For most teachers, we decided early on that we have a calling and passion for education. But sometimes, after years in education, we start to drift further away from our passion and reason for getting into education. Thankfully, whether you stay in the classroom, education, or move beyond, you can get back to your passions and values. In today’s episode, I’m sharing how you can begin to realign with your purpose as an educator.

No matter what our career is, we want it to be connected with our goals, values, and passions. There are five ways you can connect to your purpose as an educator, which will also provide ideas for new career opportunities you could go after. Each of the five ideas asks you to stay true to yourself, reflect on your values, and rely on your strengths and support system. When you do all those things, you can realign with your purpose as an educator.

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Being an educator is a purpose driven profession. We get into teaching, because we love it. And we want to make a difference in kids lives. And we truly believe in the power of education.

But there are so many things that make teaching impossible. And an entire school system that really relies upon exploiting teachers. And so getting into this was such a strong purpose or a mission, we can feel really overwhelmed and confused when teaching becomes super unsustainable.

So the good news is, there are other ways that you could work and really be aligned with your purpose in a more sustainable way. And sometimes really aligning with our purpose allows us to advocate for more holistic change within the education system, to really stand up for teachers, stand up for students, and really create the changes we hope to see in education.

But I know that's easier said than done. Like we can often feel like we've lost our purpose and get so caught up in the day to day demands of our jobs and all the things that it's like, Why did I even decide to become an educator? And it can feel tempting to just like, throw our hat in the ring and be like, Alright, I'm done. You know, I'm not going to be part of education anymore.

But I hope that you will really take whatever you're feeling and all of your experience and turn it into creating change in the field of education. That doesn't mean that necessarily you'll stay a classroom teacher forever. But it does mean staying connected to your purpose.

So in this episode, we're gonna think about how to step back and really reconnect with your values and goals, to ensure that your work, whatever it might be, is fulfilling and aligned with your passions. Or if you've already left the classroom, or are considering leaving teaching, that doesn't have to mean the end of your career in education.

So let's take time to realign and explore new ways of connecting to your passion, and really tuning into what you love about education, and thinking about what career opportunities you could go after from that place.

So I'm gonna go over five ways to connect to your purpose. First, is really reflecting on why you chose education. Why did you become a teacher? What did you hope to achieve through that work? Was it a desire to make a difference in the lives of young people? Was it your passion for a particular subject area?

Whatever your reasons, reconnecting with this can help you feel more connected to your work, and your purpose as an educator. And by understanding those motivations, you can get a renewed sense of purpose, and also tune into like, is my purpose now the same? Are my passions now the same?

It is okay, and totally normal to evolve, like really, truly, you can evolve, your passions can change, your purpose can change. So this is an exercise getting you clear on what you want to connect to right now what you feel called to do right now.

Number two way to connect to your purpose as a teacher is identify your values. Aligning your work with your values is essential for feeling fulfilled and motivated as an educator. So think about what do you value most as an educator? Is it creativity, or inclusion or equity or something else?

Make a list of your core values as an educator. And this can be really illuminating, thinking about, Oh, my core beliefs are really all these things that maybe I'm not able to do in the classroom or that I'm constantly fighting against. And so really getting clear on what your values is, can help you really think about are there aspects of your job that are in conflict with your values?

And then think about how you can make changes to make your work whether in the classroom or beyond more aligned with your values. So really, you could think about what other positions or organizations might be out there that are more aligned to your values and mission.

The third way to connect to your purpose as an educator is to set achievable goals and explore possibilities. Think about what you want to achieve in this next chapter of your career? Do you want to improve your teaching skills, take on a new role, create a new educational program or service or start an education business?

Whatever your goals check in, do they align with your purpose and your values, jot down your ideas and dream big. I think there's so much baggage around being like, Oh, we're teachers, we're mission driven, like we're purpose driven. And somehow that means that people aren't supposed to treat us as full professionals.

That's not true. We can be mission driven, we can have strong values and a purpose for our work, and still be paid well, and still be treated well. And so as you explore these opportunities, think about what's going to give you what you need, you know, whether it's more money, more flexibility, more agency to really create the change you want to see in education.

There are so many different career pathways that you can create for yourself in education, that don't involve teaching in a traditional setting. You could go into curriculum development, or instructional coaching, or online teaching or education, consulting, or start your own business, whatever it is, that really aligns with your purpose, your passion, your reality, what you want, and what you need right now.

And you can really step into your power as an educator by identifying your strengths and skills and owning your expertise. Your experience as a teacher is valuable and in demand. You've developed a wide range of transferable skills and strengths and experience that can be applied to various career paths.

So really thinking again, like you probably have grown so much as a teacher, you have learned so much as a teacher. So reflecting on that growth, and again, tuning into what you're gonna do with it next. So spend time reflecting, make a list of your strengths. And really think about what potential roles your strengths can align to, along with, again, your purpose.

And then set some real achievable goals here, you know, maybe you just want to think about your strengths this week, have a goal of writing down 10 strengths, or 10 things you've learned as a teacher, by the end of the weak, your goals can be pretty micro, as long as you keep achieving them.

The fourth way to realign with your purpose as an educator is to seek out support and invest in yourself. So this has to do with really being around like minded educators who share your passion for education, and who show you the possibilities.

When you are around people who have become disconnected from their purpose. Maybe they've become bitter, or they're burnt out. I think we all know teachers like that, and understandably so. But when you're around people like that, you can't really see all the possibilities for yourself.

So really thinking about who are going to be your people in this next phase of your career? You can seek out professional development opportunities, find a coach or mentor, join a supportive community. We have our educated forever network that is really designed entirely for this for being your people who can show you the possibilities and really propel you forward.

And if you're looking for new career opportunities, that networking, why we call the educator forever network, the network is essential, because through other people through your community, you get to learn about different career opportunities and connect with people who are doing similar work.

So you could reach out to other professionals and the education community, leverage the power of LinkedIn, really connect with others. Really think about what skills you might need to learn in order to be successful in this new chapter of your career. It's okay if you don't know everything that's completely normal. But think about what are the key skills or knowledge that you need to get and how will you get them.

And then last but not least, stay true to yourself and your purpose as a teacher. Above all, remember to stay true to yourself and your passions. Don't be afraid to take risks and try new things and embrace your growth mindset along the way. You can have the life of your dreams with a rewarding career and healthy work life balance. You need to honor your needs set boundaries and prevent burnout no matter what career choices you make.

But really it's totally possible. And I know sometimes it can seem like you have to choose. You have to choose between being a teacher being really aligned to what you believe what your identity is so tied to or you could leave education entirely and maybe have better work life balance, but not that connection to your values.

But there's another way. You can be connected to your purpose and to your values and doing the work that you are meant to do in the world, while also really taking care of yourself and not being part of that system that rests on exploiting teachers. So you get to create your path forward, and it all starts with aligning to your purpose.