Meet the Edpuzzler: The Worst They Can Do Is Say Yes
Any other teachers out there know the “first week of school” gut punch?
That overwhelming but exciting feeling of “I’m somehow an adult and now in charge of twentyish third graders?”
Each first week of school for seven years, I still had that feeling. I loved working with students and making a difference in their lives, and lately I was being valued at my school for my ability to integrate technology with ease.
It made me wonder if I could help teachers beyond my school and district with amazing edtech resources and how to fit them into their teaching and learning environment.
So, I started just looking at openings for websites I used in my classroom daily. I found a position for Edpuzzle that I was definitely somewhat qualified for and required the applicant to move to San Francisco.
Living in North Carolina, there was hesitation in calling my partner to ask if they would potentially move cross-country with me to receive the response of, “I’ll follow you anywhere, as long as there’s fried chicken.”
Still conflicted over even just applying and having the confidence to hit “send,” I discussed it with a wonderful Technology Coach at my school to which he said, “Apply. The worst they can do is say yes because then you’ll have a decision to make.”
That hit me like a ton of bricks. Why was I hesitant to apply? So I hit “Apply” and moved on with my life.
After about the third phone interview with the team, I blurted out the words “You know…I’ll be in San Francisco in February, why don’t I come visit y’all in the offices?” They agreed and settled on a date for me to come into the office to visit in person.
I had to make a phone call to my partner telling them that we needed to book a trip to San Francisco immediately. That wasn’t planned and I think Edpuzzle realized that when my San Francisco trip just happened to fall on the same day they could meet me.
After the in-person interview, all the pieces fell into place. Edpuzzle accommodated me because they saw the potential in me that I couldn’t. They were thinking about letting someone work remotely and took a chance on this southern-hearted, dog-loving, “flying-by-the-seat-of-her-pants” teacher.
Once I accepted the position, I was able to finish out my school year with my students. It was an extremely difficult goodbye because they wouldn’t see me in the halls for their fourth- and fifth-grade years. They wouldn’t be able to come to me if they needed help; they wouldn’t be able to choose “Miss Sherrill” to spend an hour with as a reward for good behavior next year.
However, on the flip slide, they were extremely excited to know that I was working for one of their favorite educational websites. They knew I was going to go help other teachers learn how to include cool video lessons so students all over could enjoy rapping multiplication tables or learning about different cultures outside of our own.
I still get emails from previous students updating me on their lives and it makes my heart so happy and confirmed that it wasn’t a true goodbye when I left the classroom.
Ever since joining Edpuzzle, it has been a wild and amazing journey. When I first started, I was mainly working with a few states in spreading the word about Edpuzzle and bringing donuts to districts just to get a chance to chat with them.
Now I am a Regional Director of School Success, where I work with schools in the Central and Southeastern United States. My fabulous position allows me to build relationships with Administrators and Teachers to help them successfully utilize Edpuzzle in their settings.
Over the (almost 4) years at Edpuzzle, I’ve had the pleasure of chatting with those within and outside of Edpuzzle and always hear that Edpuzzle “just seems like a great place to work.” I can’t agree more.
Edpuzzle is comprised of wonderful people who are passionate to make a difference in the world, in schools, and in education.
During my interview and my time at Edpuzzle, I learned that teaching for seven years was such an invaluable experience. I wondered how I could apply my teaching skills and experience to something outside of the classroom, but in reality, teachers can sell themselves short.
Teachers are daily negotiators, time managers, influencers, empathizers, salespeople, problem solvers, and directors. The many hats a teacher dons daily give them a real-world experience difficult to replicate.
That wonderful Technology Coach that inspired me by saying, “Apply. The worst they can do is say yes because then you’ll have a decision to make” is still in touch with me today and he uses Edpuzzle with all his teachers now (I helped with that).
He doesn’t even know the impact he made on my life by getting me to just click “apply.”
Sometimes it takes a little encouragement and forward-thinking to choose your next adventure.
Want to come work with Kelly? Take a look at Edpuzzle’s jobs board!
