Teachers as entrepreneurs

I've often said that teachers are like entrepreneurs. Their classroom is their business and on any given day they must sell, innovate, create, inspire, and improve their skills in order to succeed in their primary function, namely teaching knowledge and skills for today while developing life-long learners and problem solvers for tomorrow. They must individualize their product (instruction) to fit the needs of each child which means knowing their children well enough to recognize those individual needs. All the while, they are required to manage behaviors that range from angelic to outrageous. Failure in an area can bring less than stellar results. As an administrator, I must value this entrepreneurial spirit while recognizing that the rugged individualism that goes with it is no longer sufficient. Therefore, one of my roles is to foster collaboration. Fortunately, most teachers have already discovered this necessity and are willing to work with each other for the overall success of the school.  This makes my job easier as long as I provide the structure and environment to allow for true collaboration to occur.