Meet Leyla Akincilar, ELA Content Manager
Based in San Mateo, California
What is your role, and what are your favorite parts of it?
My official title is ELA Content Manager. My focus is on content designed for 3rd — 12th grade in Pathways and Toolkit. I lead a team of 3 editors and 10 writers, who are all current or former teachers. Collaborating with them on our content is my favorite part of this role because I love the continuous learning. We are all driven by Goalbook’s mission to provide the supports and materials teachers need to help all of their students learn and succeed. This helps me feel connected to why I entered the teaching profession in the first place.
The other aspect of my role that has grown over the last two years is my works as a Designer. Our team uses a design thinking process to build our product by identifying the problems, offering solutions, and iterating based on feedback. Part of this process is conducting User Interviews with current and potential Goalbook users. Hearing from teachers about what they find effective and what they wish our product offered to them is the greatest driver of how we build our content.
What was your experience prior to Goalbook?
I started teaching 7th and 8th grade English in 2002 at a public school in South Los Angeles. I taught there for almost 5 years, and got to work with a curriculum team that supported the ELA department. It was a huge school (nearly 2700 students), and my learning curve was steep and rapid. In 2006 I moved to San Francisco to work at KIPP Bayview Academy where I stayed through 2014. I taught 7th and 8th grade English all eight years in addition to becoming the Assistant Principal for the last three. In 2011 we were one of two schools in San Francisco to earn the title of California Distinguished School. We all got sweatshirts with CDS logo embroidered on the front. It is still my favorite sweatshirt.
What gravitated you towards Goalbook’s mission?
If you walk into a KIPP school, you’re bound to read the message, “ALL students will succeed” posted in the hallways and classrooms. This is a belief I lived by for most of my teaching career, so when I read the same principle on Goalbook’s website, I knew this was a company I should learn more about.
We are all driven by Goalbook’s mission to provide the supports and materials teachers need to help all of their students learn and succeed. This helps me feel connected to why I entered the teaching profession in the first place.
Outside of the role, what are one or two things you love here?
Almost everyone on staff used to be a teacher. I love the camaraderie of our shared experience working with students. It’s also hilarious to see the look on the engineers’ faces (who aren’t former teachers) when we share our most outrageous student memories. Their wide-eyes say it all: teaching is a difficult and unpredictable profession.
How do you work and communicate with your manager?
My direct manager and I meet twice a week. One of the meetings is co-editing during which I share my weekly goals, ask questions about projects, and problem-solve. The other meeting is our one-on-one during which we head out of the office for a walk, a coffee, or something sweet, and we talk about bigger picture ideas. This can also be an opportunity to share important personal news or reflect on professional growth. Our team lead and co-founder meets with me every three weeks for a one-on-one. I appreciate this time and format because I know that my professional growth is important and there will always be time and space for me to talk about it with my manager and co-founder. We also work in an open office, so there’s no hesitation to message anyone from any of the teams to answer quick questions or schedule a meeting. We make time for each other without a second thought.
I know that my professional growth is important and there will always be time and space for me to talk about it with my manager and co-founder.
What have you learned in your role so far?
By far, the most exciting aspect of learning has been the design thinking process. Each part of the process has tools and processes that are new to me. I’ve learned to work with applications like Sketch, Chrome Developer and Instapage for design; Quicksight, Fullstory, and Mixpanel for analytics; Mailchimp and Weebly for content outreach. I’ve conducted hundreds of user interviews. All of my skills in Word, Excel, and Google apps have grown tremendously. In a school setting, it was hard to develop new skills in these areas because, despite the digital world we live in, much of education is still in analog (as anyone waiting in line at the copier can tell you).
What personal goals have you set outside of work?
Just about everyone in the office has an individual athletic activity they’re working on like running, yoga, hiking, or martial arts, so it’s a motivating environment to pick up a sporting goal of your own. The Math Content Manager suggested that we train for the SF Half Marathon, so we did that over the summer. I plan to train for another this fall and improve my time. I’m also dedicated to volunteering at a school in my neighborhood so I can still work with students. It’s always the highlight of my week.
What are some of your favorite spots in San Mateo?
My absolute favorite thing about San Mateo is when the roses and jasmine bushes are in full bloom. After lunch or at the end of the work day, I’ll take a walk or a run on the sidewalks of San Mateo and breathe in the sweet perfume of jasmine. I’ll literally stop to smell the roses in Central Park or in the front yards of any of the darling houses between B-Street and El Camino Real. I still can’t get over how idyllic it all is.
What’s your favorite memory during your time at Goalbook?
I started at Goalbook March 1st, 2015. That month Goalbook hosted its first Park Day. One of our remote employees flew in from Idaho for the week. We spent Friday afternoon eating barbecue, playing volleyball, and sitting in the sun. I felt so lucky to have joined a team that values building relationships. Since I’d only ever worked at school before, it felt like quite a luxury to leave the office early and eat a catered lunch! I felt very pampered and also really valued. There was nothing “fancy” about the day, but it was incredibly authentic, and everyone had fun. I knew I’d made the right choice pursuing Goalbook.
- Check out other team member stories and learn more about our company culture.
- Read about what it is like to work at Goalbook: Ryan M, Kristina, and Blair
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