Hi Vanessa

I have been remiss from sending out newsletters while I was writing my book.  And so this seems like the perfect time to launch it in a slightly new format. 

In the new format, I'll include: 

  • some curated jobs I found that you can apply to if you find them interested in Meanwhile, Outside the Classroom... 
  • An EZ recipe in  A Little Less on Your Plate
  • A useful tip towards career transition or job hunting in The Next Step
  • A quick blurb about the most recent episodes of the Podcast. 
  • Any cool things that we're doing soon in Coming Soon.

But I'm more interested in what YOU need from this newsletter.  I'd love your feedback and suggestions.  If you have questions, share those, I bet you aren't the only one with that question, and I'm happy to answer them. 

****************************************************

The Next Step

Decide → CLARIFY → Build → Refine → Attract

You can love teaching and still need a different job. Before your next chapter becomes a list of everything you want to escape, name one part of teaching you’d like to keep.

Maybe it’s explaining something until it clicks, creating materials, or working one-on-one. Get specific: “helping someone understand” gives you more possibilities to explore than “working in education.”

In looking for what's next, it's important to consider what you like and what you don't like. Think of it like collecting ingredients.

Meanwhile, Outside the Classroom...

I’m adding a few job picks to help you explore work beyond the classroom, selected especially for readers of this newsletter. This issue’s picks are contract roles listed as remote. Check each posting for qualifications, location restrictions, and other details.

  1. Creative Project Manager — Coordinate branding projects, timelines, and people. Worth exploring if organizing complicated work is your strength; creative-industry experience may be a gap.

  2. Interaction Experience Designer — Develop and test interactive digital experiences. A possibility for teachers with additional skills in digital design, animation, and prototyping.

  3. User Experience Researcher — Investigate what users need and turn findings into product recommendations. Assessment and observation skills connect, though professional UX research requires specialized methods.

  4. People Services Associate — Support recruiting, onboarding, and employee processes. Communication, organization, and helping people navigate unfamiliar systems offer connections to teaching.

  5. AI Knowledge Management and Content Strategy Consultant — Organize and improve content used in AI-supported operations. Potentially interesting for educators with experience in content strategy, knowledge management, and AI tools.

I could earn a small commission if you apply for these jobs through these links

A Little Less on Your Plate: Nacho Chicken & Rice

This is what’s for dinner at my house tonight! Nacho Chicken & Rice, from Taste of Home Skinny Slow Cooker, combines chicken, colorful peppers, salsa, and nacho cheese soup, served over rice.

Prep: 20 minutes · Cook: 5–6 hours on low · Makes 6 servings

The recipe calls for cubing chicken and slicing peppers; prepare the rice separately. Vanessa’s shortcut: use chicken breast tenders and put them in whole—one less prep step between me and dinner.

On the Podcast

In Episode 321, I talk with Jessi Dall of Sophos Academics about turning your love of teaching into a tutoring business—a “tutorpreneur,” if you will. And if teaching has been taking a toll on your health, Episodes 318–320 explore the demands, the cost, and how to respond.

Listen to the Teachers in Transition podcast

Coming up at TnT

Career Clarity: From Questions to Coordinates
Monday, October 26, 2026, @ 7 p.m. Central 
Absolutely Free

Explore what you need from your next chapter and begin mapping a direction that fits your skills and your life. You don’t need to arrive with a career picked out.

Save Your Spot! 

Cheering you toward what’s next,


Vanessa

Contact Vanessa