For decades, my daily rhythm was defined by the energy of the classroom. Whether guiding college nursing students through chemistry lab experiments, coaching collegiate athletes to enhance their performance, or introducing data collection tools and 1-to-1 laptop initiatives to K–12 STEM classrooms, I kept coming back to one idea: technology is only worth something if it helps a good teacher teach more effectively. With that in mind, I spent the last couple of years in the classroom exploring ways artificial intelligence could make me a better teacher.
I retired in July 2025 and figured I’d slow down. By the end of August, I was sitting on the front porch wondering what to do with the rest of the day. My wife came out and said, “Walt, you have to find something to do. Your moping around all day is driving me crazy.” I wasn’t tired. I still had plenty I wanted to do, especially for teachers.
The trouble was that I knew schools, not business. Years ago, I’d sworn I would never own a small business. I didn’t like the idea of having to sell myself in order to sell a product.
What I lacked was confidence in navigating the commercial world.
So, I did what I’ve always done with something I didn’t understand. I studied it. Rather than letting self-doubt stop me, I treated business ownership as my next research project. I immersed myself in intensive study focused on artificial intelligence, specifically exploring how generative AI could transform teaching, administrative workflows, and business operations. I earned more than a handful of AI certifications and tested tools like MagicSchool, Brisk Teaching, Claude, and ChatGPT. That period of study, combined with candid conversations with former colleagues and local businesspeople, crystallized into a new mission: GenEdge Consulting LLC. We consult with schools, educators, and parents to help them integrate AI into their workflows, classrooms, and family cultures in a safe, ethical, and educationally responsible manner.
Stepping into entrepreneurship after a lifetime in institutional education brought a steep learning curve. For someone who once swore off small business ownership entirely, building a firm from the ground up was both humbling and exhilarating.
I also learned quickly that I couldn’t do it alone. I work with a marketing group in South America and a small publishing firm in Southern California, and I’m active in the North Canton Chamber of Commerce, where I am networking with local businesses to create synergistic partnerships in the North Canton region. Each of them has taught me something I didn’t know a year ago.
Some days I still wonder what I’ve gotten myself into. But most mornings, I get up with the same feeling I used to have at the start of a school year: there’s a problem to work on and good people to work on it with. That turned out to be what I missed.
