The One Mindset You Need to Thrive in the New System of Education

As we look ahead to the 2020-2021 school year, it's all too easy to focus on what might go wrong. If anything is certain this year, it's uncertainty. 

As educators, it's this uncertainty that is driving so much of the stress. Educators work well within systems and rules-based environments. They enjoy routines and understand the language of rigid regulations. Uncertainty throws a wrench into carefully laid plans. 

On a recent Magnificent Monday webinar on the topic of “Reopening in Uncertainty,” one participant mentioned:

“This uncertainty is bigger than anything we have ever encountered before. This isn’t the type of uncertainty that educators are proficient at handling and living in daily. Things like kids breaking their arms, getting sick, or a mandate comes down from administrators on a Monday and it has to be implemented by Friday. It’s something we have never gone through before. So being mindful of each other and anyone that is coming into our educational space as a trauma tsunami and really being aware of our reactions is going to be important.”

On the flip side, educators have proven time and again how adaptable and innovative they can be in the face of unprecedented upheaval. 

Already, educators are innovating and facing the pandemic head-on.  

For some, it's about adopting a growth mindset.

For others, it's tossing ideas about what school "is" right out the window and inventing a whole new approach.

It's embracing the potential of modern tech.

It's advocating for students in new ways.

It's anticipating students' emotional needs and learning how to implement trauma-informed teaching.

As Heather Calliham, a first-grade teacher in Greenwood, South Carolina said in a recent interview with the Index-Journal, "We're just ready to get back to doing what we love and being in there with our students whether it's full of masks, hand sanitizer, Kleenex or whatever we have to do."

Change Your Mindset; Change the World

We hear a lot about how education in America is failing, and in some ways, it's true. Governmental red tape has rendered the educational landscape nearly impossible to navigate for teachers, administrators, students, and parents alike — and that's when the world isn't experiencing a pandemic. 

Some educators have become resigned to following the status quo, for all its flaws and limitations. 

Others are rising to the occasion and innovating from within. We call these daring souls "edupreneurs."

Teachers all over the country are disrupting the educational system through the simple, brave act of meeting students where they are. 

Wait. Back up. What's an edupreneur, you ask?

If we had to define it in a single sentence, we'd say something like, "Edupreneurs are educators who embrace the entrepreneurial spirit." But, really, they are so much more. 

Edupreneurs are the people who forge new pathways for their communities when things get tough. Where some see despair, edupreneurs see opportunities for change. 

They dig deep. They disrupt. 

They share their personal talents generously and purposefully. 

Sound familiar? There's a better than even chance you already have an edupreneurial mindset. 

Edupreneurs:

Think Outside the Box

Give an edupreneur a classroom, and they will build an entirely new world inside. It doesn't matter if there aren't enough supplies or if the building could use some repairs. Edupreneurs take nothing and create something valuable, every single day. 

Look at the Big Picture

Edupreneurs understand the importance of individual contribution to the greater good. They inspire students and their coworkers to use their personal strengths and talents to make a difference. 

Take Action

Edupreneurs don't wait around for the right time. When action needs to be taken, they do what needs to be done. 

Live Daringly

Edupreneurers respect systems, but they also know when it's necessary to disrupt the status quo.  

Here's the best part. Edupreneurs are people just. like. you. 

You don't have to have an "entrepreneur" passion to have an edupreneurial mindset. This isn't about income, starting a business, or working beyond the classroom. It's about taking the mindset found in edupreneurs and translating it to your classroom, your school.  

Take the example of the New York City teacher who refused to stand idly by while her students struggled against a system set up seemingly to let them fail. There weren't enough books, or desks, or teachers. Her school was physically crumbling, along with the spirit of almost every educator in the building. 

She could have quit. She could have taken her talents and education to a more affluent community, or, like so many of her college classmates, she could have left the field altogether. 

Instead, she took a look around and realized that though the system seemed broken, she had the power to change the score, anyway. She partnered with community organizations and businesses to get the building fixed up. She leveraged her passion for education to get parents and teachers to buy into a new educational approach—one tailored to her students' real needs, not some generic ideal of what a student should be. 

And it worked. Today, the failing school is a nationally-recognized magnet school focused on helping students thrive, not just survive. 

This kind of edupreneurial spirit is precisely what will lead our communities through the next challenging era and the one after that. 

While we can't predict what might happen this year, there is one thing we can say with certainty. Educators, as always, are ready. 

Which of Your Strengths Has the Power to Change the World?

Sandi Herrera developed Educator Dynamics' Educator to Edupreneur Master Class to help educators learn how to unlock the unique talents that will empower them to chart new courses. Start your journey to edupreneurship by signing up for a free micro-class today.