Juanita Harris from Texarkana, Ark., has taught kindergarten for 11 years. Over her career, she felt that educators were overworked, underpaid, overloaded, undervalued, overwhelmed, and underappreciated.
Harris decided to start a benefit corporation called Teachers Support Teachers in 2019 to encourage teachers. The mission of TST is “Encouraging the Hearts that Shape the Mind.”
When she started on the path to small business ownership, a benefit corporation was a foreign concept.
With only a handful of B Corps in the state of Arkansas, Harris turned to her local Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center for guidance.
Kristen Cribb of the Southern Arkansas University ASBTDC began to provide educational material for Harris, who received both her bachelor’s and master’s degrees from SAU.
The B Corps model fit her plans.
Benefit corporations have a unique purpose that differs from traditional corporations. While traditional corporations have a single duty to maximize profit, benefit corporations have the increased purpose of considering society and the environment in addition to seeking a profit.
Harris says the assistance of the ASBTDC was an invaluable asset to her.
“I was blessed to have someone with me from conceptualization to reality. The services they provide for free are worth hundreds of dollars per hour, if not more,” she said.
Harris attended the center’s Summer Startup Series of workshops in Camden before starting her business.
“Because of the sessions in Camden, I gained valuable information about taxes and how to do business. I am a better and more informed business owner because God blessed me to connect with the ASBTDC.”
Harris’ venture is steadily gaining momentum.
Teachers Support Teachers registered with the Arkansas Secretary of State’s Office on June 27, 2019. Because Texarkana sits in two states, there are two mayors and both signed a proclamation naming Dec. 8, 2019, the first official Teachers Support Teachers Day. TST launched a social media campaign on May 5, 2020, Teacher Appreciation Day, asking people to tag a teacher, thank a teacher, and pay for a teacher’s meal at the event the following month.
On June 27, 2020, a year after the business launched, the official celebration occurred. The business partnered with Southern Smoke BBQ and fed almost 100 educators at no cost to them. Texarkana got behind TST’s efforts in a major way, and the event was successful and complete with an incredible team of volunteers, balloons, music, and beautiful summer weather.
Teachers Support Teachers just hosted a gala on March 6, 2021.
Harris says the business lives out its mission by providing one opportunity per month for self-care for teachers and anyone working in a Pre-K to 12th grade setting who spends at least 85% of the instructional day with students.
One of her long-term goals is to increase teacher retention. She is also working on partnerships with local and state entities that will allow TST to reach at least 3,000 of the educators in Texarkana.
Harris also hopes to obtain a national trademark for Teachers Support Teachers.
To learn more about her organization, visit the Teachers Support Teachers website or Facebook page.