Today we’d like to introduce you to Michelle Singh.
Michelle, we appreciate you taking the time to share your story with us today. Where does your story begin?
My story began when I was a child living in Jamaica with my family. I remember having this playroom area in our family home. I remember coming home from school and going to play with my toys each day. This one day, I learned to spell a tricky word, anxious –with an x. I could not wait to come home and share this new knowledge. That day, I lined up my teddy bears and dolls in the playroom. I wanted to teach them how to spell this word and feel the joy I felt when I learned it. I could not have been more than seven years old at this time, and I remember this experience vividly. As I reflect, I see now that my life’s calling was presented to me as early as then.
Fast forward to today…I am still a teacher. In my role, I am not what you consider a traditional teacher, though. As founder and CEO of LCT-E Learning Solutions, the work I do is focused on coaching educators and consulting with schools. Every day, I share stories with educators all over the world. Every day, I give them the tools and strategies they can use to see the actual value in their students. My work empowers, elevates, and energizes educators to know the value, beauty, and brilliance in ALL their students.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
Before I was an entrepreneur, I was a classroom teacher, curriculum specialist, and adjunct professor. I served my teenage students for over ten years as their English/Language Arts instructor. I worked with educators and administrators for almost five years as a leader in my school district. I also shared my knowledge with the college students I taught as a professor for about eight years. Each of these roles gave me beautiful memories, but they also taught me hard lessons. I learned to be flexible and patient, developed my problem-solving abilities, increased my creativity and confidence, and discovered new skills and talents. I also learned how to prioritize, ask for help, and not sweat the small stuff. In all that growth over those 15 years, I did not start to be the teacher I dreamed of until I started my business. In this space I created for myself, I can be as loud, bold, and creative as I want to be. I can develop programs and curricula the way I see fit based on my experience and expertise as a person of color. I ultimately design to benefit students who are often shortchanged, black and brown children.
Although my company’s mission is noble, the work is tiresome (and expensive). I have to stay abreast of the latest educational trends. I am writing my dissertation, and this requires much late-night research and writing. I must also create and spend a lot of time designing programs and curriculum. Outside of this content and creative work, I have to understand how to structure and run a business and build my brand. This is something I have zero experience in doing. So, I have a huge learning curve, and I must also rely on others for support and services.
One of the first things I sought to do when I started my business was to get my branding and website complete. Unfortunately, the first company I hired for my branding took my money and produced nothing I could use. I had to hire a lawyer to get some of what I had paid them back. This roadblock delayed my business launch by several months and caused me to lose momentum and business opportunities. I could not let this hold me back because I understood the value of my business in the educational community. So, I got creative in how I could bring in some extra money. I also researched other services and found a business coach that was the ideal fit for my business’s vision. By working with this coach, I was able to get my website, branding, social media, and much more set up.
To sum up, the biggest lesson I learned here was to trust God’s plan and stay faithful and optimistic. Being delayed did not mean that I was denied. On the contrary, the wait produced a better outcome for me and my business.
Appreciate you sharing that. What should we know about LCT-E Learning Solutions?
I would first like to share why my company is called LCT-E Learning Solutions. At first, I was going to use my name and call the company Michelle Singh Consulting, but that did not feel right. Instead, I wanted my company to have a name that demonstrated exactly what it does. So after playing with some words and acronyms, I finally decided on LCT-E. Each letter stands for the actions of my company. We lead, create, and teach to EMPOWER our clients.
LCT-E Learning Solutions works with educators and administrators in the K-12 educational space. As a result of working with our company, schools achieve learning gains. We specialize in equitable teaching, technology transformation, and higher-order thinking skills infusion. In addition, we concentrate on the tenets of culturally responsive pedagogy, and we integrate technology in everything we do.
LCT-E Learning Solutions takes pride in addressing and supporting the diverse needs of our clients (adults and children alike). We listen to them, learn from them, create for and with them, and teach them. This is what makes us unique. We use our expertise, experience, and research to package plans, programs, and positive outcomes for our clients. We lead, listen, and learn. We create, coach, and cultivate. We teach, train, and tailor the learning. Above all, we empower, elevate, and engage.
Are there any apps, books, podcasts, blogs or other resources you think our readers should check out?
Apps I use daily are the I Am and Bible apps. One of the Bible verses I read and repeat daily on the Bible app is from Philippians 4:8. It states, “Finally, brothers and sisters, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.” I use the I Am app for the affirmation reminders I get throughout the day. Both of these apps help me to maintain a positive mindset and put this positivity into action. As a business owner, this is necessary. Each day is different when you work with clients from various places and walks of life. You also experience lots of roadblocks that you must gracefully overcome. Therefore, it is crucial to have a mindset of positivity, faith, and progress.
I cannot say I have a favorite when it comes to books, podcasts, blogs, and other resources. I can, however, name a few resources that have been quite beneficial in my entrepreneurial journey. I have read books by Lisa Nichols and listened to her YouTube videos. I even attended her conferences. In addition, I have been working with a coach, Nicole Roberts Jones. Her support and knowledge have been invaluable. She has taught me to restructure my business. And she has seen my blindspots and turned them into opportunities for revenue. The resources from Lisa Nichols and Nicole Roberts Jones have transformed my business.
Contact Info:
- Email: info@lctelearning.com
- Website: https://lctelearning.com/
- Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/lctelearning/
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/lctelearning
- Twitter: https://twitter.com/lctelearning
- Youtube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCpYRymkF_SpTePBCKuoC6pA
- Other: https://www.linkedin.com/company/lctelearning/
