What Makes a Great Online Business Teacher?

Did you have a favorite teacher growing up? 

I had a few. 🥰

• Mrs. Kidd, my 4th grade teacher. (The photo up there, why am I so mad?!? 😒)
• Ms. Roman, my middle school art teacher. 
• Ms. Payne, my high school yearbook advisor.

They were the best of the best. Which made me start thinking about the worst of the worst. 😳

• Ms. Brown in elementary school.
• Ms. Norman in middle school.
• And some math teacher in high school. I can’t even remember her name. 🙄

Then I started thinking, what made the best ones so good, and the bad ones so bad? And I realized...

The best teachers see you as a person.

They got to know me.

They gave me great feedback and loving encouragement.

I stayed after school and volunteered and listened to Spice Girls while we finished up a Yearbook deadline.

There was a true connection for both of us I think.

And the bad ones didn’t get to know me at all. They seemed like they didn’t really even want to be there. Like they didn’t even like teaching. And there was zero connection. 🙅‍♀️

I think that’s one of the keys to being a great teacher and possibly happier human.

Great Teachers Build Relationships

Matt, the kids, and I watched School of Rock last Friday and I got a lil’ misty eyed thinking about how much I used to love my students. Especially my high schoolers. I saw them every day and although there was a lot about teaching I definitely didn’t love, we did have a lot of fun.

To be honest, Jack Black and I had a very similar teaching style.

One time I wore Heelys to school. (You know, the shoes with wheels in the heels?) My friend Natalie and I thought it was funny to wear those to the bar and glide past people. We were probably in our late 20s. 🤣

I started an acapella group with another teacher after I saw that movie Pitch Perfect. (It’s harder than it looks.)

I used to make certain classes cake pops if they earned enough points. (Remember, these were high schoolers.)

We had fun. They knew I cared about them. 

And now I can say that’s exactly what makes me so passionate about being a great community leader for all the solopreneurs inside The Playhouse too!

When it comes to the people you're giving your money to in the online business world...

Do they know their students’ names? Their businesses? Do they know anything about their students as people? 

Do they build actual relationships? 

Because those are people’s favorite teachers, don’t you think?

And if you’re paying a ton of money for a teacher, mentor, coach, whatever you wanna call it, I kinda feel like you deserve to have a great one. No?

My biz bud Azhelle Wade (aka The Toy Coach) talked about what makes a great teacher on my podcast back in the day. You might recognize her from season one of On Brand with Jimmy Fallon and my girl Bozoma Saint John from Real Housewives of Beverly Hills! 🤩

And just in case you were wondering if I was a good teacher...

Lemme just do a little "authority building." 🤪🙄

I was voted “coolest teacher” by the students three years in a row and named "teacher of the year" by my administration.

That's the mix I bring to The Playhouse, and so do the other people. Being human and getting sh*t done. 💥

But I was funny, and I cared about them, so I think that's what made me so cool. And I was an effing good teacher.

So let's discuss in the comments... what makes a good online business teacher? What makes a bad one? 😈 😬