“A monkey could do my job!” I told my boss in exasperation. There was so much more I could be doing for our member communities, but I was assigned a lot of administrative back-end work, record-keeping and rote communications.
My boss, Theresa, was a wonderful leader, and she was protecting my role and my communities as the organization went through downsizing, so it felt like I was being hidden away. She laughed as my proclamation registered. She knew I wasn’t wrong, and like all good leaders, she brought me along and helped me find my way, expanding services and opportunities for five different ASCD programs: Affiliates, Connected Communities, Emerging Leaders, Professional Interest Communities and Student Chapters. Later, I even created a sixth: Champions in Education. It was wonderful work of which I’m still proud!
It wasn’t like me to blurt out my frustration like that, but having put in 25 years in public ed, I could see the potential. Moreover, members of these respected communities were asking for more. More connection to the mother ship. More supports and services. More ways to build capacity and increase impact. It was important to me that I wasn’t just pushing papers and perpetuating the status quo. I wanted to be responsive to their needs.
Passion and standards and expectations make career work fun and fulfilling. Without them, we're just marking time and marking territory. It's selfish and shortsighted. Over my 14 years there, many people came and left. Some truly made a difference. Others built little kingdoms thinking it meant job security. They were usually the next to go.
Leadership is key in this. Theresa could have been the kind of leader who is threatened by honest feedback about the work. Luckily for me, she was the kind of boss open to employees wanting to make things better. She valued me and took pride in helping me grow. I am forever grateful for her.
Fast forward a dozen years later when new leadership came in. I was put in a position of feeling like a chimp all over again. For all those years of service and growth and success, it only took one person in the lead position advancing a personal agenda to return the work to...…well...monkey business...
Sadly, after putting in a year and a half trying to reassert my vision, I was forced to make a choice. Sure I left on my terms...and on good terms...but only because it became clear to me I wasn't going to be able to stop the damage being done and I wasn't going to let my good name be used to create the appearance that I supported the dismantling of these important programs. Not on my watch.
So I “retired” early, but not because I was finished pursuing my passion. Enter The Worthy Educator, my way of proudly saying to the world, “This is what educator communities can be!” It's not a business. It's a safe place connecting and energizing likeminded educators to move our profession forward without the frustration and cynicism so prevalent today. No pandering to hopes and fears. No membership fees and high-priced pay-to-play schemes. Just good people doing good work.
I refuse to see education as an industry. It’s a profession. Sure there’s plenty of people out there just putting in time, promoting themselves at the expense of others, and looking for ways to cash in on the various and sundry things that need to be addressed in public education. But there is no place for them here. The Worthy Educator is the home of mid-to-late career educators where you can be and grow, fulfill your passion and build your legacy!
There is no monkeying around here. Everyone at The Worthy Educator is charting their own way forward with no strings attached. If you're looking for a safe, supportive community that sees you as a worthy professional rather than a prospective customer, we invite you to join us. There's no place like home!
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Got something that needs to be heard? We'll get it said and read on the Worthy Educator blog! Email it to walter@theworthyeducator.com
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