Leaving the Classroom: A Teacher Transition Podcast

In this episode, I am addressing on of the top teacher concerns about transitioning to Instructional Design! "I’m really struggling with feeling confident in the project management side of things. I am nervous about not knowing how to properly interview SMEs, having no clue about how to set up a budget or project timeline, and even deciding whether a training is needed. Am I the only one?? I’m jus...

As a teacher there was an ever present threat to my livelihood by telling me my teaching certificate would be taken away if I didn’t stay the entire school year. Take away my teaching certificate! So that means that if I hate my job, if I am not happy with the administration at my school or district, if there are parents that I DO NOT want to deal with that year. I will have my certificate taken a...

I don't know why you're making such a huge deal of this. You're being overly sensitive. You are being so dramatic. This is gaslighting; and teachers hear it all the time. Today, I share examples of gaslighting that were sent to me by teachers in my mentor group at IDOL courses Academy.   Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn     This podcast is sponsored by IDOL Courses and is the only authorized vocati...

Wearing jeans to work is usually not considered a privilege, except for teachers. Many schools use jean days as a reward or incentive for teachers. And it is demeaning. This week in the continuation of the series, The Narcissist Traits of Education, I continue to talk about the parts of education that feed into toxic work culture for teachers.   Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn     This podcast is...

The catchphrases teachers often hear from administration and the district are actually just toxic positivity. These phrases and slogans fed to teachers demand that you ignore, suppress, or deny negative or critical emotions. This excessive upbeatness isn’t used to lift the spirits of the teachers, but as a tool of guilt and control.   Connect with Kristi on LinkedIn     This podcast is sponsored b...

Education is a narcissist. And teachers are the victims. I started learning about narcissism about a year ago. Before then I thought narcissism was simply being full of yourself and arrogant. But it turns out it runs much deeper and carries many more abusive tendencies than I ever imagined. And, these tendencies can be found right in our own public education system. And like the typical abusive na...

Today I’m reviewing the skills that are directly transferable from teaching to instructional design. And there are a lot of them!   I am sure you have heard the saying, Those who can, do. Those who can’t, teach. This comes from a stage play in 1905 by George Bernard Shaw called Man and Superman. It is a terrible mindset that teaching is a place for those who can’t make it in “the real world”. I he...

Today I am talking about one of the biggest fears I had when I began to consider leaving the classroom. Starting over.   According to a National Education Association survey in 2021, 37% of educators are considering leaving the classroom earlier than they had planned. That went up six months later to 55%. Teachers are leaving the profession and starting over. And if you are considering leaving the...

Most teachers feel summers off is one of the best perks of teaching and can’t imagine giving it up. It is also quite nice to have the same schedule as your kids to be able to take family vacations together. This was one of my biggest worries too when I thought about leaving the classroom. In this episode, I talk about why I don’t miss summers off, or any other teacher ‘perk.’   Connect with Kristi...

In this episode, meet me, Kristi Oliva, former teacher turned instructional designer. Learn how I left the classroom and pursued a corporate career. I have now worked for three Fortune 10 companies including CVS, Google, and now Amazon. I left the classroom for so many reasons, and in this episode I take you through the top 5 reasons I knew I didn’t want to be a teacher anymore. Connect with Krist...