We’re excited to introduce you to the always interesting and insightful Bejanae Kareem. We hope you’ll enjoy our conversation with Bejanae below.
Bejanae, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. We’d love to have you retell us the story behind how you came up with the idea for your business, I think our audience would really enjoy hearing the backstory.
Prior to the launch of BK International Education Consultancy, I served as a classroom teacher for over 10 years. I recognized the need for teacher training aimed to deepen students’ 21st-century skills and for fully stocked classrooms that lead to innovative learning. During my tenure, I was often frustrated with attending trainings that didn’t move the needle for my kids and constant spending out of pocket. I remember PAYING for classroom supplies, devices, books, incentives, cleaning supplies, etc EVERY YEAR. I later learned that my experiences as an educator were common and caused by inequities in the education system: underfunding of schools and ineffective teacher training. I launched BK International Education Consultancy in 2012 to grow learners by equipping educators with tools for education equity. We believe when educators have the conditions to thrive, students thrive!
One education problem we are tackling is shifting the culture of teacher spending for instructional materials. In the US alone, there are 3.7 million teachers. The practice of teachers spending their own money on classroom materials is nearly universal, approximately 94% according to a report by the U.S. Department of Education. Our goal is to normalize the success of ALL children and teachers by providing the supports needed for them to THRIVE. Our talented team of educators are shifting the landscape of PK-12 school districts, early learning centers, and youth development organizations through expert coaching, accredited courses, beginner-friendly toolkits, and peer community to accelerate learning, increase positive student outcomes, and strengthen educator effectiveness.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
I began my career as an educational professional after earning a Bachelor of Science in Biology with a minor in Chemistry. While working in the science industry, I began tutoring at a high school part-time and was inspired to close the achievement gap for underrepresented students. I applied and was selected as a 2002 Atlanta Teach for America Corps member and served as an elementary teacher for over ten years. My first year of teaching inspired me to obtain Georgia teacher certification, then a Masters of Education in Early Childhood Education, and later a Specialist degree in Education Leadership. Since then, I have taught on all levels of the education continuum from early childhood to post-secondary in virtual and traditional classroom settings all over the globe. I learned I love designing learning experiences for youth and adults, especially in science, technology, engineering, arts, and mathematics (STEAM) education and grant writing.
As such, BK International Education Consultancy’s mission is to advance education equity globally by building PK-12 educators’ capacity to create and sustain innovative learning spaces. Educators need high-impact, real-world immersive experiences coupled with supportive coaching to transform their practices to create safe and supportive learning environments so all children thrive. BK International Education Consultancy is a cut above other education training/service providers because we:
*Have over 20+ years of substantive knowledge of the PK-12 educational landscape
*Deliver evidence-based, culturally-relevant (in-person or virtual) education products and services
*Award gold-standard Continuing Education Units (CEUs) for completed trainings and micro-courses
BK International Education Consultancy is best in class to tackle teacher training issues because we have a team of phenomenal former classroom teachers and leaders who have deep knowledge of the opportunities and challenges in education today. We connect with families, district staff, local businesses, and nonprofits to garner input on community trends to integrate into our services. We partner with schools to engineer comprehensive evidence-based solutions that meet their unique needs through continuous cycles of improvement.
Have you ever had to pivot?
2020 was my company’s year of resilience. Our revenue took a 73% plunge due to the pandemic. However, I used that time (with the help of remote interns) to create online courses and finish self-publishing a book that I put on the back burner for years. Survey studies report over 94% of U.S. teachers use personal funds to purchase instructional supplies to support student learning. Equipping educators with guidance, resources, and tools to win grants does not only help strengthen support for student learning. Grants can also help to significantly alleviate the financial strain of these personal investments on the wallets of our nation’s teachers, many of whom are underpaid. 12 Quick Steps to Writing Winning Classroom Grants is dedicated to educators. Many teachers may not be aware they have the foundational skills to win grants. As a former elementary school teacher, I designed the book to leverage their expertise in lesson plan development.
Additionally, 2020 allowed us to strategically partner with like-minded nonprofit organizations to relieve some of our capacity burdens as well as apply for several small business grants due to the economic impact of COVID-19. During the pandemic, we were able to pilot portions of the book as FREE webinars for teachers and acquired needed feedback to make the book clearer and more concise for our target audience. We are different from typical training providers because we offer educators the flexibility of completing professional learning at their own pace and in their own place. Our online self-paced and live instructor-led courses are on a range of innovative topics (including Grant Writing for Educators, Expanding Classrooms through Virtual Field Trips, STEAM for Teacher Leaders, Accessible Learning Environments, and Robotics in the Remote Classroom) that teachers can complete safely in their own space and earn the continuing education units required for educator recertification. Our courses are accredited by the International Association of Continuing Education and Training which provides gold-standard documentation for teacher recertification. Additionally, we offer job-embedded coaching to provide ongoing support.
As a result, we were awarded over $17K in grants in 2020, made a strong new community partnership with Metamorphasis Powerhouse Company, and increased our passive income through new products (our newly published book and self-paced online courses) that can be found at www.bkconsultancy.org/shop.
Do you sell on your site, or do you use a platform like Amazon, Etsy, Cratejoy, etc?
We sell our #1 New Seller grant writing starter guide, 12 Quick Steps to Writing Winning Classroom Grants, on Amazon. Through self-publishing through Amazon’s KDP and distributing through IngramSpark, our book easily connected to other ecommerce retailers such as Barnes and Noble, Walmart, Target, etc. The pros are Amazon offers drop shipping options and has regional printing locations near us. These options allow customers to order directly through Amazon, and Amazon will fulfill their order without us having to be the middlewomen. This shipping model gets customers their product faster, and they can utilize Amazon Prime to get their product even faster if they are a member. Amazon also allows authors to track Amazon sales, create discounted pricing campaigns for the book, and order reduced priced author copies that authors can use for giveaways or door prizes.
The cons of using Amazon are that:
- The site doesn’t allow you to see who specifically ordered your product so you cannot gleam geographical location or to resell to specific customers.
2. There are many anti Amazon users.
3. For self-publishing, Amazon only allows authors to create paperbacks or ebooks. We had to go through a third-party self-publisher and distributor to create hardback books. However, we were able to link the hardback books to our Amazon store seamlessly.
I would also like to acknowledge Dr. Kathleen Champlin, Dr. Adrienne Simmons, Dr. Vera Stenhouse, Ketisha Kinnebrew, Shandra Perry, and Shermaine Perry for their feedback, comments, and edits. Special thanks to Lexi Smith, Miguel Galindo, Katherine Ahn, Pamela Jennemyr, Kaitlyn Shi, and Tommy Clay for their contributions to the book. The book would not be as concise without their support and thought partnership.
Contact Info:
- Website: www.bkconsultacy.org
- Instagram: www.instagram.com/bk_consultancy
- Facebook: www.facebook.com/bkconsultancy
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/company/bk-international-education-consultancy
- Twitter: www.twitter.com/bkconsultancy
- Youtube: www.youtube.com/bkconsultancy
- Other: Amazon: tiny.cc/TeacherTools
Image Credits
Karen Artis, Trequita Overton, Chynelle Guiden, Constance Kareem, Lisa Dunnigan