Hello, Shifters! Today’s Transformation Tuesday piece is brought to you by Libby Serkies.
Libby earned a bachelors in math and secondary teaching license and holds a masters in adult education and training. She began teaching high school right out of college. Very quickly, Libby found that students carried the weight of a great deal more than just books.
So, Libby left the classroom and started working in social services in schools, addressing mental health and substance abuse issues affecting students for about 8 years. Then, she spent 4.5 years performing on-call crisis intervention counseling.
Libby’s next SHIFT was to corporate training which stayed at for 6 years.
“As a corporate trainer working for a hospital based addiction recovery center, I earned all the certifications of an addiction therapist and was sometimes called upon to carry a caseload of clients, facilitate group therapy, run work-place smoking cessation groups, respond to community & media requests, represent the organization at conferences, and also develop and/or present workshop sessions at national & international conferences.”
“It was while employed here that I began grad school. While still in grad school, I returned to education – I became the director of an adult education program. This program served adult students in GED, ESL, and Citizenship classes. I supervised a staff of 60 teachers & support staff, wrote and oversaw the spending of state and federal grants, and served on various community boards. I served as the director of this program for 3 years, but missed working with teachers in a more direct way so I left this position and went to work for a public university.”
While at the university, Libby began “doing professional development throughout my state working with adult ed teachers to prepare them for changes coming to the GED tests. I focused on helping teachers prepare for the changes to the math test in particular. I did this for 5 years and absolutely loved this job.”
“While doing PD in this role, I also presented frequently at state and national conferences. Because of my popularity as a presenter, I was commissioned by a publishing company to author a resource book for teachers of adult ed math students. This has been one of the biggest highlights of my career!”
“However, the state in which I lived and worked – Illinois – was without a state budget for more than 2 years and several of the programs and teachers I supported were losing their jobs because the programs could not stay open without funding. During the no budget phase, I was looking for work outside the state of Illinois and I was heavily recruited to come to Nevada and teach in public schools again.”
“So I prepared and took several Praxis’ tests to ensure my qualifications to get licensed in Nevada. I taught for 2 years in a Title I high school before moving to a high performing middle school where I taught for 1.5 years before leaving.”
“I am now an Instructional Excellence Coach for Catapult Learning; I will mentor and coach teachers & their supervisors in mostly non-public schools throughout the western US (including Hawaii!)
Why did you go into teaching? “I had always loved math, and school. I loved school as a matter of fact. My favorite day of the year was not Christmas, but rather it was the day I got new school supplies. I had always known I would be a teacher.”
Why did you decide to leave teaching? I have become disillusioned by the emphasis put on testing students. I have seen the light go out in my students’ yes with one high stakes test after another. I love math because there is so much to explore and discover – but the emphasis on testing means there is little time for discovery.”
How did you discover your current role? I had been contemplating a move out of the classroom for about a year. I had begun using some formal search engines, but found Indeed.com was the best for my needs. I was searching for titles such as “learning & development,” “education manager,” and other such titles. I applied for my current position on October 15th, and was contacted on the 18th to schedule a phone interview as the first step in the interview process. This was the most thorough interview process I have ever gone through! I had 3 separate phone/Zoom interviews speaking with supervisors and people currently in the role in other parts of the country, then I had to complete a performance task and unpack it with the person who is now my boss, followed by an in-person interview here in Las Vegas with 2 state supervisors. Next I traveled to the east coast where the organization is headquartered and over the course of a morning I had 4 more in-person interviews with others in the organization.”
What is your favorite part of your new role? “My favorite part of my new role, apart from the exceptional people on my team, is that I get to affect the learning of students who have struggled to make educational gains by supporting, mentoring, and coaching their teachers and administrators.”
What is your least favorite part of your new role? “I haven’t found anything I don’t like yet!”
What advice would you give to someone transitioning from another career into your role? “Re-frame the things you have done & the skills you have as a teacher into qualities an employer will value: problem-solving, adaptability, creativity, and how to function as part of a team, for example.”
SHIFT: Transition from Teaching 