Episode 2: Flexible Work in Education with April Brown
Are you one of the many teachers who work way too many hours? Maybe you’re the teacher who is the first to arrive at school and the last to leave, or the teacher who works on the weekends, leaving little time for rest. Our guest, April Brown, was once a teacher like that too until she discovered the many options of flexible work in education.
After going through my course, Beyond the Classroom, April realized that there were really so many ways for her to leverage her teaching skills outside of the classroom, while still driving change within the classroom. Over the years, she’s had the opportunity to work in various positions from curriculum development to being an instructional coach for educators, and many in between.
The thing that April loves most about flexible work in education is that her work can ebb and flow depending on the season of life that she’s in. Inside this episode, you’ll get to hear April share her experiences with the roles that she’s had, and how you too can be an advocate for students and teachers, whether you’re inside or outside of the classroom.
Meet April
April is Educator Forever’s community facilitator and the curriculum coach for our Curriculum Development Foundations Program. In 2015, April began designing curriculum and writing articles for an edtech company as a side gig while she was teaching in Placencia, Belize.
After having her daughter in 2016, April committed herself to working remotely while still making a difference in education. She enrolled in the Beyond the Classroom course that we offer at Educator Forever, and it empowered her to leverage her skills as an innovative educator and out of the box thinker, to excel as an instructional and educator wellbeing coach, adjunct instructor of trauma informed and mindfulness courses, and curriculum developer for edtech companies, nonprofits, and Nationally-run learning centers and school districts. She's also a writer for publications such as PBS, SoCal, Motherly, Education.com, and Britannica for Parents.
Connect with April
Follow her on Facebook.
Follow her on Instagram: @playisforeveryone
Follow her on Twitter: @abrownconsult
Reach out to April at April@educatorforever.com
Topics Discussed:
The details of April’s journey as an educator, and what her current role at Educator Forever looks like
Why April became interested in exploring flexible work in education
How virtual coaching can be extremely beneficial for beginning teachers
What excites us most about education, and how we can contribute to the changes that we want to see
Resources mentioned:
Take our FREE quiz to nail down your next best career step in education.
If you’re enjoying this podcast, please leave a rating and review on Apple Podcasts.
Related episodes and blog posts:
Read the transcript for this episode:
Lily
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.
Lily
I'm so excited to have April brown here with us today. April is educator for Everest community facilitator and the curriculum coach for our Curriculum Development Foundations Program. In 2015, April began designing curriculum and writing articles for an edtech company as a side gig while she was teaching in Placencia, Belize, then after having her daughter in 2016, April committed herself to working remotely while still making a difference in education.
Lily
She enrolled in the beyond the classroom course that we offer at Educator Forever, and it empowered her to leverage her skills as an innovative educator and out of the box thinker, to excel as an instructional and educator wellbeing coach, adjunct instructor of trauma informed and mindfulness courses, and curriculum developer for edtech companies, nonprofits, Nationally run learning centers and school districts. She's also a writer for publications such as PBS, SoCal, motherly, education.com, and Britannica for parents.
Lily
Hello, April, so glad to have you here with us. I am thrilled to have you be our first guest on the podcast.
April
Yay. I'm so happy to be here with you, Lily.
Lily
Yes, me too. Well, I'm excited to introduce you to all of our listeners out there and would love for you to start but just by sharing about your journey as an educator, which I know is like a gigantic question to ask, but take it in whatever direction you want.
April
Yeah, that is a big epic question. So my journey as an educator, I think I was always sort of under the impression that I would be an educator, because I grew up in a household with a mom, who was a special education teacher. And so like, from a very young age, you know, I was like 14, and babysitting. And then in high school, like I started working at my mom's school as a co-op teacher.
April
And so it was kind of just always in the cards for me that I wanted to be in education. And so obviously, like, went to University and got a degree in special education in psychology, and started out teaching in resource room, and truancy Academy settings.
April
So working with learners who, you know, were disabled, neurodivergent, just needed some out of the box ways to learn. And so that's always kind of been something that drives me is just supporting learners in the way that they learn best. So then after that, I ended up actually like one of the consultants that came to our school, she held workshops in Belize.
April
So I ended up traveling with her and supporting with some of those, and I met my husband while I was there. And so I ended up relocating to Placencia, Belize, where I spent a good chunk of time helping get a school off the ground, and just holding a variety of different roles like in education as like an instructional coach, as an admin, as like a teacher in multi age settings.
April
Anyone who's taught and like small international school settings knows that you just hold a variety of roles in those ways. Yeah, so then from there, I ended up actually starting my own homeschool cooperative as well and supporting some learners in that way when I was pregnant with my daughter and still living in Belize. And I think that was sort of like the first taste of trying to navigate the waters of forming a life that like was sustainable and education. Because prior to the point of being pregnant, I was like one of those teachers who worked just really long hours, right?
Lily
I mean, same, until I got pregnant, where it was like, Oh, this maybe isn't something I can do long term or even isn't good for this moment in my life. But it takes that moment to realize sometimes,
April
Totally, so that's exactly like the way that I kind of felt. So like with that I was able to work shorter hours when I was pregnant, which was good, because you know, pregnancy is really intense. And so that kind of was, yeah, my first kind of shift. And then from there, I ended up we moved back stateside. And so that's when I got more involved in curriculum development and you know, doing it more like a side gig.
April
And while I was teaching in Belize, and before getting pregnant with my daughter, I actually started doing some work as a curriculum developer, and education writer as kind of like a side gig while I was still teaching full time in the classroom, and so I had that kind of idea that oh, there's more out there when I started working with kids in more of that innovative, like homeschool Co Op feel.
April
And so once we moved back to the states, that's what I focused on, because it allowed me to be at home with Harper and to like, be there for all of her special moments, but then also being able to light myself up with, you know, creative thinking and feeling like I was still involved in making a difference in education.
April
And so then I found your course, Beyond the Classroom. And I realized that I was able to, oh, wow, there's like so much more out there that I can do. That really aligns with my goal of reimagining education and making sure that education is responsive and inclusive for all kids. And so I've since then, I mean, my daughter is six years old now. And I have a nine month old baby too.
April
But since then, I've been able to work in the world of curriculum development, supporting with nonprofit organizations, school districts, Edtech companies, and nationally accredited learning centers. And then also I've been able to still stay connected with educators as an instructional coach, which is something that I'm very passionate about, I love working with teachers and supporting their well being through those one on one conversations, because it's something that I feel like I could have totally benefited as a first year teacher, which I'm totally loving, working with first-year teachers, right?
Lily
Me too. Yeah, I mean, I've done some coaching, not for a while, but it is totally fulfilling, you know, to be able to provide that support to people who really need it, and also to get it. I always think about my first coach who I had when I was a beginning teacher and how she wasn't that helpful. Like she was older, she hadn't taught my grade level she'd never taught at my school before. And she just wasn't the kind of coach that I imagined being the most helpful.
April
Yes, yes. Which is so important. And that's also why I like virtual coaching. Because I do feel like it offers the opportunity for folks to share the reality, vent, share challenges, wins, but in a in a way that feels safe to them. That often in our own districts, we don't feel like we have those connections with our colleagues sometimes, because there is sort of like this underlying toxicity.
April
So I do also try to be very hopeful, right, like, you know, acknowledging like all of the the challenges and things like that, but also providing them with solutions and like trying to just ground myself in that way of thinking too. So yeah, so the instructional coaching is really a fantastic thing. And just to kind of circle back to what you said about feeling like you know, your coach gets it and how it's important.
April
Sometimes the question when folks are like navigating flexible work in education, they'll say like, oh, well, my experiences are so varied. You don't have a background in special ed. But I've also taught, you know, like Montessori or Waldorf or Reggio environments, like how does this all fit together? And I would say like that is one of my strongest assets in this work is that like, I'm also gaining teachers that like work in these very small school districts, or they're supporting getting an early childhood classroom that's grounded in emergent curriculum off the ground, and like I have that background. So I would say that's something that I just wanted to kind of throw in there that like, your skills are so valuable, in that way.
Lily
Yes, totally. Absolutely. And that I often hear people say that too like, I have very specific, unique skills or experience. And because you've done it, it likely means there's at least more than one other person who's done it right?
Lily
Like, there are other people out there. And no matter how specific we think our experiences, and even things that are like tangentially related, you know, it doesn't have to be exactly the same thing to be able to have some parallel experience to support somebody with
April
Yes, exactly. And how do you use those skills to really just support teachers in kind of like, reimagining and getting to the root of what's good for kids, you know, like, yes, whether it's like music or art or all of those things, how can we infuse that into all curriculum, right?
Lily
Yes. And I think honing in on, and I want you to get to the rest of your story too, but you're saying so many awesome things, you know, but honing in on that hopefulness, and also acknowledging that toxicity, right that like, sometimes we become so immersed in these systems that are toxic, that don't allow us to reimagine or even just use what we know works about teaching and learning.
Lily
So sometimes having a coach or a curriculum or you know, a guide in some way, giving you permission or reminders about what actually could be possible can be so helpful, because I found that schools can be limiting for both teachers and students, sometimes just we get into thinking of what's normal, or what's expected. And we start thinking about what could be possible.
April
So, so true. And that's kind of just making me think about how just because the school system is designed to be limiting, doesn't mean that we have to carry that limiting belief like within ourselves, right? And so like, even though sometimes when I'm coaching teachers, they're like, but no, I have to do this thing, or I have to use this thing. I'm always like, trying to be like, Well, hey, like, let's think outside of the box, and how can we advocate for the changes that we want to see? And so that's kind of what Educator Forever is all about, as well is like really just supporting teachers and like leaning into their truth and like acknowledging that there are so many different ways to use your skills beyond the classroom, but still drive that change within the classroom.
April
Because essentially, and I think this is totally true for the entire mission of Educator Forever, is like, we're advocates for students and teachers, whether you're inside or outside of the classroom. So that's kind of the way that I frame everything that I do in my work as a consultant, and coach.
Lily
Yes, I love that. And it's so awesome thinking about these beginning teachers having that too, because I feel like for me, and for so many people, it's like, you find your voice through it, or you find what's important to you after, you know, teaching for many years, or having things that don't work and kind of navigating that. But from the beginning, being able to really empower new teachers to know that they have this passion and voice that deserve to be heard, and that they have choices, right, even in the most, I don't know, oppressive environments, or environments where you don't feel like you have choices, you do. And there can be hope and having somebody to help you and coach you through that is so important.
April
It's so important. And I love that like the focus on choices, because it is it's like agency and empowerment. And so that like leads me into the trauma informed work I do, because those are principles of trauma informed education, agency and empowerment. So that, you know, everybody deserves that. Educators deserve to have all of that too.
April
So another area that I am drawn to, and some of my work is trauma informed education. So I am the program director of a Trauma Informed Specialist Certification for educators. And through that I teach a course on Trauma Supportive Schools, which is also something that really just brings me joy, to kind of see how we can you know, reimagine education, disrupt the systems that are not working or serving anybody, and essentially, supporting teachers and thinking about practices that support all students.
April
And so that's another area of my work. And I also do some course teaching for compassionate action in the world, which is connected with mindfulness certification for educators. So just a little bit of everything.
Lily
I love it. I love hearing you talking about so many things, and just thinking of how they're connected. I mean, I totally relate to having many things going on. And to me, that has always made me feel excited, you know, rather than being like, Oh, it's just this one thing that I'm focusing on, you know, being able to do a little bit of this and a little bit of that, and being a coach and doing the trauma informed program and doing Educator Forever. Like, how does that fit with your lifestyle right now?
April
Yeah, that's a great question. So I think that what I love about flexible work in education is that it sort of ebbs and flows depending on what my needs are. And so the longer that you're in this world, the more that you understand sort of what upcoming projects you want to take on based on what's going on in your life at the moment, to sort of being able to navigate all of that and that definitely is sort of an art that comes as you as you get your hands involved in more areas.
April
You know, some people do prefer to have one thing but like, for me, I've always really just appreciated having different areas to focus on. Because I think that for instance, you know, instructional coaching or educator well-being coaching it's a lot like that takes a lot out of you. And so to be able then to have that creative part of me writing an education, you know, article for PBS or writing articles for Educator forever, you know, like you're able to kind of like shift and be like, Okay, now I'm going to focus on this thing as well.
April
And so for me, definitely, now that I have two children and our infant is immunocompromised, you know, we're doing the homeschooling thing and all of that. So I have to make sure that whatever I take on like, it's like, those mornings have to be free. So I can support with homeschooling and I can support with, you know, all of the things that a mom does.
April
But then in the afternoons I'm able to carve out time for like the coaching calls and, you know, doing the content writing that I need to do and all of those things. But I'll say that, I think one, one big shift is probably the amount of writing that I'm able to take on at once, probably for me right now, which is interesting. Like, I thought it would be the opposite. I thought I would do less one on one meetings. But it's actually like, for me, that's the shift that I've kind of seen recently with having a baby at home.
Lily
Yeah, interesting. It's like the mental space or what feels doable. Yes, I think that's a cool thing that, you know, you always get to check in of what's working and think about, maybe you're gonna do a little more of this, or a little less of this, and that it's always changing. So I think building those skills and like that muscle can be so important.
Lily
And then we at Educator Forever get to benefit from you doing all these things, because you get to support so many of our community members, and they get to hear about all these different things you've tried, or that you're currently doing. So can you tell our listeners a little bit about your role at Educator Forever?
April
Yes, I can. So I am a community facilitator at Educator Forever, which means that I'm able to support with Beyond the Classroom, and the Curriculum Foundations Program course. And then everything in the network as well, just making sure that folks feel like they are heard and that they have the guidance that they need, and that they really feel confident as they're, you know, shifting to this new journey of their life, this new chapter essentially, for them, which involves some risk taking, right, like we talk about that all the time, like there's risk taking.
April
But you also need to have those built in supports like community, you know, self care practices, which, you know, there's so many different types of self care practices. And so my role as the community facilitator is really to just support our community, and make sure that they have what they need to be able to succeed.
Lily
Yes. And you do it so well. I mean, we're so lucky to have you because you support the students and me and all of our team members so well, and I have really been integral in building our community. And so we appreciate you and all that you do.
Lily
And then you also do curriculum coaching for our Curriculum Foundations Program, which is cool. I feel this way is like having written curriculum for so long, you know, being able to mentor people who are just getting into the field. So can you share how that's been for you?
April
Yeah, I love being curriculum coach. And so it's, it's unbelievable to be able to, like bear witness to everybody's ideas. You know, there was like this graphic that I saw that kind of showed, like, what happens when we kind of crush an idea, which I feel like that is like what we're talking about with like, the limiting school system, like, you're just like, no, like, teachers have to do this thing. And then what happens when you have this idea, and you're able to say, like, Hey, let me help you expand on this, let's grow together, like it's great.
April
And so I mean, that might be an interesting way to put it. But I feel like being able to see what educators would like to teach in their classrooms, through their lessons and their units and all of these things, because that's really what we're empowering educators to do is like think outside the box is what they would like to see in curriculum based on like, their developmental expertise. And so it's just been awesome. Like, I love the connections that I make. I love supporting educators in that way. And I love you know, the thought of supporting them in this next phase of their life, whatever that looks like, if it looks like taking on some curriculum development projects as a side gig, if it looks like doing it for their school district, or if it looks like moving on transitioning from the classroom and doing this new thing to change education, which is really powerful. It's really powerful.
Lily
Yes, absolutely. I know. It's so cool to see what people create. And just like how creative and amazing they are, which we know, but then when you actually see it, and when we give people permission to do what they wish would happen in schools, it's so awesome.
Lily
And it goes back to that kind of permission to just dream or know that you have this in you to figure out the best way of doing things or one of the best ways of doing something. So yeah, I agree. It's been so inspiring to see people's work. Yes. Awesome.
Lily
Well, I feel like we've covered this already, but I want to talk about it again, what excites you about education?
April
So education to me is just really important because I feel like it's a tool to really change our society. Right? It's the way that we create a more equitable, more just society. So how can we really support that in happening and you know, drive change in that way. And I think the what comes to my mind, first of all, is like having a bunch of burnt out exhausted teachers is not the way that we're going to create a more equitable and just society.
Lily
Absolutely. Not working.
April
Yeah, like, and also, if education is so important, because we're ultimately inspiring children, to drive the change to see themselves as you know, advocates, as change makers, all these things. Like, we also have to be valuing the teachers that are like lighting that fire.
April
And so what excites me about education, and just I guess, humanity as a whole, I guess, without getting too philosophical is like hope. You know, everything that I do is rooted in hope. And so I think that we could sit here and just be like, ah, everything is terrible, you know, let's burn it down, or which we like to say, why don't we look at what we want to change? And why don't we, you know, contribute to that change.
April
And whether that's in like coaching, educator wellbeing practices, trauma informed best practices, or curriculum development, there are different ways that we can support that change and continue to make education what we really would like it to be.
Lily
Absolutely, I love that. Yeah, that's super beautiful to think about hope. Yeah. And that it's not, it doesn't mean not acknowledging all the things that are not working, you know, and it doesn't mean, not acknowledging that, like, there's so much that needs to change, and so much trauma and like things that just are not just not working, but also that they can be changed, you know, so I think that is a choice that we can all make, right, of how we're going to approach things.
Lily
And it's really powerful when people take that approach, you know, of acknowledging what's not working, but then through hope, and through persistence and trying and community make a positive change.
April
Yes, I love that. It's so true. And it's like, it's not like this is a new thing. There have been districts and schools and organizations that have been doing this for so long. So that's also super exciting to be able to connect and highlight, you know, all of those places too.
Lily
Absolutely, yes, that's one of my favorite things, too. Because I think that is some of the hope, too, right? Where it's like, there is amazing stuff going on out there in education. There are all sorts of amazing, brilliant minds, you know, currently and you know, many, many years in the past, right? So there's such a rich history of doing amazing work, it's just elevating that and choosing what we're going to contribute to what we're gonna focus on.
April
Yes, I love that. Amplifying and sharing it. Absolutely.
Lily
Cool. Well, thank you so much for joining us. Before we say goodbye, Is there anything else you want to share with our audience?
April
I just want to say that teachers are amazing. And you know, we absolutely believe in everything that you can do. And so we are just happy that you're listening.
Lily
Awesome. And where can people find you? I know, they can find you at Educator Forever on many of our calls and webinars and things like that. But where else could they find you if they want to connect with you?
April
Yeah, so I have a Facebook, a Twitter and an Instagram account, which is sort of my passion project. And so I think that we'll put all of those links in in the show notes. Yeah, so that's where they can find me. They can also feel free to reach out to me at april@educatorforever.com if you want to connect.
Lily
Awesome. Well, thank you so much for joining me and sharing all of your background and your passions with our audience.
April
Thank you Lily
Lily
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