Nearly three years ago, I wrote this piece in which I attempted to articulate my philosophy of education and thank people who have inspired me along my journey. So much has happened since then, most notably, our world has been radically transformed due to the global COVID-19 pandemic, and as a result, I’ve had time to reevaluate life and personal priorities.
I now find myself on the cusp of new adventures as I am leaving my position as a Director of Ed Tech at the end of June 2021. Last summer, I began looking towards the future and started interviewing for a few posts. While I love where I currently work in many ways, I have realized what I need to feel personally satisfied in a job:
- I want to work hard, collaborate with top people, explore innovative practices, and make a difference in education.
- I need more autonomy to apply the vast network and body of knowledge I’ve accrued over the years to my work.
- And perhaps most importantly, I need to truly feel seen, heard, and valued as part of a professionally generous, ambitious team dedicated to educational innovation.
In late November 2020, I was informed that an open manager of IT position was to be combined with my Director of Educational Technology position into a new Director of Technology role due to financial reasons. As I am not a networking expert, I was not considered for this role, but I was welcome to stay on at this school as a STEM teacher/coordinator with reduced pay. My preference is to stay in leadership roles at this point in my career, so this shift prompted me to make room for new opportunities officially. This shift has forced my hand a bit, and it’s nice to have some choices at this point in my career regarding the path I’d like to follow.
I’ve learned so much at my current school, and for that, I’ll be eternally grateful. In particular, the school’s commitment to equity, diversity, and inclusion has been truly enlightening and has helped me to evolve my thinking at this time in history. It’s also been exciting to work in a school during the pandemic and support the true heroes of this past year. These dedicated teachers work incredibly hard to help their students grow under the most trying of circumstances. My colleagues have grown so much in the past year with their use of educational technology, and it’s been a pleasure to witness their burgeoning confidence. And most of all, I have loved being around kids again and have treasured the opportunities I’ve had to work with our students. I hope to stay connected to this school with some future consulting work at this school, but only time will tell.
2020–2021 has also brought potential shifts to my family. My son will be graduating from high school this June, and my husband now works from home. Peter will find out this fall whether or not he’ll be expected to work from offices in Chicago or remain remote, and that will free us to potentially re-locate. It’s extraordinary to think that our family is essentially done with K-12 education; so much of our lives have been wrapped up in this experience.
While I have a couple of irons in the fire related to full-time positions, I most likely will be transitioning back to full-time consulting in the coming months. I already am working with a global education NGO on developing content and advising them on technology-related matters. It’s been an exciting opportunity to explore international development work and help a non-profit shift its operating model.
I am also interested in independently producing content, perhaps a book on innovation in education, and am exploring the best way to research this with my sometimes thought partner Don Buckley. Writing more is a definite goal moving forward, and I hope to get a podcast going at some point. Perhaps there will be a way to revive the Global Education Conference that Steve Hargadon and I started many years ago. Who knows? The future is full of possibilities!
So, moving forward, consider reaching out if you are interested in any of the following:
- Just catching up!
- Collaborating on consulting projects or have full-time(I’m interested in writing, advising, coaching, adjunct teaching, and social media work related to education, ed tech, leadership, and innovation)
- If you an aficionado of innovation in general, let me know if you’d open to being interviewed for our upcoming podcast.
- And finally, I’m still looking for potential partners, collaborators, and sponsors for the Global Education Conference Network, which may be sunsetted in August if opportunities do not present themselves. I’d really love to revive the GEC if possible.
I think 2021–2022 will be a period of reconnecting and re-engaging the world for most of us, and I, for one, cannot wait!
