Behind the Scenes of Savoir: Crafting Education that Works

There are 44,000 Educational Consulting Businesses in America. There is only one who operates like we do.

It’s been a successful first four days of Savoir’s launch, and I am thankful for that not only selfishly because it is my heart on a website; I am also thankful that others' hearts are in line with mine.

I wanted to share a little of the story of Savoir. This wasn’t an overnight thing. Savoir came from years of ideas floating around in my brain. Evolving. Growing. Coming out passionately sometimes. VERY passionately.

But I always knew I was on to something that could help teachers, which has to happen in order to help students. And when teachers grow, schools thrive. That’s a return on investment district leaders and EdTech companies can’t afford to ignore.

Grab your coffee and learn about our journey.

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Why Savoir exists and I am not still in schools as a teacher or administrator

I don’t intend to lay out a CV here because none of you are interested in it, but I have extensive teaching experience, extensive teacher leader experience, and a bit of experience in administration. My experience spans preK-12. I’ve worked at the state, district, and classroom level—and I understand how each layer needs something slightly different to succeed.

I also have done many committees and fellowships with assessment and curriculum materials with the Tennessee Department of Education and EdReports, growing experience, yes, but I gained more than resume lines. I gained a deep, deep understanding of theories and research and other people’s opinions—most of whom were not in the classroom—and I began to have a fire in my heart that burned more and more brightly as time went on.

My first path was to administration for the sole purpose of supporting teachers in the way I knew from experience was needed. What to do. What NOT to do. I vowed that when I forgot what it was like to be in the classroom that I would go. That path kept me in a box where I wasn’t able to support teachers how they needed and deserved to be supported, so I decided to make a change.

I was done in K-12 buildings.

How my core values and mission caused me to build my own brand

In my first semester in my EdD program I learned to describe myself as a transparent, authentic leader, and when I read Brene Brown, I learned to add that I model vulnerability for others, which takes strength.

Those core values set me apart from most leaders out there, and I have found success in working with all sorts of people with those core values. When building Savoir, I knew I would want to contract with leaders across the country—maybe across the world—so I added some core values that serve as pillars for us.

Specifically, Savoir’s core values are

• We are educator-centered. We emphasize real-world practice that is practical and directly applicable. This comes from constant communication with teachers who are in the field and visiting schools when possible. When we lose touch with the teachers in the classroom, we are no longer effective or helpful.

• We are authentic in our practice. We are authentic in our conversations, and we are authentic in our work. We don’t rely on what we read in a book. We teach actionable practices that have been tested and proven effective in actual educational settings.

• We believe in empowerment through knowledge. We equip teachers and leaders with knowledge and skills to help them thrive, and our resources are comprehensive. Skills that improve classroom practice, strengthen implementation, and ultimately support student achievement—exactly what your data dashboards are tracking.

• We are collaborative. We foster a strong sense of community in the educational setting providing mutual support, which leads to a cycle of continuous improvement for educators AND for Savoir.

• We are committed to equity. We are passionate about all learners, providing resources they need to succeed. We don't limit that to students because adults are learners, too, and we provide equity in our professional learning opportunities for educators.

How I built Savoir’s brand

This was a process. I met once with a marketing consultant in late February, and my business—named after myself because I wasn’t ready—was definitely a lot of ideas floating around in my head with no real direction. (I wrote a blog post about that, comparing me to Gordon Ramsay’s Kitchen Nightmares. Harsh; true.) I had clients working with me, and honestly those clients helped me hone in on what I would eventually concentrate on.

I decided to shift the name of the business because it isn’t about me. It’s about us—educators and those who serve educators—and it’s about the collective knowledge we can have when we are open to collaborating and being reflective practitioners. My knowledge is no good in my head, and I won’t learn any more without being at the Studio with others.

My dear friend Tiffani—who, by the way, is a master teacher—said to me the other day, “Scholars are always wanting more knowledge.”

That’s what Savoir is.

Now, the logo, website, brand strategy stuff I did not know

This was a “bless your heart” moment. I knew some stuff.

Upon the first meeting I had with my now-media and marketing consultant, I was advised that my site needed a lot of love. He didn’t say those words exactly—he was professional and kind—but I read the subtext.

The logo then came along with the color palette, a marketing plan, a website—the pieces I was missing. Ideas are great, but again—one of our core values is collaboration—and I needed some collaboration here.

We worked together for a VERY short amount of time considering all the work we accomplished, and four days ago, at 8 a.m. May 1, we launched the new site. There were two or three tears, tears of joy and desire to make the difference I know I can make.

I just needed someone to make it look like I could make a difference because they had faith in my brand. Now, I want to make sure the right partners, district leaders and education companies, see that potential, too.

Clients see that we live our core values

Our clients aren’t just satisfied. They see tangible, measurable results.

I have always been a reflective practitioner. I am sad that when I lost my Google Drive at the last system in which I taught, I lost seven years of feedback from high-school students. We can’t figure out where to go next if we don’t evaluate what we have done before, so I was always brave? Martyring myself? And gave anonymous surveys to every child.

I did the same thing after professional developments as a principal.

And I continue that with those with whom I partner.

I don’t know where to go in the future if I don’t know where I am/where I have been.

An anonymous survey went out to my partners, and this was one response:

"Rhiannon is always eager to support our initiatives, her feedback is 100% honest and

impactful, and she whole-heartedly believes in what we do. Such work ethic is always

a plus when working with a consultant. Keep up the great work, Rhiannon!"

There is that core value of authenticity in practice—the honest feedback. There is that core value of collaboration, fostering a sense of community—this partner referred to me by my first name rather than Dr. Dunn. We are partners, and I am honored that this EdTech leader knows that.

So, what’s next for Savoir?

THE WORLD.

Realistically, another piece that floated around in my head for a long time was my vision.

Next is working toward my vision.

I know there are mixed opinions of mission and vision statements for organizations, and in defense of those who aren’t as excited about them, if the leaders don’t lead in line with those, perhaps even act in a way diametrically opposed to what’s stated in the handbook and written on the website, it’s terribly frustrating. I know that very well.

We are forging on to Design what Matters and Deliver what Works.

In doing so, we will be held up by the pillars of our core values.

We will live authentically, passionately, and committed to living what we say we believe.

We will sit together and learn from each other at a big table where every educator belongs.

We as leaders will build a better world for teachers.

In our Studio.

Interested in working with Savoir to support your teachers or strengthen your product implementation?

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