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New roles, new challenges: Learning helps us thrive
By Suzanne Bouffard
Categories: Career pathways, Continuous improvement, LeadershipDecember 2023
I always enjoy asking people about the paths that have led them to their current jobs. More often than not, those paths have included some unexpected twists and turns. (My own path is no exception.) Even people who are working in the professions they dreamed about as children describe surprises — about the kinds of projects they’ve taken on, the roles they’ve assumed, or how the nature of their work has changed over time. Those surprises are often the best parts of our stories because they keep us growing. Learning is one of the main reasons so many of us have found ourselves in positions we didn’t expect. We’re always learning about our own interests and needs, how our skills fit into the world, and
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References
Kini, T. & Podolsky, A. (2016). Does teaching experience increase teacher effectiveness? A review of the research. Learning Policy Institute.
Kurtz, H. (2022, April 14). A profession in crisis: Findings from a National Teacher Survey. EdWeek Research Center.
NCES. (2022, March 3). U.S. schools report increased teacher vacancies due to COVID-19 pandemic, new NCES data show. nces.ed.gov/whatsnew/press_releases/3_3_2022.asp
Suzanne Bouffard is senior vice president of communications and publications at Learning Forward. She is the editor of The Learning Professional, Learning Forward’s flagship publication. She also contributes to the Learning Forward blog and webinars. With a background in child development, she has a passion for making research and best practices accessible to educators, policymakers, and families. She has written for many national publications including The New York Times and the Atlantic, and previously worked as a writer and researcher at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. She has a Ph.D. in developmental psychology from Duke University and a B.A. from Wesleyan University. She loves working with authors to help them develop their ideas and voices for publication.
Categories: Career pathways, Continuous improvement, Leadership
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