.2017.1264814 Lee, J. S., Sachs, D., & Wheeler, L. (2014). The crossroads of teacher leadership and action research. The Clearing House: A Journal of Educational Strategies, Issues and Ideas, 87(5), 218–223. doi:10.1080/00098655.2014.924896 21

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Levy, L. (2014, July 24). Rise of the teacherpreneur. Retrieved from http:// www.edudemic.com/why-we-need-edupreneurs/ McManus, C. (2018). Teacherpreneurism: Impact on teachers’ career satisfaction (Doctoral dissertation). doi:10.31274/rtd-180813-12204 Nieswandt, A. (2017). Educational entrepreneurs: The professional experiences of five edupreneurs (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved f ro m h t t p : / / d i g i t a l c o m m o n s . ge o rge fox . e d u / c g i / v i ewc o n t e n t . cgi?article=1097&context=edd Papendieck, A., & Hughes, J. (2017). Critical innovators: Learning from teachers and entrepreneurs who work to change schools with technology. Washington, DC: International Society for Technology in Education. Rees, S. (2019). Re-imagining employability: An ontology of employability best practice in higher education institutions. Teaching in Higher Education, 1–16. doi:10.1080/13562517.2019.1670637 Reeves, T. D., & Lowenhaupt, R. J. (2016). Teachers as leaders: Pre-service teachers’ aspirations and motivations. Teaching and Teacher Education, 57, 176–187. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2016.03.011 Remijan, K. (2016, May 26). Keeping mid-career teachers with hybrid and part-time positions. ASCD Express, 11(18). Retrieved from http://www.ascd. org/ascd-express/vol11/1118-remijan.aspx Sharra, S. (2005). From entrepreneurship to activism: Teacher autobiography, peace and social justice in education. Current Issues in Comparative Education, 8(1), 7–17. Sztabnik, B. (2015, August 12). A new pathway: Teacherpreneurs [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://sharemylesson.com/blog/new-pathwayteacherpreneurs Webber, C. F., & Scott, S. (2008). Entrepreneurship and educational leadership development: Canadian and Australian perspectives. International Electronic Journal for Leadership in Learning, 12(14), 1–15. Zeichner, N. (2013). The next step: A hybrid teaching role. Educational Horizons, 91(3), 13–15. doi:10.1177/0013175X1309100305

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Business Teacherpreneur: A teacher who teaches entrepreneurial skills to students so they can develop a business on their own at some point in the future. Classroom Teacherpreneur: A classroom teacher, either general or special education, who is a leader in collaboration, innovation, and professional development, who explores any and all avenues to promote student achievement, and whose reach sometimes extends outside the classroom as an influencer at the school, district, state, or national level. Consultant Teacherpreneur: A former teacher who has their own consulting business and assists schools in improving academics. Entrepreneur: A person who develops a business using their own ideas and passion. Innovation: Developing and/or implementing a new idea or process. Innovator Teacherpreneur: An alternative term for classroom teacherpreneur that refers to a teacher who thinks creatively to get results and utilizes extraordinary resources to educate all children regardless of their current school environment. Stakeholder: Parents, students, teachers, school administrators, school board members, and anyone else who has a personal stake in a student’s academic success.

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Chapter 2

Characteristics of a Teacherpreneur ABSTRACT This chapter educates readers on the various characteristics of teacherpreneurs that are critical to the teacherpreneur’s success. These characteristics include being ethical, passionate, creative, resourceful, empathetic, persistent, flexible, and self-motivated. In addition, teacherpreneurs are visionaries, risk-takers, networkers, advocates, and leaders/mentors. This chapter describes the components that fit within each of these primary characteristics and provides examples from literature. All teacherpreneurs will exhibit, to some degree, the characteristics described in this chapter. These characteristics form the foundation upon which a teacherpreneur’s entire teaching philosophy is built and reflect a commitment to the notion that each and every student can learn if properly instructed.

INTRODUCTION In order to be classified as a teacherpreneur, an educator must possess a certain temperament and cultivate a particular skill set that places them in a distinct and separate echelon from other educators. A teacherpreneur’s drive, ambition, and motivation separate them from the rest of the pack. Other teachers and administrators are drawn to teacherpreneurs and look to them for leadership and counsel and expect them to set and uphold standards that students and other teachers will emulate. DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch002 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

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This chapter discusses the primary characteristics that researchers attribute to these teacherpreneurs. While many of the characteristics described in this chapter are also embodied in regular teachers, they are often suppressed or lie dormant because the teacher lacks the time, motivation, energy, and support to prominently display or utilize their gifts in the classroom. However, for the teacherpreneur, these traits are inseparable from their everyday demeanor and approach. They are ingrained into their planning and are integral to their teaching philosophy. They are applied with vigor toward each individual student, regardless of status, because of the overriding, governing premise within the teacherpreneur that each and every student can learn if properly instructed.

TEACHERPRENEUR CHARACTERISTICS Visionary Of primary importance to a teacherpreneur is that they be a visionary. A visionary thinks outside the box and tries to predict what education and teaching will be like in 5 or 10 years from now in order to ensure that their methods remain dynamic and do not stagnate. Such vison is necessary in order for the educational system in the United States to succeed (ElRayees, 2012). Gargas (2017) suggested that not only must teacherpreneurs have a vison of what goals they want to accomplish, they must also be cognizant about how their decisions will impact the students or school in which they work. For example, if the school administration and teachers do not feel that a certain service delivery model, such as personalized learning, will benefit the school or students, perhaps a different vison should be considered, or perhaps one’s long-term vision should be postponed until resources can be acquired or until new administrators more receptive to change are hired. In a worst-case scenario, a classroom teacherpreneur who cannot reconcile their educational vision with administration’s may decide to seek another teaching position elsewhere in a school whose vision aligns more closely with the teacherpreneur’s.

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Risk-Taker One clear distinction between the teacherpreneur and the regular classroom instructor is the teacherpreneur’s willingness to take risks. Although teacherpreneurs are passionate about achieving success, they are also not afraid to fail because failure provides them with an opportunity to learn. Without failure, according to Bakshi (2019), teacherpreneurs cannot gain knowledge, and without knowledge, teacherpreneurs cannot move ahead. Gargas (2017) suggested that failure is part of the teacherpreneur’s life. Without failure, the teacherpreneur does not learn how to make improvements or changes for the greater good. Teacherpreneurs may go into the classroom or school with an idea that they feel will be suited for that situation, only to find out that they were only given half the information, and the idea will not even get off the ground. Teacherpreneurs learn from their errors, reflect upon them, ask for advice from someone who has been in a similar situation, take the advice and determine whether to use all or none or it, make a decision on how to make changes, and go back to the situation and try again. This same scenario may need to be repeated numerous times until the correct method is established. Then and only then can the teacherpreneur feel that they are successful.

Networker Communication is a skill that most teachers possess. However, superior networking and interpersonal interactions require communication knowledge above what the average communicator may have (Bakshi, 2019), and the teacherpreneur thrives in this arena. Teacherpreneurs are comfortable speaking via multiple platforms to diverse audiences and are particularly adept at communicating with those individuals who may be able to invest in or support their project in some fashion. They enjoy discussing their classroom objectives and accomplishments and demonstrating how they are helping both the students and the school district. In the past, teaching was an isolated job. However, because of teacherpreneurs, that outlook has changed drastically (Potash, 2017). Granted, teachers do not have a lot of time daily to sit and converse with colleagues about how to enhance a lesson or discuss the best way to educate their student on a specific concept, but teachers can participate in many online or in-person social groups if they choose. These platforms are a wonderful way 26

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for teachers to get ideas and improve their teaching skills, and these avenues for more interaction within the teaching community are largely due to the efforts of teacherpreneurs (Potash, 2017). Teacherpreneurs are constantly networking with others so that they have a group they can contact if they need assistance with a problem that they cannot solve on their own (Gargas, 2017). Teacherpreneurs also develop these alliances so that they can help their fellow colleagues. By networking, a teacherpreneur builds relationships through which they can encourage others and receive similar support. Since teacherpreneurs are known for their empathy, working with other teacherpreneurs who share the same goals and ideas can only help to make the educational journey easier. Mees (2015) suggested that the teacherpreneur should always network, both with the other teachers in the same school and district and with outside personnel and businesses. Having a foundation of many diverse resources is critical to success, and the better the network, the more likely it is that someone can address an immediate need when it arises. It is also a promising idea to be involved with teacherpreneur networks because teacherpreneurs can often help fellow educators who might be operating with fewer resources.

Advocate Advocating for oneself is another characteristic of teacherpreneurs (Mees, 2015). Frequently, teacherpreneurs accomplish their work behind the scenes, but consulting with other teacherpreneurs about ideas and methods can provide assistance and brainstorming activities in order to produce new and perhaps better ideas. Teacherpreneurs should advocate for themselves and encourage others to do the same so that everyone knows each other’s needs. Advocating with fellow instructors or administrators also provides good practice for the teacher in order to prepare for when they want to present an idea to an investor. Moreover, self-advocacy provides a good role model for students. In the past, schools were operated by one administrator or principal. However, this trend is slowly changing because one person cannot possibly run a school efficiently, so teacherpreneurs should be encouraged by their school administration to become advocates within their school. They can assist the school administrator with making changes that can help improve academic achievement for all students. Teacherpreneurs can also encourage other teachers to join their ranks, which can lead to more educators working toward academic success for the students. 27

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Leader/Mentor Perhaps the most obvious characteristic that a teacherpreneur is imbued with is that of leadership. Teacherpreneurs must lead not only students in their classroom but also other teachers and administrators in the school and district as a whole (Bakshi, 2019). In order to be effective leaders, teacherpreneurs must have a good relationship with all types of personalities. In addition, to gain the trust and respect of the people they are working with, teacherpreneurs must demonstrate many of the specific characteristics discussed in the following sections, including passion, persistence, and empathy (Bakshi, 2019). In addition, when a teacherpreneur is starting out, they should locate a good mentor. Once a teacherpreneur feels comfortable with their skill set, they should become a mentor to other teacherpreneurs who are just beginning (Mees, 2015). This circular reciprocity establishes a trend of support for teacherpreneurs that can endure into the future. As mentors, teacherpreneurs can share the new skills they have learned with both their students and professional colleagues (Potash, 2017). This collaboration can be done via a professional development session with other peers, or the information can be shared on the school website for other teachers to view during their leisure time. The teacherpreneur can also conduct oneon-one sessions for peers who need extra assistance learning new uses for technology. Regardless of the platform, teacherpreneurs serving as leaders and mentors are constantly willing to share new knowledge and skills they have learned from attending a conference or workshop or have learned on their own in order to innovate and improve the educational system as a whole.

Ethical Being dependable and having a high sense of integrity are characteristic behaviors of the teacherpreneur (Bakshi, 2019). Teacherpreneurs work with students and colleagues and, as such, serve as role models for both. No one wants to work with or have their child taught by a person with questionable scruples. If teacherpreneurs do not prove to the stakeholders with whom they work that they maintain a high ethical standard, then none of the various stakeholders will want to associate with them (Bakshi, 2019). Teacherpreneurs have a specific set of ambitious standards that make them stand out from the rest of the educators in a school. These traits are continually exhibited and reinforced over time because most people will only 28

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trust someone who has high standards for him or herself and applies them to the students and other people they serve. If teacherpreneurs do not follow this high set of ethics, the trust that others have in them will fail, and ultimately this educator may be out of a job. Consequently, it is essential that all rules and regulations be followed and that teacherpreneurs reflect on their work periodically to ensure they are doing what is expected of them.

Passionate Teacherpreneurs must be passionate about what they do (ElRayees, 2012). Without passion, the development of new ideas and innovative teaching concepts will soon dwindle, replaced by boredom and disinterest. Conversely, when a teacherpreneur is excited about the topic or idea and can display this fervor in their work in front of students and colleagues, it can be contagious, and others will get excited, as well. This passion is what drives teacherpreneurs to remain in the classroom teaching or encourages them to continue to work in education in a different capacity as a consultant. Stewart (2016) also believed that teacherpreneurs must be passionate about what they are teaching and doing and that passing that enthusiasm on to their students or colleagues with whom they work is essential. In addition, Stewart recognized that teacherpreneurs want to create and do things for the betterment of the children they serve in order to create a better future. Seeing a teacherpreneur in such a role will hopefully inspire students to do likewise for their fellow citizens, thereby continuing the trend of giving back. Gargas (2017) noted that classroom teacherpreneurs are passionate about wanting to have the best lessons to engage all their students. Business teacherpreneurs want to assist students with learning how to become entrepreneurs and perhaps create their own businesses in the future. Consultant teacherpreneurs want to provide the schools they work for with the best advice and guidance so that the students will improve their academic scores and teachers will become the best educators they can be. Without this passion and drive to educate others, teacherpreneurs would not exist. Grimshaw (2015) suggested that passion is often the characteristic that separates teacherpreneurs from other teachers. Teacherpreneurs make learning fun even when discussing a topic that students may not believe is important for them to learn. Teacherpreneurs make their lessons entertaining and, as such, students want to participate (Grimshaw, 2015).

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According to Chand and Misra (2009), a teacherpreneur’s passion for what they are doing prevents them from simply approaching teaching as though they are conducting a business. Neto, Rodriguez, Steward, Xiao, and Snyder (2018) depicted such passion as a function of the desire for social change: The teacherpreneur surveys their environment and determines an opportunity or cause that needs to be investigated. They then look for a fit between the potential need and resources necessary to accomplish the investigation. Plans are then made to find solutions to the issue and to implement them. Without this drive and passion for social change, teacherpreneurs would not exist.

Creative One especially important characteristic that all teacherpreneurs possess is creativity. Chand and Misra (2009) stated that teacherpreneurs have “creativity, create widespread impact, show entrepreneurial qualities and possess strong ethical fiber, in addition to having a powerful, new, system-change idea” (p. 221). As Potash (2017) pointed out, teacherpreneurs look for new and creative ideas everywhere. A family cookout might inspire an idea about a new way to present a scientific experiment. Attending a conference presentation about reading may stimulate a crossover idea for a math project. Talking with someone or brainstorming ideas with colleagues may initiate an idea for a group history project. Regardless of the avenue, original and ingenious methods of teaching a concept come to teacherpreneurs in all areas of life, and what separates the teacherpreneur from other teachers is their ability to recognize the potential for events that occur outside the classroom to be applied to skills and lessons taught inside the classroom. Indeed, Wibowo, Saptono, and Suparno (2018) argued that in order for teacherpreneurship to work, teachers need to be creative and think outside the box of traditional instructional curricula. They provided two reasons for this rationale: First, “modern societies desperately need the creative character of improving their business” (Wibowo et al., 2018, p. 3). Businesses want to be able to hire high school graduates who are adaptable to a variety of situations that might confront them and are not solely one-dimensional. If teachers can educate students entrepreneurially, it will assist businesses in remaining open and contributing to the community. Second, the “creativity of teachers that leads to the creativity of students dramatically supports the success of learning in the classroom” (Wibowo et al., 2018, p. 3). When teachers demonstrate their creativity in the classroom, they become role 30

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models for their students and inspire them to excel and become creative themselves. They also create a learning atmosphere that is enjoyable and means something to the student, especially if the lessons are related to the pupils’ own lives or concern something they can apply to their own character. This type of learning environment will tend to promote creativity within the students and assist them in being better prepared to work in the world of entrepreneurship (Wibowo et al., 2018). ElRayees (2012) agreed that being creative and using resources for other things besides their original usage is a distinct characteristic of a successful teacherpreneur and offered several examples of creativity in action. For instance, a teacherpreneur might use three-ring binders instead of spiral notebooks if paper resources are needed. Even better, a teacherpreneur might find that it would be better to place all materials and resources on a technological device so students can keep track of them and so paper does not get wasted or lost and another copy needs to be made. Another way to be creative is to have all the students at the end of the school year place all unused supplies into a box for the next year. Conserving resources from year to year can cut costs and perhaps reduce the need for some supplies in the future. In particular, a resourceful teacherpreneur pursues all avenues to harness potential supplies, including brainstorming with other teacherpreneurs and asking students for their ideas in order to generate potential solutions. Creative ideas come from many sources, and a teacherpreneur must remain open to all possibilities. Notably, teacherpreneurs are difference makers who welcome change via creativity. They do not want to mimic old-school methods and antiquated processes that have already been done; instead, they attempt novel approaches to situations and try to derive better solutions. In short, teacherpreneurs applaud novelty (Bakshi, 2019). They are interested in finding creative solutions to problems and using their skills and talents to rectify the difficulties instead of following the norm and doing things as they have always been done (Berry, Byrd, & Wieder, 2013). Neto, Rodriguez, and Panzer (2017) agreed, stating that teacherpreneurs have the wherewithal to assist the students in their respective classrooms to think futuristically and create something that is unique and innovative. They encourage and inspire their students to constantly be looking for the next project, to determine whether it can be used in or outside the educational realm, and to create and use technology. Once the classroom teacherpreneur has gotten the student started on these projects, funding then can be secured, 31

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and perhaps one such project will actually go through the production stage and make it into the business market (Neto et al., 2017).

Resourceful A character trait of teacherpreneurs that usually works hand-in-hand with creativity is resourcefulness. Teacherpreneurs are well aware that within a classroom or when collaborating with a school district as a consultant, resources are not endless; consequently, each dollar must be accounted for, and time is precious (Bakshi, 2019). Teacherpreneurs are gifted at determining what money and items are available to them and making every last dollar and minute count. They are aware that they are held accountable for all the resources spent or used and do not take this responsibility lightly. Teacherpreneurs are therefore gifted money managers and know where each penny is spent (Bakshi, 2019). Moreover, teacherpreneurs know where to go to get the resources and funding they need to make a classroom that is successful for all students. Teacherpreneurs know who to contact if they need a mentor or how to secure funding if they need it for classroom technologies or supplies. If they do not have immediate access to these sources, they ask colleagues or do research until they find the answer. They leave no stone unturned and only consider themselves successful if they have fulfilled their vision and achieved their goal (Grimshaw, 2015). In addition, teacherpreneurs frequently search various websites on the internet for new and innovative ideas to include in their teaching (Potash, 2017). Although some sites charge a membership fee to join, an equal number (if not more) of free websites exist wherein teachers can post about numerous topics that can inspire the teacherpreneur. For instance, a blog may post about some new method to try; a website might offer assistance on a particular lesson an instructor might be having trouble with; or a site might even allow instructors to post a lesson that went well when it was taught in their classroom in order to share the lesson with others. Regardless of the need, easily accessible free resources for all teacherpreneurs to use exist. In addition, teacherpreneurs have the advantage of being able to effectively communicate with diverse students of various ages, grades, and academic abilities. This skill can then be easily transferred to speaking to adults who also have varying levels of communication and understanding (Robinson, 2015). This skill is particularly applicable to being able to introduce a new 32

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product to teachers who may not have seen it previously or do not know how to use it (e.g., a new software package). Another related aspect of resourcefulness is that a successful teacherpreneur often takes part in fundraising, both inside and outside the school walls. Classroom teacherpreneurs rely on a variety of ways to fund the many projects they want to do with their class or classes. A Go Fund Me page may be one way to accomplish this goal; another might be asking local businesses for donations. For consultant teacherpreneurs, locating and soliciting grants may be a way to be creative and find funding for a specific project. For business teacherpreneurs, fundraising can become part of the instructional process; perhaps having the student devise and develop a project that would produce income, such as selling T-shirts based on a specific event, will help instill in the student the value and necessity of creative fundraising. Such an assignment will not only teach the students about entrepreneurship but also assist the teacherpreneur in accumulating necessary funds (ElRayees, 2012).

Empathetic Although empathy is certainly a trait applicable to all teachers, in teacherpreneurs it is magnified and manifests itself in the extraordinary effort the teacherpreneur exerts in order to achieve results (ElRayees, 2012). Teacherpreneurs try extremely hard to meet the needs of all students regardless of the challenges that might be faced. The teacherpreneur recognizes and embraces the fact that successful students represent society’s best hope for a better future and are willing to go to extremes to ensure that future potential lawmakers and presidents grasp the concepts being taught to them. Many teacherpreneurs will demonstrate a different way to learn a concept in case the student did not comprehend it the first time. Teacherpreneurs are also willing to work with parents to show them how to help their child with homework or with a concept in which the students are struggling. Many teacherpreneurs have children of their own, and because their expectation is for their child’s teacher to treat their child with compassion, they reciprocate with the students in their classroom or the school in which they consult. Because the teacherpreneur cares about their students and colleagues, they are willing to share knowledge. When these students or colleagues know that they are being cared for, they are more likely to invest their time into the lesson being taught. This reciprocal appreciation helps to develop

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a good working relationship between the two that leads to success for all stakeholders (Grimshaw, 2015).

Persistent One of the most important characteristics of the teacherpreneur is persistence (ElRayees, 2012). When teacherpreneurs genuinely believe in an idea or concept, they will not accept “no” as an answer and will persist until they get a positive result. Negative responses do not stop them. They will simply shrug them off and move on to the next person, grant, or action that will help them get what they want for their classroom or school. Becoming a teacherpreneur is not an easy task, and Gargas (2017) suggested that it takes tenacity in order to be successful at this endeavor. Teacherpreneurs are focused on the end goal and do not allow anything to derail their mission. Failure is part of the journey, but it is accepted as part of the learning process, and the teacherpreneurs gain this knowledge and then move on. Without these missteps, teacherpreneurs would not improve their skills and would instead become stagnant and unable to assist their students or schools.

Flexible Flexibility, the ability to change and adapt to circumstances, is another particularly important skill for a teacherpreneur to possess (Gargas, 2017). For teacherpreneurs, flexibility requires constant reflection on the lesson that was taught. Did it go the way it was planned? Why or why not? How should it be changed? Were all the students engaged? If not, why? There are many more questions that teacherpreneurs can ask themselves. What is of the utmost importance is that teacherpreneurs remain flexible and not become upset when things do not go as originally planned. Van Dam, Schipper, and Runhaar (2010) conducted a study to learn more about teacherpreneurs and found that belief in one’s own abilities to accomplish a goal or being able to handle certain extraneous circumstances, or self-efficiency, were not prominent factors among teacherpreneurs. Instead, the amount of education one earned, being able to think outside the box and be creative, and the ability to be flexible and acclimate to different careers beyond teaching were the factors that greatly impacted teacherpreneurs. In other words, a teacherpreneur knows instinctively when to change the instructional strategy because a student is not learning the way they are 34

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currently being taught. Thus, the teacherpreneur acts similarly to how an entrepreneur will revise or modify the business plan to better fits the needs of the customer. A teacherpreneur, then, will adapt to changes quickly and will take the time to reflect on what went well and what needs to be changed in order to be successful in the future (Grimshaw, 2015). In addition, teacherpreneurs understand the needs of their students. They know that half of the class learns visually, and the others learn either auditorily or kinetically. Again, like real-world entrepreneurs who know their customers and market and address their needs, teacherpreneurs will produce products that fit all students’ needs—not only the ones who learn the concepts quickly but also the ones who may need to have the concept retaught a few times using different instructional strategies (Grimshaw, 2015). Like Grimshaw (2015), Robinson (2015) suggested that teacherpreneurs are willing to do whatever it takes to have the student learn the concept. They have the skill and knowledge to break the task into smaller parts and then go back and put the parts back together so the student can see the whole picture. Neither entrepreneurs nor teacherpreneurs are married to a script, nor do they only possess the ability to teach in one way; they are flexible and willing to meet students or customers on their level and then move them ahead (Robinson, 2015). Teacherpreneurs are ready to teach, reteach, and perhaps even reteach again to get the student to understand the concept being explained. Effective teacherpreneurs are willing to support the student or teacher they are mentoring until they grasp the concept (Robinson, 2015). In addition, flexibility requires setting reasonable goals. Bakshi (2019) suggested that the teacherpreneur always sets reasonable goals that can be attained in a reasonable amount of time. The teacherpreneur does not look at the entire end product because it will be too overwhelming. Instead, the teacherpreneur breaks the project into smaller chunks and celebrates the small successes along the journey. Furthermore, flexible teacherpreneurs also instruct their students using a variety of instructional methods and examples so that the students understand multiple ways to complete a task. Providing the students with multiple methods to tackle a problem allows them more flexibility in future employment (Wibowo et al., 2018). According to Neto et al. (2018), “Teachers behave as entrepreneurs when planning and conducting technology-based lessons, finding creative ways to overcome the lack of resources, and partnering with others to increase student engagement and success” (p. 256), all of which are manifested by flexibility. 35

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Consequently, teacherpreneurs are not limited by curriculum; many only use it as a guide and focus instead on what will help the student to be successful in life. When teacherpreneurs act in this fashion, they become more than simply a mode for delivering instruction and tests and instead assume the role of facilitator, in which they will guide the student to discovering their own place in life.

Self-Motivated Teacherpreneurs, according to Bakshi (2019), are also self-motivated. They see an issue that needs to be addressed, and they start to brainstorm about how the situation can be solved. They may ask others for advice, but ultimately, they make the final decisions on how to manage the problem. Because of their passion, teacherpreneurs will stay the course in order to accomplish a solution. Further, teacherpreneurs thrive on what they can accomplish and how it will ultimately assist their students and school. They are intrinsically motivated and tend to shy away from being publicly recognized, although they should be (Bakshi, 2019). School administrators and other teachers should always remember to recognize the teacherpreneur for their hard work on whatever project they are managing. Moreover, Berry et al. (2013) stated that teacherpreneurs are intrinsically motivated to do more than just educate youth in the classroom and are more interested in laying the groundwork for change to occur than in waiting for it to happen.

CONCLUSION This chapter described the primary characteristics of a teacherpreneur, which are similar in many respects to those of a business entrepreneur, as many sources herein have noted. Teacherpreneurs must be passionate about teaching in the classroom or consulting with a school. They must be flexible and meet the students or the school on their level and not where the teacherpreneur wants to begin. Teacherpreneurs need to establish a network of individuals who will be mentors, assist them when things go wrong, and celebrate with them when all is well. Moreover, teacherpreneurs need to be creative not only with how they teach in the classroom but also when collaborating with other colleagues. Armed with the skills discussed in this chapter, a teacherpreneur is likely to be successful in every aspect of the job. 36

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REFERENCES Bakshi, D. (2019). Characteristics of successful entrepreneurs. Retrieved from https://dineshbakshi.com/business-studies/a-level-business/business-and-itsenvironment/revision-notes/1382-characteristics-of-successful-entrepreneurs Berry, B., Byrd, A., & Wieder, A. (2013). Teacherpreneurs: Innovative teachers who lead but don’t leave. New York, NY: John Wiley & Sons. Chand, V. S., & Misra, S. (2009). Teachers as educational-social entrepreneurs: The innovation-social entrepreneurship spiral. The Journal of Entrepreneurship, 18(2), 219–228. doi:10.1177/097135570901800205 ElRayees, N. (2012). What it takes to be a teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/what-it-takes-to-be-a-teacherpreneur Gargas, J. (2017). 6 things every teacherpreneur must have [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://teachbetter.com/blog/6-things-every-teacherpreneurmust-have-to-succeed/ Grimshaw, R. (2015). Why teachers make the best entrepreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.fastcompany.com/3042730/why-teachers-make-for-someof-the-best-entrepreneurs-out-there Mees, G. (2015). Teacherpreneurs: Changing education from the inside out. Retrieved from https://www.scoop.it/topic/21st-century-learning-andteaching/?tag=Teacherpreneur Neto, R. C. A., Rodriguez, V. P., & Panzer, S. (2017). Exploring the relationship between entrepreneurial behavior and teachers’ job satisfaction. Teacher and Teacher Education, 63, 254-263. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2017.01.001 Neto, R. C. A., Rodriguez, V. P., Stewart, D., Xiao, A., & Snyder, J. (2018). The influence of self-efficacy on entrepreneurial behavior among K-12 teachers. Teaching and Teacher Education, 72, 44–53. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2018.02.012 Potash, B. (2017). 5 reasons to celebrate teacherpreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/teacherpreneurs/ Robinson, J. (2015). Transform yourself from teacher to entrepreneur. Retrieved from https://theteacherpreneur.com/2018/05/19/transform-yourself-fromteacher-to-entrepreneur/

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Stewart, C. (2016, September 27). 3 core principals a teacher of entrepreneurs must pass on. Retrieved from https://www.noobpreneur.com/2016/09/27/3core-principals-a-teacher-of-entrepreneurs-must-teach/ Van Dam, K., Schipper, M., & Runhaar, P. (2010). Developing a competencybased framework for teachers’ entrepreneurial behavior. Teaching and Teacher Education, 26(4), 965–971. doi:10.1016/j.tate.2009.10.038 Wibowo, A., Saptono, A., & Suparno, N. J. (2018). Does teacher creativity impact vocational students’ entrepreneurial intention? Journal of Entrepreneurship Education, 21(3), 1–12.

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ADDITIONAL READING Bingham, C. S. (2013). What is a teacherpreneur? Ask Sarah Henchey. Retrieved from https://gardner-webb.edu/Assets/gardnerwebb/academics/ cild/teacherpreneruship-notes1.pdf Bradburne, C. (2019). Mr Prothero gives a lecture. Quadrant, 63(10), 107–110. Britt, V. G., & Paulus, T. (2016). “Beyond the four walls of my building”: A case study of #Edchat as a community of practice. American Journal of Distance Education, 30(1), 48–59. doi:10.1080/08923647.2016.1119609 Center for Teaching Quality. (n.d.). Case studies. Retrieved from https:// www.teachingquality.org/case-studies/ Gargas, J. (2017, June 21). 6 things every teacherpreneur must have [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/6-things-everyteacherpreneur-must-have-to-succeed/ Harrison, C., & Killion, J. (2007). Ten roles for teacher leaders. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 74–77. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/ educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders. aspx International Society for Technology in Education (ISTE). (2015). How to think like a teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://www.iste.org/explore/ Lead-the-way/How-to-think-like-a-teacherpreneur Levin, B. B., & Schrum, L. (2016). Every teacher a leader: Developing the needed dispositions, knowledge, and skills for teacher leadership. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Lynch, M. (2019, May 7). What is a teacherpreneur? The Edvocate. Retrieved from https://www.theedadvocate.org/what-is-a-teacherpreneur/ Norton, J. (2010, October 30). Are you a teacherpreneur? [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality.org/content/blogs/johnnorton/ are-you-teacherpreneur Potash, B. (2017, April 6). 5 reasons to celebrate teacherpreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/teacherpreneurs/

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Prather, L. (2015, October 31). Can I be an effective teacher and an effective leader? [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality.org/ content/blogs/liz-prather/can-i-be-effective-teacher-and-effective-leader Preston, C. (n.d.). Teacherpreneur training 101. Retrieved from https:// organizedclassroom.com/teacherpreneur-training-101/ Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (in press). Learning from and about elite online teacherpreneurs: A qualitative examination of key characteristics, school environments, practices, and impacts. Teachers College Record. Smylie, M. A., & Eckert, J. (2018). Beyond superheroes and advocacy: The pathway of teacher leadership development. Educational Management Administration & Leadership, 46(4), 556–577. doi:10.1177/1741143217694893 Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2015, May 27). The era of the teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Edutopia. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/era-ofteacherpreneur-heather-wolpert-gawron

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Advocate: A teacherpreneur who fights for change on the school, district, state, and national level. Ethical: Being dependable and honest in all actions and interactions. Flexibility: Ability to adapt readily to unusual situations and easily maneuver between teaching methods in order to produce successful outcomes. Unlike many teachers, teacherpreneurs are not resistant to innovative methods or ideas; instead, they embrace them in order to add to their educational toolbox. Innovative: Creating and introducing inventive and groundbreaking approaches and ideas. Passion: One of the key characteristics that separates a teacherpreneur from average teachers. Teacherpreneurs maintain an unwavering desire to see every student succeed and thus exhaust every effort in trying to ensure successful outcomes. Risk-Taker: Someone willing to fail; in teaching, someone unafraid to experiment with new methods and learn from their mistakes. Visionary: In teaching, an educator capable of interpreting long-term trends and setting goals based on future expectations and educational advances. A visionary teaches with an eye on the future.

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Chapter 3

Teacherpreneurs as Agents of Reform ABSTRACT This chapter discusses the vital role that teacherpreneurs can have as agents of reform in the education system. Researchers have been discussing the need for a movement toward teacher leadership in schools for decades, but a real shift in this direction is still in its infancy. The need for change has become more urgent due to the increasing diversity, digital literacy demands, and at-risk populations in the nation’s schools. Teacherpreneurs are a logical choice for leading the educational reform necessary to respond to the needs of 21st-century learners. This chapter discusses why they are suited to lead educational reform, presents practical ways to select suitable candidates for teacherpreneur initiatives, examines the explicit roles teacherpreneurs can fill to help drive meaningful change, and presents specific ways that schools can empower teacherpreneurs to shape change.

INTRODUCTION It is increasingly implausible that we could improve the performance of schools . . . without promoting leadership in teaching by teachers. —Judith Warren Little (1988) Decades have passed since researchers such as Little (1988) and Fullan (1993) began to talk about the importance of teacher leadership in schools as a DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch003 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

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driver of change. The calls for teacher leadership have been slow to take hold, but a gradual shift has now begun, driven by factors such as the following: •

•

•

Educators must support increasingly diverse students (including the rapidly growing number of English language learners) in their efforts to grasp the multifaceted knowledge that they need to compete in today’s global economy. Digital literacy, problem-solving, and cross-cultural communication are now considered basic skills that students must learn, and educators must employ various innovative technologies to teach and measure this deeper learning. With a growing percentage of students considered at risk, schools must be restructured in such a way that they integrate social and health services and after-school support programs into their core curriculum (Berry, 2015b).

These changes, along with legislative mandates such as Race to the Top, have doubled the workload of school principals, making their jobs almost impossible. In fact, 75% of school administrators feel that their job is too complex and that they do not have the time to support teachers in their efforts to reach all students (Berry, 2013). Clearly, leadership reform is needed, but who will lead that reform? According to Berry (2013), “Overwhelmed administrators will not solve America’s education challenges. Instead, the pervasive problems of public education demand a class of teachers who serve as boundary spanners with interorganizational experience, transdisciplinary knowledge, and strong cognitive capabilities” (p. 3). Teacherpreneurs are the obvious choice to meet this demand.

BACKGROUND Researchers have been discussing the importance of educational reform in the United States for decades. Part of that discussion has included the recognition of the need for shifting how teachers are viewed within the organization. Historically, teachers have been relegated to the bottom of the organizational chart, doing what they are told and functioning in relative isolation from

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one other. As Fullan (1993) noted, “The way teachers are trained, the way schools are organized, the way the educational hierarchy operates, and the way political decision makers treat educators results in a system that is more likely to retain the status quo” (p. 13). Fullan suggested that teachers need to be agents of change if the educational system is going to thrive. Fullan (1993) discussed four competencies that he believed teachers must have in order for change to occur: (1) personal vision-building, (2) inquiry, (3) mastery, and (4) collaboration. First, personal vision-building means that an educator looks at what they are currently doing and brainstorms ways to improve it. Second, inquiry means that the teachers themselves are lifelong learners who conduct research and use the information to develop new ways to teach a concept or engage students in an activity. Next, mastery manifests in teachers being experts in the content and methodologies used within the classroom so that they can reach and personalize learning for every student. They must not only stay up to date on the latest innovative instructional strategies but must also know how they fit into the current curriculum and be knowledgeable on how to use them. Finally, collaboration means that teachers must make time to share ideas with other teachers, administrators, students, parents, and so forth. This last competency, collaboration, might be the most challenging to implement because the current educational system in the United States still lags in prioritizing this aspect, despite numerous research studies showing the importance of it for improving teacher satisfaction and self-efficacy, as well as student outcomes (e.g., Anrig, 2015; Bauml, 2016; Blase & Blase, 2006; Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010; Kirabo Jackson & Bregmann, 2009; National Center for Educational Achievement, 2009; Ronfeldt, Farmer, McQueen, & Grissom, 2015). Over 25 years after Fullan made his observations, not much has changed in practice. Nazareno (2017) noted that the education system in the United States is still currently driven by “compliance, embodying test-and-punish practices” (para. 7). This outdated structure—which encourages teachers and students to believe that someone higher up knows what is best for them—does not meet the needs of 21st-century learners, especially the most vulnerable populations, who need to learn to self-advocate, solve their own problems, and take personal responsibility for how their futures unfold.

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TEACHERPRENEURS AS CHANGE AGENTS Many researchers (e.g., Ashman, 2018; Berry, 2013, 2015a, 2015b; Osborne, 2018) have recognized that teacherpreneurs are a logical choice for leading educational reform. As Berry (2013) maintained, “Now is the time for a bold brand of teacher leadership—including teacherpreneurs—to fuel the future of teaching and learning” (p. 4). Based on the information provided in Chapters 1 and 2 on classroom teacherpreneurs, their characteristics, and their motivations, this section discusses why they are suited to lead educational reform, presents practical ways to select suitable candidates for teacherpreneur initiatives, examines the explicit roles teacherpreneurs can fill to help drive meaningful change, and presents specific ways that schools can empower teacherpreneurs to shape change.

Why Teacherpreneurs? Berry (2015a) suggested several reasons why promoting teacherpreneurship is good for all educational stakeholders. Following is a list of Berry’s reasons, along with a discussion of how adaptations related to each can affect positive change: •

•

“Researchers have proven that students learn more when their teachers collaborate in deep and authentic ways” (Berry, 2015a, para. 6). Providing opportunities for collaborative endeavors that include sharing best practices, co-teaching, and providing genuine collective support to educators will foster meeting every pupil’s individual needs. This change can transform the nation from an education system with an underlying ineffective culture where teachers are expected to function in a figurative bubble, with no higher-up commitment to planning and sharing time, to one where collaboration is recognized as a critical component for success and is nurtured as a result. This suggestion aligns with a study by Blase and Blase (2006) that found that collaborating with peers (a) enhanced teachers’ belief in their own abilities to solve teaching and learning problems as they collectively reflected on practice and grew, and (b) encouraged the desire for improvement on the part of teachers. “Principals alone cannot address demands of 21st-century learning and accountability” (Berry, 2015a, para. 6). Over the years, principals have 45

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•

•

•

46

become increasingly immersed in the daily operations of their schools. They are no longer simply the ones who supervise teachers and handle disciplinary issues; instead, they are also responsible for making sure teachers meet the needs of all students, overseeing curriculum development and implementation, securing additional funding for school programs, and so forth. Their jobs are overwhelming, which has helped created an unsupportive environment. Teachers are the ones who should be the experts in 21st-century learning and evaluation, so those teachers who want to also be innovative leaders—in other words, teacherpreneurs—are the logical group to take over parts of the head administrator’s duties that do not fall logically within the administrative realm. “Top-performing nations invest in teachers as leaders” (Berry, 2015a, para. 6). Countries like Finland and Singapore already have the concept of a teacherpreneur in their schools. These countries look for educators who show initiative, are innovative, and are willing to put in the additional time and effort it takes to become a teacherpreneur, and they reward them accordingly. The Unites States needs to follow these countries’ leads. “The most effective teacher evaluation systems are driven by master teachers” (Berry, 2015a, para. 6). Part of a school administrator or principal’s job is to evaluate teachers. However, these individuals are rarely in the classroom to see what is actually occurring, and therefore the typical classroom teacher is evaluated for a brief period of time on one day. Part of a teacherpreneur’s job is to assist new teachers as well as veteran teachers who need additional help with instructional strategies or classroom management. The teacherpreneur is thus better positioned to observe what is going on in these classrooms and make suggestions or even model what good practices should look like. Because classroom teacherpreneurs are currently in the classroom trenches teaching, they have a better understanding of how to manage the content and behavior than does a school principal who is just coming in for a brief period of time. “Teachers trust their teaching colleagues more than anyone else to help them improve their practice” (Berry, 2015a, para. 6). This suggestion follows logically from the previous one. Teachers tend to see the school administrator or principal as their boss who can terminate their employment rather than as a colleague who will assist them in improving their teaching practice. The relationship between a

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•

classroom teacher and a teacherpreneur focuses more on nurturing and support; therefore, the teacher being helped is probably more likely to accept the constructive criticism than if it is received from what they might view as an out-of-touch administrator. “Large percentages of teachers are interested in leading without leaving the classroom” (Berry, 2015a, para. 6). Most educators went into the profession to teach students and do not want to obtain a strictly administrative position that will remove them from the classroom altogether. Instead, a teacherpreneur can serve both positions—teaching in the classroom part of the day and doing administrative work the other half. This strategy helps prevent burnout of the teacherpreneur and provides avenues to lead, innovate, and create to a population of teachers who have a deep need to be continually challenged and who might end up leaving the profession otherwise because they lack administrative support to exercise these traits.

Teacherpreneurs can make a tremendous difference in getting the nation’s education system back on track to meeting the needs of 21st-century learners, but an overhaul of the nation’s current traditional leadership model, which does not empower or encourage teachers, will be required. If a school’s administration is committed to making changes, then the task of identifying teacherpreneurs and establishing a model can begin.

Identifying Teacherpreneurs In many cases, school administrators will be the ones to recognize the importance of and then lead the implementation of a teacherpreneur model in their school. In addition to identifying potential teacherpreneurs by their display of the characteristics discussed in previous chapters, Ulin Ni’mah et al. (2018) suggested other specific qualities that administrators can look for in a classroom teacher. Following is a list of questions that an administrator might consider when identifying which teachers would be best suited for teacherpreneur opportunities: • •

Is the teacher innovative and willing to put in the extra time and effort it takes to become a teacherpreneur? Does the teacher interact effectively with their students, and are the academic gains of the teacher’s students acceptable or even better than average? 47

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• •

• • •

• • • • • •

Has the teacher developed innovative educational materials that might benefit students of all ability levels? Is the teacher competent in their skills as well as creative in the developing, packaging, delivering, and marketing of their ideas and products not only for the classroom but also when initiating policy that could change or influence what is taught in the classroom? Does the teacher seem interested in instructing students not only on academic skills but also life skills that will help them thrive in the modern global workforce? Does the teacher create collaborative learning environments within the classroom using co-teaching models and/or placing students into collaborative groups? Is the teacher interested in assessing and responding to the needs of the 21st-century learner (e.g., trying a variety of assessment systems in order to judge whether or not students understand the concepts being taught; developing curriculum and differentiated learning opportunities so that each student’s academic need is addressed and met; creating and maintaining a classroom management system so that each student is respected and is successful behaviorally so that academic success can be accomplished as well)? Is the teacher aware of the needs of their students within their classroom as well as the needs of their colleagues within their school and beyond? Is the teacher interested in attending and creating professional development opportunities both for themselves and for colleagues? Does the teacher make an effort to or seem interested in collaborating with colleagues and peers both within and outside of their own school building? Is the teacher aware of how their innovative ideas will affect the families of students as well as the community as a whole? Does the teacher foster open and honest communication with the families of students and the community that supports the school (and ultimately votes on significant policy changes that affect the school)? Is the teacher open to communicating not only with other teachers across the United States but also with educators across the globe?

Even in cases where teachers are asked to self-identify their interest in teacherpreneur opportunities, the above questions can be helpful for either the teachers themselves or their administrators in determining their potential suitability to fill the necessary roles of a teacherpreneur. 48

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Teacherpreneur Roles Teacherpreneurs can fill a wide range of roles to drive reform and better support school and student success. As Harrison and Killion (2007) noted, Teachers exhibit leadership in multiple, sometimes overlapping, ways. Some leadership roles are formal with designated responsibilities. Other more informal roles emerge as teachers interact with their peers. The variety of roles ensures that teachers can find ways to lead that fit their talents and interests. Regardless of the roles they assume, teacher leaders shape the culture of their schools, improve student learning, and influence practice among their peers. (para. 12) Harrison and Killion (2007) suggested 10 specific roles that teacherpreneurs can fill within the school. Table 1 displays the potential roles, a description of the roles, and an example of how each role would look in practice. Osborne (2018) also provided specific examples of roles that teacherpreneurs can fill through a discussion of three case studies. In one school, the teacherpreneur co-taught with other teachers so that he or she was able to go into other classrooms and provide peer observations to teachers who were struggling with classroom behavior management and teaching the academic content. This teacherpreneur would provide feedback as necessary and even model a lesson when needed. In another example, the teacherpreneur worked with specific grade-level teams (Osborne, 2018). The teacherpreneur met with the teams on a regular basis to involve all teachers in the planning of how to ensure that all students were working up to their potential and were successful academically. They brainstormed ideas and collectively made decisions on how to move forward. By doing this, teachers felt they had participated in the decisions that involved their own classrooms as opposed to being told by the school administrators how things should be done. In a final example, Osborne (2018) explained how specialty teachers (e.g., physical education, music, art, foreign language, and so forth) performed as teacherpreneurs. In one specific case, a specialty teacher, the technology educator, spoke with all the classroom teachers and asked how they could better use technology in the classrooms. Together, the technology teacher and each classroom teacher developed assessments that the students could take on the computer to prepare them for the state assessments. This teacherpreneur also encouraged other technology teachers throughout the school district and 49

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Table 1. Example leadership roles of teacherpreneurs to effect change Role

Description

Example

Resource Provider

Teacherpreneur helps colleagues by sharing instructional resources (i.e., activities and materials they designed or are familiar with to use with students) as well as professional resources (i.e., materials to enhance professional development).

Tinisha becomes a resource provider when she offers to help Carissa, a new staff member in her second career, set up her classroom. Tinisha gives Carissa extra copies of a number line for her students to use, signs to post on the wall that explain to students how to get help when the teacher is busy, and the grade-level language arts pacing guide.

Instructional Specialist

Teacherpreneur helps colleagues implement effective teaching strategies, such as differentiating instruction or planning lessons in partnership with fellow teachers; implementing research-based classroom strategies (e.g., see Marzano, Pickering, & Pollock, 2001); exploring appropriate instructional methodologies; and sharing findings with colleagues.

When his fellow science teachers share their frustration with students’ poorly written lab reports, Jamal suggests that they invite several English teachers to recommend strategies for writing instruction. With two English teachers serving as instructional specialists, the science teachers examine a number of lab reports together and identify strengths and weaknesses. The English teachers share strategies they use in their classes to improve students’ writing.

Curriculum Specialist

Teacherpreneur leads teachers to agree on standards, adhere to the adopted curriculum and pacing, and develop shared assessments.

Tracy, the world studies team leader, works with the five language arts and five social studies teachers in her school. Using standards in English and social studies as their guides, the team members agree to increase the consistency in their classroom curriculums and administer common assessments. Tracy suggests that the team develop a common understanding of the standards and agrees to facilitate the development and analysis of common quarterly assessments.

Classroom Supporter

In line with Blase and Blase’s (2006) finding that consultation with peers enhanced teachers’ belief in their own abilities and capacity to successfully solve teaching and learning problems as they reflected on practice and grew together, the teacherpreneur works inside other classrooms to help colleagues implement new ideas—perhaps by demonstrating a lesson, co-teaching, or observing and giving feedback.

Marcia asks Yolanda for classroom support in implementing nonlinguistic representation strategies, such as graphic organizers, manipulatives, and kinesthetic activities (Marzano et al., 2001). Yolanda agrees to plan and teach a lesson with Marcia that integrates several relevant strategies. They ask the principal for two half-days of professional release time, one for learning more about the strategy and planning a lesson together, and the other for coteaching the lesson to Marcia’s students and discussing it afterward.

Learning Facilitator

Teacherpreneur facilitates professional learning opportunities among staff members so that (a) teachers can learn with and from one another what most directly improves student learning; (b) professional learning becomes more relevant, focused on teachers’ classroom work, and aligned to fill gaps in student learning; and (c) the norms of isolation present in many schools are broken.

Frank facilitates the school’s professional development committee and serves as the committee’s language arts representative. Together, teachers plan the year’s professional development program using a backmapping model (Killion, 2001). This model begins with identifying student learning needs, teachers’ current level of knowledge and skills in the target areas, and types of learning opportunities that different groups of teachers need. The committee can then develop and implement a professional development plan on the basis of their findings.

Teacherpreneur serves as a mentor to other teachers in order to model effective strategies; acclimate new teachers to a new school; and/or advise colleagues on instruction, curriculum, procedure, practices, and even politics.

Ming is a successful teacher in her own 1st-grade classroom, but she has not assumed a leadership role in the school. The principal asks her to mentor her new teammate, a brand-new teacher and a recent immigrant from the Philippines. Ming prepares by participating in the district’s three-day training on mentoring. Her role as a mentor will not only include helping her teammate negotiate the district, school, and classroom, but will also include acclimating her colleague to the community.

Mentor

Continued on following page

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Table 1. Continued Role

School Leader

Data Coach

Catalyst for Change

Learner

Description

Example

Teacherpreneur takes on a formal leadership role by serving on a committee, such as a school improvement team; acting as a grade-level or department chair; supporting school initiatives; or representing the school on community or district task forces or committees.

Joshua, staff sponsor of the student council, offers to help the principal engage students in the school improvement planning process. The school improvement team plans to revise its nearly 10-year-old vision and wants to ensure that students’ voices are included in the process. Joshua arranges a daylong meeting for 10 staff members and 10 students who represent various views of the school experience, from nonattenders to grade-level presidents. Joshua works with the school improvement team facilitator to ensure that the activities planned for the meeting are appropriate for students so that students will actively participate.

Teacherpreneur leads efforts to engage their peers in analyzing and using data to strengthen and drive classroom instruction.

Carol, the 10th grade language arts team leader, facilitates a team of her colleagues as they look at the results of the most recent writing sample, a teacher-designed assessment given to all incoming 10th-grade students. Carol guides teachers as they discuss strengths and weaknesses of students’ writing performance as a group, as individuals, by classrooms, and in disaggregated clusters by race, gender, and previous school. They then plan instruction on the basis of this data.

Teacherpreneur, with a strong commitment to continual improvement, serves as a visionary and poses questions to generate analysis of student learning.

In a faculty meeting, Larry expresses a concern that teachers may be treating some students differently from others. Students who come to him for extra assistance have shared their perspectives, and Larry wants teachers to know what students are saying. As his colleagues discuss reasons for low student achievement, Larry challenges them to explore data about the relationship between race and discipline referrals in the school. When teachers begin to point fingers at students, he encourages them to examine how they can change their instructional practices to improve student engagement and achievement.

Teacherpreneur visibly takes on the role of learner in order to model continual improvement, demonstrate lifelong learning, and use what they learn to help students succeed.

Manuela, the school’s new bilingual teacher, is a voracious learner. At every team or faculty meeting, she identifies something new that she is trying in her classroom. Her willingness to explore new strategies is infectious. Other teachers, encouraged by her willingness to discuss what works and what doesn’t, begin to talk about their teaching and how it influences student learning. Faculty and team meetings become a forum in which teachers learn from one another. Manuela’s commitment to and willingness to talk about learning break down barriers of isolation that existed among teachers.

Note. Source: Harrison and Killion (2007). Italicized examples taken directly from source.

state to come together to share how technology was used in the classrooms within their school districts. Clearly, many potential roles exist for teacherpreneurs that will allow them to help drive reform in the nation’s schools. However, in order for any real change to occur, they must be empowered to do so.

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Empowering Teacherpreneurs to Shape Change The notion of utilizing teacherpreneurs as change agents in the nation’s schools is likely to be met with enthusiasm, but implementing teacherpreneur models in practice will not be a simple task. Nonetheless, schools must start somewhere, and the logical place is to create a culture of teacherpreneur empowerment. Watson (2017) suggested five critical changes that can be implemented that will easily empower teacherpreneurs to help shape change within their schools and beyond: 1. Allow teacherpreneurs to provide input regarding purchasing decisions. As Watson noted, “When teachers have a voice in selecting new tools, they have increased ownership over those tools and are empowered to use them well” (para. 4). Teacherpreneurs can elicit input from their colleagues and then provide feedback to administrators so that money is spent wisely on the devices and programs that teachers will actually use. 2. Provide self-selected professional development options that feature classroom teacherpreneurs as the experts. Utilizing the diverse knowledge and skills of teacherpreneurs will allow schools to provide differentiated professional learning opportunities to best meet the needs of all teachers. This change will drive a move from the traditional (and often ineffective) method of requiring every teacher to attend the same trainings on the same topics year after year to a more teacher-driven model in which teacherpreneurs (as enthusiastic colleagues) contribute their ideas through nurturing, interactive, discussion-based sessions. 3. Designate time for teacherpreneurs to share what is working in their classrooms and celebrate these accomplishments in the community. In addition to encouraging teacherpreneurs to lead professional development opportunities, schools should provide informal opportunities for faculty to talk about their daily practices. Teacherpreneurs can lead these discussions about what is going well in classrooms—some of which may be sparked by observations they have made during co-teaching or other in-classroom support sessions. Teacherpreneurs can empower other teachers to share what works, does not work, and so forth, which can be a tremendous support to teachers who doubt their own abilities, worry about criticism, or simply have no venue to collaborate. Teacherpreneurs should also be celebrated publicly during staff meetings, on the school’s website and 52

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social media, at school events, and so forth, so that the community can see the amazing things happening at the school and can become part of providing public support for the teacherpreneur movement. This one change can make a tremendous difference in the culture of a school, creating a snowball effect in which more teachers become motivated to develop into teacherpreneurs. 4. Remove tasks from teacherpreneurs’ workloads to allow time for personal growth and innovation. Schools need to move away from the traditional model in which “critical tasks like lesson planning, exploring new teaching ideas, collaborating, and self-reflection are often squeezed into whatever time is remaining once other obligations are met” and instead send the message that “innovative teaching is valued by providing dedicated time for planning it” (para. 7). 5. Change the school culture to one that models vulnerability, rewards risk-taking, and embraces the possibility of failure. In order to make a difference, teacherpreneurs need to feel empowered to take risks and openly discuss what works and does not work without worrying about a poor evaluation. Schools must “reframe mistakes as learning opportunities that are a crucial element for later success, and demonstrate the same infallible belief in teachers’ ability to teach as they have in their students’ ability to learn” (para. 8). If real strides are to be made in educational reform, educators must begin by implementing practical steps, starting with empowering teacherpreneurs as leaders in schools. Only then can the process begin of changing the current system—which thrives in a “climate and culture that values compliance over creativity. Sameness over uniqueness. Order and control above all” (Nazareno, 2017, para. 6)—in order to meet the needs of 21st-century learners and develop a generation of globally competent and competitive individuals who can self-advocate, solve their own problems, and take personal responsibility for how their futures unfold.

CONCLUSION As this chapter has shown, teacherpreneurs are well suited to answer the call for educational reform by taking leadership roles and driving change throughout the system. Teacherpreneurs’ innate commitment to collaboration, lifelong learning, innovation, and student success position them to be the logical choice 53

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for responding to an overhaul of cultures and systems in a critical effort to meet the needs of 21st-century learners who represent unprecedented diversity and digital literacy and who have personalized learning requirements. Although this change will not be quick and simple, schools can begin with the small steps of identifying potential teacherpreneurs, determining what roles they can fill, and then empowering them to shape change.

REFERENCES Anrig, G. (2015). How we know collaboration works. Educational Leadership, 72(5), 30–35. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/feb15/vol72/num05/How-We-Know-Collaboration-Works.aspx Ashman, L. (2018, February 21). Identifying and fostering “teacherpreneurs” is key to solving the global education crisis [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.brookings.edu/blog/education-plus-development/2018/02/21/ identifying-and-fostering-teacherpreneurs-is-key-to-solving-the-globaleducation-crisis/ Bauml, M. (2016). The promise of collaboration. Educational Leadership, 74(2), 58–62. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/oct16/vol74/num02/The-Promise-of-Collaboration.aspx Berry, B. (2013). Teacherpreneurs and the future of teaching & learning. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 1(2). Retrieved from https://www.ijicc.net/images/Vol1issue22013/barnett%20berry%20 article.pdf Berry, B. (2015a). Effective teachers for all classrooms? It’s time for teacherpreneurs. Retrieved from Center for Teaching Quality website: https:// www.teachingquality.org/effective-teachers-for-all-classrooms-its-time-forteacherpreneurs/ Berry, B. (2015b). Teacherpreneurs as agents of reform. Principal, 95(1), 16–19. Retrieved from http://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/Berry_SO15. pdf Blase, J., & Blase, J. (2006). Teachers bringing out the best in teachers: A guide to peer consultation for administrators and teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. 54

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Bryk, A., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J. Q. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Fullan, M. G. (1993). Why teachers must become change agents. The Professional Teacher, 50(6), 12–17. Kirabo Jackson, C., & Bregmann, E. (2009). Teaching students and teaching each other: The importance of peer learning for teachers. American Economic Journal, 1(4). doi:10.3386/w15202 Little, J. W. (1988). Assessing the prospects for teacher leadership. In A. Lieberman (Ed.), Building a professional culture in schools (pp. 78–106). New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Marzano, R. J., Pickering, D. J., & Pollock, J. E. (2001). Classroom instruction that works: Research-based strategies for increasing student achievement. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. National Center for Educational Achievement. (2009). Core practices in math and science: An investigation of consistently higher performing school systems in five states. Austin, TX: Author. Nazareno, L. (2017, January 6). Beyond compliance: Creating schools our students need [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality. org/beyond-compliance-creating-the-schools-our-students-need/ Osborne, T. W. (2018). Learning to lead together: Harnessing your changeagent superpower. Retrieved from Center for Teaching Quality website: https://www.teachingquality.org/learning-to-lead-together-harnessing-yourchange-agent-superpower/ Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S. O., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. (2015). Teacher collaboration in instructional teams and student achievement. American Educational Research Journal, 52(3), 475–514. Ulin Ni’mah, F., Siswandari, M., Dyah, C., & Indrawati, S. (2018). The effects of teacherpreneurship, multicultural personality, continuing professional development, and the 21st century professionalism towards vocational high school teachers. International Journal of Education and Social Science Research, 1(5), 44–56.

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Watson, A. (2017, March 11). 5 ways to empower teachers to build a positive, innovative school culture. Retrieved from https://thecornerstoneforteachers. com/5-ways-to-empower-teachers-to-build-a-positive-innovative-schoolculture/

ADDITIONAL READING Bagley, S. S., & Margolis, J. (2018). The emergence and failure to launch of hybrid teacher leadership. International Journal of Teacher Leadership, 9(1), 33–46. Berk, S. (2019). Becoming more than my title: From K–12 art teacher to director of a university-wide entrepreneurship initiative. Art Education, 72(6), 36–40. doi:10.1080/00043125.2019.1648143 Berliner, D. C., & Glass, G. V. (2014). 50 myths & lies that threaten America’s public schools: The real crisis in education. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Berry, B. (2010). Teaching 2030: What we must do for our students and our public schools—Now and in the future. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Berry, B. (2011). Teacherpreneurs: A more powerful vision for the teaching profession. Phi Delta Kappan, 92(6), 28–33. doi:10.1177/003172171109200606 Berry, B. (2013). Teacherpreneurs and the future of teaching. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 1(2). Retrieved from https:// www.ijicc.net/images/Vol1issue22013/barnett%20berry%20article.pdf Berry, B. (2013). Teacherpreneurs: A bold brand of teacher leadership for 21st-century teaching and learning. Science, 340(6130), 309–310. doi:10.1126cience.1230580 PMID:23599480 Berry, B. (2014). Going to scale with teacherpreneurs. Phi Delta Kappan, 95(7), 8–14. doi:10.1177/003172171409500703 Berry, B. (2015). Teacherpreneurs: Cultivating and scaling up a bold brand of teacher leadership. New Educator, 11(2), 146–160. doi:10.1080/154768 8X.2015.1026786

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Berry, B. (2015, October 15). Teacherpreneurs: Changing education from the inside out [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality.org/ content/blogs/barnett-berry/teacherpreneurs-changing-education-inside-out Berry, B. (2018). Teacher leadership: Past, present, and future. In G. E. Hall, L. F. Quinn, & D. M. Gollnick (Eds.), The Wiley handbook of teaching and learning (pp. 473–504). Hoboken, NJ: John Wiley & Sons; doi:10.1002/9781118955901.ch20 Berry, B. (2019). Teacher leadership: Prospects and promises. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(7), 49–55. doi:10.1177/0031721719841339 Berry, B., & Farris-Berg, K. (2016). Leadership for teaching and learning: How teacher-powered schools work and why they matter. American Educator, 40(2), 11–17. Castner, D. J., Schneider, J. L., & Henderson, J. G. (2017). An ethic of democratic, curriculum-based teacher leadership. Leadership and Policy in Schools, 16(2), 328–356. Center for Teaching Quality. (n.d.). Steps to creating a teacher-powered school. Retrieved from https://www.teacherpowered.org/guide Cheung, R., Reinhardt, T., Stone, L., & Little, J. W. (2018). Defining teacher leadership: A framework. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(3), 38–44. doi:10.1177/0031721718808263 Clements, R. (2019). Rewarding innovation or facilitating conflict: Exploring the legal implications of teacherpreneurship. Journal of Law & Education, 48, 51–93. doi:10.2139srn.3117637 Coburn, C. E., & Russell, J. L. (2008). District policy and teachers’ social networks. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 30(3), 203–235. doi:10.3102/0162373708321829 Criswell, B. A., Rushton, G. T., McDonald, S. P., & Gul, T. (2018). A clearer vision: Creating and evolving a model to support the development of science teacher leaders. Research in Science Education, 48(4), 811–837. doi:10.100711165-016-9588-9 Diffey, L., & Aragon, S. (2018). 50-state comparison: Teacher leadership and licensure advancement. Denver, CO: Education Commission of the States.

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Douglas, E. (2015, January 15). Six lessons on the power of teacher leadership [Web log post]. Education Week. Retrieved from http://blogs.edweek.org/ topschooljobs/k-12_talent_manager/2015/01/power_of_teacher_leadership. html Education Evolving. (2014). Teacher-powered schools: Generating lasting impact through common sense innovation. Saint Paul, MN: Author. Helm, K. P. (2019). Teacher-run schools: Exploring what is possible in school leadership (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI No. 10793128) Hipolit, M. (2017, January 24). “Overwhelmed and overburdened:” Teacher says morale at all-time low. Retrieved from https://wtvr.com/2017/01/23/ overwhelmed-and-overburdened-teacher-says-morale-at-all-time-low/ Ingersoll, R., Sirinides, P., & Doughtery, R. (2017). School leadership: Teachers’ roles in school decision-making, and student achievement. Philadelphia, PA: Consortium for Policy Research in Education. Johnston, W. R., & Tsai, T. (2018). The prevalence of collaboration among American teachers: National findings from the American Teacher Panel. Santa Monica, CA: RAND Corporation. doi:10.7249/RR2217 Kraft, M., & Papay, J. (2016, April). Developing workplaces where teachers stay, improve, and succeed. Washington, DC: Albert Shanker Institute. Lieberman, A., Campbell, C., & Yashkina, A. (2015). Teachers at the center: Learning and leading. New Educator, 11(2), 121–129. doi:10.1080/154768 8X.2015.1026783 Netolicky, D. M. (2019). Transformational professional learning: Making a difference in schools. New York, NY: Routledge. doi:10.4324/9780429324277 Nguyen, T. D., & Hunter, S. (2018). Towards an understanding of dynamics among teachers, teacher leaders, and administrators in a teacher-led school reform. Journal of Educational Change, 19(4), 539–565. doi:10.100710833017-9316-x Olsen, L. (2018). Scaling reform: Tennessee’s statewide teacher transformation. Washington, DC: FutureEd. Potash, B. (2017, April 6). 5 reasons to celebrate teacherpreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.weareteachers.com/teacherpreneurs/ 58

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Prather, L. (2015, October 31). Can I be an effective teacher and an effective leader? [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality.org/ content/blogs/liz-prather/can-i-be-effective-teacher-and-effective-leader Preston, C. (n.d.). Teacherpreneur training 101. Retrieved from https:// organizedclassroom.com/teacherpreneur-training-101/ Remijan, K. (2016, May 26). Keeping mid-career teachers with hybrid and part-time positions. ASCD Express, 11(18). Retrieved from http://www.ascd. org/ascd-express/vol11/1118-remijan.aspx Sheninger, E. C., & Murray, T. C. (2017). Learning transformed: 8 keys to designing tomorrow’s schools, today. Alexandria, VA: ASCD. Srinivasan, L., & Archer, J. (2018). From fragmentation to coherence: How more integrative ways of working could accelerate improvement and progress toward equity in education. New York, NY: Carnegie Corporation of New York. Sutcher, L., Darling-Hammond, L., & Carver-Thomas, D. (2016, September 15). A coming crisis in teaching? Teacher supply, demand, and shortages in the U.S. Retrieved from https://learningpolicyinstitute.org/product/comingcrisis-teaching Szczesiul, S. A., & Huizenga, J. L. (2015). Bridging structure and agency: Exploring the riddle of teacher leadership in teacher collaboration. Journal of School Leadership, 25(2), 404. doi:10.1177/105268461502500207 Teach Plus. (2015). The decade-plus teaching career: How to retain effective teachers through teacher leadership. Boston, MA: Author.

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Wiliam, D. (2014, September). The formative evaluation of teaching performance. East Melbourne, Victoria: Centre for Strategic Education. York-Barr, J., & Duke, K. (2004). What do we know about teacher leadership? Findings from two decades of scholarship. Review of Educational Research, 74(3), 255–316. doi:10.3102/00346543074003255

KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Agent of Reform/Change: A teacherpreneur who wants to make changes to school policy and assist other educators in becoming better teachers. Co-Teaching: Two or more teachers working together to plan, organize, instruct, and evaluate students, usually within a shared classroom. Digital Literacy: An individual’s ability to find, evaluate, and compose clear information using technology. Mentor: A guide to others; a teacher mentor guides other teachers on effective instructional strategies, curriculum, procedures, practices, and school politics. Professional Development: Workshops, classes, or small meetings that teachers attend to improve their teaching skills. School Administrator: An individual who is in charge of the school— typically the principal—or a school district—typically the superintendent. Self-Efficacy: A sense of one’s own self-value, worth, and effectiveness. Specialty Teacher: Someone who teaches art, music, computer classes, library skills, or physical education.

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Teacherpreneur Models ABSTRACT Teacherpreneur models take on a variety of different forms. Most are practiced within the typical classroom in a general educational environment, but others are not. This chapter educates the reader on the different teacherpreneur models (classroom teacherpreneur, consultant teacherpreneur, business teacherpreneur), demonstrates what each entails, and concludes with a section about innovative online approaches that can be implemented. Teacherpreneurs can work in more than one model at the same time or only address one depending on their own innovations, creativity, motivation, and what their school contract permits them to do. These models illustrate the steps a teacherpreneur might follow to move through the various levels of teacherpreneurship on their own, if desired, or highlight for the administrator how they might implement certain practices within a school to foster teacherpreneurship among staff.

INTRODUCTION Once an individual decides to become a teacher, they attend a 4-year college or university and takes all the required teacher preparation course work. They then complete student teaching, take a state licensure exam, and, once passed, obtain a position in a school district teaching. Some educators stop at this step, but others want to do more by advancing to become school administrators. Still other teachers do not want the responsibility of the entire school on their shoulders, but they do want advancement or further challenges or greater responsibilities, and in looking for an alternative, they DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch004 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

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may decide to become a teacherpreneur. Although there is no single method for becoming a teacherpreneur due to the variety and vast individual needs of each school district, distinct models exist. Several of them are described below although the list is not exclusive.

BACKGROUND Many current teachers currently wish to have responsibilities outside of the classroom but do not want to become a school administrator (Armstrong, 2013). According to Armstrong (2013), a survey by MetLife showed that “51% of teachers are at least somewhat interested in [the option of] teaching in the classroom part-time combined with other roles or responsibilities in their school or district, including 23% who are extremely or very interested in this option” (p. 1). Since more than half of the current teaching profession want some type of administrative job, teacherpreneurship may be the answer. The type of teacherpreneur model used will depend on the type of commitment and duties the educator is willing to display as well as the type of need that the school requires. One important consideration for an educator considering advancement into full-time administration to bear in mind is that teacherpreneurship offers a gradual exposure into the field of administration. Thus, the educator can determine from incremental forays as a teacherpreneur whether an administrative role retains its appeal. Instituting teacherpreneurship development into a school will also depend on the school administrator and principals and on how much responsibility they are willing to give the teacherpreneur, as well as on how much additional funding is available in order to institute the practice.

TEACHERPRENEURS IN SCHOOLS Berry (2015) suggested that prior to administrators establishing teacherpreneurship in a school, four steps must be followed. First, the school administrator needs to locate teachers who they feel will make good leaders and whom other teachers will follow. Leading Educators (2019), an organization that provides professional development sessions about training teachers to become teacherpreneurs and leaders within their school, has a toolkit (see http://www.leadingeducators.org/) that will assist the school administrator with determining, through the use of a rubric, which teachers have the best 62

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potential to become a teacherpreneur (Berry, 2015). The school administrator should then approach the teacher to see if they would be interested in learning more about becoming a teacherpreneur and about the responsibilities it entails. If the teacher is interested, the school administrator can assist the educator along this path. The second step Berry (2015) suggested is for school districts to provide professional development and learning opportunities for teachers to become teacherpreneurs. Many teachers may be content to remain in their classrooms and are not interested in assisting other teachers, but some may feel the opposite and want to do more yet lack the resources and training to do so. School administrators need to identify these potential leaders and lend a hand to these teachers to help them pursue their dream to have an impact (Berry, 2015). Third, school administrators need to inquire about how teachers within their school network can learn from one another and from other teacherpreneurs outside of the local school (Berry, 2015). In doing so, school administrators will learn how their teacherpreneurs interact with other teacherpreneurs and use this information to motivate other teachers to join the cause. These interactions may also assist the school administrator and principal in learning what type of concerns their teachers have, and the teacherpreneurs can assist them in resolving these issues. Fourth, school administrators need to embrace change and permit their teacherpreneurs to try new and innovative ideas and think creatively. Because every idea may not work, each implementation should be monitored carefully to ensure that if a concept is not working well it can be changed or modified quickly to better meet the needs of all the students and to guarantee that no one is harmed academically (Berry, 2015). School administrators also need to understand that teacherpreneurs, especially when they are new to the approach, may need to try a few ideas before one is successful and that the teacherpreneur will need their support in order to make change happen. Other teachers may not accept or like the changes a teacherpreneur will make, so support from the school administrator or principal is crucial to the teacherpreneur’s success. If these steps are followed, teacherpreneurships established within a school will eliminate the pressure of only one person bearing the sole responsibility for educating students and instead create a framework compiled of many people working together to provide the best education possible for students in order to prepare them to work and live successfully in the 21st century (Berry, 2015). 63

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TEACHERPRENEUR MODELS Classroom Teacherpreneur Model One teacherpreneur model is the classroom teacherpreneur model. Frequently, teachers who have been in the profession for an extended period of time are viewed by their school administrators as educators who are able to take on more responsibility. When approached about the possibility of additional duties, some teachers simply accept the supplementary tasks, but others decide to turn themselves into teacherpreneurs. These educators continue to teach in the classroom environment, but they also have additional responsibilities, such as a being the head of their grade level or department. Such roles offer basic managerial jobs, such as leading the weekly grade-level meeting. These instructors then report back to the school administrator and discuss the outcomes of the session. Next, the teacherpreneur may be asked to conduct workshops or professional development for other educators in the building or the school district. Once the school principal is convinced that the teacherpreneur is doing well at those tasks, the teacherpreneur may be asked to work with other educators in a supervisory capacity wherein they may mentor a rookie teacher to acclimate them to teaching and the school environment or assist a veteran teacher who is struggling with learning the new curriculum or behavior management. Eventually, when the teacherpreneur has proven to the school administrators that they are an invaluable member of the school’s educational development process, their teaching schedule may be reduced Figure 1. Classroom teacherpreneur model

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to only teaching half a day. The other half is devoted to conducting research on the best research-based practices in a subject or finding outside services for students who have mental health issues. A pictorial representation of the model is shown in Figure 1. According to Berry (2010), by the year 2030, the teacherpreneur model will be a commonality within the U.S. educational system. Teacherpreneurs will be leaders of proven accomplishment who have a deep knowledge of how to teach, a clear understanding of what strategies must be in play to make schools highly successful, and the skills and commitment to spread their expertise to others—all the while keeping at least one foot firmly in the classroom. (para. 1) Within the classroom teacherpreneur model, educators do whatever the school district needs—develop curriculum to better align with the current state academic standards, speak with state politicians or school administrators about changing or addressing current school policies, mentor colleagues who need a little more assistance in a variety of areas like classroom management or instructional strategies, or even coordinate partnerships between the school and outside agencies within the school’s community and on the state and national level (Berry, 2010). All of these tasks can be accomplished successfully by a teacherpreneur as long as they are given time off from classroom teaching duties to do them. Teacherpreneurs who follow the classroom model are innovative and want to take charge of their own professional growth as an educator (Berry, 2010). They do not want to simply be a grade-level or department chair given extra recognition for leading a team; instead, the teacherpreneur wants to use their expertise and the knowledge gained from their experience in the classroom to share with other peers and colleagues who may be struggling or need a different way to teach an academic concept. This model should not be a process that is followed after an educator decides they are finished with teaching but rather should be instigated during the fruitful years of the educator’s tenure (Berry, 2010). In order for the classroom teacherpreneur model to work successfully, collaboration must be initiated and followed exactly (Berry, 2010). Teachers are not inherently able to collaborate with one another simply because collaboration is not something that is typically taught in preservice teacher education college or university programs. Moreover, teaching, for the most part, has traditionally been an isolating profession in which the educator 65

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went into the classroom and closed the door, not permitting others to see what was happening (Berry, 2010). Today, teaching is a much more open profession, and collaboration among peers and within grade levels as well as above and below grade levels is much more common. However, this modern development does not mean that all teachers know how to collaborate with one another; thus, training should be provided by the school district or perhaps the local college or university prior to this type of model being introduced into the school or school district because collaboration is a skill that takes time to cultivate and is not something that occurs immediately (Berry, 2010). However, once collaboration among the teachers has occurred, then this same collaborative skill can be taught to the students because the educators will be constantly modeling it for them (Berry, 2010).

Consultant Teacherpreneur Model After the classroom teacherpreneur has served in the role of teaching half a day and spending half a day working on research or assisting other teachers or making educational policies changes, a logical step is for the educator to desire to become a consultant teacherpreneur. This type of teacherpreneur uses their networking skills and reaches out to the current school district in which they are employed and/or to other districts and offers their services to assist the district with improving academics or behavior plans or teacher planning and instructional strategies. Importantly, consultant teacherpreneurs typically have at least one and probably more than one area of expertise that they can draw from when offering services to the school district. The school district, if interested, confers with the consultant teacherpreneur about services, a contract is negotiated, and the work begins. Figure 2 shows an example of the consultant teacherpreneur model. Teacherpreneurs wear many hats when they serve in the consultant role. As a marketeer consultant teacherpreneur, the educator needs to be a salesperson and showcase the skills that they can bring to the school in order to improve academics or behavior. These teacherpreneurs need to be able to demonstrate what they did at other schools and provide data and hard evidence that the innovations were successful and the school was happy with the results. As a knowledge consultant teacherpreneur, the educator needs to keep abreast of any new research that has emerged recently about different service delivery models, like personalized learning, or about unique ways to differentiate instruction, like gaming, which can be adjusted to different 66

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Figure 2. Consultant teacherpreneur model

levels according to the player’s ability. In addition, it is not enough for the knowledge consultant teacherpreneur to know about the newest researchbased instructional strategies; the educator must also have the ability to show the school how they are used and to present the data to support the claims. The innovator consultant teacherpreneur needs to think outside the box and think of creative ways to present academic concepts to the teachers, who will then teach it to the students. Differentiated instruction is one innovative concept example that might be considered since many teachers only use a small portion of it. For instance, in differentiated instruction, teachers typically place students into groups based on their ability, but differentiated instruction encompasses a great deal more than this feature. The innovator consultant teacherpreneur might demonstrate to the teacher other differentiated ideas like Choice Boards or might explain how to level the activities so that students complete only certain activities based on their knowledge level and ability. Finally, the manager consultant teacherpreneur is one who can enter a classroom, observe the educator as he or she instructs, and provide feedback 67

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on what needs to be improved. The manager consultant teacherpreneur might hold professional development sessions on a specific topic that will interest the entire teaching staff or that is geared to only a few instructors. They also can be a resource for the school administrator to bounce ideas off of, or they can help the principal introduce a new teaching idea to the staff and foster its acceptance. It is easy to see how the application of each one of these consultant teacherpreneur skills can greatly benefit the schools. Consultant teacherpreneurs have several options when it comes to obtaining employment. They can work as a freelancer and get jobs based on what people see and read on social media sites or based on responses to presentations given at workshops and conferences. Word of mouth is probably the best way to obtain jobs when pursuing a full-time career as an independent consultant teacherpreneur. The other way a consultant teacherpreneur can secure employment is to work for an agency as a third-party contractor. Typically, a contractor is not a full-time position; however, the consultant teacherpreneur is free to pick and choose which jobs to perform, which is an advantage. The disadvantage to these jobs is that some require the contractor to push the company’s product or sell a specific brand item. If having to promote particular brands as a consultant teacherpreneur sounds unappealing, then avoid the contractor route. When pursuing employment, a consultant teacherpreneur needs to continually watch the job market because a desirable job may come along at any time. It is a good idea to frequently check local school district and state employment websites and to sign up for a variety of online job postings because opportunities are constantly cropping up. Moreover, pay attention because an in-passing conversation with a colleague may reveal unexpected opportunities. The employment opportunities for the consultant teacherpreneur are numerous if one knows where to look. If the teacherpreneur is successful with the online course business, or if they are not and want to pursue a different type of career, they may choose to become a consultant teacherpreneur. Starting this type of career is very similar to starting out as a classroom teacherpreneur. The educator needs to first figure out their passion and then establish themselves as an expert. This feat can be accomplished by publishing in peer-reviewed journals or authoring a book though a reputable publishing company. Although selfpublishing companies are available in the market, more credibility will be given to an established, reputable organization. The teacherpreneur will also want to publicize in the educational community and do lots of networking. Name recognition can be accomplished through distinct types of social media, 68

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attending and presenting at conferences within one’s area of expertise, and talking with local, state, and national leaders within one’s field.

Business Teacherpreneur Model Teaching entrepreneur classes in high school is more than simply teaching bookkeeping and basic managerial skills. The business teacherpreneur educates their students on how to establish, operate, and evaluate a new business venture and helps them learn and become skilled at employing an entrepreneurial mindset because companies highly value this type of employee (Geleske, 2019). The pupils in these classes should be taught using real-life scenarios, and the business teacherpreneur must be able to draw from both success and failure in order to prepare students for future endeavors; indeed, while success is the primary goal in business, it is equally important to know how to fail and how to learn from the errors made (Geleske, 2019). Students need to know how to reflect on and learn from what went right, what went wrong, and what can be improved because no business is without flaws. As has been previously mentioned, the business teacherpreneur is creative and finds ways to produce something when others think it cannot be done. Business teacherpreneurs also have a great network of contacts whom they can reach out to for assistance and guidance. They must also possess the belief that success is eventually attainable. All of these characteristics need to be present in the business teacherpreneur’s classroom and passed on to the students because they are valuable skills for the students to apply when they are in real-world working situations. Figure 3 shows an example of the business teacherpreneur model. Numerous examples of how the business teacherpreneur model may work in a typical classroom are discussed in some of the additional readings included at the end of this chapter. The point of introducing students to the business teacherpreneur model is to show them how they can become a business owner and entrepreneur themselves once they finish their schooling. It also shows the students in the classroom that they can apply what they are learning in school to real life, which is a concept that many educators ignore or simply forget to demonstrate. Luddy (2010) stated that teachers who participate in the business teacherpreneur model have students who gain self-confidence in their own ability to operate a business and acquire the initiative to follow this dream. The educators who follow the business teacherpreneur model also demonstrate 69

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Figure 3. Business teacherpreneur model

for their students collaboration and problem-solving skills, which are two abilities that both teacherpreneurs need in order to be successful in this model and that students need to be able to run their own business or consult on a business in the future (Luddy, 2010). In addition, it is worth noting that the business teacherpreneur model also provides student’s with skills that can be used in a variety of academic areas (Luddy, 2010). Students must be able to conduct research on the product they want to produce to see what has already been done and what still needs to be developed. Pupils need to have effective communication skills, both written and oral, in order to communicate their plan to the sponsors and to those consumers who are going to purchase their product. Also, since the world for the most part depends heavily on technology, students must be able to use technology to create websites that show off their product, to track their orders, and to perform data-involved actions such as keeping track of supplies and production rates in order to keep the product readily available to the customer. Finally, math skills are important because the students will 70

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want to know details about the expense of making the product, pricing, and profit in order to determine if they need to make any adjustments (Luddy, 2010). These are all skills that the educator within the business teacherpreneur model can teach their own students so that they can run their own business and sell their own product. Using the business teacherpreneur model to demonstrate how a crosscurriculum application works is one way an instructor who teaches with this model can introduce it to other educators. Students are constantly asking teachers why they need to learn a specific subject or to demonstrate how a certain topic applies to their real lives. The business teacherpreneur model is an ideal way to show students how what they learn in school can be applied to real life and perhaps get them excited about school (Luddy, 2010).

ONLINE APPLICATIONS Though the seed of online, or distance, learning was planted with the rudimentary development of the first correspondence course over 170 years ago (Peterson’s, 2017) and actual computer-linked, remote video courses existed as far back as 1960 (Smarty, 2010), online learning began to flower in the early 1980s with the advent of the internet and has burgeoned into the juggernaut educational portal that it is today. As of 2019, the number of online classes taken by college students was expected to approach 20 million (a number that will continue to increase; Peterson’s, 2017); moreover, it is common today for some college students to complete their degree without ever setting foot on their college campus; and virtually every school classroom—from kindergarten through graduate studies—employs online technology in some form. Surprisingly, it has only been in the last 2 decades that teacherpreneurs have begun to tap into this resource. Almost 15 years ago, Teachers Pay Teachers started as a website on which classroom teachers could post quality curriculum-based products to assist other teachers with finding items they could use in their classroom to aid in their teaching (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). The original concept was that teachers would post their ideas on the Teachers Pay Teachers website and other teachers would pay a small fee to them for their efforts. However, this concept has since morphed into a burgeoning business that has seen several teachers earning over a million dollars from their sales (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). It has also changed the original concept of teachers simply sharing their ideas with one another. Some school districts provide teachers with funds to purchase Teachers Pay 71

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Teachers’ materials, but most teachers have to pay out of their own pockets just like they would have to do if they went to a teacher’s store and bought the item (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). Shelton and Archambault (2018) looked at online resources and found that educators are willing to spend their own money in order to get resources that they can use in their classrooms because it saves them time and effort. Based on this assumption, a teacherpreneur operating online experiences great benefits because they are willing to provide the services and, in some cases, get paid for doing it (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). The only drawback to an educator obtaining resources from an online website is that it is difficult to know the quality of what is being purchased. Anyone can take a picture of a product and make it look good. Consequently, the buyer should only purchase items from online teacherpreneurs who they trust and who have a reputation for producing excellent quality materials. While exploring some of the other websites that allow teacherpreneurs to post creative items for other teachers to use for free, Shelton and Archambault found that many of the math lessons had little to do with real-life scenarios, did not use higherlevel thinking skills, and contained frequent errors and incorrect answers in the math calculations. This recurring scenario is often a drawback when obtaining materials from a teacherpreneur who may not take the time and effort to post items of high quality. Thus, when looking to obtain either free products or products with fees, always look at the product carefully to ensure it is of high quality. Shelton and Archambault (2018) also found that teacherpreneurs operating online considered themselves to be “helpful, hardworking, organized, creative and risk taking” (p. 399). The teacherpreneurs who do their business online feel that creating new products forces them to conduct research into the newest and latest concepts available. They then take this information and create something that allows them to try these ideas in their own classrooms and revise it, if necessary, prior to placing it on the market for others to use. These practices continue to evolve, and careful research needs to be conducted before entering the marketplace. For example, many schools have placed a clause in their teacher contracts that states that if teachers create something while in their employment, the product is the property of the school; thus, many teacherpreneurs do not disclose to their employer that they are participating in this side business. Shelton and Archambault also discovered that often teacherpreneurs practicing online feel that they are mentors to many new and rookie teachers who purchase their products and follow them on various social media platforms. In this day and age of education, when many new 72

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teachers leave the field after only a few years of practice, having a mentor, even if it is a virtual mentor, may provide crucial impetus for some of these educators to remain in the field. In some parts of the world, teachers are held in high esteem and are paid the salary equivalent of a doctor, lawyer, or engineer. However, this is not the case in the United States, so many teachers have to supplement their income by contributing to websites such as Teachers Pay Teachers (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). Shelton and Archambault (2018) conducted a study on about 500 teacherpreneurs who contributed to Teachers Pay Teachers. They found that most of them tend to keep the work they do as a classroom teacher separate from the work they do as a consultant teacherpreneur and that support—from principals and district administrators—varies widely: some receive no support, some receive a modicum of support, and still others have the full support of the school and district behind them. Shelton and Archambault (2018) also found that teacherpreneur online business had a great influence on and provided motivation for those teachers who partook in it in regard to their classroom. The most significant motivation— as has been previously mentioned—is, of course, financial because teachers are not typically paid well. However, other influences included being a better classroom teacher because of having to conduct research into best practices, reflecting on the outcomes of the new products, and thinking outside the box to come up with creative ideas to teach a concept. By operating as a teacherpreneur online, classroom teachers had better control over what is taught in their classrooms and how they taught it. Since they are in the classroom trenches on a daily basis, they know how their children learn and think; therefore, they can tailor their lessons to meet these unique needs. Book companies provide only a general way to teach a concept. Online methods offered by teacherpreneurs can provide a much more detailed lesson and products for each individual child (Shelton & Archambault, 2018). Palmer (n.d.) suggested that if an educator desires to operate as a teacherpreneur online, new skills must be learned. Most people today have some sort of social media in their lives. They can email and text, and have probably taken an online class. However, in order to become a teacherpreneur who develops online classes for others, skills such as “email list building and marketing, blogging and using social media” (Palmer, n.d., para. 14) need to be learned because advertising about the classes is a necessity to promote the product. Without these skills, an online teacherpreneur business will not be successful. 73

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CONCLUSION Although not exclusive, three different types of teacherpreneur models were discussed in this chapter: the classroom teacherpreneur model, the consultant teacherpreneur model, and the business teacherpreneur model. Opportunities for online applications of teacherpreneur skills were also discussed. In each model, a teacherpreneur can separately excel, depending on their skill set, or, in addition, a teacherpreneur may combine these models in multiple ways. For example, it is not uncommon for a teacherpreneur to work in a full-time teaching position by day and develop products for a website like Teachers Pay Teachers either on the weekends or during after-school hours. A consultant teacherpreneur may both teach in a classroom part-time, consult with other school districts about an upcoming professional development workshop, or observe other educators in their classrooms. Another example is the business teacherpreneur who works with their students during the school day to teach them business-savvy skills and who during after-school hours uses the same skills to develop and execute their own business plan. The possibilities for combining these models are numerous and should not be limited to the examples presented here; many more possibilities exist. Further, there is no set rule on how these models can be used. It will ultimately depend on the needs of the student and the willingness of educators at all levels to innovate.

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REFERENCES Armstrong, A. (2013). Charting new career paths for teacher leaders. The Leading Teacher, 8(3), 1-5. Retrieved from https://learningforward.org/docs/ default-source/leading-teacher/leading-teacher-sp13.pdf Berry, B. (2010). The coming of age of the teacherpreneur. In Teaching 2030: What we must do for our students and our public schools—Now and in the future. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Retrieved from https://www. edweek.org/tsb/articles/2010/10/12/01teacherpreneur.h04.html Berry, B. (2015). Teacherpreneurs as agents of reform. Principal, 95(1), 16–19. Retrieved from http://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/Berry_SO15.pdf Geleske, M. (2019). Teaching entrepreneurship in high school [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.unchartedlearning.org/blog/teachingentrepreneurship-in-high-school Leading Educators. (2019). State leadership toolkit. Retrieved from http:// www.leadingeducators.org/ Luddy, J. (2010). Entrepreneurs in the classroom: M.Y.O.B. spells success. Education World. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.com/a_lesson/ lesson178.shtml Palmer, P. (n.d.). Teacher to teacherpreneur (how to combine creativity, skills and expertise to earn additional income). Retrieved from https://www. brightclassroomideas.com/teacher-teacherpreneur-earn-extra-income/ Peterson’s. (2017, November 29). The history of online education [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.petersons.com/blog/The-history-ofonline-education/ Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2018). What does it mean to be an online teacherpreneur? A qualitative investigation of highly experienced and successful authors on Teachers Pay Teachers. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1724-1728). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Smarty, A. (2010, June 18). History of online education [Web post log]. Retrieved from https://www.saycampuslife.com/2010/06/18/history-ofonline-education/ 75

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ADDITIONAL READING Berry, B., & Farris-Berg, K. (2016). Leadership for teaching and learning: How teacher-powered schools work and why they matter. American Educator, 40(2), 11–17. Center for Teaching Quality. (n.d.). Steps to creating a teacher-powered school. Retrieved from https://www.teacherpowered.org/guide Criswell, B. A., Rushton, G. T., McDonald, S. P., & Gul, T. (2018). A clearer vision: Creating and evolving a model to support the development of science teacher leaders. Research in Science Education, 48(4), 811–837. doi:10.100711165-016-9588-9 Davis, V. (2015, June 10). Teacherpreneurs: We’re here to inspire [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/era-of-teacherpreneurheather-wolpert-gawron Harrison, C., & Killion, J. (2007). Ten roles for teacher leaders. Educational Leadership, 65(1), 74–77. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/ educational-leadership/sept07/vol65/num01/Ten-Roles-for-Teacher-Leaders. aspx Hunzicker, J. (2017). Using Danielson’s framework to develop teacher leaders. Kappa Delta Pi Record, 53(1), 12–17. doi:10.1080/00228958.2017.1264814 Learn4U. (2008). Entrepreneur school project model. Retrieved from http:// www.tehne.ro/resurse/Model_PT_EurekaJunior.pdf Lee, N. (2016). A teacher’s guide for the best entrepreneurship lesson plans. Retrieved from http://www.apexstriving.com/2016/10/best-entrepreneurshiplesson-plans/ Mayon, A. (2016, November). The entrepreneurial teacher. MYNA e-Journal. Retrieved from https://www.mtna.org/MTNA/Stay_Informed/MTNA_eJournal/MTNA_e-Journal_Archives/November_2016.aspx MetLife Corporation. (2013). The MetLife survey of the American teacher: Challenges for school leadership. New York, NY: Author. National Consortium for Entrepreneurship Education. (2019). EntreEd. Retrieved from https://www.entre-ed.org/

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Nazareno, L. (2017, January 6). Beyond compliance: Creating schools our students need [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality. org/beyond-compliance-creating-the-schools-our-students-need/ Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2017, March). What is online teacherpreneurship and why does it matter for education? In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1817-1822). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Shelton, C. C. C. (2018). Online teacherpreneurship: Shedding light on the practice, the individuals who pursue it, and the impacts they experience (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI No. 10793128) Sztabnik, B. (2015, August 12). A new pathway: Teacherpreneurs [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://sharemylesson.com/blog/new-pathwayteacherpreneurs Teachers Pay Teachers. (2019). About us. Retrieved from https://www. teacherspayteachers.com/About-Us

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Department-Level Chair: A veteran teacher who is typically in charge of the content area in which they teach (e.g., math). Typically, they are given additional class periods during the school day to complete paperwork, develop curricula, and in some cases conduct observations of colleagues. Grade-Level Chair: A veteran teacher who is typically in charge of the grade level in which they teach (e.g., third grade). Typically, they are given additional class periods during the school day to complete paperwork, develop curricula, and in some cases conduct observations of colleagues. Innovator: A teacher who is very creative both in thinking and creating materials and is willing to share these skills with other educators. Manager: Someone who is organized and able to control and operate a company. Marketeer: Someone who knows how to advertise and sell a product well and gains profits from this effort. Networking: Being able to speak with others to gain information as well as to make both social and professional contacts to use as deemed necessary in the future. Teachers Pay Teachers: A website where teachers can post their selfdesigned products for other educators to view. Some products are free, some cost a few dollars, while others cost as much as a hundred dollars or more. Teachers also rate the quality and usefulness of each product. Some educators who have posted on this website have made a good profit from it and are now engaged in this activity as their full-time profession.

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Getting Started as a Teacherpreneur ABSTRACT This chapter educates the reader on how to start their own teacherpreneur venture, both as a classroom teacherpreneur and as a consultant teacherpreneur. It contains suggestions such as participating in online forums, acquiring additional professional development, and reviewing websites to gain an understanding about what is already available on the market and how to make one’s product different and unique. Finding a mentor who is willing to support and provide advice to other educators on how to become a teacherpreneur is also discussed, as is taking teacherpreneur classes and collaborating with those who are currently teacherpreneurs. The chapter describes some general practices to consider when determining how to get started becoming a consultant teacherpreneur and the steps an educator needs to take in order to become successful at it, and then offers some particular avenues to pursue if considering a consultant teacherpreneur approach.

INTRODUCTION In examining the concept of teacherpreneur, it should be clear after reading the previous chapters in this text that “official” distinctions between the two principal classifications of classroom teacherpreneur and consultant teacherpreneur are blurred and in a continual state of flux. Thus, the classroom teacherpreneur who is asked by school administrators to develop a history DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch005 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

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course for ESL students and receives a stipend for it has entered the arena of consultant teacherpreneur. In similar fashion, the teacherpreneur who has a thriving online business that markets innovative math tools yet also manages to maintain a full-time teaching schedule is both classroom and consultant teacherpreneur. It is additionally often the case that the teacherpreneur may prioritize one of these roles over the other. For instance, a teacherpreneur might focus on classroom teacherpreneur activities during the school year and then spend their summer developing products or classes to market as a consultant teacherpreneur. What is important to note is that, while there may be the rare educator who skips the classroom altogether and leaps immediately into a consulting career, the vast majority of teacherpreneurs begin as classroom teacherpreneurs who may, through their discovery of innovative methods and approaches, eventually branch out into a consulting role. They may then elect to remain full-time classroom teacherpreneurs and part-time consultant teacherpreneurs, or they might opt to leave the classroom and focus on becoming a full-time consultant teacherpreneur. Given this symbiotic relationship, it is not surprising that many of the approaches outlined in the following paragraphs are applicable in some regard to both becoming a classroom and consultant teacherpreneur. The ideas that are outlined herein offer suggestions that can be embraced by both the beginning educator who might be considering trying to branch out into a classroom teacherpreneur role and the seasoned classroom teacherpreneur who is looking for greater challenges or to supplement their income. Although the sections have been divided into distinct categorizations, both sections contain information that will benefit either type of teacherpreneur looking to improve and market their skills.

GETTING STARTED: CLASSROOM TEACHERPRENEURS According to Seagal Educational Consultants (2019), becoming a classroom teacherpreneur allows the classroom instructor to discover talents they may not have been exercising—or not exercising to their fullest potential—while teaching. In other words, the first step toward becoming a teacherpreneur for the educator is to begin looking for specific areas where their strengths can be maximized. For example, many teachers are also leaders and have the ability to motivate others. Becoming a classroom teacherpreneur will allow a classroom educator to embrace this skill and use it to help other teachers. Next, many classroom instructors have specialized skills, like being able to communicate 80

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effectively and being an active listener. A classroom teacherpreneur can apply this skill by seeking out opportunities to conduct workshops or professional development sessions to teach other educators how to communicate clearly with their students and parents and how to be an active listener who can hear and comprehend exactly what the student or parent is telling them. In addition, the classroom teacherpreneur focuses solely on the students and what needs to be done to assist other classroom teachers with creating success for each and every one of the students. Teachers will not be successful in the classroom if their students do not meet the state academic standards and pass the state achievement assessments. Classroom teacherpreneurs can assist in this area. Next, a classroom teacherpreneur is always conducting research and looking for research-based instructional strategies that best fit the needs of the student because they are engaged in individualized learning and recognize that what works for one child may not for the next. Seagal Educational Consultants also noted that classroom teacherpreneurs want to make a difference and have an impact not only on the students in their classrooms but also, through their creative method of teaching a certain topic, on the school as a whole. They want teachers to know that their job is especially important because they are shaping future generations who will on day run the country. Finally, classroom teacherpreneurs have a positive attitude and have a mindset of success. They see that every child has potential if taught in the way that they learn best. Classroom teacherpreneurs do not let students fail but instead try to figure out the best way to educate each particular child to maximize results (Seagal Educational Consultants, 2019). Lynch (2019) suggested pondering the following ideas prior to becoming a classroom teacherpreneur. If an educator is considering becoming a teacherpreneur, they need to take a good look within themselves and determine if teacherpreneurship is an area to which they can genuinely dedicate themselves. If it is something the educator is contemplating, they need to decide what barriers will be faced moving forward and determine if those obstacles can be overcome easily. If not, then they need to determine what needs to occur so they can overcome the obstacles and perhaps move outside of their comfort zone. Once the educator has decided that they want to become a classroom teacherpreneur, the next step is to decide what they are good at or what sort of skills they can offer other instructors. These teachers need to develop a variety of activities and creative ideas that will appeal to a variety of educators from around the world and translate to several different grade levels. The lessons or activities that the classroom teacherpreneur develops should be engaging and be geared toward a variety of ability levels in a 81

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typical classroom Lynch also suggested that if someone wants to become a classroom teacherpreneur, they must have self-confidence and be motivated to do whatever is necessary to be successful, as well as cultivate good communication with the teachers who are being assisted. Finally, in order for an educator to become a classroom teacherpreneur, they need to develop a detailed plan to implement change and stick to it. It may need to be revised as developments progress, but it should be followed as closely as possible. Lynch (2019) also stated that anyone can become a classroom teacherpreneur as long as the educator is “persistent, creative, a visionary, passionate, has a positive attitude, is adept at problem solving, has superior emotional and social skills, and is resourceful” (para. 3). Moreover, Lynch pointed out that classroom teacherpreneurs wear a variety of hats. They are educators who have many different skills, such as creating innovative ways to teach a new concept or creating videos or podcasts to demonstrate how to complete a new skill. Classroom teacherpreneurs can also work with politicians to create or revise current educational policies or work with an assessment team to develop test-taking strategies. Teacherpreneurs may look at the teacher’s textbook to understand how the book publisher wants them to teach a concept, but more often than not, the classroom teacherpreneur will conduct research and look for new and relevant information on the topic through other sources. Overall, classroom teacherpreneurs think outside the box and develop creative and innovative ways to teach new adamic concepts to both their and other instructors’ students. As mentioned previously, anyone who desires to become a successful classroom teacherpreneur needs to reflect seriously on their talent and skill level and form an honest assessment that encompasses the teacher’s educational passions and abilities (Lynch, 2019). Though an instructor may be a very good teacher, they may not be good at researching creative ideas to teach the academic concepts. Similarly, though an instructor may be exceptionally good at teaching in front of students, they may lack the skills to teach in an online environment. In addition, an instructor may be very talented at writing clear and concise lesson plans so that anyone could walk into a classroom and teach the lesson without any questions or hesitation, but that same instructor might lack the skills to develop an assessment that aligns with the lesson. A successful classroom teacherpreneur must be innovative and determined. A guiding principle should be to figure out a way to educate students that changes the way current curricula is taught or focuses on underrepresented student populations (Lynch, 2019). Seek out areas of niche education, areas that have historically suffered from a lack of innovation and focus—for example, 82

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ESL students, students with identified special learning needs, and students at risk of failing. Frequently, teachers develop curricula for the “average” student, but as increasingly more students with an identified specific need enter the classroom, more lessons need to be designed to meet those students’ needs as well. Do research to determine how a student with a visual or auditory perception disability learns and then develop curricula and lessons to best fit these students’ needs. Even students who do not have an identified special need but are at risk of failing should be considered when developing lessons. These students may be in high school and still lack math skills to perform even the most rudimentary math problems or be able to comprehend how to read a high school textbook. Curricula needs to be developed to teach these elementary or middle school skills to high school students in a way that does not embarrass them and stimulates them to exert greater effort to learn. Ostrowski (2017) offered three observations that highlight the benefits of a successful teacherpreneur’s career. First, becoming a teacherpreneur increases the educator’s potential to reach many more students and other educators. In a classroom setting, the teacherpreneur can teach only as many students as there are seats in the room, but a classroom teacherpreneur can realistically reach hundreds of thousands of students simply by sharing their ideas with other teachers. Several methods for accomplishing this feat are via a conference, via an online forum, or simply by passing along ideas and methods to other educators who then share those ideas with others. Another observation Ostrowski made is that when an instructor becomes a teacherpreneur, they necessarily improve as a teacher, which in a sense is a form of professional development because the teacherpreneur is practicing a skill that they are good at and sharing it with others while at the same time cultivating their own talents. In addition, the opportunity to share methods also provides the opportunity to network with other educators on the local, state, national, and perhaps international level via conferences and telecommunication sessions. Last, Ostrowski pointed out another important benefit for those educators who practice classroom teacherpreneurship, namely, that educators need not abandon their classroom to become a teacherpreneur; many teachers work part of the day and then spend the other part in a leadership role. Depending on how the educator defines their role as teacherpreneur and on how much latitude they are given within the school or district, that leadership role may be expressed by observing or mentoring other teachers or conducting professional development sessions. The teacherpreneur could also spend time developing lessons for other educators in and outside their own school. 83

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GETTING STARTED: CONSULTANT TEACHERPRENEURS Most people who start their own business state that they simply had an idea, did research on it to determine if the concept was viable, designed a plan, promoted their design, and advertised it. They also braced for failure by producing several different contingency plans, including one to discard the current operating plan and try another. For the consultant teacherpreneur, it may be good to mimic a small business owner and start small—like developing lesson plans for other teachers—before moving on to a bigger idea such as developing an online course. Regardless of which way the consultant teacherpreneur wants to start, they will go nowhere unless they take the first step and test the waters. Any educator contemplating becoming a consultant teacherpreneur should consider implementing the procedures in the following paragraphs in order to save time and correctly prioritize how to accomplish the transition from basic educator to consultant teacherpreneur in a seamless fashion. The Teacherpreneur blog (Robinson, 2018a) suggested that the teacherpreneur incorporate the following general 10 practices into their business model in order to become a successful consultant teacherpreneur with a productive business. First, focus on only one or two ventures at a time, but no more than that. Trying to implement more than one or two practices at a time will create frustration and lead to getting bogged down with distractions and being pulled in too many directions. Although it is easy to want to throw caution to the wind and dive in, the bottom line is that humans are not good multitaskers, and the end result is that the teacherpreneur becomes a jackof-all-trades, master of none; having too many points of focus can sabotage efforts in the long run. It is better to make a plan, set a goal, and stick to it. Second, a consultant teacherpreneur must consider the needs of all students in the classroom. Think about how to meet the needs of the students who are reading both above and below grade level, who have no number sense but are expected to complete an algebraic problem, or whose first language is not English. A consultant teacherpreneur needs to think about all these various students and develop curricula, tools, and lesson plans that will benefit the entire spectrum of students and provide a method for them to achieve academic growth (Robinson, 2018a). Third, the consultant teacherpreneur must be passionate about what they are developing and creating. If consultant teacherpreneurs are passionate about what they do, they will be willing to put in the additional time and 84

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effort it takes to become a successful consultant teacherpreneur and willing to spend the additional time it takes to create products and services that other teachers can use in their classrooms and share with even more teachers. Since a consultant teacherpreneur primarily grows their own business through word of mouth, the ideas, products, and services that other teachers can implement and replicate with success in their own classrooms is an essential component that assists in marketing and advertising the consultant teacherpreneur’s skills (Robinson, 2018a). Fourth, educators who are considering becoming a consultant teacherpreneur need to find themselves a mentor who will advise and brainstorm ideas with them. Ideally, the mentor will be someone who has already become established as a consultant teacherpreneur in their own right. The mentor should be someone who is willing to share their successes and failures, as well as someone the potential consultant teacherpreneur can trust to lead them down the correct path and not take advantage of the consultant teacherpreneur’s lack of knowledge (Robinson, 2018a). Fifth, although it is vital that the consultant teacherpreneur become the master of their craft, it is equally important for them to take courses in leadership management, business planning, project and time management, and navigating social media, especially if the educator does not have a business background, which most educators do not. These courses may be taken online or in a face-to-face format but should be completed prior to starting a consultant teacherpreneur business so the educator has an understanding about the tasks involved in maintaining a business. Education and training in these areas will assist with solving many of the day-to-day problems that always arise during the operation of a business (Robinson, 2018a). Sixth, once the consultant teacherpreneur is tech-savvy, they should create blogs and informative podcasts geared to potential customers that describe the services being offered and highlight what is unique about these services and products and differentiates them from the competitors’ goods and services. For any successful consultant teacherpreneur, separating themselves from competitors and carving out a unique niche that caters to specific, unexplored areas is crucial to developing a good teacherpreneur business. It is also important in any type of media interaction to cultivate a personal, involved approach that caters specifically to each client. Making such an emotional connection with potential consumers will ensure repeat business and ensure that they will spread the word to other educators about their satisfaction and positive experience (Robinson, 2018a). 85

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Seventh, the consultant teacherpreneur must manage their time effectively. They must not expect overnight success or become frustrated when goals are not immediately obtained. As is often the case with a long-term commitment, the teacherpreneur needs to set the end goal and then work backward to accomplish it. Make a list and break the larger goal into smaller ones; as each task is completed, mark it off the list. By being able to demonstrably show tangible evidence of progress being made, the consultant teacherpreneur will not feel so overwhelmed by the overall picture. Take pride in accomplishing the smaller tasks because they will eventually lead to the completion of the larger one (Robinson, 2018a). Eighth, the consultant teacherpreneur should develop a strong, easy-torevise email distribution list to notify potential customers of a new product or a change in services. In this day and age, people are very dependent on emails and read them at least once daily. Based on that information, email is the quickest and most efficient method for contacting potential clients about product changes or new products or services that become available. Because emails are often forwarded to friends and colleagues, an email distribution list is often one of the most productive ways to grow the consultant teacherpreneur’s business (Robinson, 2018a). Ninth, one very critical step for success is correct pricing. Determining the correct price for products or services can be one of the most challenging decisions the teacherpreneur will make. The teacherpreneur does not want to price items too high or no one will purchase them. The price also does not want to be too low or no profit will be made for the educator. It is a good idea for the potential teacherpreneur to conduct research on the current going price of the product or services other consultant teacherpreneurs are currently offering and price their product or service accordingly. A general rule of thumb is to err on the high side; that is, in business practice, it is much easier to lower a price in order to obtain customers than it is to raise the price and risk the possibility of not gaining customers or losing some due to the rate increase (Robinson, 2018a). Tenth, the consultant teacherpreneur must market the product or service as soon as possible. Do not wait until it is perfect, or it might never get into public view. It is much better to get the product or service out in the public eye and ask for feedback than to wait until it is perfect, release it for public consumption, and then find out that it is a product that no one is interested in. Refraining from marketing the service or product not only wastes time, it also prevents the teacherpreneur from receiving feedback on how the product 86

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can be improved to better fit the needs of the targeted consumer (Robinson, 2018a). Another Teacherpreneur blog (Robinson, 2018b) also offered some principal tenets to bear in mind when starting out as a consultant teacherpreneur. First, while it is important not to overvalue the service or product that a consultant teacherpreneur intends to provide, it is equally important not to undervalue it as well. Chances are good that if the service or product is creative and unique, other teachers will be more than willing to use it in their classrooms. By taking the risk of putting the product out there for others to review, the teacherpreneur will be provided constructive criticism, which is the only way to get valuable feedback and to see if they are addressing the needs of the consumers. Second, the consultant teacherpreneur must resist the urge to compare services, products, skills, and talents to competitors. Each consultant teacherpreneur brings their own style and expertise to the field, whether engaged independently, working with a website geared toward supplying educational products, or working as a consultant for an already-established company, and should confidently rely on those traits to develop their product. If similarities exist between two teacherpreneurs’ product, they may want to consider working together to improve the product so both teacherpreneurs benefit. Finally, the blog reiterated the suggestion that one connect and collaborate with other teacherpreneurs and find a mentor when first starting out because those entities are the most qualified to assist with any questions and to share their experiences and advice that can help the teacherpreneur avoid potential pitfalls that may crop up in any new endeavor. Gargas (2018) proffered several tips meant to guide the educator in becoming a successful consultant teacherpreneur. First, he suggested that even with a great idea, instead of rushing into becoming a consultant, time ought to be taken to think the idea through and talk to others and brainstorm a productive approach. Too many people fail to take the proper time to fully develop a course of action and, as a consequence, the endeavor collapses. Gargas also recommended that whatever the idea, it is important that it works according to how it is envisioned to work and that it is efficient and effective. Another tip from Gargas (2018) is to document everything. For example, it is important to keep pertinent emails and product development ideas, to take and keep notes at all meetings with potential clients or investors, to create charts or guides on how to market the product, and to record and document any monetary transactions that may occur. In addition, the educator should try to start a teacherpreneur business while still employed in their full-time teaching position, if at all possible (Gargas, 87

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2018). Doing so affords the educator the luxury of trying out innovative ideas and concepts while still protected and financially secure. The financial support that is still available can provide the opportunity to pursue different avenues if the initial attempt is unsuccessful. Without this safety net, a potentially good idea might be discarded and the educator may feel obligated to move on without making every effort to see if the idea can be successful. The old saying “You cannot eat an elephant in one bite” certainly applies when an educator begins to make forays into becoming a consultant teacherpreneur. Gargas (2018) further suggested that instead of setting numerous long-term goals, set one instead (e.g., setting up a successful teacherpreneur business), and then set one or two goals to accomplish daily. These goals should take no more than an hour to accomplish. If the goal takes longer than 60 minutes, spread the task out over a few days. Moreover, consultant teacherpreneurs need to figure out the needs of their consumers and make every attempt to satisfy their needs so they can be recommended to others. Gargas (2018) suggested that the teacherpreneur get to know each and every customer and treat them well. Customers like to receive individual attention, and when they experience attentiveness and personal, hands-on treatment, they are more likely to recommend the teacherpreneur to others. Treating customers well is the only way a teacherpreneur business will grow, so take the extra time required to do it. It is equally essential to be surrounded by a good team, not only for emotional support but also because people who can be trusted and who are loyal provide the backbone for company stability (Gargas, 2018). These people will be ones who are trusted to run the company in the consultant teacherpreneur’s absence, so they need to be treated well both emotionally and financially. When the teacherpreneur’s business starts to grow and becomes more successful, their team needs to be compensated to reflect that growth. As with any business, showing that employees are valued will assist with keeping them for a prolonged period of time and lead to less turnover. Last, Gargas (2018) emphasized that the consultant teacherpreneur needs to stay focused on the end goal and expect to have days of successes and failures since both will occur. A successful consultant teacherpreneur does not get too excited about the successes or too depressed about the failures. They get excited about the journey and the probability that, given enough time, they will become a respected and successful teacherpreneur. Finally, Lynch (2019) also suggested that if an instructor wishes to become a consultant teacherpreneur, applying effort toward getting their name into the public arena is an excellent idea. If others do not know about the services 88

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a teacherpreneur can provide, they will not be able to contact the instructor. One solution is to get involved on various social media websites and attend conferences centered on the area of expertise of the teacherpreneur. Be sure at any public gathering to have flyers and business cards on hand with information about the services provided in order to hand out. If a teacherpreneur is not interested in working independently (or does not yet feel ready to go solo), an already-established educational consulting company may be a better fit (Lynch, 2019). Regardless of which avenue the teacherpreneur elects to follow, working as an educational consultant has a wide variety of opportunities (e.g., mentoring other teachers, teaching classes as professional development, or introducing new curricula, etc.) that should be able to satisfy any educator’s ambition to become a teacherpreneur (Lynch, 2019).

AVENUES OF OPPORTUNITY Probably everyone in the education field has heard about the online marketplace Teachers Pay Teachers. For the teacherpreneur who wants to start out slowly, Teachers Pay Teachers is an ideal place to begin. Its website allows teacherpreneurs to post lesson plans, activities, worksheets, posters, assessments, and so forth on its site, and then other teachers can look at what is posted and, if interested, download the materials. Some of the materials are free, but for others, one must pay a small fee. A prospective teacherpreneur can post several free items and see how others respond to them. If successful, the next step is to try posting materials that cost a fee and see what type of response it garners. This website is a wonderful place to try out products and get feedback because teachers who download and/or purchase the item are encouraged to leave feedback for the developer. If successful on this site, then the teacherpreneur can continue in this vein or move on to bigger ideas, such as developing a course. Another blog from The Teacherpreneur (Robinson, 2018b) offered some helpful hints on how to successfully get started contributing to the Teachers Pay Teachers website. Although basic membership is free, the blog recommended upgrading to the premium membership once the teacherpreneur’s revenue provides a steady stream of profits that exceeds the premium membership fee. As the blog post explained, the premium resource can be used for anything related to the classroom—decorations, unit plans, assessments, project-based learning plans, and the like—and will have resources that align to any child’s learning ability, whether for students in the general or special education 89

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classroom or for students whose first language is not English. The blog post also suggested looking at what other teachers have currently posted to get an understanding of what is expected of aspiring consultant teacherpreneurs. If a teacherpreneur is interested in creating their own class, they should first, like any other new business venture, conduct research to see if what they are proposing has been done previously. If it has not, then it may be good to look at websites such as Teachable that can provide rookie teacherpreneurs with advice on how to set up and deliver a class. Please note that this website does charge a fee for its services in assisting with setting up the class. However, if this is the first time the teacherpreneur is developing and setting up a class, the money spent may be worth it in order to deliver a useful product and to attract customers. Once the teacherpreneur has accomplished this goal, taught the class a few times, and made adjustments, they will probably be ready to venture out on their own and develop the class further or develop new classes without the assistance of the website. The choice is totally up to the teacherpreneur. There are also free websites that teacherpreneurs can use to set up a class, such as Moodle and Open Learning. If these sites are not a good fit, many more websites are available for the teacherpreneur to peruse in order to find the one most suitable to their needs. If the consultant teacherpreneur is more desirous of working under the umbrella of a well-established educational company, they should research online or remote job opportunities like FlexJobs or Upwork (both of these websites are located in the Appendix under online resources) to search for employment opportunities that fit the educator’s skill set as well as to post the educator’s own particular skills-for-hire so that others can bid on them (Lynch, 2019). These websites will assist with getting started in a teacherpreneur business. They offer opportunities such as teaching K-12 students or adults in an online educational environment or teaching English to ESL students. Members can also provide services to other educators who may require assistance with their own business, such as designing a website that will attract other customers. Bear in mind that these websites, which fulfill many of the same functions as traditional “headhunters,” charge a fee for the use of their online services.

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HELPFUL WEBSITES FOR GETTING STARTED There is a vast amount of information online about (and by) teacherpreneurs. Wading through all of it can be overwhelming. In an effort to help aspiring teacherpreneurs find practical information to help them get started, this section provides links to several particularly helpful sites that focus specifically on how to become a teacherpreneur. All of this information comes directly from current teacherpreneurs and provides details on becoming a classroom teacherpreneur, a consultant teacherpreneur, and/or both. Although several of these teacherpreneurs do share their personal story, they also provide practical steps for other teachers to follow as they begin their teacherpreneur journey. Keep in mind that in exchange for providing this valuable information, many of these teacherpreneurs are trying to sell something (books, courses, etc.) to other aspiring teacherpreneurs, and perhaps you might find something worth investing in, but the free information alone is extremely valuable for getting started. • • • • • • • •

Teacherpreneurship 101: The Big Picture Beginner’s Guide: http:// www.nowsparkcreativity.com/2018/06/teacherpreneurship-101-bigpicture.html My Journey from Teacher to Teacherpreneur: https:// thecor nerstonefor teachers.com/tr uth-for-teachers-podcast/ my-journey-from-teacher-to-teacherpreneur/ How To Become a Teacherpreneur: https://iatefl.britishcouncil. org/2017/session/how-become-teacherpreneur How I Became a Teacherpreneur: https://alibraryandgarden.com/ how-i-became-a-teacherpreneur/ Transform Yourself from Teacher to Entrepreneur: https://theteacher preneur.com/2018/05/19/ transform-yourself-from-teacher-to-entrepreneur/ Teacherpreneur Resources: Tips and Ideas for the Busy Teacher Entrepreneur: https://hojosteachingadventures.com/ teacherpreneur-resources/ How I Created DigiNo (Become a Teacherpreneur in 12 Effective Steps): https://digino.org/how-i-created-digino/ How to Sell on Teachers Pay Teachers—3 Steps to Get Started: https://appletasticlearning.com/2018/04/09/ how-to-sell-on-teachers-pay-teachers-3-steps-to-get-started/ 91

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CONCLUSION Teacherpreneurs, either in the classroom, or consulting within a school district, or exploring the myriad of online opportunities, all get their teacherpreneurship business started in the same way—with an idea that has yet to be developed. These teacherpreneurs are driven and excited to bring their skill set to bear on a wide spectrum of educational issues—whether it be working in a single classroom to improve student content and academics or working with an entire school district to derive a better behavior program. Particularly as the 21st-century educator navigates the increasingly complex digital educational environment, they will do well to embrace the opportunities that teacherpreneurship offers because it is clearly the wave of education’s future. Its benefits—maintaining an educator’s passion, providing a supplemental source of income, and continual exposure to professional development and innovative teaching techniques—should not be ignored.

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REFERENCES Gargas, J. (2018, July 31). 8 tips for the part-time teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/8-tips-for-the-parttime-teacherpreneur/ Lynch, M. (2019). What is a teacherpreneur? The Edvocate. Retrieved from https://www.theedadvocate.org/what-is-a-teacherpreneur/ Ostrowski, C. (2017, August 2). 3 benefits of being a teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.teachbetter.com/blog/3-benefits-ofbeing-a-teacherpreneur/ Robinson, J. (2018a, March 11). 10 successful teacherpreneurs share their best tip for getting started [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://theteacherpreneur. com/2018/03/11/successful-teacherpreneurs-tips/ Robinson, J. (2018b, January 30). How to use Teachers Pay Teachers as a first time seller for the best results [Web log post]. Retrieved from https:// theteacherpreneur.com/2018/01/30/teachers-pay-teachers-for-sellers/ Seagal Educational Consultants. (2019). Teacherpreneur. Retrieved from http://www.seagaleducation.com/teacherpreneur/

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ADDITIONAL READING Bagley, S. S., & Margolis, J. (2018). The emergence and failure to launch of hybrid teacher leadership. International Journal of Teacher Leadership, 9(1), 33–46. Berk, S. (2019). Becoming more than my title: From K–12 art teacher to director of a university-wide entrepreneurship initiative. Art Education, 72(6), 36–40. doi:10.1080/00043125.2019.1648143 Carpenter, J., Cassaday, A., & Monti, S. (2018). Exploring how and why educators use Pinterest. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2222-2229). Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Carpenter, J., Morrison, S., Craft, M., & Lee, M. (2019). Exploring how and why educators use Instagram. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2686-2691). Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Cuthbertson, J. (2014, February 19). So you want to be a teacherpreneur? Education Week Teacher. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/tm/ articles/2014/02/19/ctq-cuthbertson.html Cuthbertson, J., & Wright, A. (2016, May 26). Path to innovation: Two teacherpreneurs reflect on the journey. Retrieved from https://www.smartbrief. com/original/2015/06/path-innovation-two-teacherpreneurs-reflect-journey Gomes, P. (2015, November 18). A market for teachers to sell, share, and shine. Edsurge. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-11-18a-marketplace-for-teachers-to-sell-and-shine Goodwin, A. L. (2017). Innovation in teacher education: Cutting edge? Or on the cutting room floor? In X. Zhu, A. Goodwin, & H. Zhang (Eds.), Quality of teacher education and learning (pp. 3–16). Singapore, China: Springer; doi:10.1007/978-981-10-3549-4_1 Grote-Garcia, S., & Vasinda, S. (2014). Pinning and practice: Using Pinterest as a tool for developing pedagogical content knowledge. Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 2(1), 36–45.

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Hassel, E. A., Holly, C., & Locke, G. (2014). Teacher pay and career paths in an opportunity culture: A practical policy guide. Retrieved from https:// files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED560184.pdf Kemp, C. (2017, November 29). 4 ways to become a globally connected “teacherpreneur.” Retrieved from http://mrkempnz.com/2017/11/4-waysto-become-a-globally-connected-teacherpreneur.html Palmer, P. (n.d.). Teacher to teacherpreneur [how to combine creativity, skills and expertise to earn additional income]. Retrieved from https://www. brightclassroomideas.com/teacher-teacherpreneur-earn-extra-income/ Schroeder, S., Curcio, R., & Lundgren, L. (2019). Expanding the learning network: How teachers use Pinterest. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(2), 166–168. doi:10.1080/15391523.2019.1573354 Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2017, March). What is online teacherpreneurship and why does it matter for education? In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1817-1822). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2018). Discovering how teachers build virtual relationships and develop as professionals through online teacherpreneurship. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 29(4), 579–602. Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2018). What does it mean to be an online teacherpreneur? A qualitative investigation of highly experienced and successful authors on Teachers Pay Teachers. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1724-1728). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019, April). Exploring the teacher side hustle: A mixed methods investigation of online teacherpreneurship. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/yau9ckmq

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Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019). Teachers paying teachers? A guide for teacher educators seeking to understand online teacherpreneurship. In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 855–860). Las Vegas, NV: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education; Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/208371/ Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019). Who are online teacherpreneurs and what do they do? A survey of content creators on TeachersPayTeachers. com. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(4), 398–414. do i:10.1080/15391523.2019.1666757 Shelton, C. C. C. (2018). Online teacherpreneurship: Shedding light on the practice, the individuals who pursue it, and the impacts they experience (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI No. 10793128) Singer, N. (2015, September 5). A sharing economy where teachers win. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/ technology/a-sharing-economy-where-teachers-win.html Teachers pay teachers and the rise of the “teacherpreneur.” (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.boredteachers.com/trending/teachers-pay-teachers-andthe-rise-of-the-teacherpreneur Thompson, C. (2017). Teachers cash in, big time, by putting lessons for sale. Retrieved from http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/Teachers-sellinglessons-to-other-teachers-online-has-become-a-booming-business/id-3c253 7fcbb2b470c8e652bf5481e4dc1 Watson, A. (n.d.). My journey from teacher to teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/myjourney-from-teacher-to-teacherpreneur/

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Consultant Teacherpreneur: A teacherpreneur who either works independently or for an educational consulting company to provide services to a school or school district. These services can include but are not limited to mentoring teachers, conducting professional workshops, developing curricula, teaching online classes, and so forth. Identified Specific Need: Students who qualify for special education services under the federal Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act (IDEA). Mentor: A teacherpreneur who works with other educators to improve both their instructional teaching strategies and classroom behavioral skills. This service can be done either face-to-face or virtually. Mindset of Success: A teacherpreneur who has a positive attitude and does not permit failure to define who they are. Networking: Being able to speak with others to gain information as well as to make both social and professional contacts to use as deemed necessary in future endeavors. Online Job Opportunities: Teaching jobs offered through company websites for teacherpreneurs who are interested in obtaining a part- or fulltime job teaching remotely. Skill Set: Expertise someone has learned in a particular area that they are willing to share with others.

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Benefits of and Challenges to Becoming a Teacherpreneur ABSTRACT This chapter educates the reader on the benefits of and challenges to becoming a teacherpreneur. The benefits—which include being able to set their own work schedule, having control over what additional responsibilities they take on, supplemental income, or becoming a better teacher due to the reflective practices—typically outweigh the challenges, which can include working alone, lack of a steady income (especially in the beginning when starting out), excessive paperwork to fill out (e.g., self-employment taxes, paperwork to consult with a school), lack of collaborative support, an unpredictable work schedule, and a high level of competition. Educators who are interested in becoming teacherpreneurs should be aware of the benefits and challenges discussed herein prior to getting involved in this educational movement.

INTRODUCTION Like any other profession, being a teacherpreneur has its benefits and challenges. Teachers have a choice of remaining in their classroom and performing typical teacher duties, or they can take on additional responsibilities, like running professional development sessions for their school or district. For some teachers, the extra tasks are an enjoyment, and they like the added leadership duties they are given. For others, these additional obligations are comparable to chores and are resented. These educators have no interest in DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch006 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

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advancing up the career ladder and are content within their own classroom environment. However, for the educator who wants to branch out and become a teacherpreneur, the benefits outweigh the challenges.

BENEFITS FOR TEACHERPRENEURS Additional Responsibilities Some educators, although they enjoy teaching and are comfortable in the classroom, decide they want more responsibilities and challenges; thus, they often transition into the position of teacherpreneur. Consequently, though they teach and manage a classroom full-time, they are also likely to conduct professional development for the other teachers in the school on professional development days. They may also lead their grade-level team or serve as head of a committee for some organization within the school or district. Whatever the additional responsibilities, they thrive while doing it. The benefits that the teacherpreneur gains from accepting these extra responsibilities are many. According to Ostroeski (2017), having control over one’s responsibilities is one very satisfying benefit that can especially factor into a teacher’s decision to remain on the job. Teacherpreneurs who are given the opportunity to choose additional tasks that they prefer and that interest them as opposed to being assigned to them feel that they are in charge, and they are more fulfilled in their teaching position. Further, because teacherpreneurs have been allowed to provide input into their assigned tasks, their level of enthusiasm will be noticeably higher; thus, the potential for accomplishing the assigned task increases, which benefits the teacher, the students, the school, and the district. Moreover, the teacherpreneur’s excitement level for performing such tasks will be infectious to the teachers and students surrounding them, thus making it a more enjoyable experience for everyone.

Flexibility Teacherpreneurs also have the advantage of flexibility as to when to complete an assigned task. If they see a problem that needs to be addressed, they can work on it as much or as little as their time allows. This element is especially appealing when a teacherpreneur has commitments outside of school hours

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because they can adjust their work schedule to meet these other demands on their own time. Occasionally, strict time requirements might be called for, but for the most part, time guidelines can be adjusted to meet the teacherpreneur’s needs. Teacherpreneurs also have the flexibility to work on their projects outside of school hours. They can work on them before or after school or on the weekend, if desired. Classroom teachers must also be willing to think outside the box and create their own pathway if their current situation is not motivating them to come to work and be creative (Wolpert-Gawron, 2015). Sometimes teachers can speak to their school administrator and a compromise for a new position can be reached. However, more often than not the teacher will have to develop their own teacherpreneur position, which may include time outside the typical school day. Regardless of how one secures a teacherpreneurship, educators who are willing to progress to that level need the time and space to execute their creativity and share it with others in their school buildings and districts and across other school districts within their state and perhaps even nationally (Wolpert-Gawron, 2015).

Supplemental Income One very distinct benefit to becoming a teacherpreneur is that it provides the educator an opportunity to supplement their income. Robinson (2018) noted that it is well known that teachers’ salaries are not as high as other professionals with similar amounts of training and that most people who go into education to work with young people are not primarily motivated by earning a high income. That being said, almost everyone is motivated to maximize their earning potential, and one very attractive method for the educator is to supplement one’s income by becoming a teacherpreneur. Some teacherpreneurs have made enough money by selling their own products that they have left the classroom and now have time to pursue their hobbies and spend more time with family and friends. Ostroeski (2017) suggested that the salary a teacherpreneur makes is solely determined by how much effort the teacherpreneur is willing to invest. If a teacherpreneur is a go-getter and currently depends on teaching as their sole income, they may accept most work that comes their way in order to gain financial independence. If, however, teaching is a second income, teacherpreneurs can afford to be a little pickier about which tasks they accept or turn down.

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Broader Sphere of Influence Another advantage to becoming a teacherpreneur is that it affords educators the opportunity to broaden their sphere of influence. Teacherpreneurs can impact not only the students in their classroom, they can also impact—through their innovative practices—students in other classrooms, as well as impact students in their school district, state, and nation. Similar influence can be realized on other teachers along the same spectrum. As the University of Kansas School of Education (2019) noted, many teacherpreneurs become leaders within the school, school district, and the state, enabling them to assist in making policy changes that will benefit all students and improve academic success. Moreover, because they can have such a huge influence on educational polices and curriculum changes, teacherpreneurs experience the exhilaration that comes from being part of a “big picture” legacy rather than remaining in an isolated, closed environment.

Improved Teaching Skills Teacherpreneurs tend to make better teachers (Ostroeski, 2017) because they engage in reflective practices and think about how they can improve their own classroom, a colleague’s classroom, or a school district. Being involved in situations outside of the classroom makes the teacherpreneur a better practitioner (Ostroeski, 2017). However, if the educator wants to remain in the classroom and also be a teacherpreneur, it is easily accomplished. Some teacherpreneurs are very content to continue to teach in their classroom and take on small additional responsibilities (Ostroeski, 2017). As has been noted in previous chapters, becoming a teacherpreneur is usually a gradual process, especially at the beginning; they may face outside obstacles (family commitments, furthering their own educational pursuits, etc.) that prevent them from accepting too many responsibilities, but as time goes on, those obligations may lessen or evaporate entirely, thereby freeing them to extend their teacherpreneur pursuits to outside the classroom. Dutta (2019) pointed out that not only do teacherpreneurs benefit from producing products that can assist other teachers nationally and internationally, these educators can also teach entrepreneur skills to their own classroom students. These instructors think of an idea and then develop plans to produce them, and by doing this they add “value to the context of education that leads to an innovative and pioneering education system” (Dutta, 2019, para. 101

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1). Teacherpreneurs can also show their students that they play a vital role in shaping the educational system for them as they can become leaders in determining which new policies should be integrated into the educational system and which current ones need to be changed or removed (Dutta, 2019). By serving in both roles as a classroom educator and as a teacherpreneur, the teacher can stay connected to their students and assist them with making academic progress and changing the educational world for the better. Moreover, according to Robinson (2018), students in the teacherpreneur’s classroom benefit from their educator trying innovative ideas and conducting research to discover the newest way to teach an academic concept. In addition, the students in a classroom/consultant teacherpreneur’s classroom get to witness firsthand what it is like to be a business owner and the positives and negatives of managing a business. This experience may entice some students to try to start up a business on their own once they complete high school.

Alternative Digital Avenue Buckley and Nzembayie (2016) suggested that if teacherpreneurs become frustrated with being in regular classrooms, another option is to take their expertise to the virtual classroom since online teaching is becoming increasingly popular within the educational realm. Such a transition can be deemed a benefit for the teacherpreneur but damaging for the school, depending on one’s perspective. The benefit is that the teacherpreneur will not have to deal with school polices in a direct way or have a school administrator constantly checking on them directly. The negative is that the school might lose an incredibly talented teacher. Digital learning has experienced a tremendous rise in popularity over the last 10 years, and the role of the teacherpreneur appears to be more accepted in the digital world than in the traditional one, which may be why educators are moving to this type of teaching environment. Shelton and Archambault (2019) conducted a study where they interviewed the top 1% of sellers who had products on the Teachers Pay Teachers website. These teachers felt that some of the benefits of being a consultant teacherpreneur included serving as a mentor to those teacherpreneurs who were new to the process and receiving feedback on how their products were received and if any revisions needed to be made. Other benefits included the teacherpreneurs being able to communicate with one another through social media to share their thoughts and concerns as well as forcing them to review the latest research and trends to assist them with developing new 102

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ideas or to creative something new. Finally, they could quickly see how their new products would impact their own classrooms because they tried out the product with their students prior to placing them on the website’s market. By doing so, the sellers could revise and update their product prior to giving it to other educators. The sellers also felt that by going through this intense process, they, themselves, became better educators. Finally, the top sellers also admitted that since teachers’ salaries are below what other college graduates make (Allegretto & Mishel, 2019), having to supplement their income is commonplace. Thus, having a resource where they can use their daily skills to help other educators and their students is a way to counterbalance that injustice and perhaps motivate the teacherpreneur to produce very good materials (Shelton & Archambault, 2019).

Increased Collaboration Becoming a teacherpreneur offers the added benefit of greater opportunities to be part of a collaborative educational effort. According to Markow and Pieters (2010), MetLife conducted a survey of teachers and asked about their collaboration with other educators in reference to student academic success within the classroom. Ninety percent of them stated that when they can meet with a colleague and discuss issues and teaching methods, such as brainstorming different instructional strategies, it aids them in becoming more effective educators and thus increases student achievement. Moreover, because teacherpreneurs usually have access to a network of collaborators located both within the school and outside it, their exposure to new ideas or techniques is not limited to local support. Teacherpreneurs instead have a global network of collaborators at their fingertips. Teacherpreneurs have the added advantage of being exposed to firsthand teaching demonstrations on a continual basis because their assignments often take them outside their own classrooms and into other teachers’ classrooms. As Berry (2015) suggested, teacherpreneurs should be permitted to spend anywhere from 25% to 50% of the school day outside of their own classroom assisting other teachers. This freedom affords them the benefit of observing (but not evaluating) other teachers. Such exposure serves a dual purpose: First, it continually exposes the teacherpreneur to new methods, techniques, and ideas that other successful instructors are practicing; second, should the teacherpreneur encounter a colleague who is struggling, the teacherpreneur can serve as coach, whether for a rookie teacher who is overwhelmed with 103

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their new classroom and teaching responsibilities or for a peer who needs assistance with a beleaguered, at-risk student. The idea of having someone responsible to assist as needed is a huge part of the teacherpreneur’s job and provides a huge benefit for the school. In addition, another collaborative advantage that Berry (2015) recognized is that teacherpreneurs are: virtual coaches, curriculum publishers and curators, student assessment analysts, edugame inventors, parent engagers, and policy researchers. They also have served as school “redesigners” so students have more and better learning time and their teaching colleagues have more opportunities to spread their expertise. (p. 18) Being part of a group of likeminded individuals assists with building relationships and finding others who support and mentor the teacherpreneur. For a long time, educators in general worked in isolation from one another, but in today’s world, teachers are more collaborative with one another and tend to work more in groups (The Teacherpreneur, 2018). Becoming a teacherpreneur can facilitate collaborative efforts. Ultimately, teacherpreneurs serve in many distinct collaborative roles within a school. Their increased presence can only be seen as a benefit that will support all stakeholders in improving student academic performance.

External Classroom Influence For the educator who arrives late on the scene, that is, for the many individuals who spend an extended time working at a career in the business world and then leave that profession to enter the teaching field, becoming a teacherpreneur offers an opportunity to incorporate skills and experience and wisdom gleaned from prior experience into a classroom atmosphere. In fact, it is often those who have previously fostered their business acumen who make the quickest transition from instructor to teacherpreneur. Indeed, the University of Kansas School of Education (2019) stated that one advantage many teacherpreneurs have is that before they arrive in a classroom, many of them have worked in other industries such as organizers of a non-profit company or as a tutor or even a lawyer. This experience then allows them to operate their classroom like a business in which they are affecting policy changes and assisting other teachers with professional development skills. This outside exposure also gives the teacherpreneur a more diverse and richer professional experience than 104

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only instructing students in a classroom. From their interactions with people outside the classroom, teacherpreneurs not only become better instructors but also can bring this experience to their classroom and develop resources that will be more current and relevant to the real world than what can be found in the current textbooks the schools are using. Teacherpreneurs also have the advantage of being permitted to explore other avenues within the educational field (University of Kansas School of Education, 2019). Perhaps they are interested in researching and developing new curricula for a specific content area and then sharing this information with their colleagues. As noted by the University of Kansas School of Education (2019), In some ways, teacherpreneurship mimics what already exists at the university level, where professors often pursue opportunities outside of their specific education system (e.g., a computer science professor that partners with private companies to develop new technology or a law school professor that performs legal research). (para. 4) In terms of support for teacherpreneurs exercising their skills outside the classroom, Wolpert-Gawron (2015) argued that administrators need to differentiate tasks for educators just like instructors do in their classrooms for their students and provide funding for teacherpreneurs to pursue particular objectives that will benefit not just the individual teacher but the school and the school district as well. Instead of just being in the classroom and instructing students, teacherpreneurs need the opportunity to be in the classroom parttime and use other periods of the day to serve in a leadership role that may include mentoring and coaching rookie teachers or assisting other teachers with curriculum issues. The biggest benefit to this type of teacherpreneurship is that the school district keeps a very talented classroom teacher assisting students within the school walls with their academic success, and the educator benefits by spreading their talents into other worlds through leadership, advisement, training, or development (Wolpert-Gawron, 2015). This practice benefits all involved parties.

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CHALLENGES FOR TEACHERPRENEURS Paperwork While educators who have decided to become a consultant teacherpreneur have the freedom and flexibility to set up their own hours and research their own agendas, they are often employed and paid by a school district and therefore paperwork is involved. If the teacherpreneur is working for one school district, the paperwork could be as simple as filling out a form online. However, if the consultant teacherpreneur works for several school districts and each has its own paperwork, which in most cases is true, it could be complicated trying to keep track of all the documents and keep them sorted unless the individual is very organized (Ostroeski, 2017). For every opportunity sought, the teacherpreneur may be required to write a proposal or outline defining what is being offered or what skills will be provided. Further, as revenues grow, there will be taxes, revenues, and budgets to be filed and maintained, so if math and accounting skills are not in the teacherpreneur’s repertoire, they will need to rely on the assistance of a qualified CPA. If a teacherpreneur branches out into educational legislation, additional paperwork in the form of bills, grants, and other legal ordinances will be required, so the teacherpreneur will have to become educated in how to effectively navigate these often-tedious procedures.

Loneliness Ostroeski (2017) stated that work as a teacherpreneur can be a very lonely position, especially if one works in a rural area and is the only one performing the duties of a teacherpreneur. Innovative classroom techniques unfortunately often meet with resistance from students, colleagues, and administration. In some cases, educators working as colleagues within the same school or district may find themselves competitors if both are pursuing consultant teacherpreneur opportunities. A teacherpreneur supporting state or federal educational initiatives may be at loggerheads with parents, administrators, and leaders in their community. Even when supported—either explicitly or tacitly—by friends, co-workers, family, and administrators, the teacherpreneur’s endeavors may still be solo pursuits with only minimal outside support. Importantly, teacherpreneurs must be confident enough in their own abilities to weather all the various types of ostracization that they might face. Moreover, to counteract 106

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such isolation, it is critical to maintain a solid networking community and a good relationship with reliable mentors (as has been stated previously). Teacherpreneurs must take advantage of the contacts they have made and reach out to them so that when the job becomes overwhelming, they have individuals to speak to who understand and commiserate with what they are experiencing and can offer necessary support that encourages their continued efforts.

Highly Competitive Workforce Teacherpreneurs are becoming increasingly prevalent in the literature and in the actual workforce. Therefore, the field is slowly becoming more saturated and more competitive (Ostroeski, 2017). In order to make a living at being a consultant teacherpreneur, networking is essential, as is letting every school district near where the teacherpreneur resides know that he or she is available to consult with them. Write up a proposal in ways to assist the district and present it to the superintendent. Even if the school district does not or cannot immediately work with a particular teacherpreneur, they will keep the proposal and potentially contact the applicant at a later time. As mentioned above, it is not uncommon for colleagues in the same school or district to find themselves in competition as consultant teacherpreneurs. This competitiveness among educators may be giving rise to some unfortunate ancillary developments that threaten the traditional communal relationship among teachers. For example, in the study conducted by Shelton and Archambault (2019), in which they interviewed the top 1% of Teachers Pay Teachers sellers, they found that while many of the educators who contribute products to this website do so free of charge, others charge a small fee, and still others may charge a larger fee if providing the materials for an entire unit of study. Consequently, as a result, in a discipline that has long maintained a practice of teachers purchasing materials and other items for their classroom out of their own pockets, teachers are now literally charging other teachers for materials and ideas. Although many teachers may accept the practice and consider the materials a good bargain because they themselves do not have the time or inclination to develop these products, it should not go unnoticed that the teacherpreneurs who are charging other teachers are making the same monetary gains as textbook and educational resource companies (who, of course, often have vested interests in the products). This same interpretation can be applied to teacherpreneurs who charge their fellow educators for 107

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courses they developed in order to learn how to become a teacherpreneur. It is understandable that teacherpreneurs need to earn an income, but should it be at the expense of another educator? It is not at all inconceivable that a classroom/ consultant teacherpreneur might steer their colleagues toward purchasing materials for the classroom that were developed by said teacherpreneur. Another negative that Shelton and Archambault (2019) discovered in their study was that not all materials created are rigorous, support the state standards they are meant to teach, or worth the money spent on them. Educators looking for materials need to be looking at what is offered with a critical eye and read the reviews that are provided in order to assist with making an informed decision. The same scrutiny needs to be applied to classes or courses that are offered. If an educator is looking for a course to take, they should conduct research to find one that has been thoroughly reviewed and found to be a good one. Only take classes from a reliable source.

Lack of a Steady Income Probably the biggest challenge to being a consultant teacherpreneur is the lack of steady income (Ostroeski, 2017). It could be a while between jobs for the aspiring consultant teacherpreneur, especially in the beginning when they are trying to get started. Consequently, the individual needs to have a backup plan and savings in case an extended period of unemployment should occur. The consultant teacherpreneur also needs to take into account how to pay for health and medical coverage since it is currently required by law for each individual. Moreover, although the work schedule for the teacherpreneur can be flexible (which is an advantage), it can also be unpredictable (Ostroeski, 2017). The teacherpreneur might have several jobs lined up over the course of a month and then have nothing for several months. In other words, a consultant teacherpreneur should expect a business that functions within the proverbial “feast or famine” realm and should conduct their financial management accordingly. For the individual who fears the lack of a steady paycheck, pursuing a career as a consultant teacherpreneur might best be accomplished by seeking employment with an already-established, reputable education-oriented company.

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Lack of Time According to Markow and Pieters (2013), MetLife conducted a survey of teachers and found that the amount of time during the school day to collaborate with one another and the number of professional development opportunities afforded educators have diminished. Thus, classroom teacherpreneurs are not being given the freedom to collaborate with veteran and seasoned educators who can assist them with improving classroom instruction, which is the goal of the teacherpreneur. Without additional time built into the teaching schedule for collaboration, educators will be back to instructing in a vacuum, and student achievement may decrease as well.

Less Productive in the Classroom The University of Kansas School of Education (2019) reported that one challenge to becoming a teacherpreneur is that school administrators feel that if they encourage a classroom educator along this path, the instructor will become less productive in the classroom, and the students will become distracted by the work the teacherpreneur is doing outside of the classroom. Serving as a classroom teacherpreneur requires a lot of additional energy and stamina to both teach students in the classroom and also focus on making changes to policies or developing new techniques so that all students can achieve. For these reasons, some school administrators and school districts prefer their teachers to remain in the classrooms and not venture out into leadership roles (University of Kansas School of Education, 2019). Unfortunately, by administrators enforcing such positions, classroom teacherpreneurs may not obtain the satisfaction in the classroom that they need and may either leave the profession altogether or elect to go full-time into a solo career as a consultant teacherpreneur.

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CONCLUSION Every professional opportunity offers benefits and challenges. It is important to remember that if a teacherpreneur has a passion about a content area—or more than one area—and they feel very strongly that they can educate others in it, the teacherpreneur should do it. Without individuals who possess the passion and drive to want to educate other teachers on a specific topic or show schools how to set up a successful academic plan, the teacherpreneur would not exist. Classroom teacherpreneurs do not become teacherpreneurs for the additional monies; they are in it to improve the education system through policy changes and through improving academic curricula for the nation’s students and teachers. Quality consultant teacherpreneurs have recognized that their skill and talents can be applied to fulfilling a niche in the educational market, and they can market those resources to either supply a supplemental source of income or to make the leap into a full-time position that fulfills their passion for education while providing monetary gain. However, some of these consultant teacherpreneurs will try to exploit their business to make monies at the expense of their fellow educators, which presents a huge challenge to the ethical code of the teaching profession. As teacherpreneur ranks continue to increase, the educational field will necessarily have to establish guidelines meant to ensure equitable and ethical practices that maintain teachers’ integrity in the classroom. As always, part of the solution, the simplest to acknowledge yet the most difficult to implement, is more pay for teachers that is commensurate with their duties and responsibilities in preparing students for a productive role in society.

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REFERENCES Allegretto, S., & Mishel, L. (2019, April 24). The teacher weekly wage penalty hit 21.4 percent in 2018, a record high: Trends in the teacher wage and compensation penalties through 2018. Retrieved from Economic Policy Institute website: https://www.epi.org/publication/the-teacher-weekly-wagepenalty-hit-21-4-percent-in-2018-a-record-hightrends-in-the-teacher-wageand-compensation-penalties-through-2018/ Berry, B. (2015). Teacherpreneurs as agents of reform. Principal, 95(1), 16–19. Retrieved from http://www.naesp.org/sites/default/files/Berry_SO15.pdf Buckley, A. P., & Nzembayie, K. F. (2016). Teacherpreneurs: From vocation to innovation. In K. A. & S. Wise (Eds.), ICIE 2016 Proceedings from the 4th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship (pp. 36-42). Reading, UK: Academic Conferences and Publishing International. Dutta, S. (2019). The era of teacherpreneurship. Education World. Retrieved from https://www.educationworld.in/the-era-of-the-teacherpreneurship/ Markow, D., & Pieters, A. (2010). The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Collaborating for student success. New York, NY: MetLife Foundation. Retrieved from https://www.eric.ed.gov/PDFS/ED509650.pdf Ostroeski, C. (2017). 3 benefits of being a teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://teachbetter.com/blog/3-benefits-of-being-ateacherpreneur/ Robinson. (2018, January 30). How to use Teachers Pay Teachers as a first time seller for the best results [Web log post]. Retrieved from https:// theteacherpreneur.com/2018/01/30/teachers-pay-teachers-for-sellers/ Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019). Who are online teacherpreneurs and what do they do? A survey of content creators on teacherspayteachers. com. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(4), 398–414. do i:10.1080/15391523.2019.1666757 University of Kansas School of Education. (2019). What is a teacherpreneur? Retrieved from https://educationonline.ku.edu/community/what-is-ateacherpreneur Wolpert-Gawron, H. (2015). The era of the teacherpreneur [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/era-of-teacherpreneur-heatherwolpert-gawron 111

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ADDITIONAL READING Bagley, S. S., & Margolis, J. (2018). The emergence and failure to launch of hybrid teacher leadership. International Journal of Teacher Leadership, 9(1), 33–46. Berk, S. (2019). Becoming more than my title: From K–12 art teacher to director of a university-wide entrepreneurship initiative. Art Education, 72(6), 36–40. doi:10.1080/00043125.2019.1648143 Carpenter, J., Cassaday, A., & Monti, S. (2018). Exploring how and why educators use Pinterest. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2222-2229). Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Carpenter, J., Morrison, S., Craft, M., & Lee, M. (2019). Exploring how and why educators use Instagram. In Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 2686-2691). Waynesville, NC: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Cuthbertson, J. (2014, February 19). So you want to be a teacherpreneur? Education Week Teacher. Retrieved from https://www.edweek.org/tm/ articles/2014/02/19/ctq-cuthbertson.html Cuthbertson, J., & Wright, A. (2016, May 26). Path to innovation: Two teacherpreneurs reflect on the journey. Retrieved from https://www.smartbrief. com/original/2015/06/path-innovation-two-teacherpreneurs-reflect-journey Gomes, P. (2015, November 18). A market for teachers to sell, share, and shine. Edsurge. Retrieved from https://www.edsurge.com/news/2015-11-18a-marketplace-for-teachers-to-sell-and-shine Goodwin, A. L. (2017). Innovation in teacher education: Cutting edge? Or on the cutting room floor? In X. Zhu, A. Goodwin, & H. Zhang (Eds.), Quality of teacher education and learning (pp. 3–16). Singapore, China: Springer; doi:10.1007/978-981-10-3549-4_1 Grote-Garcia, S., & Vasinda, S. (2014). Pinning and practice: Using Pinterest as a tool for developing pedagogical content knowledge. Texas Journal of Literacy Education, 2(1), 36–45.

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Hassel, E. A., Holly, C., & Locke, G. (2014). Teacher pay and career paths in an opportunity culture: A practical policy guide. Retrieved from https:// files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED560184.pdf Kemp, C. (2017, November 29). 4 ways to become a globally connected “teacherpreneur.” Retrieved from http://mrkempnz.com/2017/11/4-waysto-become-a-globally-connected-teacherpreneur.html Markow, D., Marica, L., & Lee, H. (2013). The MetLife Survey of the American Teacher: Challenges for school leadership. New York, NY: MetLife Foundation. Retrieved from https://files.eric.ed.gov/fulltext/ED542202.pdf MetLife Corporation. (2013). The MetLife survey of the American teacher: Challenges for school leadership. New York, NY: Author. Palmer, P. (n.d.). Teacher to teacherpreneur (how to combine creativity, skills and expertise to earn additional income). Retrieved from https://www. brightclassroomideas.com/teacher-teacherpreneur-earn-extra-income/ Schroeder, S., Curcio, R., & Lundgren, L. (2019). Expanding the learning network: How teachers use Pinterest. Journal of Research on Technology in Education, 51(2), 166–168. doi:10.1080/15391523.2019.1573354 Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2017, March). What is online teacherpreneurship and why does it matter for education? In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1817-1822). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2018). Discovering how teachers build virtual relationships and develop as professionals through online teacherpreneurship. Journal of Interactive Learning Research, 29(4), 579–602. Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2018). What does it mean to be an online teacherpreneur? A qualitative investigation of highly experienced and successful authors on Teachers Pay Teachers. In Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 1724-1728). Chesapeake, VA: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education.

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Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019, April). Exploring the teacher side hustle: A mixed methods investigation of online teacherpreneurship. Paper presented at the annual meeting of the American Educational Research Association, Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from http://tinyurl.com/yau9ckmq Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (2019). Teachers paying teachers? A guide for teacher educators seeking to understand online teacherpreneurship. In K. Graziano (Ed.), Proceedings of Society for Information Technology & Teacher Education International Conference (pp. 855–860). Las Vegas, NV: Association for the Advancement of Computing in Education. Retrieved from https://www.learntechlib.org/p/208371/ Shelton, C. C., & Archambault, L. M. (in press). Learning from and about elite online teacherpreneurs: A qualitative examination of key characteristics, school environments, practices, and impacts. Teachers College Record. Shelton, C. C. C. (2018). Online teacherpreneurship: Shedding light on the practice, the individuals who pursue it, and the impacts they experience (Doctoral dissertation). Available from ProQuest Dissertations & Theses database. (UMI No. 10793128) Singer, N. (2015, September 5). A sharing economy where teachers win. New York Times. Retrieved from https://www.nytimes.com/2015/09/06/ technology/a-sharing-economy-where-teachers-win.html Teachers pay teachers and the rise of the “teacherpreneur.” (n.d.). Retrieved from https://www.boredteachers.com/trending/teachers-pay-teachers-andthe-rise-of-the-teacherpreneur Thompson, C. (2017). Teachers cash in, big time, by putting lessons for sale. Retrieved from http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/Teachers-sellinglessons-to-other-teachers-online-has-become-a-booming-business/id-3c253 7fcbb2b470c8e652bf5481e4dc1 Watson, A. (n.d.). My journey from teacher to teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/myjourney-from-teacher-to-teacherpreneur/

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KEY TERMS AND DEFINITIONS Collaboration: Working with other teachers in and outside one’s own school building and district to improve teaching practices and brainstorm ideas. Critical Eye: Examining a product very closely to ensure its value. Digital Learning: Learning that is accompanied by and makes use of technology. Examples include online courses, video tutorials, and e-textbooks. Importantly, it can be accomplished anywhere and at any time. Isolation: In education, a condition in which teachers traditionally practiced, signified by a teacher’s aloneness in performing their duties with little support from external sources (e.g., colleagues, administrators, etc.). An applicable colloquialism is “operating without a net.” Networking: Being able speak with others to gain information as well as to make both social and professional contacts to use as the future deems necessary. Seasoned Teacher: One who has taught in the classroom for more than 10 years; a veteran teacher. Sphere of Influence: The range of professional and personal acquaintances who can be influenced by an individual’s opinion. It is determined by one’s stature and the respect the acquaintances have for the individual.

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Final Thoughts and Recommendations ABSTRACT This chapter provides closure by summarizing the final conclusions and takeaways from this book. Overall recommendations are made related to establishing a framework for implementing a teacherpreneur model within a school. A brief review of current studies focused on evaluating teacherpreneurs and related initiatives is included, along with a discussion of future research needs. Moreover, this chapter includes the key takeaways based on ideas that emerged repeatedly during the researching and drafting of this book and presents those ideas as they relate to both teachers and administrators. The chapter ends with some final thoughts about enhancing teaching and leadership initiatives through the use of teacherpreneurs.

INTRODUCTION As the information in previous chapters suggest, teacherpreneurs are well suited to lead the vital educational reform that will be required to meet the needs of current and future learners. Buckley and Nzembayie (2016) summarized this sentiment well, stating, “Learning is increasingly moving online and teacherpreneurs—with their knowledge and experience of curriculum development, learning/teaching methodologies, assessment strategies and learning outcomes—are seen as important conduits of innovation in this new education landscape” (p. 1). DOI: 10.4018/978-1-7998-2074-1.ch007 Copyright © 2020, IGI Global. Copying or distributing in print or electronic forms without written permission of IGI Global is prohibited.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

In this chapter, recommendations for practice are provided, followed by a brief review of existing literature and suggestions for future research. A section entitled “Key Takeaways” collects some relevant insights that were attained during the construction of this book that might assist in making the path to teacherpreneurship a little easier for both instructors and administrators. Last, the chapter concludes with some final thoughts that will hopefully encourage educators who are pondering entry into the world of teacherpreneurship.

RECOMMENDATIONS FOR PRACTICE As Berry (2013) noted, if 21st-century students are to reap the full benefits of teacherpreneurship, then dramatic changes are needed. He suggested five ways to advance the spread of teacherpreneurs. First, more money needs to be used for instructional purposes, and more teachers need to be teaching all students as opposed to having specialists come into the classroom and work with the students. This process does not mean that additional monies need to be acquired but simply that schools need to look at how they are currently using their funds and reallocate them so that more is spent on instruction. In addition, to support the idea of teachers teaching all students, educators need to be equipped with a variety of instructional strategies so that they have the knowledge and background to educate all pupils. This process can only be accomplished if school districts accept the idea of more classroom teachers becoming teacherpreneurs. Second, institutions of higher education need to adapt teacherpreneurship as part of their preservice teaching program. Berry (2013) suggested that teacher educator programs could “strategically organize preservice teachers in small cohorts; structure assignments that require novices to test new ideas; and offer experiences that extend their understanding of community context and/or educational policy” (p. 6). University preservice teacher programs currently do a great job of placing students who want to become educators into the school environment during their very first semester in college, and this trend continues throughout the course of their schooling. What these universities do not do is require the preservice teachers to record themselves teaching and then have their instructors and peers critique them. If this procedure were practiced prior to preservice teachers’ actual student teaching assignment, it would assist the preservice teachers in improving their skills

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and provide them more practice in perfecting their skills before being paced into their first solo job. Third, Berry (2013) recommended that educators practicing as teacherpreneurs be compensated as such. These teachers are willing to stay in the classroom to educate their students and at the same time educate other instructors in their own building, their own school district, and perhaps even other school districts. They need to be paid for their efforts—not just modestly rewarded, but instead paid commensurate with their time and efforts. In other countries, like Finland and Singapore, teachers are compensated more than their school administrators if they move into a teacherpreneurship role and are successful at it. Fourth, once teachers secure their job in a school, more needs to be done to promote teacherpreneurships, according to Berry (2013). This effort can be realized through administrators and teacher unions being more supportive of making teachers into school leaders while at the same time having them remain in the classroom so that the students also get the benefit of these educators’ teaching expertise. By supporting teacherpreneurs, schools and unions will be getting the best of both worlds—good teachers remaining in the classroom helping students continue to improve academically and leaders who can work with other teachers to change policy and ensure that all students receive the same high-quality education. Fifth, teacherpreneurship needs to be inserted into the public eye (Berry, 2013). Ask any student who is currently in a collegiate teacher education program and they can tell you all about teacherpreneurship in relation to getting information for required lesson plans (e.g., Teachers Pay Teachers). However, if asked what a teacherpreneur does in an actual school, chances are these students will not be able to answer the question. The teacherpreneur concept needs to be discussed both in the teacher preparation courses and within the walls of the school buildings once a rookie teacher secures their first job. The more teachers who are made aware of this type of opportunity, the more likely they may be encouraged to embrace it, which will promote their satisfaction within the profession and help inspire them to remain educators for a long time. By incorporating all of these ideas, best practices for learning and teaching can be disseminated (Berry, 2013).

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CURRENT AND FUTURE RESEARCH OVERVIEW AND RECOMMENDATIONS The vast majority of the existing literature on teacherpreneurs focuses extensively on describing this group’s characteristics. Other related literature has described teacherpreneur models and made suggestions on to how to implement teacherpreneur initiatives in schools. A few case studies can be found, although most of those offer cases of individual teacherpreneurs who are simply conveying their stories. Because the topic is in its infancy, very little research has focused on examining the overall effectiveness of teacherpreneurs and related programs that can drive educational reform and respond to the unique needs of 21st-century learners. This area is ripe for future research, particularly when considering the widespread belief that teacher leadership models can be the catalyst of reform. Although not focused specifically on teacherpreneurs, considerable research supports the value of implementing teacherpreneur-related changes in schools (e.g., Blase & Blase, 2006; Bryk, Sebring, Allensworth, Luppescu, & Easton, 2010; Kirabo Jackson & Bregmann, 2009; National Center for Educational Achievement, 2009; Ronfeldt, Farmer, McQueen, & Grissom, 2015; Papay, Taylor, Tyler, & Laski, 2016). For instance, Kirabo Jackson and Bregmann (2009) conducted a longitudinal study and found that when teachers have the opportunity to collaborate with other educators, brainstorm together, observe one another, and co-teach together, their efforts have a greater positive influence on their students’ test scores in reading and math than do the efforts of teachers who do not participate in this type of activity. When educators are given time outside of their regular classroom duties and can work with other teachers to improve their instructional strategies, their students will make greater gains in state assessment scores. A study by Blase and Blase (2006) revealed that collaborating with peers (a) enhanced teachers’ belief in their own abilities to solve teaching and learning problems as they collectively reflected on practice and grew, and (b) encouraged the desire for improvement on the part of teachers. Research by Ronfeldt et al. (2015) that utilized several years of data from over 10,000 teachers in Florida’s Miami-Dade Public Schools found that teachers improved their performance at higher rates when they worked in schools with higher-quality collaboration. In turn, collaborative work on student assessments was significantly predictive of student achievement gains in math and reading. A study by Papay and colleagues (2015) reported that pairing low- and high-performing classroom teachers to work together on 119

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improving skills improved teachers’ job performance, as measured by their students’ test score growth. Moreover, a comprehensive study by the University of Chicago’s Consortium on Chicago School Research (Bryk et al., 2010)—using demographic and test data as well as survey data from stakeholders in over 400 Chicago elementary schools—determined the organizational characteristics and practices that reliably predicted whether a school would produce aboveaverage improvement in student outcomes. Critical findings included the fact that the most successful schools had established “an effective system to improve professional capacity by providing ongoing support and guidance for teachers, including opening teachers’ classroom work for examination by colleagues and external consultants,” as well as “leadership focused on cultivating teachers, parents, and community members so that they became invested in sharing responsibility for the school’s improvement” (Anrig, 2015, para. 10). The National Center for Educational Achievement (2009) completed a similar comprehensive investigation that focused on investigating the chief effectiveness characteristics and practices of 26 public schools in five states whose students had made significant gains on math and science exams in a three-year period. That study’s findings showed that (a) administrators and teachers in the effective schools worked closely together to select and develop instructional materials, assessments, and learning strategies; and (b) teachers were given dedicated time each week to collaborate to systematically improve instructional practices. Although very limited, a few studies have focused specifically on investigating some aspect of teacherpreneurs. For instance, Ulin Ni’mah, Siswandari, Dyah, and Indrawati (2018) conducted research with high school teachers to determine if teacherpreneurship influenced their professionalism in the 21st-century educational environment. The study determined that the educators who worked to become a teacherpreneur were confident in their own skills as a teacher, were willing to take risks, set high goals for themselves, and figured out ways to achieve those goals no matter the challenges or obstacles. These educators also saw themselves as original, creative, and innovative thinkers committed to exploring new ways to help students and colleagues, and they felt comfortable collaborating with their peers to share ideas and gain additional knowledge about topics they were teaching or developing. Finally, these teachers saw themselves as leaders not only within the classroom but among their peers at the school, district, state, and national levels. 120

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A study by Buckley and Nzembayie (2016) compared three teacherpreneur case studies using a multiple case study approach to identify patterns that underlie the practice of teacherpreneurship. The study found that intrinsic motivation had a major influence on teacherpreneurial behaviors. In addition, push factors, such as dissatisfaction with the traditional education industry, were found to have a contributing influence but not a dominant one. A more recent study conducted by McManus (2018) examined the complex issues surrounding teacher career satisfaction and sought to identify factors that might lead to fewer teachers choosing to leave the field. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examined teacherpreneurism and its relationship to teacher career satisfaction. Eight blogs containing 62 posts and 10 published case studies were examined for qualitative data, and over 500 teachers were surveyed to obtain the quantitative results reported within. Both the qualitative and quantitative data that were gathered and analyzed pointed to positive effects of teacherpreneurism on teacher career satisfaction. These existing studies support the value of and need for teacherpreneurs and suggest that school administrators and districts need to figure out a way to encourage teacherpreneurship within the school environment. Once teacherpreneur initiatives are fully implemented, then studies that directly examine the effectiveness of the teacherpreneurs and related programs in driving change and improving student outcomes in today’s schools can be undertaken. Until programs have been established adequately enough for researchers to garner valuable and reliable results from such investigations, however, studies can focus on more immediate factors, such as: • • •

Examining the role that teacherpreneur opportunities play in promoting teacher satisfaction and encouraging teachers to not leave the profession. Investigating the self-efficacy of preservice teachers who complete programs that promote and integrate teacherpreneurship practices versus preservice teachers who complete traditional programs. Determining the value of teacherpreneurs from the standpoints of other stakeholders. For example: ◦◦ Principals: Do principals feel that their administrative burden is eased by having teacherpreneurs fill leadership roles? ◦◦ Colleagues: Do other teachers feel that teacherpreneurs bring value to their personal growth, the school leadership, and so forth? ◦◦ Students: Do students notice a difference in classrooms led by teacherpreneurs? Are their outcomes improved? 121

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As classroom teacherpreneurs gravitate more toward a consultant teacherpreneur role (whether part-time or full-time), the need for additional research on the benefits and challenges associated with this particular niche and the ramifications for the field of education will need to be studied as well. There are many topics to be explored, including the following: •

•

•

Determining the measurable financial outcomes of consultant teacherpreneurs. For example, what are the actual costs affiliated with such endeavors? Actual profits? What are the real percentages of successful consultant teacherpreneurs versus the ones who fail? Determining levels of accountability and regulation. As noted, many of the resources that currently exist are suspect. How much of a need for monitoring is required? Should these sites be regulated by state and federal educational agencies? Do stringent guidelines need to be enforced and regulated? What are the litigious aspects that need to be considered? What are the ethical concerns for a classroom teacherpreneur who relies on their own developed products for use in the classroom? How do administrators regulate what and how resources are applied?

KEY TAKEAWAYS Following are the primary takeaways that emerged as key suggestions throughout the research process that went into compiling this book. It is hoped that these takeaways will assist educators in establishing and maintaining inclusive classrooms and cultures at their own schools. For the prospective teacherpreneur: •

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Realize that teacherpreneurship is the wave of the future. Much like online learning and personalized learning, teacherpreneurship has emerged in the last decade and attained a solid enough status to maintain viability for the foreseeable future. It will only continue to evolve, and teachers who resist embracing it, whether as solely classroom practitioners or as eventual consultant teacherpreneurs, run the risk of appearing out of touch with both students and technology. It is clear that teacherpreneurs will be a driving force in innovation and in implementing policy change in the field of education.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

•

•

•

Read your teaching contract. Educators need to read their teaching contracts very carefully to see if in fact the school district has included a clause about teacherpreneurship that stipulates that the school district considers what the instructor creates as an employee of the district the school district’s intellectual property (Thompson, 2017). If so, the educator may want to consider other options of employment, perhaps in a more progressive school or district, or as a consultant teacherpreneur if becoming a consultant teacherpreneur is something the teacher wants to pursue. It is unfortunate that teachers have to be conscious of this situation, but with more and more educators becoming teacherpreneurs, it is something everyone must pay attention to (Thompson, 2017). Approach teacherpreneurship like starting a new business. A solo business venture is a challenge regardless of an individual’s area of expertise. It takes a lot of stamina and grit to enter the public business domain and face criticism and possible failure due to the creation of new products, concepts, or ideas. However, if the typical entrepreneur were not willing to take this risk, many businesses would not be in existence today, and the consultant teacherpreneur is no different. Most consultant teacherpreneurs are willing to remain in the classroom, while at the same time earning additional funds to support their teacher salary. Some are willing to develop innovative and creative resources to help other educators teach the academic standards in their classrooms, while others are interested in mentoring other teachers or developing online or face-to-face classes to teach teacherpreneurship to other educators. Regardless of the type of consultant teacherpreneur an educator wishes to be, everyone needs to start with a business plan that is well thought out and creative. They need to remain positive and motivate themselves to be successful even when things may fall apart or appear bleak. Many resources in this book point the potential consultant teacherpreneur to information that will come in handy as they prepare to start generating revenue from their classroom innovations. Get a mentor and/or take classes. Typically, teachers are given some type of mentor when they first enter the teaching profession. Teacherpreneurs should be no different. If an educator is thinking about starting their own business or branching out from classroom duties, they should contact teacherpreneurs who have taken similar measures and ask for their advice. A consultant teacherpreneur may even want to simply contact a community entrepreneur in order to seek out their expertise about the business side of starting a business. 123

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If the teacherpreneur wants to be involved with creating materials as a business, contacting one of the successful Teacher Pay Teachers sellers is advised since they probably have been in the business for a period of time and know the pitfalls. Obviously, seek out as much professional development as possible, whether it be in the form of classes, conferences, or collaboration. The proliferation of online training affords ample opportunity to do so, even without support from administrative leaders. For the administrator: •

•

•

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Proactively engage in fostering teacherpreneur leadership in the classroom. Administrators need to also acknowledge teacherpreneurship as the wave of the future and should embrace the benefits to learning that it provides. Therefore, they should develop specific goals and plans to implement the practice in the classroom and should be vigilant in constantly appraising the leadership potential of personnel in order to nurture it and promote educators who exhibit leadership qualities. Monetarily reward the classroom teacherpreneur. Teachers who take on additional responsibilities, such as training other teachers, researching innovative classroom practices, advocating on behalf of the school district for policy change, and the like, should be compensated accordingly. Supplementing classroom teacherpreneurs’ income may additionally provide the added bonus of keeping the classroom teacherpreneur primarily in the classroom instead of losing said teacher to an outside, full-time consultant teacherpreneurship. Thus, the best teachers keep teaching, which benefits the students, who, of course, should be everyone’s primary concern. Provide time. Additional responsibilities require additional time, something of which every teacher is already in short supply. Be cognizant of the required time it takes for teacherpreneurs to complete additional tasks and adjust accordingly. Whether it means putting the educator on a half-day schedule or providing an extra off-period or something similar, taking the initiative and incorporating proactive methods to free the teacherpreneur to perform their additional tasks will relieve much stress and tension so that the teacherpreneur can perform more efficiently and effectively.

Final Thoughts and Recommendations

FINAL THOUGHTS As with many “new” educational concepts, skeptics might suggest that the ideas behind teacherpreneurship are not new at all, that in fact the idea of skilled, motivated instructors “going the extra mile to save the child who cannot be saved” is as old as education itself. Many instructors might in fact recognize themselves as failed teacherpreneurs, or attribute teacherpreneurship to the “first 5 years” cycle of teaching when the educator is still naïve and idealistic enough to champion the “I’ll try anything to reach a student” approach. In fact, ABC currently features a sitcom, Schooled, that is set in the 1990s and depicts its female protagonist Lainey as a prototypical new teacher in just such scenarios, who each week must comically scramble to unravel the disastrous results when her teaching experiments go awry. However, there are two distinct developments that now render the ideas behind teacherpreneurship and teacherpreneurs a more cohesive, sustainable development whose practice becomes now not only relevant but also durable enough to influence a new generation of methodologies. The first development is a steady evolvement away from isolation, both for the teacher and the student. As classrooms become more integrated with all categories of students, as personalized individual learning rises more to the forefront, teachers are necessarily forced to embrace many different methods, to collaborate, and to experiment in order to meet the needs of all students. The second development, which in a sense supports and hastens the demise of isolation, is technology. For good or for bad, technology—specifically the internet and smart phones—has fundamentally altered the way students learn, and, for lack of a better phrase, “there’s no going back.” Consequently, given the rapidity of change within the educational field, a teacherpreneur approach seems a necessity. In the classroom, the educator needs to have at the ready new tools, new methods, and new ideas—all traits that a classroom teacherpreneur exhibits. In the area of educational development, it is the consultant teacherpreneur who will be best equipped to advise educational companies of tools that will and will not work because the consultant teacherpreneur has the classroom experience to back up their reasoning. In time, the rise of teacherpreneurs can change the face of education in America drastically, “transforming it on the basis of the knowledge, expertise, and skills of those who teach children and adolescents” (Berry, 2013, p. 4). As one teacherpreneur summarized: 125

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I and others who are excited by this concept imagine teacherpreneurs to be a subset of accomplished teachers who act as change agents within their own schools, finding creative solutions and mobilizing the resources to accomplish those solutions. We imagine teacherpreneurs to have the freedom and power to interact in the global education marketplace, developing—and selling—their talents and ideas. We imagine teacherpreneurs will become the go-to experts in our profession and no longer will we be beset by peddlers of canned professional development who troll the nation giving workshops and presentations that are too generic or out of touch with today’s classrooms— intentionally or unintentionally undermining efforts for teachers known to be successful with today’s kids to spread their expertise to one another. (as cited in Berry, 2010, pp. 141-142)

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REFERENCES Anrig, G. (2015). How we know collaboration works. Educational Leadership, 72(5), 30–35. Retrieved from http://www.ascd.org/publications/educationalleadership/feb15/vol72/num05/How-We-Know-Collaboration-Works.aspx Berry, B. (2010). Teaching 2030: What we must do for our students and our public schools—Now and in the future. New York, NY: Teachers College Press. Berry, B. (2013). Teacherpreneurs and the future of teaching & learning. International Journal of Innovation, Creativity and Change, 1(2). Retrieved from https://www.ijicc.net/images/Vol1issue22013/barnett%20berry%20 article.pdf Blase, J., & Blase, J. (2006). Teachers bringing out the best in teachers: A guide to peer consultation for administrators and teachers. Thousand Oaks, CA: Corwin Press. Bryk, A., Sebring, P. B., Allensworth, E., Luppescu, S., & Easton, J. Q. (2010). Organizing schools for improvement: Lessons from Chicago. Chicago, IL: University of Chicago Press. Buckley, A. P., & Nzembayie, K. F. (2016, April). Teacherpreneurs: From vocation to innovation. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from https://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/ viewcontent.cgi?article=1149&context=buschmarcon Kirabo Jackson, C., & Bregmann, E. (2009). Teaching students and teaching each other: The importance of peer learning for teachers. American Economic Journal, 1(4). doi:10.3386/w15202 McManus, C. (2018). Teacherpreneurism: Impact on teachers’ career satisfaction (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://www.researchgate. net/publication/325347001_TEACHERPRENEURISM_IMPACT_ON_ TEACHERS’_CAREER_SATISFACTION National Center for Educational Achievement. (2009). Core practices in math and science: An investigation of consistently higher performing school systems in five states. Austin, TX: Author.

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Papay, J., Taylor, E. S., Tyler, J., & Laski, M. (2015). Learning job skills from colleagues at work: Evidence from a field experiment using teacher performance data. Washington, DC: National Bureau of Economic Research. Retrieved from https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/research/ education_seminar_series/pttl-learning-from-colleagues.pdf Ronfeldt, M., Farmer, S. O., McQueen, K., & Grissom, J. (2015). Teacher collaboration in instructional teams and student achievement. Amer ican Educational Research Jour nal, 52(3), 475–514. doi:10.3102/0002831215585562 Thompson, C. (2017). Teachers cash in, big time, by putting lessons for sale. Retrieved from http://www.apnewsarchive.com/2017/Teachers-sellinglessons-to-other-teachers-online-has-become-a-booming-business/id-3c253 7fcbb2b470c8e652bf5481e4dc1 Ulin Ni’mah, F., Siswandari, M., Dyah, C., & Indrawati, S. (2018). The effects of teacherpreneurship, multicultural personality, continuing professional development, and the 21st century professionalism towards vocational high school teachers. International Journal of Education and Social Science Research, 1(5), 44–56.

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ADDITIONAL READING Berry, B. (2019). Teacher leadership: Prospects and promises. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(7), 49–55. doi:10.1177/0031721719841339 Cheung, R., Reinhardt, T., Stone, E., & Little, J. W. (2018). Defining teacher leadership: A framework. Phi Delta Kappan, 100(3), 38–44. doi:10.1177/0031721718808263 Hess, F. M. (2015). Busting out of the teacher cage. Phi Delta Kappan, 96(7), 58–63. doi:10.1177/0031721715579042 Stanulis, R. N., Cooper, K. S., Dear, B., Johnston, A. M., & Richard-Todd, R. R. (2016). Learning on the job: Teacher evaluation can foster real growth. Phi Delta Kappan, 97(7), 53–57. doi:10.1177/0031721716641650 Wenner, J. A., & Campbell, T. (2017). The theoretical and empirical basis of teacher leadership: A review of the literature. Review of Educational Research, 87(1), 134–171. doi:10.3102/0034654316653478

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Appendix: Resources for the Teacherpreneur

One of the most stressful things related to learning about a new topic and/or implementing some aspect of it is weeding through the numerous resources available to find the most valuable information. In an attempt to help lessen this burden for educators, this appendix presents a collection of resources that were determined to contain the most potential for providing comprehensive and particularly useful information for leaning about the topic of teacherpreneurs and then implementing related initiatives, whether individually or as a school-wide project. The resources are divided into the following categories: (a) books; (b) online resources, specifically websites, articles and blogs, and videos; and (c) case studies. Each listing includes not only bibliographic information so that the reader can easily find the source but also a brief description to help the reader know whether the source will likely be of interest to them specifically.

Books •

Barnes, J. (2019). Think it teach it sell it. Retrieved from http:// juliaobarnes.com/tts/

Description: This digital book describes how to develop, create, and publish classes online. •

Berry, B., Byrd, A., & Wieder, A. (2013). Teacherpreneurs: Innovative teachers who lead but don’t leave. San Francisco, CA: Wiley.

Description: This book follows several teacherpreneurs on their journey teaching in the classroom while also influencing policies that allow them and their colleagues to teach more successfully and prepare their students

Appendix

to thrive in today’s society. These teachers were not interested in fulfilling a strictly administrative role within their school but instead wanted to stay in the classroom and effect changes through the avenue of teacherpreneurship. •

Guillebeau, C. (2012). The $100 startup: Reinvent the way you make a living, do what you love, and create a new future. New York, NY: Crown Business.

Description: This book explores the ways to become an entrepreneur based on possessing personal passion though lacking any specialized skills. This concept can be applied to education as well as business. •

Kaplan, J. M. (2001). Getting started in entrepreneurship. Hoboken, NJ: Wiley.

Description: Based on the author’s own firsthand experiences, this book explains how to start one’s own business without a master’s degree in business administration. •

Levin, V. J. (2014). The accidental teacherpreneur: From classroom teacher to successful entrepreneur. Dallas, TX: Teacherpreneur Press.

Description: This book explores how the author went from being a classroom teacher to a classroom teacherpreneur to a consultant teacherpreneur. Tips on how to be successful in the process are provided. •

Westhead, P., & Wright, M. (2013). Entrepreneur: A very short introduction. London, England: Oxford Press.

Description: This book looks at entrepreneurship through the lens of education as well as business. The authors describe how entrepreneurs shape education and provide resources.

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Online Resources Websites •

Apex Striving: http://www.apexstriving.com/ entrepreneurship-lesson-plans/

Description: This website assists teachers looking for new and diverse ways to engage their students within the classroom. It provides ways for teachers to become more creative with their lessons in order to obtain successful academic achievement from their students. •

ClickBank: https://www.clickbank.com/product-category/education/ educational-materials

Description: This website offers affiliated marketing, in which a teacherpreneur sets up a group on a social media platform like Facebook and introduces the group to a variety of products. For each product the teacherpreneur sells to a member of the group, they earn a commission. This site does not require the teacherpreneur to develop their own product since they are selling someone else’s work. •

Edunista: https://www.edunista.com/teacherpreneur

Description: This well-organized and easy-to-navigate site provides detailed information on how to become a teacherpreneur and thrive at it. •

Fiverr: https://www.fiverr.com

Description: This website offers a variety of freelance services, from developing a website, to designing logos, to obtaining more customers via social media. Teacherpreneurs can use this website for their own personal use to develop their business or to demonstrate their own skills and secure a freelance job. •

FlexJobs: https://www.flexjobs.com/About.aspx

Description: This website offers a central location to find professional online or remote jobs on either a full- or part-time basis. Users fill out a quick 132

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questionnaire about the type of job (full- or part-time) they are searching for and their area of expertise (e.g., education, business, manufacturing, and so forth). The website then provides the user a partial list of the available jobs. In order to obtain and see the full list, users must pay a fee, either monthly or yearly. This site also guarantees that if users are not satisfied, their money will be refunded. •

The Focused Teacherpreneur: https://the-focused-teacherpreneur. thinkific.com/

Description: This website offers a variety of classes and workshops to assist someone in becoming a teacherpreneur. Classes range from developing a personal business plan, to creating one’s own resources, to authoring a book. There is also a monthly challenge to motivate the teacherpreneur. •

HoJo’s Teaching Adventures: https://hojosteachingadventures.com/ teacherpreneur-resources/

Description: This website provides a comprehensive selection of teacherpreneur resources and related advice on getting started on Teachers Pay Teachers, setting up a blog and using other social media, creating activities and materials, getting and staying organized, and more. Readers can even sign up for a weekly teacherpreneur email series. •

How I Created DigiNo (Become a Teacherpreneur in 12 Effective Steps): https://digino.org/how-i-created-digino/

Description: This website, created by a teacherpreneur, walks other prospective teacherpreneurs through how he set up his business, and how they can do so as well, following 12 specific steps. In addition, the site provides access to a free video course on making passive income from niche websites, along with a free e-book entitled 101 Things I Wish I’d Known About Teaching Online. •

Lesson Planet: https://www.lessonplanet.com/lesson-plans/ entrepreneurship/all

Description: This web page provides specific entrepreneurship lesson plans and worksheets developed by teachers. 133

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•

Lulu: https://lulu.com

Description: This website is for an e-book publishing company that teacherpreneurs can explore if they write and then want to publish a book, instructional manual, or other material as part of their teacherpreneur business. •

The National Consortium of Entrepreneurship Education: https:// www.entre-ed.org/

Description: This website connects teachers interested in entrepreneurship education. It provides resources and promotes advocacy. •

The Teacherpreneur: https://theteacherpreneur.com/

Description: This website explains how a teacher can come out of the classroom and become a teacherpreneur. It offers suggestions such as selling lesson plans and developing online classes that a regular classroom teacher might want to take for professional development purposes or as a class toward state licensure. •

Teacher to Teacherpreneur: https://www.teacherpreneur.ca/

Description: This website provides a toolkit for anyone wanting to move from teacher to teacherpreneur. •

Teacher Entrepreneur: https://teacherentrepreneur.com

Description: This website offers a variety of resources to set up a teacherpreneur business. It has blogs from real teachers who have ventured into teacherpreneurship, as well as a free book on how to start one’s own business, articles about branding one’s company, articles about developing a business plan, and others related to teacherpreneurship. This website also has a business directory of teachers who have actually started their own business. •

Teacherpreneur Café: https://teacherpreneurcafe.com/

Description: This site is a hub of information and resources to help teachers learn about blogging and other technology resources, and it also provide tips related to meeting the needs of today’s students. 134

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•

Teacher Created Materials: https://www.teachercreatedmaterials.com/ administrators/about-us/

Description: This company sells products created by classroom teachers. They also accept ideas and products from teachers who are interested in selling them. •

Teaching Entrepreneurship: https://www.teachingentrepreneurship. org/category/lesson-plans/

Description: This web page provides background information and a specific example lesson plan for teaching students about the entrepreneurship topic of minimum viable product (MVP). •

Teachers Pay Teachers: https://www.teacherspayteachers.com

Description: Teachers Pay Teachers is an open marketplace where teachers buy and sell original teaching materials. Some of the materials are free, while others have a small fee associated with them. A teacher can sell their own lesson plans and materials or can purchase materials from other educators. •

Teachers Resource Force: https://www.teachersresourceforce.com

Description: This site offers informative blogs, podcasts, free materials, training opportunities, and more for teacherpreneurs. •

Teacher Entrepreneur School: https://teacherentrepreneurschool. teachable.com/p/teacherentrepreneurschoolspring16

Description: This website offers a six-week course on becoming a teacherpreneur. There are actually four weeks of courses and then two weeks to implement the business plan that was created during the classes. The website states that it will provide the learner with resources and real-life experiences in becoming a teacherpreneur, as well as videos and an accountability manager to help encourage the rookie teacherpreneur to stay motivated and engaged. •

TurnKey Teacherpreneur: http://turnkeyteacherpreneur.com/

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Description: This site offers a free 14-page book on how to start a successful and profitable teacherpreneur business. It includes worksheets and informational pages to assist the beginner. •

Udemy: https://www.udemy.com

Description: This website offers the educator who wants to become a teacherpreneur the opportunity to create and develop their own course or courses. Each time a student signs up for the course, the teacherpreneur gets paid. This website also offers courses on becoming an entrepreneur. •

Upwork: https://www.upwork.com

Description: This website offers services to a teacherpreneur who may need assistance developing a website to attract customers, writing grants to start a business, or receiving assistance with copywriting a product. There is a basic service that users can obtain for free, and if additional, more in-depth services are needed, an annual fee is required. •

Venturewell: https://venturewell.org/ class-activities-inventor-entrepreneurs/

Description: This web page provides details on eight class activities to stimulate inventor entrepreneurs. •

Verbal Planet: https://www.verbalplanet.com/tutorhome.asp

Description: This website offers services for the teacherpreneur who wants to work from home and tutor students from around the world in a foreign language.

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Articles and Blogs •

Barnes, J. (2019). Boss teacher. Retrieved from http://juliaobarnes. com/blog/podcast/

Description: This podcast and blog discusses how to set up a variety of teacherpreneur opportunities, like taking one’s passion and turning it into a business, setting up a tutoring business, writing books for children, becoming an international speaker, and so forth. •

Barseghian, T. (2011, April 11). What the heck is a “teacherpreneur”? Retrieved from https://www.kqed.org/ mindshift/10394/what-the-heck-is-a-teacherpreneur

Description: This blog describes the benefits of teacherpreneurs when they are in the classroom half of the school day and spend the other half working in educational leadership roles, such as mentoring classroom teachers, observing classrooms, creating educational policy, and creating professional development opportunities. •

Davis, V. (2015). Teacherpreneurs: We’re here to inspire [Web log post]. Retrieved from https://www.edutopia.org/blog/ teacherpreneurs-here-to-inspire-vicki-davis

Description: This blog post provides numerous tips on how to be a classroom teacherpreneur. These suggestions can be modified to be used in any content area in all K-12 classrooms. •

Heather, M. (2018). Free guide to digital resources for teacherpreneurs and edupreneurs. Retrieved from https://www.heathermonthie.com/ resources/

Description: This online guide provides numerous digital resources for the teacherpreneur. Users have to download the guide and then review to select which resources are desired for use in the classroom or as a resource when consulting. •

Layton, S. (2019, June 13). Applied educational systems: How to think outside the box with entrepreneurship lesson plans [Web log 137

Appendix

post]. Retrieved from https://www.aeseducation.com/blog/2015/05/ entrepreneurship-lesson-plans Description: This blog post provides a detailed list of suggestions for developing entrepreneurship lesson plans. •

Marin, M. J. (n.d.). Business lesson for high school students. Retrieved from https://gatewaycfs.com/education/business-lessons-high-school/

Description: This article provides detailed information on business and entrepreneurship lesson plans. •

Santos, L. (2016). Tips for teacherpreneurs: Recommending resources to your customers. Retrieved from http://thecoreinspiration. com/2016/07/tips-for-teacherpreneurs-recommend-resources-to-yourcustomers.html

Description: This article offers a toolbox of suggestions on how to set up a Teachers Pay Teachers page to make it more marketable to attract more customers. There are 20 short YouTube videos to watch at one’s own pace. •

Watson, A. (n.d.). My journey from teacher to teacherpreneur. Retrieved from https://thecornerstoneforteachers.com/truth-for-teachers-podcast/ my-journey-from-teacher-to-teacherpreneur/

Description: This article describes one teacher’s journey from classroom teacher to teacherpreneur.

Videos •

Why Teachers Make Great Entrepreneurs: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?time_continue=34&v=uoE50wIQW80&feature=emb_logo

Description: 16-minute presentation about a variety of scenarios related to how one becomes a teacherpreneur.

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•

Becoming a Teacherpreneur: https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=KVTjXMn3oxI

Description: 12-minute presentation from a former teacher explaining how she became a teacherpreneur. •

Farrah Henley Education: https://thefieldtripteacherpodcast.com/ episode-20/

Description: In podcast #20, there is a discussion about choosing a mentor to assist with becoming a teacherpreneur. •

Teacherentrepreneur: From Classroom Teacher to Teacher Entrepreneur: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kT-gR6qBwtI

Description: 40-minute interview with a former teacher on how she became a teacherpreneur. •

Tips for Teacherpreneurs: https://www.youtube.com/channel/ UCvjymbd7ac08dYiT5XqaZsg/videos

Description: This YouTube channel has 20 videos, 10 minutes or less, on how to get a teacherpreneur business started. The tips include topics about the type of software to use to start a teacherpreneur business, the legal aspects of owning a teacherpreneur business, communicating clearly with consumers, designing eye-appealing web pages, and marketing and branding personal designs and products. •

PD in your PJs for Teacherpreneurs! https://www.classroomfreebies. com/teacherpreneur-trainings

Description: 30-minute presentations on topics such as “Social Media Promotion for Teacherpreneurs,” “Time Management for Teacherpreneurs,” and “Hosting Webinars for Teacherpreneurs.”

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CASE STUDIES •

Center for Teaching Quality. (n.d.). Case studies. Retrieved from https://www.teachingquality.org/case-studies/

Description: This website offers several case studies about successful teacherpreneurs in a variety of educational environments. In each case study, the teacherpreneur chose to stay in the classroom for part of the school day and spent the other half working with the school administrator to change school policy and develop new programs, both on the school district level and within the state. As a result of these teacherpreneurs’ experiences, the school districts are providing other teachers with similar experiences. •

The Teacherpreneur. (n.d.). All case study files. Retrieved from https:// theteacherpreneur.com/category/case-study/

Description: This site includes case studies of 10 teacherpreneurs and focuses on how teacherpreneurs can make extra money online. The case studies also detail the stories of how these educators became teacherpreneurs and the ways that they create resources. •

Buckley, A. P., & Nzembayie, K. F. (2016, April). Teacherpreneurs: From vocation to innovation. Paper presented at the 4th International Conference on Innovation and Entrepreneurship, The Ted Rogers School of Management, Ryerson University, Toronto, Canada. Retrieved from https://arrow.dit.ie/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1149 &context=buschmarcon

Description: Although this is an article, it details an actual research study that was conducted that compared three teacherpreneur case studies using a multiple case study approach to identify patterns that underlie the practice of teacherpreneurship. The study reveals important cross-case analysis findings and offers pragmatic guidance for nascent teacherpreneurs.

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McManus, C. (2018). Teacherpreneurism: Impact on teachers’ career satisfaction (Doctoral dissertation). Retrieved from https://www. researchgate.net/publication/325347001_TEACHERPRENEURISM_ IMPACT_ON_TEACHERS’_CAREER_SATISFACTION

Description: This dissertation also presents pertinent case study results. The research study detailed herein sought to examine the complex issues surrounding teacher career satisfaction and identify factors that might lead to fewer teachers choosing to leave the field. Using a mixed-methods approach, the study examined teacherpreneurism and its relationship to teacher career satisfaction. Eight blogs containing 62 posts and 10 published case studies were examined for qualitative data, and over 500 teachers were surveyed to obtain the quantitative results reported within. Both the qualitative and quantitative data gathered and analyzed pointed to the positive effects of teacherpreneurism on teacher career satisfaction.

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To continue IGI Global’s long-standing tradition of advancing innovation through emerging research, please find below a compiled list of recommended IGI Global book chapters and journal articles in the areas of instructional design, classroom design, and learning outcomes. These related readings will provide additional information and guidance to further enrich your knowledge and assist you with your own research.

Acquatella, F., Fernandez, V., & Houy, T. (2019). The Coursera Case as the Prefiguration of the Ongoing Changes on the MOOC Platforms. In J. Pelet (Ed.), Advanced Web Applications and Progressing E-Learning 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education (pp. 20–34). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7435-4.ch002 Al-Furaih, S. A. (2019). Smart Lesson Planning Environments for Deeper Learning: A Kuwaiti Case Study in Teacher Education. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 142–163). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-15225-6136-1.ch009 Alawani, A. S. (2019). Wamda: A Smart Mobile Learning System for UAE Teachers. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 203–226). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch012 Almarzooqi, S. S. (2019). Sa’i Smart Library Learning Lab: Disruptive Learning. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 299–329). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch017

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Alqurashi, E. (2019). Technology Tools for Teaching and Learning in Real Time. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 255–278). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch013 An, Y., & Cao, L. (2017). Examining the Characteristics of Digital Learning Games Designed by In-service Teachers. International Journal of GameBased Learning, 7(4), 73–85. doi:10.4018/IJGBL.2017100104 Andujar, A. (2019). Shaping the Future of Telecollaboration: Web RTC. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 151–172). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch008 Araújo, R. D., Ferreira, H. N., Cattelan, R. G., & Dorça, F. A. (2018). A Hybrid Architecture for Adaptive, Intelligent, and Ubiquitous Educational Systems. In R. Zheng (Ed.), Digital Technologies and Instructional Design for Personalized Learning (pp. 120–144). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3940-7.ch006 Ayish, M., & Dahdal, S. (2019). Using Mobile Devices by Media Students as a Tool for Digital Storytelling. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 34–44). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch003 Baporikar, N. (2019). E-Learning Strategies for Emerging Economies in the Knowledge Era. In J. Pelet (Ed.), Advanced Web Applications and Progressing E-Learning 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education (pp. 150–171). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7435-4.ch008 Barth, I., Spector-Cohen, E., Sitman, R., Jiang, G., Liu, F., & Xu, Y. (2019). Beyond Small Chunks: Designing Vocabulary OERs for Mobile Learning. International Journal of Computer-Assisted Language Learning and Teaching, 9(2), 79–97. doi:10.4018/IJCALLT.2019040105 Berg, C. W., Shaw, M., Contento, A. L., & Burrus, S. W. (2019). A Qualitative Study of Student Expectations of Online Faculty Engagement. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 220–236). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-15225-7470-5.ch010

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Berry, S. (2019). The Role of Video and Text Chat in a Virtual Classroom: How Technology Impacts Community. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 173–187). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-52257567-2.ch009 Bezboruah, K. C. (2019). Live Sessions and Accelerated Online ProjectBased Courses. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 23–55). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch002 Brautlacht, R., Poppi, F., Martins, M. L., & Ducrocq, C. (2017). European Dialogue Project: Collaborating to Improve on the Quality of Learning Environments. In P. Vu, S. Fredrickson, & C. Moore (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Innovative Pedagogies and Technologies for Online Learning in Higher Education (pp. 393–426). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/9781-5225-1851-8.ch017 Bugawa, A. M., & Mirzal, A. (2018). The Impact of Web 2.0 Technologies on the Learning Experience of Students in Higher Education: A Review. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 13(3), 1–17. doi:10.4018/IJWLTT.2018070101 Calonge, D. S., Riggs, K. M., Shah, M. A., & Cavanagh, T. A. (2019). Using Learning Analytics to Improve Engagement, Learning, and Design of Massive Open Online Courses. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 76–107). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7470-5.ch004 Chadha, A. (2019). Graduate Online Pedagogy: A Framework for Collaborative Communities of Learning. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 108–131). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7470-5.ch005 Chigwada, J. P. (2019). Supporting Information Literacy Skills of Students for a Successful Transition to Higher Education: Opportunities and Challenges for Libraries in the Digital Era. International Journal of Library and Information Services, 8(1), 24–30. doi:10.4018/IJLIS.2019010102

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Daunert, A. L., & Price, L. (2019). Do I Know My Learners…?: The Conditions and Factors to Consider in Embedding Ubiquitous Technologies Into the Plan and Design of the Learning Process. In J. Pelet (Ed.), Advanced Web Applications and Progressing E-Learning 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education (pp. 77–102). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-52257435-4.ch005 Delello, J. A., & Consalvo, A. L. (2019). “I Found Myself Retweeting”: Using Twitter Chats to Build Professional Learning Networks. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 88–108). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch005 Delello, J. A., Hawley, H., McWhorter, R. R., Gipson, C. S., & Deal, B. (2018). Gamifying Education: Motivation and the Implementation of Digital Badges for Use in Higher Education. International Journal of Web-Based Learning and Teaching Technologies, 13(4), 17–33. doi:10.4018/IJWLTT.2018100102 Durnalı, M., Orakcı, Ş., & Aktan, O. (2019). The Smart Learning Potential of Turkey’s Education System in the Context of FATIH Project. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 227–243). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch013 Eakins, A. (2019). Developing a Sense of Community Through Engaging Platforms in Support of Online Graduate Students Socialization. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 156–175). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7470-5.ch007 El Mhouti, A., & Erradi, M. (2019). Harnessing Cloud Computing Services for E-Learning Systems in Higher Education: Impact and Effects. International Journal of Information and Communication Technology Education, 15(2), 18–30. doi:10.4018/IJICTE.2019040102 Elharakany, R. A., Moscardini, A., Khalifa, N. M., & Elghany, M. M. (2018). Modelling the Effect on Quality of Information and Communications Technology (ICT) facilities in Higher Education: Case Study—Egyptian Universities. International Journal of System Dynamics Applications, 7(3), 1–30. doi:10.4018/IJSDA.2018070101

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Jiang, Y., Clarke-Midura, J., Baker, R. S., Paquette, L., & Keller, B. (2018). How Immersive Virtual Environments Foster Self-Regulated Learning. In R. Zheng (Ed.), Digital Technologies and Instructional Design for Personalized Learning (pp. 28–54). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-52253940-7.ch002 Johnson, C., & Altowairiki, N. (2017). Developing Teaching Presence in Online Learning Through Shared Stakeholder Responsibility. In P. Vu, S. Fredrickson, & C. Moore (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Innovative Pedagogies and Technologies for Online Learning in Higher Education (pp. 151–177). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-1851-8.ch008 Kehus, M. J. (2019). Best Practices for Engaging Graduate Students in ProblemBased Learning. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 21–48). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7470-5.ch002 Kerns, W. A. (2019). Quality Assurance Within Synchronous Sessions of Online Instruction. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 211–228). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch011 Khouja, M., Rodriguez, I. B., Ben Halima, Y., & Moalla, S. (2018). IT Governance in Higher Education Institutions: A Systematic Literature Review. International Journal of Human Capital and Information Technology Professionals, 9(2), 52–67. doi:10.4018/IJHCITP.2018040104 Kilpatrick, C. D. (2019). Faces or Fingers: Building Community With Synchronous Chat. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 1–22). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch001 Koo, K. (2019). Is It Real or Not?: Experiences of Synchronous Learning and Training for Counseling Graduate Students. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 129–150). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/9781-5225-7567-2.ch007 Korucu, A. T., & Atun, H. (2017). Use of Social Media in Online Learning. In P. Vu, S. Fredrickson, & C. Moore (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Innovative Pedagogies and Technologies for Online Learning in Higher Education (pp. 1–18). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-1851-8.ch001 148

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Koskey, K. L., & Benson, S. N. (2017). A Review of Literature and a Model for Scaffolding Asynchronous Student-Student Interaction in Online Discussion Forums. In P. Vu, S. Fredrickson, & C. Moore (Eds.), Handbook of Research on Innovative Pedagogies and Technologies for Online Learning in Higher Education (pp. 263–280). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-15225-1851-8.ch012 Kumar, T. S. (2019). A Private Cloud-Based Smart Learning Environment Using Moodle for Universities. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 188–202). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch011 Lee, V. R. (2018). Personal Analytics Explorations to Support Youth Learning. In R. Zheng (Ed.), Digital Technologies and Instructional Design for Personalized Learning (pp. 145–163). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3940-7.ch007 Lemanski, L., & Van Deventer, M. M. (2019). A Framework for the Redesign Principles That Improved Engagement in an Online Graduate Class. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 49–75). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7470-5.ch003 Leonardou, A., Rigou, M., & Garofalakis, J. D. (2019). Open Learner Models in Smart Learning Environments. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 346–368). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch019 MacCallum, K., Day, S., Skelton, D., & Verhaart, M. (2017). Mobile Affordances and Learning Theories in Supporting and Enhancing Learning. International Journal of Mobile and Blended Learning, 9(2), 61–73. doi:10.4018/IJMBL.2017040104 MacLeod, J., & Yang, H. H. (2018). Intercultural Computer-Supported Collaborative Learning: Theory and Practice. In R. Zheng (Ed.), Digital Technologies and Instructional Design for Personalized Learning (pp. 80–97). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3940-7.ch004

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Mata, L. (2019). Current Studies Based on the Investigation of the Attitudes Towards the Internet in Higher Education. In J. Pelet (Ed.), Advanced Web Applications and Progressing E-Learning 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education (pp. 1–19). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-52257435-4.ch001 Mata, L., Panisoara, G., Fat, S., Panisoara, I., & Lazar, I. (2019). Exploring the Adoptions by Students of Web 2.0 Tools for E-Learning in Higher Education: Web 2.0 Tools for E-Learning in Higher Education. In J. Pelet (Ed.), Advanced Web Applications and Progressing E-Learning 2.0 Technologies in Higher Education (pp. 128–149). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-15225-7435-4.ch007 McGinn, A. L. (2019). Synchronous Online Learning: The Experiences of Graduate Students in an Educational Technology Program. In J. Yoon & P. Semingson (Eds.), Educational Technology and Resources for Synchronous Learning in Higher Education (pp. 279–302). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7567-2.ch014 Merzon, E., Galimullina, E., & Ljubimova, E. (2019). A Smart Trajectory Model for Teacher Training. In A. Darshan Singh, S. Raghunathan, E. Robeck, & B. Sharma (Eds.), Cases on Smart Learning Environments (pp. 164–187). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-6136-1.ch010 Moos van Wyk, M. (2018). Flipping the Class for Students to Learn to Teach Economics. In R. Zheng (Ed.), Digital Technologies and Instructional Design for Personalized Learning (pp. 287–306). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-3940-7.ch014 Mouri, K., Ren, Z., Uosaki, N., & Yin, C. (2019). Analyzing Learning Patterns Based on Log Data from Digital Textbooks. International Journal of Distance Education Technologies, 17(1), 1–14. doi:10.4018/IJDET.2019010101 Mukherjee, A., Goyal, P., Singh, A., Khosla, A. K., Ahuja, K., & Chand, K. (2019). Pursuit of Research: A Gamified Approach Promoting Research Engagement Among Undergraduate Students. In K. Walters & P. Henry (Eds.), Fostering Multiple Levels of Engagement in Higher Education Environments (pp. 132–155). Hershey, PA: IGI Global. doi:10.4018/978-1-5225-7470-5. ch006

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About the Author

Pam Epler, Ph.D., has a master’s degree in special education and a doctorate degree in curriculum and instruction. Her doctoral research focused on the Response to Intervention (RTI) service delivery model in the secondary educational environment. She has taught and been an administrator in both the public and private sectors, from the elementary through collegiate levels. She currently teaches undergraduate and graduate-level courses and serves as a doctoral chairperson. Her research interests include RTI strategies, special education teachers’ roles in RTI, special education service delivery models, and preservice teachers’ perceptions of special education students, teacherpreneurships, and differentiational teaching strategies.

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Index

A

E

Active Listener 81 Advocate 27, 41 Agent of Reform 60

Educational Reform 7, 42-43, 45, 53, 116, 119 Entrepreneur 3-4, 11, 13, 23, 35-36, 69, 101 Ethical 24, 28, 30, 41, 110

B Business Teacherpreneur 10-13, 16, 23, 61, 69-71, 74

C Characteristics 5-6, 16, 24-25, 28, 34, 36, 41, 45, 47, 69, 119-120 Classroom Teacherpreneur 5-7, 9, 11, 14, 16, 23, 25, 31, 61, 64-66, 68, 74, 7983, 91, 109, 125 Collaboration 4, 8, 13, 23, 28, 44, 53, 6566, 70, 103, 109, 115, 119 Consultant Teacherpreneur 14-16, 23, 61, 66-68, 73-74, 79-80, 84-88, 90-91, 97, 102, 106-109, 122, 125 Co-Teaching 8, 60 Critical Eye 108, 115 Current Research 8, 15

D Department-Level Chair 78 Differentiate 66, 105 Digital Learning 102, 115 Digital Literacy 42, 54, 60

F Final Thoughts 116-117, 125 Flexibility 34-35, 41, 99-100, 106 Future Research 116-117, 119

G Grade-Level Chair 78

I Identified Specific Need 83, 97 Influence 9, 12, 49, 73, 101, 104, 115, 119, 121, 125 Innovation 2, 6, 23, 53, 82, 116 Innovative 3, 6, 8, 11, 29, 31-32, 41, 44, 61, 63, 65, 67, 80, 82, 88, 92, 101102, 106, 120 Innovator 9-10, 23, 67, 78 Innovator Teacherpreneur 9-10, 23 Isolation 43, 104, 107, 115, 125

L Leader 3, 11, 23, 28

Index

M

S

Manager 67-68, 78 Marketeer 66, 78 Mentor 11, 28, 32, 60, 64-65, 73, 79, 85, 87, 97, 102, 104 Mentoring 35, 83, 89, 97, 105 Mindset of Success 81, 97

School Administrator 27, 60, 62-64, 68, 100, 102 Seasoned Teacher 115 Self-Efficacy 44, 60 Skill Set 24, 28, 74, 90, 92, 97 Specialty Teacher 49, 60 Sphere of Influence 101, 115 Stakeholder 23

N Networker 26 Networking 26-27, 66, 68, 78, 97, 107, 115

O Online Applications 71, 74 Online Job Opportunities 97

P Passion 23, 28-30, 36, 41, 68, 92, 110 Professional Development 7-8, 15-16, 23, 28, 60, 62-64, 68, 74, 79, 81, 83, 89, 92, 98-99, 104, 109, 126

R Recommendations 116-117, 119 Responsibility 32, 44, 53, 61-64, 120 Risk-Taker 26, 41

T Takeaways 116-117, 122 Teacher Leadership 42-43, 45, 119 Teacherpreneur 1-16, 23-36, 41-42, 45, 4749, 52, 60-74, 79-87, 89-91, 97-104, 106-110, 116, 118-122, 125 Teacherpreneur Models 52, 61, 64, 74, 119 Teacherpreneurship 1, 4-5, 8, 16, 30, 45, 61-62, 81, 83, 92, 100, 105, 117-118, 120-121, 125 Teachers Pay Teachers 6, 71, 73-74, 78, 89, 102, 107, 118

V Visionary 5, 25, 41, 82

159