I can whip up a Zoom lesson in under three minutes with little to no sweat. That said, despite being an avid webinar-attendee, I had never actually led one before today.
My fatal flaw is: I overthink firsts--actually, I overthink almost everything. So, completely in character, after putting the todd (short for toddler; i.e. my Wild Thornberry of a daughter) to bed last night, I found myself in the dark of my bedroom, stressed because my webinar tech wasn't cooperating, and stressed because my husband's snoring was growing louder by the millisecond.
When I finally called it a night, I was sure I had it all figured out, but alas--by the morning, I found myself tripping over tech again. The thing is, while I'm no Steve Wozniak, I'm pretty tech-forward for a non-technical kind of person. I won't tattletale or name-drop, but I'm 99.9% certain said tech (and not the non-technical technician) was to blame.
Despite a bumpy start, the Exploring Your Options Beyond the Classroom webinar was all around positive. And for me, it felt meaningful and rewarding to share what drives me by heart. A first of many.
A warm thank you for those who attended, and a sincere apology to those who might've been shut-out because of the tech-trouble. We hope to catch you next time--and that the rest of this email will make up for what you missed!
Scroll for the highlights, links, and resources mentioned in the webinar, all packaged up and with a bow below!
Your Webinar Resource Pack
Signed, Sealed, Delivered.
Here's the Webinar Playback
July 2023 edTonomy Webinar: Exploring Your Options Beyond the Classroom
Don't want to watch the video, and prefer to check out the slide deck? Understood.
Click below to access the Canva presentation we created for the webinar. There's a lot to unpack here, so get out your Flair pens and prepare yourself for possible hand cramps.
Aside: Is it just me, or have you also noticed the rise in kids complaining of hand cramps after writing like, seven words?
I've admittedly spent way too much time contemplating whether that's because kids are still developing manual dexterity and thus lack note-taking stamina, or if writing seven words = hand cramp is what happens after iPhones and Xbox controllers and Alexa have replaced other, more weathered forms of writing, playing, and finding stuff out. Does that make sense?
It's Friday, so probably not. Anywho: Here's that deck!
Teacher in Transition Workbook
If you'd like a tool to help you work through your thoughts and make a decision about your future in teaching, we've created a free workbook for #TeachersinTransition, which you can download below.
This blog post may also be supportive if you'd like to hear one teacher's story about transitioning "beyond." (It's me--the teacher.)
We hope it helps you make the best decision for you--your wellbeing, your relationships, your career, and your future.
Here's That Book Rec
Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
Available in ebook, audiobook, hardcover and paperback formats.
While the book is geared towards founders of tech startups, the authors share insightful advice that's priceless for any business just starting out and launching their marketing efforts. It's a good one.
Side note: I'd recommend the audiobook if you, like me, find "ear-reading" more practical, so you can multitask on a mindless task while listening.
"Smart entrepreneurs know that the key to success isn't the originality of your offering, the brilliance of your team, or how much money you raise. It's how consistently you can grow and acquire new customers (or, for a free service, users). That's called traction, and it makes everything else easier - fund-raising, hiring, press, partnerships, acquisitions. Talk is cheap, but traction is hard evidence that you're on the right path."
Excerpt from Traction: How Any Startup Can Achieve Explosive Customer Growth
Ready to Launch? We've got an app for that!
edTonomy is FREE for teachers! Click below to kickstart your teaching biz :)
So much to unpack. I know.
Take your time. Enjoy your weekend. Take care of yourself.
And if you need us, you know where we'll be: Fighting with tech into the wee hours of the night and running after a wild little todd by early morning.
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