Patrice Thompson’s Journey to Education Entrepreneurship
Published: | by Alex Skov
The clock is ticking on Patrice Thompson’s tenure as a full-time classroom teacher. As she prepares for her next professional chapter after the current academic year, she admits the transition comes with a unique set of challenges.
“I have this cognitive and emotional whiplash going from somebody who’s trying to start a business to somebody who’s dealing with [situations] like, ‘He hit me on the playground,’” she said.
While she has been teaching elementary-aged children in Morrocco for nearly 3 years, Thompson is launching a business that encompasses translanguaging consulting for learning institutions and organizing academic summer camps. The first of these camps is scheduled to launch in China this summer — with planned expansion to other locations already in the works — and will integrate math, physical education, drama, and STEM subjects into hands-on learning experiences for students. Teachers who work at the camp will receive free professional development in translanguaging strategies.
“There’s a lot happening,” Thompson said with a smile. “I’m very tired.”
So how did she arrive at this exciting career pivot? Her path to becoming a specialized education consultant and business owner is a testament to the power of lifelong learning, strategic skill-building, and finding the right educational support system.
Building a Foundation in Global Education
While Thompson earned her bachelor’s degree in psychology, her passion for connecting with others made education a clear fit for her early on. For more than 15 years, Thompson has been changing students’ lives around the world.
“I taught English in South Korea, [and] I taught English to students who were learning English for American universities in the U.S.,” Thompson recounted. “I moved to China and I worked in local schools there, and I got my teaching license through Moreland [University] then I started working in international schools there, and then I got my M.Ed. for globalization in education.”
Thompson also earned a master’s in international business prior to getting her teaching license, and that was all before she moved to Morocco a few years ago.
It’s safe to say that Thompson has had “a lot happening” for a while now.
Throughout these transitions, though, she recognized that teaching in international schools offered a unique opportunity to immerse herself in diverse environments and work with students and teachers from a wide range of backgrounds and cultures. This naturally aligned with her interest in learning languages — she began learning Spanish as a child and German as a teenager, becoming fluent in both before adding Mandarin (conversational fluency), Moroccan Arabic, and French to her repertoire.
“Being in an international school means that I get all of that exposure to these groups of different nationalities [both] professionally with my colleagues and then also with students, which I think is really, really fun,” Thompson said, “and then the languages just totally tie into that and the reason I got so passionate about translanguaging when I heard about it for the first time [about] five years ago is because I was like, ‘Oh, that’s it! That’s connecting my passions to my career as a teacher!’”
Thompson dove into the new concept head-first.
“Translanguaging is an umbrella term where we help students access the curriculum without lowering our standards, so when we talk about translation, yes, that is connected [because] translating something so that students can connect to the content is a part of the overall view,” she explained. “My course is called the Translanguaging Mindset because when you when you look at the content from the lens of the student’s background, this student has a rich depth of knowledge from their language and [culture] and I can help them access the content using that, then it really opens up a world.”
In addition to enhancing her students’ learning, Thompson’s enthusiasm for languages also led her to create a podcast called “Language Nerds to Earth,” which explored language, culture, and travel. Producing over 60 episodes gave her valuable content creation experience that is now serving her well as she builds her consulting brand and runs The Translanguaging Teacher channel on YouTube.
Advancing with Moreland University
Among her other professional discoveries abroad, Thompson came to understand that she needed to formalize her teaching credentials if she wanted to build a sustainable career working in international schools.
Looking for a fully online program that would allow her to earn a state-issued teaching license remotely, Thompson enrolled in Moreland’s 12-month Master’s in Education with Teaching Credential program. The program was a perfect fit for someone with such a busy schedule, allowing Thompson to simultaneously add a U.S. teaching certification and an M.Ed. with an emphasis in globalization to her resume.
“I always tell my friends who are interested in getting their teacher certification to apply [to Moreland] because I think it’s an awesome program,” Thompson said. “It was really flexible and it met me where I where I needed to be in terms of timing.”
She noted that the curriculum pushed her to think deeply and flex her creative muscles, requiring her to design innovative solutions rather than just complete traditional assignments, which was “great because teachers have to be creative and have to think on [their] feet all the time.”
The emphasis on practical application also stood out to her in contrast to international business master’s program that she had previously completed.
“I love that everything I did in the [M.Ed.] program was connected to what I was doing in my school. I would read something from my program and I was like, ‘Oh, I can totally see this in my school.’ This is really interesting to me because I can see the effects and I can think about it during the week, like how this reading was connected to what I’m what I’m doing professionally,” Thompson shared.
Cultivating Strong Support Systems
A major component of Thompson’s success during her M.Ed. program was the robust support and networking opportunities Moreland University provided. In addition to the global cohort model that connects Moreland candidates with other educators around the world, she noted her instructor Paul Magnusson as a key factor in her growth.
“He is such an awesome resource and he’s a connector of people,” she said, mentioning that they still keep in touch via a networking group for international education professionals where Thompson and her peers share projects and discuss global education trends.
Professional Realization and Career Pivot
Today, Thompson’s unique combination of dual master’s degrees has perfectly prepared her for her next career move. Her deep understanding of both organizational management and advanced educational strategies allows her to confidently step into the role of a business owner.
While developing her business with a partner in China and balancing a full-time teaching job has required early mornings and long hours, Thompson is thrilled to see her passions finally coming together. She does have one more specific idea for the future, however: “Every once in a while I’ll take a vacation and say the laptop stays at home for my mental health.”
Moreland is ready to support you and your teaching goals. Complete your free application to our 100% online 9-month TEACH-NOW Teacher Certificate Preparation Program or one of our 12-month master’s degree programs today. It takes less than 15 minutes to take this important step in your teaching journey.
