One of my hopes for our Alumni in Education Group is to
expand the awareness of all potential careers and opportunities in the field of
Education. Although you may be doing what you love and happy where you are…
Some of you may not be- or may simply want to know more about what exists within
our field.
I will start by asking your forgiveness for all of the
“Me”s, “My”s, and “I”s… But the best way to explain myself is by sharing my journey with you.
I used to think, “What
can I do in this field?” and I envisioned only a few options: Teacher,
Administrator, Guidance Counselor, and maybe Superintendent.
After spending 10 years in the classroom, for countless reasons, I was ready for a
change- a different challenge. I transitioned to K-12 District ESL Specialist -
then Dean of Students - then, a colleague said, “Hey, that consulting company
that has been coming in to do our Data PD/Trainings is hiring. You should
apply.”
With an obvious fear of “changing lanes” and (deep gasp)
losing my tenure – I applied. This is the moment I truly believe my life
changed. All of a sudden, I saw the enormously expansive world of possibility
in our field of education.
Since departing from my district and breaking away from the
bell to bell life, I spent a few years working for a company as a “Senior
Education Consultant”- playing the roles of:
Data Analysis Coach, Literacy Coach, ELL Expert Validator, Literacy
Design Collaborative Coach, ELD Digital Curriculum Writer, Professional
Development Designer, etc. etc.
In January, I was hired as “Freelance ELA Consultant to
American Curriculum Schools in the MENA Region”. I first thought: What? There are schools outside of the U.S. who utilize our
curriculum? Wait- I can take my experience outside of my country… and I don’t
have to leave my home?
And thoughts like this have pretty much come up with every
job search and/or opportunity that I have come across!
And now, since mid-May actually, I am a K12 Partnership
Manager for Meteor Learning, where I – among countless other things- am working
on spreading an awareness of Merrimack
College’s online M.Ed. and Graduate Teacher Education Programs. Are you interested in learning more about
this? Let’s connect!!! It’s my job J
I’ve mostly just shared my titles. To get into the depth of
what I did, learned, saw, and am doing,
learning, and seeing – it would require chapters upon chapters.
In short, I no longer feel stifled and know that as my
learning and passions develop- there is a position out there that offers me
what I am looking for. If I’m bored, uninspired,
or identify that something just isn’t the right fit… I don’t have to wait until a job fair to pick from a few slots-- and I can make a change outside of the months of August/September. I HAVE OPTIONS!!
So… What do you love? What are your greatest skills? What are
you most interested in?
- Curriculum writing? There’s a position for that.
- Developing Induction and Mentoring Program requirements, activities, events, etc.? There’s a position for that.
- Writing differentiated lesson plans? There’s a position for that.
- Researching and sharing information on social-emotional learning? There’s a position for that.
- Coming up with ideas to save money? There’s a position for that.
- Developing formative assessment strategies for classroom implementation? There’s a position for that.
- Advising people on technology? There’s a position for that.
(Insert what you love)
-- THERE’S A POSITION FOR THAT!
So… Thanks for letting me share my journey. It’s one that I
am proud of and excited to continue. My hope in doing so though, is that you
are inspired to share your story -
ask/tell each other what is out there – put out there what you “wish”
you could do or have in your good ol’ J-O-B - and… if it’s your time – I hope
you are inspired to take a risk and change educational lanes.
I'm genuinely excited about the possibilities with our Alumni in Education Group and hope you are as well!!
Can’t wait to hear from you!
-Kelly Healey '01
Thanks for the thought you put in to this. I think we all consider change, but educators need a sense of what is possible for them if they decide it is time to move out of the classroom.
ReplyDeleteI have been teaching high school math for 23 years now and have often (yearly?) thought about switching out of the classroom into Admin, but something always seems to get in the way of that. Part of it is because I am teaching at my alma mater, and I love being here - it is a Jesuit school so it has all the cura personalis that we know from HC. I am well established here so it is very comfortable, yet always challenging and the kids (boys in this case) are great kids who keep things fresh each year. It is also where my sons want to go, so if I want the free tuition I need to stick around at least for another dozen years! :)
ReplyDeleteNot to mention I would have to go back and get a 2nd masters in Ed Admin, which I don't have the time to do right now.
So in some ways I am stuck here, but in other ways I enjoy being here. It is a vocational conundrum I battle with each year. One thing that helps is that while I cannot pursue too much in the Admin field these days, I can and do pursue other avenues of advancement within my own field of math and specifically in the field of AP Statistics. Having worked with that group has enabled me to achieve some goals and aspirations which I think has tempered my desires to do more outside the classroom, and thus avoid burnout. So my advice to anyone who is teaching and seems to be hitting that wall but still enjoys teaching and being with the kids, is to find stuff outside the classroom to peak your interest so that what you do in the classroom stays frsh to you and thus fresh and invigorating to the kids.