Eman Haggag, Program Manager at Meta, moved directly to the tech world by way of instructional coaching after 15 years of teaching and integrating K-12 STEM content. She sits down with Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, for an inspiring conversation about what it means for teachers to broaden their impact, how to reframe a strong skill set to be relevant for a different industry, and how EdTech companies can better use the perspectives of educators who want to join their ranks.
Identify Transferable Skills -- And Translate Them.
While some teachers leave the classroom because they feel burned out by the school year's long, demanding rhythm, Eman transitioned from teaching eighth graders to building a community for educators as a way to broaden her impact.
"My last year before I left, I stumbled upon competency-based learning. I felt like I was doing those things without having the vocabulary for them. And then I realized, 'Oh my goodness, if we're meeting learners where they are, and we're organizing this curriculum or this experience really grounded in community, what would that look like with teachers?' And that was my impetus. I was like, 'I've never exclusively worked with adults before because I'm a middle school teacher.' I didn't know what I was getting into, but it ended up being beautiful."
Eman explains that the key to transferring a skill set is reframing expectations and translating similar ideas into a different vocabulary. This simple concept wasn't as easy as it sounds:
"One of the most difficult things to do was to take my classroom experiences and my resume, and translate it into a language that was fit for a company like Meta. What that looks like is cleaning up your LinkedIn, looking into your Twitter account, and saying, 'What do I put out there? Do I have a portfolio? What's the platform?' And spending time with people that are not in the classroom, looking at their examples to make sure that your skills can translate over. Because the reality is, as a teacher, you have every single one of those powerful skills. You just have to put it in that language."
One of Eman's biggest adjustments was moving from the relative autonomy of classroom teaching to a team dynamic:
"I had to learn how to speed up exponentially, but also slow down. In a school system, there are lots of things that are predictable. Because of that routine, I was able to go fast in my classroom, make my curriculum, work with my students, and so forth. When you're in a company like Meta, it's not just you anymore, and you're constantly working with so many different types of people. You have to be willing to switch hats over and over and over again, with different languages. And that makes you slow down and just listen. It's a completely different world."
Why Hiring Educators in EdTech is Essential
EdTech companies benefit from the perspective that educators bring. But as Eman describes, it isn't always plug-and-play for the educators. She offers the industry a few suggestions:
"If you are hiring educators, or you want to ease a transition, ask them what they think it means, and then define for them what it means to be in EdTech. I needed a little bit of time and resources to understand what was happening so that I could take the skills that I already had and translate it into my new role. It was a steep learning curve for me."
These companies should also more fully explore the knowledge and perspective that educators bring to EdTech. Eman observes:
"I feel like EdTech companies look at the hero or the person that's at the end of the line, as the student or the learner. And I understand why because they are the ones receiving the learning or piloting whatever you're testing. I truly, truly, truly feel that the hero is the educator. I get to experience that every day in my role in the Nourished Teachers community. If the teacher is good, and they feel heard, and they have opportunities to co-design with you and plan what would make whatever experience you're choosing to be beautiful, then everybody's going to benefit. Not just the learners. Literally, everybody's going to benefit. If the company understands that, I feel like it's very transformative. "
Read the full transcript of Eman's podcast episode.
Note: Meta is a client of LCG, but this is not a sponsored podcast episode. We just love showcasing passionate educators who are making a difference. As always, all opinions are our own.
Resources Mentioned in this Episode:
Nourished Teachers Community, a Facebook group co-created by teachers (including our podcast guests) focused on nourishing the minds, bodies, and spirits of K-12 classroom teachers in the U.S. Please fill out this application if you are a current K-12 U.S. educator and would like to join.
How Teachers Can Expand Their Impact Beyond the Classroom: A Conversation with Lily Jones
What’s Your Community’s Purpose? Find it Using the SPACES Model
Elana Leoni, Host
Elana Leoni has dedicated the majority of her career to improving K-12 education. Prior to founding LCG, she spent eight years leading the marketing and community strategy for the George Lucas Educational Foundation where she grew Edutopia’s social media presence exponentially to reach over 20 million education change-makers every month.
Eman Haggag, Guest
Eman Haggag has been a teacher for the past 15 years. While she's been involved in teaching and developing integrated STEM content for K-12, her favorite stage to work with is the strange, hilarious, and formative years of middle school. With this age group, Eman developed a keen interest and need to be intentional about SEL for learners -- and ultimately teachers. More recently, Eman dipped her toes into instructional coaching and helping educators meaningfully integrate technology into the learning journey. She says it's a beautiful reminder to rediscover that teachers, no matter the circumstance, never stop being educators. She calls them the most resilient, adaptable, talented, community-oriented, and just incredible people. Eman's other passions include playing guitar, doing voiceover and improv, and playing with her cats and son. She recently relocated to Michigan from the SF Bay Area and is thrilled by the change of seasons.
About All Things Marketing and Education
What if marketing was judged solely by the level of value it brings to its audience? Welcome to All Things Marketing and Education, a podcast that lives at the intersection of marketing and you guessed it, education. Each week, Elana Leoni, CEO of Leoni Consulting Group, highlights innovative social media marketing, community-building, and content marketing strategies that can significantly increase reach, relationships, and revenue.
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