Episode 68: Building Your Support System Beyond the Classroom

In this episode, I talk about building a support system as you move beyond the classroom. When I first started thinking about leaving the classroom, I felt really alone. I didn't feel like I had a support system, or really any examples of educators who had moved beyond the classroom in a way that I wanted to.

I wanted to stay working in education, I wanted to make a difference in education. But I also wanted to have more flexibility, and not seeing models made it feel like I was uncertain about whether it was possible or not.

This episode is for those who want to take that next step and might think you can just look everything up on the Internet. There is so much to gain from networking, especially those who model what you want to do beyond the classroom, and I go through it all.

 
 
 
 
 

Read the transcript for this episode:

Welcome to educator forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.

Today I want to talk about building a support system as you move beyond the classroom. When I first started thinking about leaving the classroom, I felt really alone. I didn't feel like I had a support system, or really any examples of educators who had moved beyond the classroom in a way that I wanted to. I wanted to stay working in education, I wanted to make a difference in education. But I also wanted to have more flexibility, and not seeing models made it feel like I was uncertain about whether it was possible or not. And I found out it's definitely possible. But it's a lot easier when you have models of people doing the things that you want to do. They're out there, but you really have to create your own support system as you move beyond the classroom. And that can be harder than it seems. Sometimes, when you're part of a district where teachers are really on the same track, right? Like we go back year after year, we teach the same things, we move up incrementally in our salary scales with this goal of eventual retirement. We're all on this same path. And so when you start thinking, maybe that path won't work for me, or maybe I don't want to follow this path through to retirement, it can be hard to know what a different path can look like. So building a support system is key because not only will the people in your support system help you see what's possible, and see beyond the limitations that we all impose upon ourselves. But also, they'll serve as inspiration and encouragement as you get out of your comfort zone. So it's super important to intentionally build your support system. As you think about moving beyond the classroom, the best thing you can do is really get together with people who want to do similar things that you do, or who have done those similar things. So if you want to work in curriculum design, surround yourself with curriculum designers. If you want to start an education business, surround yourself with people who have started successful education businesses, you can learn from people who are just a few steps ahead of you. And it's so important to be aware of the people that you're spending your time with, and who you're learning with and who you want to learn from. As you build your network of people that are doing interesting things beyond the classroom, or at least supporting you to do interesting things beyond the classroom, you're really building relationships and your networking. And those relationships can open doors to new opportunities.


So finding and securing your ideal career will likely involve more than just applying for jobs. It's not just apply for a job and get it right. Like your network is so valuable, because those relationships are what are going to open opportunities for you. And so being aware of that it's a little different from being a teacher, right? Like we're likely surrounded by teachers all the time. But it's not exactly that the teachers that you hang out with are going to be the ones who get you your next opportunities. But when you're working beyond the classroom, that really is how it can work. People who are encouraging you are likely interested in similar things, I can really get you those jobs. So initiate conversations, and really share your career aspirations. As you move beyond the classroom, talk about the things you want to do. Put it out there, no one's gonna know unless you tell them. So it's super important that you share, hey, I'm starting my education consulting business, or oh, I'm looking for some coaching clients, or whatever it is. That's interesting, and exciting to you. Put it out there, just talking about it. And building connections with people is how things start to become real. And really think about where you can meet people who can be part of your support system, you likely already know some of these people, right? People in your life who are your biggest cheerleaders, who are the ones to push you forward when you feel stuck, lean on them, and then start to intentionally grow your network. You can attend events or webinars or classes or join online communities. We have our educator forever network membership community, which is my favorite, because it is really all about educators supporting each other beyond the classroom. And it's so powerful to see the network grow as more people join more people start amazing businesses or get awesome contracts. And everyone is lifting each other up. So you can join the network or and or you can create your own network or community as you move beyond the classroom, you can gain guidance from those who have successfully flat bound, flexible work beyond the classroom. And feel confident, as you see that it's possible in so many ways, you'll build confidence, because if you see other people doing the things you want to do, you can do it too. And you can learn like there are often almost always like step by step plans that you can follow to get from where you are to where you want to be. So don't be afraid to seek advice or feedback from mentors or people doing things that you want to do. They can provide valuable insights and guidance to help you refine your approach and strategy. I love sharing what's worked for me moving beyond the classroom and what hasn't worked for me. Because I want those things that have and haven't worked to be valuable to other people. If I can save someone a struggle, that's amazing. So I think many people are in the same boat, they want to help and lean on the people who want to help who know that you have amazing potential that can be used in so many ways. 


When you're starting a new chapter of your career, there's also going to be challenges, right? It's not just about seeing the possibilities, but it's also having a support system who can lift you up when things don't go as planned. And that is so important. Because there's gonna be times where you feel rejected, or you feel stuck. And this is completely normal. But the difference between people who succeed and the people who don't, is that the people who succeed don't give up. They don't see one failure as them being failures, right. And so it's so important to have people around you who can reframe your challenges, who can help you that you see them in the bigger picture, who can help you see that they're just a roadblock, that you can work around it, and you'll get to where you want to go. When you are alone. In those moments, it's so easy to get inside your head and be like, I'm just gonna give up like, this is impossible, I'm failing, I can't do this. And likely, those are just things that your brain is telling yourself. And they're not necessarily true. So you need people around here who will really egg you on in the best possible way, who will propel you forward, and who can provide support and advice and encouragement, especially when things are hard. 


Another part of this is that going outside of your comfort zone is necessary. When you do something new, you have to do something new. And so that's also uncomfortable. And it's hard to know if you're doing the right thing, or in the right way and all these feelings come up. So getting a group of people who celebrates the risks that you're taking, who celebrates that you're putting yourself outside of your comfort zone. And who celebrates that you're taking this into your own hands to really build your future. Like, how inspiring is that? Whether you get every job that you apply to spoiler alert, you're not gonna nobody does or not, the thing we can celebrate is the action that you take. And that is really what's going to get you closer to your dreams. So being around people who celebrate your actions is so key.


So having a strong support system and community can also help you clarify your career goals, embrace your expertise and really gain confidence. Talking about your career goals not only creates opportunities, but provides clarity about life after teaching. And really being around people is inspiring, you'll be able to better answer the question What do you want to achieve beyond the classroom by having a clear vision and a roadmap from telling you how to get where you want to go. And by verbalizing your ambitions, you could refine your ideas and gain a deeper understanding of your path forward, as well as transform a dream into a tangible goal. So it's so important to surround yourself with individuals who uplift and inspire you. Confidence is cultivated in a supportive environment. And that can be with family or friends or community that you build or join. Above all, share your aspirations. Don't keep them to yourself, celebrate every step of the way that you take getting to where you want to go and learn from setbacks. Celebrate the mistakes you make to as learning opportunities, and really reflect on what you can learn from them and how you're going to use that learning going forward, because that is key. 


I can't guarantee you that you're never going to have a setback, I can actually guarantee you that you will have a setback. But I want you to change your mindset and embrace those setbacks as the true learning opportunities that they are. And to not give up. When you have a great community cheering you on, it makes all the difference. And I mentioned before educator forever network community, which really grew out of my need to be around educators doing interesting things beyond the classroom, and really seeing beyond the narrow job description as teachers to empower themselves to change the landscape of education. And the network has grown into this amazing supportive community, where we have skill building resources like our beyond the classroom course, which has helped 1000s of teachers to transition beyond the classroom. We also have jobs postings on our jobs board. We have all sorts of networking events and skill building workshops every week, we have many different calls that network members are invited to join. We have community calls, where people share what's going on for them and make those connections and verbalize their dreams and support each other. We have skills based calls where we learn how to write effective resumes and apply and apply for and land jobs beyond the classroom and gain the skills we need. We have co-working sessions where you can come and actually get your projects done. We have educator for Educator wellness circles, which are really awesome for supporting your whole self and building a sustainable life for yourself beyond the classroom. We have creativity workshops, where you can learn how to how to use Canva and create things beyond the classroom, and so many more resources. We would love to have you join us. It's a monthly membership community. It comes with all the things I talked about the beyond the classroom course the jobs board, the calls and the wonderful community. You can go to learn that educator forever.com/network to try it out. And we would love to see you there. And whether you decide to join the network right now or not. I want you to think about building your support system. What does it look like who's already a part of it? What do you want that you maybe don't already have? And how can you really lean on your support system when you need them?


Transcribed by https://otter.ai



Lily Jones