“Girl, you’re not just a talent recruiter. I feel like a newly freed slave. I am so happy.“
Did one of our new teachers just call me Mrs. Tubman?
Crystal Coache … steering worn and weary teachers along the path to freedom since 2012.
I liked the sound of it. So did my friends and family. When I told them about my decision to leave the classroom at the end of my third year of teaching, they became interested in my career again. Their eyes glistened with excitement as they asked about my “next move,” and they nodded in approval when I told them I would be a talent recruiter for a region of KIPP, a well-known charter school network. Ironically, they believed that recruiting teachers was a step up from being one.
Their assumptions couldn’t be further from my new reality working within a system that puts teachers (and students) first, or from my reasons for leaving the classroom to take on this new role. I left because I’d spent three years in an abusive relationship with an administration that misused its power; and despite all of the compelling reasons to stay—the stability and my children— I could no longer endure the impact that working in that environment had on the health of everyone involved. I allowed them to take so much from me; I had to leave before I surrendered my optimism too.
Everyday since beginning this new position, my sense of possibility has grown. And though I am seeing creative approaches to curriculum and management, it’s not the expansive programs that have impressed me most.
It’s the small stuff.
Like the quiet. At the end of my first day, I stopped dead in the hallway when I realized I hadn’t heard a single announcement made over a loudspeaker. Apparently, schools can run smoothly without frantic announcements about uniforms, teachers’ dress code infractions, or period blood in the girls’ bathroom.
Like the humility. I’ve never worked for people more hardworking, talented, or smart than the folks I call colleagues now. They’ve got years of quality experience and degrees from schools whose wait lists I couldn’t reach from my tippy-toes. They view innovation as a norm, not a threat. And you can call these people by nicknames— Jo, Linds, Steve, instead of by title: “Provost, Principal, Doctor, Attorney.”
Like the initiative. There’s this saying that I have come to love about “assigning yourself.” Don’t wait to ask, just get it done. Assign yourself. And if you ask for advice, it isn’t counted against you in an evaluation. In fact, if you ask for help, it isn’t only your problem anymore.
My faith in public education has received a jump start—and that is what I hope this blog will do: jump start the faith, passion, commitment, and thought necessary to apply solutions that work.
A beautiful beginning to your new career and your blog. I am proud to know you and I wish you success. I believe that your success will lead to the success of many others.
Thanks, Mrs. Flexser. I think it is so special that my 7th grade English teacher is commenting on my new column :-).
Hi Crystal,
I’m a second-year scholar for the IWL and I remember you coming to speak about your hardship on working with the administration that you were in before. It’s tough trying to want to see change and not getting it, but you noticed that you were in a bad situation where you were letting yourself become weakened by the negative environment around you. I think that’s something good. It seems to me that you battled through it, tried, and realized that it’s time for you to go. Though it may be the case, you haven’t lost. I’m sure while you were there, your personality and your way of affection and approach towards your students should let them know at least that there are people who care about them more than they think.
Good luck with your future pursuits! Continue to inspire.