What type of person thrives in Education, according to a California Middle School Learning Specialist
Success in education requires enjoying work with young people, possessing resilience ("press refresh the next day"), and finding purpose beyond academics. A fulfilling career might involve integrating personal passions, like coaching volleyball or dance, while focusing on building relationships and supporting students' broader goals, such as "setting our kids up for college."
Working with Young People, Relationship Building, Problem-Solving, Resilience, Passion for Education
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Dan McCauley
Learning Specialist
California Middle School
New York University, 2017
Relay Graduate School of Education, Masters in the Art of Teaching
Education
Education
Education
Former Foster Youth, Honors Student, Scholarship Recipient, Pell Grant Recipient, Took Out Loans, Worked 20+ Hours in School
Video Highlights
1. Thriving in education involves enjoying work with young people and maintaining a positive outlook, even when challenges arise.
2. It's important to find aspects of the job that you enjoy, whether it's teaching a subject you're passionate about or integrating your interests outside of academics, such as coaching.
3. Building relationships with students and supporting their overall well-being, including college preparation and personal interests, are key aspects of a fulfilling career in education.
Transcript
How would you describe people who typically thrive in the education space?
Typically, you thrive in education if you like working with young people. This means having humor, even when things don't go your way, and the ability to see the bigger picture and press refresh the next day.
It's also about finding what you enjoy from the job. I know someone who just became a dance teacher at a school where I worked. She taught dance in college and other spaces, which was really cool for her.
But she has a family with two growing kids. So she found her way was saying, "I'm here from 7:30 to 3:30 or 4:00." She loves it and lives out her purpose, and outside of school, she can just be mom.
There's another person who loves math but even more so loves coaching volleyball. For him, he's really looking forward to supporting kids in both contexts.
For me, it's not just academics. I've become pretty good at supporting kids with their academics and helping them in a specialized way. But I think the reason I thrive is because, at the end of the day, even when things don't go as I hoped, I'm always trying to focus on relationships.
This means setting kids up for college, not just talking to them about their grades. Instead, I ask them, "I know you're really passionate about this. Why don't we take that class at the community college?" This is about finding ways to enjoy my job the most.
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