ITP - 119: From Classroom to Startup – Building a Global Math Platform

JPMint: Welcome to the ITP Podcast. I’m one of your co-hosts, Jacqueline from JP Mint Consulting, and I have Kent the Cat Guy here.

Kent: JP, I don’t want to interrupt your introduction, but I just want to say Greg the Single Guy is not with us tonight. I want to dispel some rumors—Greg is not an artificial intelligence being. He is very real and will be back soon. Big shout-out to our co-host, Greg.

JPMint: Today we are joined by three guests from all over the planet. This will be fun to balance the time zones. We have Caitlin dialing in from Australia, Eloise from Mozambique, and Hannah from El Salvador.

Kent: Hi Caitlin.

Caitlin: Hi.

Kent: Hi Eloise.

JPMint: And Hannah from El Salvador. Kent, can you take it over? That was a lot to remember.

Kent: Let’s go around. Caitlin, we’ll start with you, then Eloise, then Hannah. Give us a quick elevator pitch—who you are, where you grew up, and your background.

Caitlin: I grew up in Western Australia in a small town. I initially studied journalism and worked for a couple of newspapers—one in building and one in business. I quickly realized it wasn’t for me.

My husband and I took time off and rode motorbikes around the world. Along the way, we met a lot of teachers in unexpected places, which got me thinking about teaching. While traveling, I completed my teaching degree online and switched professions.

JPMint: I’m always curious—how can you become a teacher online? Is that still possible?

Caitlin: In Australia, if you have an undergraduate degree, you can complete a teaching qualification—now a two-year master’s, though mine was one year at the time. Coursework is online, but placements are in person. I did one placement in Panama while traveling and others back home.

JPMint: That’s really cool.

Kent: Eloise, let’s go to you. Tell us about yourself.

Eloïse Engel: I’m Eloise, though Caitlin and Hannah call me Wheezy. I have French and Italian parents but grew up in Germany. My dad was a painter and my mom was an opera singer.

Naturally, I thought I should become an opera singer until my sister told me my voice was terrible. Then I thought I’d become a flight attendant so I could travel, but my aunt said that’s just being a waitress in the air. So I decided to become a teacher—and no one objected.

JPMint: You found the right profession.

Kent: Some days teaching feels like being a flight attendant on the ground.

JPMint: So how did you get into teaching?

Eloïse Engel: After high school, I studied teaching in Germany. I loved it, but I realized I didn’t feel fully at home there. I moved to Switzerland for a while, but I always wanted to travel.

A friend told me about international teaching. I signed my first contract thinking I’d do two years and go back. That was almost 20 years ago.

JPMint: You got the travel bug. One of the big draws of teaching overseas is the respect—from parents, colleagues, and students. It often feels like everyone is on the same team.

Eloïse Engel: That’s very true.

Kent: Hannah, tell us about yourself.

Hannah: I’m English but grew up in the United States, in Atlanta. My mom comes from a long line of teachers and taught in Kenya, so I grew up knowing you could live and work abroad.

My first job was in Kazakhstan. I was young and didn’t bring a coat to what was then the coldest capital in the world. I’ve learned a lot since then and lived in several countries. Now I’m in El Salvador, where I definitely don’t need a coat.

Kent: Welcome to all three of you. You’re clearly connected—how did you meet?

Caitlin: Hannah and I met first while teaching in Malawi. Eloise joined later as our principal. Malawi is called the warm heart of Africa, and we really loved our time there.

When the pandemic happened, everything went online. After that, we ended up in different countries but wanted to keep working together. So we started a project that became a math resource platform.

Kent: Eloise, how did you get involved?

Eloïse Engel: As their principal, I saw their energy, creativity, and passion. When we all moved on, we wanted to stay connected.

They had this dream—what if we could make teaching better? They talked about something like Netflix for education, where you could browse lessons. One day they asked if I wanted to join, and I said yes.

Kent: How did math become your focus?

Hannah: Math is a very divisive subject. Everyone has an opinion—they love it or hate it.

Our goal was to make students enjoy math. We’d constantly challenge ourselves to make lessons more engaging so students would say, “I didn’t even realize that was math.”

Caitlin: I liked starting the year with a game and not telling students it was math. At the end, I’d ask who liked math and then reveal they’d been doing it the whole time.

JPMint: Is your platform for teachers, students, or parents?

Hannah: Ultimately both, but right now it’s focused on teachers. We help them create engaging lessons, ask deeper questions, and support students while challenging them. The long-term goal is to expand to students and parents.

Kent: How long have you been working on this?

Eloïse Engel: About three and a half years. We thought it would take six months. It didn’t.

We officially launched last October and presented at a conference. Along the way, we learned a lot—not just about education, but about running a business, trademarks, and partnerships.

The most valuable part has been feedback from teachers. It’s helped us refine the platform and better understand what educators need.

Kent: What’s next for the project?

Hannah: Growing the community and reaching more teachers. We’re learning about marketing and building connections.

We want to create an authentic community where teachers share challenges and successes and learn from each other.

JPMint: You’ve hinted at it, but I want to make sure listeners can find you. The platform is called Awesomenicity. It’s colorful and has a bit of a marine theme. There’s a character on there—what is it exactly?

Hannah: It’s Ziggy the chameleon. That’s the unofficial name.

JPMint: It looks great. Who did the graphic design?

Caitlin: We hired a designer. We had a lot of ideas—bright colors, a diving theme, and a chameleon. It was a challenge, but it turned out really well. The chameleon represents how education is always changing and evolving.

Kent: How are you funding the project?

Caitlin: We’re self-funded. Hannah and I are working on it full time, and Eloise is still a principal. We used our savings so we could maintain control over the vision and keep it aligned with what teachers need.

Kent: Eloise, is there a greater need now for something like this?

Eloïse Engel: I think it’s always been needed, but especially now. Math used to be about one right answer—you either got it or you didn’t.

Now we focus on inclusion and differentiation. Teachers have a wide range of learners and limited time to plan. We wanted to support both teachers and students by helping design better lessons and ask deeper questions.

Kent: Hannah, who inspires your work?

Hannah: Jo Boaler is a big inspiration. She shows that math is creative and not just about right or wrong answers.

Her work influences how we design lessons—making them inquiry-based so students can discover concepts with guidance.

Kent: Caitlin, what about AI?

Caitlin: Right now we’re focused on the human side—conceptual learning and problem-solving. That kind of teaching requires creativity.

AI may get there, but currently it leans toward rote tasks. The human connection is something we don’t think can be replaced.

Kent: I agree.

Caitlin: Especially in primary, relationships are everything. That’s what makes teaching special.

JPMint: Who is your ideal user?

Caitlin: We thought it would be newer teachers, but experienced teachers are using it too. It saves time while improving lesson quality.

Eloïse Engel: We also made sure it works globally. You don’t need expensive materials—just simple resources to create engaging lessons.

Hannah: Even though it’s digital, the goal is real interaction. Students collaborate and learn together.

JPMint: How does it align with curricula?

Hannah: We’ve aligned with Common Core, the Australian and UK curricula, and IB-style approaches. Teachers can search by topic or objective.

Kent: Are you still interacting with users directly?

Caitlin: Yes. We run free monthly webinars and respond to emails.

Hannah: We love connecting with teachers—it improves the platform.

Eloïse Engel: Building community is key. We actively gather feedback.

JPMint: How can people reach you?

Caitlin: Through the website and social media—LinkedIn, Instagram, and YouTube.

Eloïse Engel: We also share a monthly newsletter.

JPMint: We’ll include that in the show notes.

Now, police or customs stories?

Kent: Anyone got one?

Caitlin: We were crossing a border in Central Asia on motorbikes without the right paperwork. We were sent back and forth for hours before realizing we’d missed some forms. Once we completed them, we got through. It was exhausting but a good lesson in patience.

Hannah: When I moved to Kazakhstan, I had books shipped that got stuck in customs. I had to fill out paperwork in Russian and pay fees to retrieve them. It taught me to understand local systems.

Eloïse Engel: I once arrived in a country without the correct visa and had to wait in the airport for hours while they sorted it out. Eventually I was allowed in, but it was stressful.

Kent: That’s when you know you’re a real international teacher.

JPMint: You learn flexibility fast.

Kent: Final thoughts—Caitlin?

Caitlin: If you’re thinking about teaching overseas, go for it. You’ll grow in ways you don’t expect.

Hannah: Stay open to opportunities—that’s how this all started.

Eloïse Engel: Stay curious. Education is always evolving, and that’s what makes it exciting.

JPMint: This has been a great conversation. Thank you all for joining us.

Kent: Check out Awesomenicity and connect with these amazing educators.

JPMint: And to our listeners, we’ll see you next time on the International Teacher Podcast.

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