Lately I’ve been thinking a lot about education. We spend so many years in school learning stuff, but I’m not sure how much actually helps in real life.
Some things are useful, like basic math and writing. Other things feel pointless or outdated. I see people learning online or on their own and doing great without following the usual path.
Teaching 7th grade and trying to figure out what makes a lesson plan work when you're not there. Some things subs can handle easily, others fall apart immediately.
Technology heavy lessons are hit or miss. If the sub doesn't know the platform or students have login issues, the whole period is shot. But worksheets feel like we're wasting a day.
What do you leave for subs that's actually educational but doesn't require you to be there to troubleshoot? Especially for tech related lessons where middle schoolers should be able to work independently?
Was there a moment you realized the path you picked might not be the one you actually want?
Not a vague "I'm exploring options" feeling. The specific moment something cracked.
What triggered yours? And what did you actually do about it?
Can you please tell me-Does this clearly show the problem and my demand?Should I change anything? suggestions appreciated!
Or who would be the agency that is now responsible? Can I reach out to my local government representatives
Hi education friends!
I've spent the past 5 years helping teachers transition out of the classroom and into corporate L&D as someone who has been in the instructional design world for a decade.
One thing I find is that "teacher portfolios" often get ignored because they're full of lesson plans rather than projects that show you understand the difference between a student and a stakeholder who is trying to solve a specific problem by a deadline (usually ASAP).
If you're trying to make the switch, the hardest part is usually teaching yourself new tools (like authoring tools). You know the drill, watch endless YouTube tutorials, try something, get frustrated, repeat.
Full transparency -- I am a judge for the iSpring Course Creation Contest that will be launching later this spring, but beyond that, I love telling people about it because it gives you free access to an authoring tool and a deadline. You can create a portfolio asset -- but on top of it, you can also win some pretty sweet prizes and get feedback from real corporate learning experts. The contest hasn't launched yet, so I don't have a link to share, but you can follow iSpring on social media to get updates.
Even if you're not interested in the contest, I encourage you to think about these things as you create portfolio projects - Don't wait for the perfect idea - just pick a business prompt (or get AI to help) and build it - Don't spend too much time on one thing -- you won't be able to do this in the real world - Get real feedback - practice getting feedback now because there's nothing worse than a hiring manager tearing apart your work!
With declining birth rates from the late 2000s now reaching college age, many institutions are preparing for what’s being called the “enrollment cliff.” Some regions are already seeing shrinking freshman classes.
For those working in higher ed (or closely connected to it):
I’m curious whether this will fundamentally change higher education - or if the system will simply consolidate and adapt.
