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.
TopTeacherpreneur 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.
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.
Key Terms in this Chapter
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.
Ethical: Being dependable and honest in all actions and interactions.
Advocate: A teacherpreneur who fights for change on the school, district, state, and national level.
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.
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.
Risk-Taker: Someone willing to fail; in teaching, someone unafraid to experiment with new methods and learn from their mistakes.
Innovative: Creating and introducing inventive and groundbreaking approaches and ideas.