I can read a room with aplomb.

• Flexibility: When teaching, I was never married to an idea. Sometimes an activity didn’t land. Sometimes students didn’t finish their reading so we couldn’t move forward. Sometimes a teacher-directed lecture didn’t click. And sometimes it was important to slow down to process trauma, respond to global events, or just give everyone a chance to connect as human beings.

• Decision-making: It’s said that teachers make more in-the-moment decisions during their work day than surgeons! I made confident, automatic decisions and pivots, even in stressful circumstances.

  • Still need convincing? Check out this EducationWeek Article: “1,500 Decisions a Day (At Least!)”