Saving Throws | Planning for your in-between time Let's talk about your mental health while you wait. (For anything, but we'll use the job-hunting experience here.) The wait can be a confidence killer. Waiting can be when dread and desperation sink in. What if they don't like me? What if they don't call? your brain while you wait Pause for a moment and consider this. Our brains are designed to keep us from danger. You're waiting in the unknown, which is inherently dangerous. Your brain will...
2 days ago • 2 min read
Guidance! | Be careful of fantasizing about a job When I was teaching the resume/job application portion of my English curriculum, I used to start with one question, "How many jobs do you apply for before you stop and wait?" High schoolers would shout out numbers, and I'd tell them they were wrong. And it turned into every one of them trying to find the right number. The catch? There is no number. You apply for jobs until you have a job. Now, you may take breaks now and then, which is human...
2 days ago • 1 min read
Proficiency Check | How my current project is (and is not) like teaching Before I go into any of this, let me share some context of my background. For 6 years, I taught at a Discipline Alternative Education Program (DAEP) where I was the only English teacher for high schoolers. Because of the unique nature of my DAEP, learners individually circulated in and out of my classroom every 30 days or so. I think this made me uniquely qualified for an ID role because I had to be incredibly attuned to...
7 days ago • 6 min read
Guidance! | How to message a recruiter Imagine, dear reader, that you're a book editor of your favorite genre. You spend hours reading and evaluating manuscripts to determine if they're worth publishing, and then you work with the author every step of the way. And on LinkedIn get the same message from various people: Hi, I'm looking to get my manuscript published. I've attached it.Let me know if you have any interest? Maybe the first time you open the attachment and read a few lines. Maybe...
8 days ago • 2 min read
Proficiency Check | Working with a Graphic Designer Expectation setting for sharing my current projects with you. So I've covered how my program manager and I wrote solid learning objectives and how presenting the high-level design went. Then I project planned. Now I'm developing, which includes working with our Graphic Designer! Context Program Needs - Because we're using a newsletter tool, we need a newsletter template, specifically a template that adjusts for PC users vs mobile phone...
13 days ago • 3 min read
Saving Throws | Work can be "just coffee" I once befriended a manager of a coffee place and asked her how she liked it. "It's fine. People might be stressed when they come in, and we might have busy times. But what I like is that at the end of the day, is that it's just coffee." And I remember her explanation striking a deep longing within me. At the time, I was a teacher at a restorative justice center, which means I was working with learners in trauma. Some were violent. Some were just...
14 days ago • 2 min read
Proficiency Check | Current Project: Leadership Onboarding - Project Planning Expectation setting for sharing my current projects with you. So I've covered how my program manager and I wrote solid learning objectives and how presenting the high-level design went. Now we build out the project plan! How I Struggles to Project Plan I actually struggled to wrap my head around this one. In previous builds, the team's project manager has built out the project plan (and my part in it was specific...
15 days ago • 3 min read
Saving Throws | Rage Neighbor, or how I made a boundary So in August we found a broom on our porch. A neighbor had left it with a note that called us names and threatened us if we didn't sweep up after we mowed because he was sick of his dog stepping on the grass. It used several expletives and truly made me feel unsafe. Our daughter mows. Does she always do a good job? Nah. But I'm raising an adult, not manicuring my lawn, and it's enough to keep the HOA out of our mailbox. (God, I hate...
15 days ago • 2 min read
Hi Reader! Happy first week of September! Hope you're enjoying the Labor Day weekend. My kid is spending it repainting her room as her 13th birthday present. I made it purple and pink for her as a kid. Now she's like "Mom, ugh, I am not a 'pink' person. And the purple is just dark enough to be acceptable." Yup, she's growing into her age. 🤣 Here's what I have for you today: Experience Points - Issue #33 📋 Guidance! Every transitioning teacher needs to read this (2 min - reprint) Read more...
17 days ago • 2 min read
Guidance! | Is your perspective at odds with a hiring manager’s? “I just need someone to take a chance on me.” If you’re job hunting, especially for a career in a new field or industry, I bet this thought has crossed your mind. It did for me. But before it takes too much room in your mind, let me offer some perspective. You’re investing in your own growth. You know that you can learn new things, apply new skills, and succeed. Afterall, everyone starts somewhere. The problem with “Just take a...
21 days ago • 2 min read
