We asked educators who self-identify as edupreneurs or teacherpreneurs how they define themselves and here is what some of them had to say.
“My background is in education. I resigned from being a public school teacher to reach more children with an approach that worked for me in my classroom.”
“I am still working on the definition…”
“I think “once a teacher, always a teacher” describes those who have spent any time and had any success in the teaching profession. Teachers are givers. We make other people’s lives better. An edupreneur does exactly the same thing. The differences are the students are older and the faces in the “classrooms” (translations: seminars, workshops, blog readers, journal article readers, etc.) change daily.”
“A visionary with talent in ideation and communication that seeks to leverage creativity and design process to deliver solutions that help others innovate how they educate.”
“As an Edupreneur, I define myself as empathic and purpose-driven as it relates to the non-profit organization I am creating. Empathic because I am a first generation college-goer with first-hand awareness of the bubble in which public school decision-makers operate with regard to meeting the needs of students like the one I was growing up. Schools operate from the assumption that one method of supporting most students should support all students, but it does not. For students who do not have a college-going tradition in their families, navigating the public school system can be challenging and completely out of their frame of reference. Moreover, schools traditionally do not do a good job of reaching out to and educating the parents of these students about how best to support their children through school. As a result, first generation college goers are often unfairly positioned as gatekeepers of their own educational futures without the knowledge or family history to serve in this role. Understanding this problem from both a learner’s and an educator’s perspective makes my work as an edupreneur uniquely purpose-driven as well.”
“I am an educational consultant specializing in Reading/Language Arts and Educational Media and Technology, living in the San Francisco Bay Area.”
“As an Edupreneur, I’m somebody that combines the skillset of an entrepreneur with the background of an educator to create inspired educational ventures.”
“My passion is to change the paradigm of education, to be an iconoclast! At our company we believe that collaboration is leading us into a new knowledge revolution and am happy to see that more and more people are embracing technology in the classroom. By being an edupreneur you get the chance to be part of a revolution (a good one), there’s a tectonic shift going-on…and it’s just beginning.”
“Edupreneur is a person who learns, shares and empowers the world with a specialized subject. This person takes time to learn ,build the assets and then share it with a world.As the subjects he gives/adds value to another individual eventually he gets benefit and establishes himself as an edupreneur.”
“After over 10 years in higher ed teaching teachers about engineering and computer science, I have found that the university structure does not move fast enough for the needs of the teachers.” “From an independent position, I can offer teachers the same practical, cost-effective lessons and curriculum at reasonable prices. Moreover, I can more easily move into more modern modes of delivery such as on-demand webinars, blog posts, and web references.”
“While I’m still a full-time public school teacher, I am gradually adding to my “bag of tricks,” looking to retirement. I am southeast regional director for an educational company, an edu-consulting firm, specializing in training teachers to implement a great critical thinking tool. Also a common core standards coach, my favorite thing is tutoring students, one-on-one in composition, Latin, music. And as a board member for our local arts council, I am spearheading the formation of a Jr. Arts Council to promote the artistic accomplishments of our students.”
“Instead of waiting for solutions, I am finding possible solutions.”
“I derive a lot of pleasure teaching students as well as designing new modules of calculations which is intended to enable them perform certain complex questions in mathematics and chemistry in a maximum of two seconds without any writing aids. These I envision will greatly improve their performance, build their confidence in tackling questions and produce better grades by bridging the complains of time allocation insufficiencies.”
“I consider myself a teacher–just for a wider audience. When I was teaching in public schools, I was always looking for projects that would enhance my student learning. My fourth year of teaching, I created a trivia game to use in teaching social studies. My work now is similar–I am involved in projects (workshops, consulting, and writing) that enhance student learning on a brooder scale.”
“I want to take the frustrations we have in education today and turn them into opportunities for a new business.”
Do you consider yourself to be an edupreneur or teacherpreneur? If so, comment below and share your thoughts!