Episode 90: Staying True to Yourself with Dr. Taryn Givan of Divergent Educational Consulting
In this episode, I speak to Dr. Taryn Givan. Taryn is in her 23rd year as an educator and has served 19 years in the Pre-K through 12 setting as a teacher, assistant principal, and turnaround principal. Currently, she is the founder and CEO of Divergent Educational Consulting, LLC, and Contractor Operations Manager at Better Lesson.
We talked about her journey, her new book Centering Our Voices: The Brilliance, Persistence, and Significance of Black Women Educators, and what she’s learned over the years as an educator who broke off on her own.
Topics Discussed:
How educators can honor their unique passions and talents as they move beyond the classroom
How to advocate for yourself as an educator
The many options educators have for using their skills in the classroom and beyond
Resources mentioned:
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Read the transcript for this episode:
Welcome to Educator Forever, where we empower teachers to innovate education. Join us each week to hear stories of teachers expanding their impacts beyond the classroom and explore ways to reimagine teaching and learning.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin is a native of Texarkana, Texas. She holds a bachelor's degree in elementary education from the University of Central Arkansas, a master's degree in curriculum instruction from Texas A&?M University Texarkana, a principal certification and educational leadership from Stephen F. Austin State University, and a doctorate in higher education leadership from Clark Atlanta University. Taryn is in her 23rd year as an educator and has served 19 years in the P through 12 setting as a teacher, Assistant Principal and turnaround principal. Currently, she is the founder and CEO of divergent educational consulting, LLC, and contractor operations manager at better lesson.
Welcome, Taryn. So glad to have you here with us.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Thank you so much, Lily. I'm excited to be here with you.
Lily Jones
Yes, me too. So I'd love for you to start by telling us about your journey as an educator.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
All right, you know, I actually love to tell this story. It actually starts out with my former high school principal, he was also the superintendent of Liberty, Iowa high school here in Texarkana, Texas. And so I really wanted to work with children. I knew that coming out of high school, I wanted to make a lot of money. So here I am, in my mind setting out thinking, Okay, I'll go the route of being a pediatrician. That puts me working with children, I get to make a lot of money. So one day, I received a phone call from Papa Reiter, which is what I call it, him. And he was checking in just to see how I was doing at the University of Central Arkansas, his daughter followed me there the year after, and so he kept in touch with me as well. And in that conversation, I was telling him, you know, having declared the major yet still, in my first year here, thinking, I'm going to be a pediatrician, not really caring for the courses, but let me see where this goes. And you have to know Him, you have to know his personality. To truly understand, like, No, you're not going to be a pediatrician. That's not what you were called to be. You're going to be an educator, and I'm like, okay, and he said, Listen, do me. Do me a favor, do me one thing. I need you to go. Just see if you have an opportunity to observe in some schools. I know you haven't declared education as your major yet, but just go get into some schools. I've seen you with children. I know what your calling is. And just do that for me. Call me back, let me know. So I eventually arranged all of that walked into a couple of schools there in the Central Arkansas area. And he was absolutely right. It was it was magnetic for me, walking into the schools, you know, children thinking that I'm there maybe as a sub are, you know, ating their teachers for the day? The interactions were just so natural, so authentic. I did. I called him back eventually. It was like, you know, you're right. This is something that happens very natural for me. I know that there is still a learning curve, so to speak, or there's going to have to be the development. But I believe you're absolutely right. And I do declare a major at the University of Central Arkansas as an elementary education major and ended up coming back home here in the Texarkana area to teach at Liberty Isla, which is my alma mater. I graduated from there. And Papa writer was CEO of Arizona superintendent, I was able to work my first two years under his leadership. And you know, to this day, I honor Him He has since passed on. But I honor him with this story. Because you're a question of like, my journey as an educator is started there. As far as someone seeing my potential, seeing who I truly was, and have watched me over the years, I really would say that a lot of my talent definitely is, is an aid it was given. But to have someone to say, this is where you're needed. And today, I sit on this podcast with you rounding out the 23rd year, you know, being an educator, I've gone through 19 of those years in the P 12. Setting, being a teacher and assistant principal turnaround principle, in higher education. I've worked as an adjunct professor, and I've started that again, since completing my doctorate. And I know that because of popper writer and other educators that I stand on the shoulders of it was because of them, pushing me and reminding me of my calling that you know, I'm here today to be able to tell you about that journey. I absolutely love being in the classroom love being a teacher. I know that that is not what I currently do, but I want to make sure that I leave space for that. Because that really is an area where I feel like if I can't do anything else, I can go back into the classroom with you know, students and be 12 currently As an adjunct I teach that part of me, I don't think will ever go away just the passion for a quote unquote, freedom. I know that there's a lot of restrictions. I know a lot of educators listening to this, and you as well would probably say, you know, let's talk about freedom. But at the time when I was in the classroom, starting out in 2001, there wasn't as much of a restriction on what you could do. And so I truly enjoyed coming into those four walls, and being with my fourth grade students, and it was just a safe space, not only for them, but it was a safe space for me as well. But that journey again, I have to give that that memory has to be lived every time I speak about my journey as an educator, because popper writer, definitely, he called it correctly, as he often called it correctly. And here I am, again, rounding out your 23 moving into year 24.
Lily Jones
That's fantastic. I love that story. And I think sometimes it's like, we can't see the things so close to us, right? Like, we need somebody else to tell us, Oh, maybe go check this out. Or this is really what I see. And you. And so I think not only how amazing is it that he did that for you, but also that you listened, that you weren't just like, Nope, I'm already here, like, I'm gonna go on this track to be a pediatrician. Right? Like you were open minded enough to try it out and to see and to let honor that in that hit him and in you, too. So I think that's a powerful reminder for everybody of like, Oh, if people are telling you things, right, like, or they're saying, like, Oh, I could see you doing this. And it feels interesting to you like it's worth exploring and see where it goes.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Absolutely. And I think in addition to that, he understood my quest for, you know, who doesn't want to make a decent salary. So he understood that, and we did have conversations around that I want to name that, you know, coming from being raised in a single parent home, have a lot of love had a lot of family, extended family that supported my mother. But that was one of the things that was very important to my family was that you are put in a position to where you're able to take care of yourself, and if you choose to have a family, etc. And so he did honor that we did have some very candid conversations about, you know, the state of salaries for educators in comparison to other fields and sectors. And so I do want to say that his push wasn't without some realistic conversations, and understanding where I was coming from. And it was one of those things where he really wanted me to think about me being happy in my career, and possibly finding ways for that salary to increase over the years, versus saying, Yes, I work in a field or I work as a pediatrician. But you know, I don't really I'm not fulfilled, or I may have tried to start that way, and then had to end up pivoting, you know, into something else. And so I do want to add that on as well. And it's very important. And I know that it is a hot topic, and it will always be a hot topic about educators being revered is for what we do and also being compensated for that work as well.
Lily Jones
Absolutely. I mean, I am very passionate about hopefully creating education as a prestigious career, or at least like, you know, moving more forward in that way. And I think that, you know, just exactly like you said in your story, right? Like, if you're having a choice of being like, Oh, I'm going to be a pediatrician. And like, maybe that's not my passion or my calling, but it pays a lot more, and makes my life a lot easier. And a lot way a lot of ways versus education, where I think a lot of young people in particular are like, I would love to go become a teacher, but what am I setting myself up for. So it's like if we can create a pathway where teachers can hopefully be paid more and or have more career options, then I think ultimately, we can bring in the brightest talent to really attract them to education. And I definitely had a similar, you know, experience as a teacher myself, like I loved being a teacher so much, but it wasn't economically feasible for me to stay a teacher when my daughter was born, because I live in the San Francisco Bay Area I was teaching in Oakland, and the cost of daycare would have been pretty close to my teaching salary for full time daycare. And so I needed to like make a choice. And that's what I was going to do you know how to make it work just financially. And, you know, luckily, he was able to figure out lots of different options out there, but I think that, you know, giving educators economic options, so career options can be so powerful. Yeah. So tell us about I know so you left school, so and then moved into edtech and consulting. Can you tell us about that part of your journey?
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Yes, absolutely. So In the spring of 2020, I actually resigned from my position as a campus principal. And I kind of want to set this up a little bit. I had been feeling for maybe a year and a half, two years prior to that, just the pool. I didn't know exactly what it was, I had to really go into, you know, prayer and just some quiet time to really figure out like what's going on with me, it wasn't that I wasn't still connected to what I was currently doing as a campus leader. But it just seemed as if there was more. And I say this with with all due reverence, but there may be individuals, even listening to this call people that you and I know, who have set out to say, I want to remain in the classroom, or I want to be a forever insert whatever role that is in education, whether it's a teacher, or an administrator. But for me, there was a pool that was just so much more. And I knew that being a campus leader was not going to be the next 510 years of my story, where I was headed Lilly, I don't know, I knew that something was going to need to shift. And I was having conversations with my xane superintendent, just trying to get a feel for what would be for me in the current district, you know, future initiatives, maybe just if he could let me in, so to speak on some things that were coming, maybe they fit with my talent and my skill set. But I was having a conversation with district leadership to let them know, you know, a shift is coming, a change is coming, I can't really tell you what it's going to look like. But I can guarantee you that I will not continue to be the principal on that campus. I rounded out my fifth year there in the spring of 20. This was the first time that I had ever resigned from a position without having something else secure. And I tell you, it was truly a faith walk. It was one of those things in my home where I had to have the conversation with my husband. And just that obedience to what God told me to do. I remember emailing, you know, my, my resignation, and sitting there afterwards, like, did I just do that. And when it comes to June 30, of 2020 year contract is over, there will not be another, you know, paycheck from that principal position. If you have not secured something else, you know. So in that timeframe, from resigning to the end of my contract with public school, I had interviewed for different positions. That last interview was actually with an edtech company called Better Lesson, which is a company that I currently work for. And I was interviewing to be a contract coach, and an instructional coach, that's different than having a full time position. But that was something that a friend of mine had suggested, like, why don't you see about getting into the EdTech space, you have a lot of skills, a lot of experience, that you could really be beneficial to assist educators all over, you know, better lesson has reached across the United States and internationally. And she really just kind of pushed me to apply for a contracted position. At that time, I didn't really know much about that. I didn't know a lot of people who were in those roles. So I'm having to research and you know, of course, learning that there's an ebb and flow that comes with that space. In speaking to another friend of mine, it was also like, well, if you're being contracted to do work, that's pretty much like you work for yourself. So you need to go ahead and create a business land, you're now you know, being contracted, but you're an independent contractor. So you work for yourself, develop a business, and that's where divergent educational consulting LLC came from, because I was actually offered the contractor position with Better Lesson. And that was a whole new world, truly. And now I work from home where 19 years before that, I was driving up to a brick and mortar every day, you know, unless I was at a meeting or a professional development or unfortunately, you know, had to take a personal or sick day, but for 19 years, that's all I ever knew. Getting to campus, you know, between seven 730 being there, possibly to seven 730 At night, whatever the case may be, and now I get to work from home. And I'm like, Okay, well this is different. I don't have to rush when I wake up in the morning. I have an opportunity to actually eat some breakfast get in here on the computer on check some emails, things of that nature. Yes, it was a learning curve. Because this is not anything that I had already prepped myself to be. You know, some individuals of course, they're in their current position. They're already preparing for the next one. I didn't know So this is what I was going to do to be this now facilitator in this workshop setting for a better lesson, you know, working with educators across the US, you know, in different topics. And I will tell you that I absolutely loved it, I was able to also co facilitate. So then I started making connections with other contractors within Better Lesson and things of that nature. And then a couple of months after that, a full time position within the company came open on the team that actually supported the contractors, the services team, and I was nudged to apply. And I had started seeing by then all this ebb and flow, summer months, professional development was hot and heavy. And so I was booked and busy during those months facilitating workshops, things of that nature. And then you start getting to like, October, November, and here's this dip, and you're like, oh, is this Can I sustain this? Now, there were other things that I was doing with divergent educational consulting, I had some cohorts of novice educators, whether they were first year teachers, assistant principals are principals and I was supporting some local businesses and other businesses in this area had actually paid for them to be in a cohort for me to be their coach. So that was some other streams of income coming in. But when you started looking at it as a whole, you were like, Okay, how can I sustain this from month to month? Then thinking about? Well, I'm going back into a full time potentially going back into a full time position, but what are the perks? Well, you still get to work remotely. And that means wherever you choose to be, with stable Internet, things of that nature, you get to work in that capacity, more flexibility. Now, you're going to go back and have some insurance options, because while I was independently working as a contractor, I did not have insurance. And you know, my husband had insurance with his company. Thankfully, it was all of these different things that because I had not prepped for this space, I had not had conversations with others about this. I didn't know I was learning as I went along, coming into this consulting and ad tech space. But four years later this summer from 2020 is four years of me being with Better Lesson started out as a contractor. Now I'm a full time employee, as the contractor Operations Manager, I've gone through several roles, you know, and had little bumps in promotions, in salary. And I will tell you to this day, I absolutely love it. I did not think that I would be the person working remotely, not being on a campus, not working with children day in and day out. But I absolutely love it. And I think that it's been a testament to that transition. And understanding that there are other options as educators out there for us. And it's very important, like your podcast and what you do as an Educator Forever, being able to have those conversations, and let other educators here, we know every position is not for everyone. But what are my options, right? I just need to know the options, I can then explore and decide if this is what I want to do. Everyone's home situation, financial situations are different. They may be single, they may be married. But even with that there's still conversations that need to be had about the ebbs and flow of working for yourself with different contracted work are working full time for an edtech company. And I do those in collaboration, I still am contracted to do things with diversion, as I work full time with better lesson. But I'm very thankful for for one day obedience. When I submitted the resignation, I did not know what was next but God knew. But I'm also thankful for a network and a circle of individuals who as I've already started this narrative on this podcast, who often obviously sees me, they know me, they encouraged me, they pushed me to say, you can do this. And of course, we won't know if you're going to be chosen if you don't put in the application or if you don't go this path. So just do that. And taking those steps of faith and doing that hasn't have paid off and I am I'm pleased. I'm grateful for this journey, you know, post public school.
Lily Jones
Absolutely. I love that. And I think that two parts that I really resonate with, are just the taking the leap, you know, having a moment of trusting that voice within yourself of being like, hey, things are good. Like, I think it's harder sometimes when things are not so bad, right? Like I wasn't like I loved the school I was teaching at. I love my students. I love the community I was teaching in when I left the classroom, but I also had this feeling of like, this isn't for me right now. Doesn't mean maybe forever, you know, at that point, you know, I was like just not right now. And so I think hearing that from you You too have like taking that leap of faith and being able to realize like, I'm just, I'm gonna allow myself the chance to explore that. It reminds me kind of the story at the beginning to like allowing yourself to explore the other option of teaching rather than being a medicine. And so I think that is the first part that really resonated with me. And then the other is like, I didn't know anything about edtech either. When I first left the classroom, I started working for Teaching Channel, which made videos of teachers all over the country. I really had never, like thought about doing anything like that. As a teacher, I thought I could be a coach, I could be a teacher or it could be a principal. Absolutely, yeah. So going out and being like, wait, I'm an education consultant, like, what does that mean? And seeing my teacher skills in a different light, you know, being like, okay, there are some things I definitely am bringing forward with me there other things that I'm learning. And I think that's actually something even though it's hard, making a transition, like the learning actually has been one of the most rewarding parts because after being a teacher for a while, and I taught the same grade levels, kind of started being like Groundhog's Day, sometimes it'd be like, Well, I've done this before. I've gotten pretty good at this, like, all right, and doing something new is interesting. And even though that learning curve looks like brings up all sorts of feelings, I found that to be really rewarding.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Absolutely.
Lily Jones
And so I know along the way, you've also written the book. So can you tell us about that?
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Yes, “Centering our voices, the Brilliance, Persistence and Significance of Black Women Educators” is actually the fourth anthology that I have been a part of. What makes this so different is that I was the visionary for this one. And so is an extension of my dissertation research. I just completed my doctorate. Last summer, I was a summer 2023 graduate from Clark Atlanta University. And thank you, thank you so much. My amazing dissertation chair, Dr. Sean Warner, he's another name that I will continue to live. He really encouraged me to do something with my dissertation, whether it was moving into, you know, filling out forms to actually go and present at different conferences, writing articles, whatever the case may be, here's a plethora of ideas and options. Let's see, you know, where you want to go with this. But please don't sit on it. And in that dissertation, my population of black women were in academia. And so as I was sitting in thinking, I was like, you know, I don't want to just restrict it to academia, I want to open it up to just black women educators as a whole. And one of my best friends has a publishing company called sparkle publishing. Her name is Dr. Kimberly Ellison. And I have done work with her before I've been a part of their projects with different anthologies. And so I pitched the idea about partnering with her publishing company, to put out an author call and see if there would be anyone interested in joining this anthology. And what I love about anthologies, Lily is, you know, for some readers, it's, it's enjoyable, because you don't have to read the chapters in succession, you can go and read this author's experience this chapter, you can start over here, when you come back to the book now you can read some more. And so it gives you an opportunity to really kind of bounce around. And you know, a lot of individuals, what do they typically do, they start with the person they know, like, I purchased this woman, because she was the author, I'm going to start with her chapters, and I'll move around our they go to the table of contents, and they were looking at the title, or what category this fits under. And maybe this is something that's applicable to them at that moment. So this is where I'm going to start. And so I love the beauty of an anthology. Pitch that idea we set out the author call 21 other black women educators, decided to join me on this journey for centering our voices, the brilliance, persistence, and significance of black women educators. And it really is to like, highlight those distinctive experiences, challenges, triumphs of black women in the field of education. And it's very important because of my positionality. And because of that intersectionality I am a black woman and how I have experienced working in the field of education is not monolithic to other black women. But it also can't necessarily be compared to just other women educators. And so in working right now as an adjunct and leadership courses, really looking at how intersectionality plays a huge part in how we experience the world. And so I think that it was I felt that it was very important to be able to provide a book that is out there to inspire to empower both aspiring and established black women educators, and just really fostering a broader understanding and appreciation of the role that we play in shaping education. And so I'm so thankful for the 21 other voices, we are collectively known as the voices of legacy. These women embody various identities, you know, we're wise, we're mothers, entrepreneurs, mentors, authors, etc. And I'm just so thankful that they joined me. We did a kickoff in March for Women's History Month, that was very important for me, because that was also the month and 23, that I defended my dissertation. And so there are just some areas that are very connected to me for my directorial journey, that are also connected to this anthology. We also submitted our manuscript to the International Book Awards, in the category of anthology nonfiction, and also Women's Studies and women's issues, we actually won the category for anthology. Thank you. And we were a finalist for women's issues, women's studies. And so, you know, since March, we've just been on this journey. You know, I guess you could say marketing, advertising about the book, but really trying to see where we can go into these spaces, whether whether their affinity whether there are podcasts, such as yours, coming into different conferences, just to continue this conversation. And you know, it's very important, I know that there's a lot of, you know, pressure and conversations around diversity, equity, inclusion, belonging, social justice, but it's just very important that we really provide spaces to sit for the voices, especially about marginalized educators to be able to speak not only on behalf of their experiences, but more than likely, they're able to then center the voices of our children. And understanding what we need in terms of reform in our classrooms are in our curriculum, when we're talking about state testing, and things of that nature, and how it impacts all of our students. And the pressures that come with that, you know, have we truly lost our way in what education means? And are we educating our students, students to the fullest extent of thinking about this child as a whole, regardless of the environment that they come from, behind me, you see a sign that says no one rises to low expectations. So regardless of where a child comes from, no matter what their socio economic status may be, our our classrooms and our schools are, they could do that to providing a space where every child can thrive. And so I think it's very important for us to have space for these voices of all ethnicities, nationalities, etc, to be able to speak on their experiences. So I'm very proud of the work that we've done. And I'm excited to see where we go with it.
Lily Jones
That was wonderful. We'll put a link to the book down below, too. I also love that it's an anthology. I mean, I think that is such a powerful format, particularly when talking about centering voices, and be able, being able to have a group of people whose voices are all coming together to tell the story or to tell their own stories. So I think that's such a powerful format. And I also just really love that you took your dissertation, and found another way they kind of I mean, I know it's not the same exact thing, but like to use it. You know, it wasn't like starting from scratch and doing something totally different to it was taking something you've done and putting so much work and research into, and then creating a new form of it to reach more people. Because I think, also like, there are so many brilliant dissertations. And rarely do they get to be shared. And so thinking about like, how do we share all this brilliance? With a wider audience?
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Absolutely, yes.
Lily Jones
So going to advice you have for other educators, you know, you've talked a lot about staying true to your gifts and listening to what other people see in you. What advice can you give educators about staying true to their gifts and using them in impactful ways?
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Well, I have to start out with, you know, a scripture, when we talk about a man's gifts making room for him, bringing him before great man, I truly, truly believe in that proverb. It's very important for us to know that when we talk about staying true, this is not about mimicking someone else. It is about a journey of understanding who you are. It really is that development piece, that introspection, who am I? What do I feel like my purpose is what have I been called to do? And staying true to that? There are other educational consultants out there, there are several you know, you are one I've met our businesses may parallel somewhat, but then there's going to be some distinct features, because it is a connection to who you are, as Lily. It's a connection to who I am as Taryn. And so I understand that it was important for me to when I created my business and to build my business, to not try to mimic other people because then it's not going to be natural. It is a service that I do not feel I can truly honor that someone comes to me and say, Hey, are you able to assist with this? Or do you coach in this content area or this area, if it is not my area, I gladly let them know it is not. But I'm going to connect you to a network of other educators. And so I think it’s very important when we say stay true to our gifts, really embracing your uniqueness. Just recognizing and celebrating your gifts, and being able to use those gifts. Like that's where you take it to be able to make additional streams of money is by using those gifts, but you first have to sit down, and you have to really understand who you are. And even though yes, I had other people in my ear, it wasn't without me stopping to first pray and think about is this something that I truly want to do. And if it had not have been, I would have said that to like, you know what, thank you so much for your suggestion, I appreciate you being in my circle and pushing me. But this doesn't feel like like you stated earlier, it doesn't feel like it's my season, or this doesn't feel like it's a fit. For me, maybe this is something that I will explore later. I'm just grateful that it actually was the season and everything was aligned. But I think that we have to embrace our uniqueness, we have to first know about our individual gifts. And then we know that we bring something very special to the table. And then that's where you're going to be able to make an impact. But you're going to make that impact of passion. And where you're the most passionate. People can tell that like that's where the authenticity lies. Because you are engaged, you're able to motivate individuals, they can hear it, you know, in your voice, I can see it in your eyes, they, when they interact with you, as an educator, they can tell that you are passionate about this, it comes through with your enthusiasm and just your genuine interest. And that is truly where we're able to make an impact. Again, I thought I wanted to be a pediatrician, when I had been able to make that impact. I don't know because I wasn't really passionate about it, going through the courses, I wasn't interested. As soon as I shifted, and I started taking courses in education, I was hooked like, Yes, this is where I belong, I was excited. You know, doing the whole work wasn't painful. It was something that I was enjoying doing and being able to go and interact with students. And so again, we're going to make an impact to our passion. I think that that's extremely important. When we're talking about, you know, staying true to your gifts, got to make sure also that you're continuing to develop those gifts, continuous improvement, continuous development, and just truly committing to being a lifelong learner. And as educators, we know how important that is, I think about supporting educators now are even sometimes walking into campuses where I've been invited to come and do some walks and, and you know, kind of help, you know, principals or educators with some of the things that I see being a fresh set of eyes. And I see in some of those classrooms. And even when I was a principal, a lot of the things that I did in the classroom with my students in 2001, not saying that some of those best practices were not relevant, but how they were implemented and how they were delivered. Some of that had to shift. And I knew that because I committed to being a lifelong learner. And also understanding the demographics of the students that you're working with the community that you're working with, that makes a huge difference in what you do, and making sure that you are truly meeting their needs and meeting where they are, I would also give advice to really understand that you are a servant, that you're serving others, and use those talents to really just uplift and support not only students, but other educators around you. And I really think that leveraging authenticity, that's where you find your fulfillment, that's where you can make a significant difference in the lives of other people. And so for me staying true to that using it in impactful ways, is all tied to Who are you get to know who you are, tap into those talents, tap into those gifts. And that's also going to make room for you is going to make room for extra streams of income for you as well, because it's just who you are. And you're getting an opportunity to share that with others, and at the same time be able to have another resource, you know, for your financial dreams and hopes and aspirations.
Lily Jones
I absolutely agree. I mean, I think one of the things as a teacher, like we do so much all the time, and we can do so much because we're asked to do all these things, right? And so it can get confusing sometimes being like, well, I could do this or maybe I could do this thing or I could also do this like I truly believe that teachers skills are limitless. But I completely agree that the magic happens in the area that you're passionate about. And so allowing yourself not to get too wrapped in but like, well, I could I could I could, and really dreaming or leaning into the thing that you feel really passionate about. And I also really appreciate how you brought up lifelong learning. Because as we talked about before, there are always things to learn. And so yes, like being a teacher is a wonderful foundation. But there's always new research and new people to learn from, and new things that are being developed. And so really learning throughout your career will take you so far. And so last question, that is, what have you learned about yourself from your journey in education?
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Oh, that's a great question. I'll first say that I learned that I truly have the ability to impact students. beyond the four walls of a classroom. I think a lot of times we, as educators, we get stuck in, okay, this is this is what I'm doing. And this is probably what I'll be doing, we may end up working back in districts are hearing of teachers that taught us who were still in the classroom. And maybe we think that this is all that I'm capable of doing. And I learned about myself that I had the ability and the skills, and the willingness to become an administrator, I had the ability to then move out into the EdTech space into the consulting space, and make a greater impact across you know, the US. And what I gained, though, as a teacher, what I've gained as an educator, they have been vital in other spaces. And so the definitely setting the foundation, it was necessary, I think that's that's the word that I want to use. Everything that I went through from being a teacher was necessary. That helped me in my role as an assistant principal and a principal, it helped me to be a better, you know, adjunct professor in higher education, it has helped me to be a better manager of other contractors are to be in an ad tech space, and to be a consultant. And so it was vital. Because at the end of the day, it really is about seeing the students of those educators that you're supporting, and making sure that you are helping them to develop in ways so that their students can thrive. And so all of those, you know, award winning and you know, compliments that I received as being a teacher in the classroom and being authentic and providing a space for student engagement, all of those things that I heard, as an educator, I learned that I had the ability to take that and use it to make an impact outside of the classroom. And for me, that realization truly was powerful, showing me that the work that I did in the classroom, actually was crucial for broader context. And I think for any educator who is listening, any educator, who is maybe grappling with, what do I have the ability? Yes, you do. Where that is going to land is going to be you doing your research, and kind of understanding the roles and responsibilities of all of these different options. Everyone coming out of the classroom may not want to go into be an administrator saw may choose to do instructional coaching. And then from there, that's a springboard into maybe the Director of Curriculum and Instruction, who knows, but there are other options. And so I learned for myself not to allow people to put me into a box to say, wow, you're an amazing teacher, this is where we want to keep you Are you an amazing principal. So this is where we want to keep you. So the words that I use for my business is, you know, different progresses, and out the box. And those hashtags, those words that I use are because I recognize on my journey, that if I wasn't true to those, I would have been boxed in. I've actually had people tell me, oh, you know, we can't see you leaving this campus or leaving being a principal. And if we had our way, like you would do this for the next 30 years, without ever asking me. Well, Taryn, what is it that you desire? What is it that you want to do? And so I learned that I could advocate for myself. And I could stay true to that and say, Well, you know, if you're not going to bring the conversation to me, I'll bring the conversation to you. Here is where I am for this next season of my life. I know something is shifting, I know that there needs to be a change. You can either have the conversation with me and be a part of that journey. Our you can hear about this journey, but it's going to happen, right some one way or the other. And so I learned that advocacy for self is important. We're always pushed to be an advocate for others. But sometimes we forget about that advocacy for yourself and making sure that you are speaking up and that you're being true to your feelings. If something does not feel right if you don't feel like you are your needs are being met or you're being able to thrive. You need to fix spread that, because it doesn't help you. It doesn't do any good to those around you and definitely not to you if you're being inauthentic about how you feel and what you need in that season of your life. And so I learned that Taryn could, right parent could fill in the blank, she could move out of the classroom, she could be a campus leader, she could be an adjunct professor, she could move into ed tech. But it was only when I noticed it was very true to how I was feeling in the moment, that there was a greater purpose for me and staying true to that, could I actually learn that lesson? So
Lily Jones
powerful, and I love that like sentence frame, even for other people to use, like, you could? Blank, right? Like, fill it in and allow yourself to try things on. And I think that self advocacy is so important and so hard, often as a teacher, because how often are we asked to, you know, do what do we want to do? You know, what, or do we want our careers to go? And so I think that just allowing yourself to dream, check in with yourself of like, what do I want to do, and value that as well. And I think as we've heard from your story, there are so many ways that you can expand your impact. So you know, when I left the classroom, I felt like I was abandoning all my students, you know, not making as much of an impact anymore. And like, that's not true. There are so many ways that educators can support teachers support students, create new innovative materials, and approaches and advocate for better schools, you know, all the things that we really, really need, that can be done from that place of like, you can be one of the people doing it, if you allow yourself to really go after that desire. Well, thank you so much, Sharon, for sharing your story. It's really so powerful and impactful. And I'd love to have you share where people can connect with you.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Well, first and foremost, I do have a website. So www dot divergent educational consulting.com. There, you can actually contact me through the website, or you can email me at divergent educational consulting@gmail.com. I am also on social media, LinkedIn, on social media, you can find me on Instagram, or Facebook, at divergent educational consulting. And also on LinkedIn, you can find me as Dr. Taryn a given. And so Lily, thank you so much for giving me this opportunity to just share space with you today. I often use a hashtag hashtag as educator forever. And so being connected to you seeing that that was your your title, or the name of your business, I was like, wow, this is definitely alive. Because I let people know. And maybe this is just a good place to make this plug. When we move from, you know, p 12. Or from public schools are, whatever your foundation has been, it doesn't mean that we stopped being an educator. And a lot of people have asked me that, like, so are you no longer in education, and especially just getting a doctorate? Right, in education? They're like, so you got a doctorate education? Are you still in education? Absolutely. I am. It's just in a different sector. It's in a different, you know, role. And I, I'm excited to tell you about and I'm excited for other people to know that there are so many other things and just growing up and being a novice educator, we weren't having conversations with other educators about all of these different avenues. And so I'm so thankful for your podcast and you know, social media or LinkedIn, etc. For people to see the variety that that educational career field actually offers.
Lily Jones
Yes, it is truly my pleasure. And I absolutely agree that there are so many ways that people can be educators where their education experience is needed. And the educators have so much expertise that can be used to change the world and change school experiences for children all over. So I really, again, appreciate you coming on and sharing your story and I'll put all the links to the resources you mentioned down below.
Dr. Taryn Gauvin
Wonderful, thank you so much.
Transcribed by https://otter.ai