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5 Reasons Why Your Startup Should Hire A Teacher

This article is more than 6 years old.

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As a former classroom teacher and academic advisor who has worked with three startups over the past two years, I've come to realize that I consistently use many of the skills today that I developed while working on the ground floor of education. The skills and traits I've acquired during those years directly correlate with entrepreneurial characteristics. Effective teachers are some of the hardest working, most dedicated, and compassionate professionals.

Also, they have various transferable skills that can and should make them some of the most sought-after additions to any startup.

According to the National Education Association, the US employed 3.2 million teachers from 2015‒16. If you do a search on LinkedIn for the word 'teacher', you will find 7.4 million profiles that hold this professional title. And, although the teacher attrition rate has gone down, there are plenty of educators looking for new roles.

Here are five reasons why you should consider hiring a teacher for your startup:

  1. Effective teachers have strong emotional IQ's. Teachers walk into a classroom every morning, and the first thing they notice is the mood of the class. After working with their students for a short time, they can pick up on students' needs in a short amount of time. Within months, they can sense student emotion, and they know the best approach when it comes to working with hundreds of kids on a daily basis. Their grand sense of compassion, understanding and knowing when to move forward quickly or hold back can become like instinct. This trait is valuable for any startup-especially given the timing when Generation X, Millennials, and Baby Boomers are working together.
  2. They have strong organization skills. Teachers prepare thousands of lessons, build curriculum, work with students who have different needs, keep records, attend meetings, take professional development courses, and deal with changes all day long. They are highly flexible and organized at the same time. Educators must be organized because things can change at any given time. Therefore, keeping things organized is a must not only for their success but also for the success of their students. This skill is critical when it comes to keeping startups on track.
  3. They make decisions based on data. The most effective teachers gather and analyze their students' work in the forms of summative and formative assessments. And, according to TeachThought, they make over 1,500 decisions per day, which is equivalent to a minimum of four choices per minute, based on a six-hour workday. Teachers know how to look at performance-based data and make firm analytical decisions. The ability to make quick data based decisions-and know when to put the brakes on, move faster, or pivot is a critical skill that can be valuable for any startup environment.
  4. They know how to sell. Every day, teachers must convince students and parents to buy their lessons. They are constantly pitching new ideas, gathering feedback, making changes, and selling. If teachers can market their curriculums to an entire community, they can also sell something that they believe is valuable within a startup. Once a teacher believes in something, there is usually no reason for pause. They have to sell themselves every day in front of their audience while making sure to keep their stakeholders (parents and administrators) happy.
  5. They are dedicated. You will probably find very few people more dedicated to a cause than teachers. Once you've gotten into the heart of the teacher, and they love your product or service, they will do whatever they can to help. Teachers work around the clock, bringing home papers to grade every night and on the weekends. They are some of the most reliable, motivated and passionate people you can find. And, the most effective teachers always stand by their word.

If your startup receives an application or resume from a former educator, you may want to consider twice before tossing it away.

Consider bringing an educator into your new business; you may just find one of the best hires with strong entrepreneurial skills to help move your startup to the next level.

 

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