This school year has been such a roller coaster! It’s hard to believe this is the same school year where my district went to a hybrid schedule back in the fall. There have been good times, but there have also been gut-wrenchingly hard times.
Back in November, I kept hearing “The ties that bind are being broken.” I had no clue what that meant. As a woman of faith, I asked for God to reveal what I felt He was speaking to me. Fast-forward a couple of months and I felt the release to leave the classroom. This was hard for me because I had a plan. My kid is coming to my middle school next year. I knew the next step I wanted to take in education and how many more years I wanted to spend in the classroom. Leaving now was never in the equation.
But I felt such peace. And when there’s peace, you know you are making the right decision. I didn’t know what I was going to do, but I knew it wouldn’t be in the classroom. I applied for several positions with various EdTech companies, waiting for the right door to open.
My husband, Shane, asked a friend of ours if she knew of anyone hiring. At this point, he was the only one who knew my intentions, so he didn’t specify it was for me. She told her husband that Shane was looking for a job. Bless.
When I got home, he said “well… I was looking for a job for you, when I wound up with an interview.” I encouraged him to go hear what they had to offer and within a week he had a new job. He went from driving an hour to work everyday to working one mile from our house. He left a job where he was really happy to work at another job where he is now also really happy. And he’s home. This was an answer to a prayer I didn’t even realize I was praying. But I still had nothing… Nothing but peace in knowing that I had to leave the classroom.
So I turned in my letter of intent and explained to my principal that I didn’t know the plans, but I knew I had peace in my decision. I started GYTT in hopes of having a side gig while I continued to search for an EdTech job.
Shane’s previous employer was concerned with who would run the technology side of their company. Meanwhile, I was on a zoom call discussing Get Your Tech Together and the person on the other end said, “Don’t limit yourself to education. There’s a lot to be done in the private sector”. When I got off the call, Shane had the great idea to start Shambie Solutions. This would benefit his previous employer and give me something to do while I continued to search for a job.
Except somewhere along the way, Shambie Solutions continued to grow. Both businesses continued to obtain affiliate links and vendor relationships. We signed on new customers and worked at night on tickets and promotional videos.
The ties that were binding both of us to our jobs have been broken. After next week, I will no longer be bound to the public school system as a teacher. As of two months ago, Shane is no longer bound to a two hour drive every day.
And now we walk in peace knowing that my next step is running two incredible businesses doing what I love. I will certainly miss my colleagues and the relationships I have with students, but I’m excited to see the impact of GYTT and bring even more exciting things to the business!
Stick around. I have a feeling this is going to get really good.