Educator Forever

When you want to meet a goal, sometimes you want to do it now. You might be thinking about leaving the classroom and you want to find a new flexible job right now. But the process is where the magic happens. We learn and grow throughout the process. So while it’s understandable to want to skip right to the end, it’s better if you stick through the long haul.

In this episode I talk about embracing the process to reach your goals, highlighting three aspects of going on such a journey. Now these aren’t tips to make your journey easier, but they will help you support yourself while putting in the hard work.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode92.

David K. Richards is an intuitive and visionary leader who helps change makers usher in new paradigms for learning and leadership. He is the current Founder & CEO of Changemaker Schools, a network of microschools, and Pathfinder, a program to help others open schools. David is also a speaker and leadership coach and leads a mastermind program, the Wise Warrior and a podcast, Changemaker ED “U”. He has worked in education reform for over 25 years as a teacher, principal, and founder of several innovative charter schools with nationally recognized Summit Public Schools and the school he started, Growth Public School. David has dedicated his life to helping people of all ages connect with the powerful intuitive leader within themselves.

In this episode, David and I discussed his education journey from teacher to banker to educator again, what he’s learned about himself and why he dove into the world of micro schools.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode91.

In this episode, I speak to Dr. Taryn Gauvin. Taryn is in her 23rd year as an educator and has served 19 years in the Pre-K through 12 setting as a teacher, assistant principal and turnaround principal. Currently, she is the founder and CEO of Divergent Educational Consulting, LLC, and contractor operations manager at Better Lesson.

We talked about her journey, her new book “Centering Our Voices: The Brilliance, Persistence, and Significance of Black Women Educators,” and what she’s learned over the years as an educator who broke off on her own.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode90.

In this short episode, I share five takeaways that I've learned from helping thousands of educators who find work beyond the classroom. This episode is for everyone, such as the teacher who wants to stay a teacher and expand their impact beyond the classroom, or transition out of the classroom. Having helped thousands of teachers, I found that all teachers are unique and different in their own ways. We all have different experiences and areas of expertise and dreams. But there are some similarities. So in my five takeaways, I want you to think about what resonates with you.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode89.

As teachers, we are education experts. But sometimes it can be really hard to realize this. And I can't tell you how many times I get to talking with teachers who have recently retired, and they have taught for 20-30 years, sometimes even more. And despite those teachers doing it for so long, they still feel like they don't have enough experience. And that is absolutely not true.

If you have been teaching for even a couple years, you have way more education experience than most people. If you have been teaching for your entire career, I guarantee you, you are an education expert. And honestly, all teachers are education experts, we have studied education, we have spent time with children, we know so much about what it's like to teach students.

So let's own that expertise. In this episode, I provide a few tips on how to leverage your education expertise to achieve your goals.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode88.

Lisa Hutchinson is a former preschool center director with over 30 years of experience in the early education field. She has also been a prekindergarten teacher, kindergarten teacher, preschool assistant director, education and training specialist, and a program specialist. She directed a preschool center for over 20 years.

Over the past two years, Lisa has started a virtual preschool called Smart Steps Virtual School for children ages 2-5 to help parents prepare their children for kindergarten. She now works full time from home running Smart Steps and writing curriculum.

In this episode, we talk about how she came to start a virtual preschool, how she continues to expand her business by developing curriculum, and overcoming her imposter syndrome.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode87.

Kathleen Brigham has been in the educational field for over 30 years. With a Bachelor's degree from Middlebury College and a Master's in Educational Administration from Columbia Teachers College, she started Brigham Learning, an education consulting and tutoring company. Her primary goal is to help students discover self-awareness and confidence through academic success. With three children and four stepchildren, she combines her personal experience with her educational background to work with children of all ages and learning abilities.

In this episode, Kathleen dives into her journey from educator to business owner, giving lots of great advice along the way. She also details how she scaled her business, giving such helpful tips you’ll want to take notes.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode86.

Jasmine Rollins is a mom of four, a passionate K through 12 educator, a forever learner and storyteller. She creates learning opportunities and resources that empower teachers to celebrate their students' identities and foster a sense of belonging in the classroom. As a teacher, she's always used storytelling as a way to build connections and trust, through sharing her own stories and empowering students to do the same.

In this episode, we discuss Rollins’s journey as an educator and how she moved beyond the classroom. We also get into how she came to focus on fostering a culture of belonging within and outside of school.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode85.

Deveren Fogle is a former lawyer, tech entrepreneur (2012 ‘Trep of the Month in Entrepreneur Magazine for the MyGeniusTrainer iPhone app), teacher, executive function coach, and now a tech entrepreneur again. He is launching Uluru, the first executive function platform to empower students and families to navigate the difficulties neurodiverse learners may face in their academic journeys.

Fogle tells why he left teaching and explains how his days teaching led to him finding success in the world of tutoring executive function. We also share a lot of thoughts about how teachers are so under-appreciated! It’s a good long talk and I laughed through a lot of it.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode84.

I've been thinking a lot about how writing has furthered my career beyond the classroom. It really was something that I didn't get super clear on as being such a key factor until recently. I think part of that has come through working with so many teachers and seeing them go beyond the classroom, and some people really being successful, and other people having it take a little bit more time. Some of that working online boils down to writing. 

If you're able to write a compelling cover letter, you're more likely to land jobs. If you're starting an education business, and you can write really exciting and inviting copy, then you're more likely to get customers. So much of what's done online is done through writing. And so as teachers transitioning to a flexible workplace working online, this requires really taking our writing skills to the next level.

For all links and resources mentioned in this episode, head to the show notes: https://www.educatorforever.com/episode83.