Eileen Olmedo

I think my success comes from a combination of being incredibly devoted to content and knowledge - the relentless pursuit of knowledge. Whether I'm teaching English literature or transitioning into leadership roles like scheduling, I immerse myself in that content and pursue the knowledge I need for whichever task I'm undertaking. But equally important is the humility that comes from knowing that I don't know it all, and there's a lot that I don't know that I don't know. I think having that combination of pursuing knowledge in order to share it, while maintaining the humility of recognizing my limitations, has been key to my success in this profession.

The best career advice I ever received was from my department chair during my very first year teaching, and I share this with every new teacher I meet. He told me two things: first, when you're in your first year teaching, never make major life choices. That first year will be so all-encompassing and will take over your life. Second, don't quit until you give it 2 years. The first year is always the hardest, and the second year will give you that breathing room to say, do I see myself doing this longer or not, as opposed to that first year that is just so shocking. No one knows what happens in a classroom - everyone thinks they know because they were a student, but when it's your first year as an educator, you have to give yourself the time to experience that whole 10-month period. It's a very challenging profession, and people don't know what they're getting themselves into. The demand isn't just the lesson plan - it's very demanding of the teacher, not just intellectually, but also emotionally. That's the best advice I've received, and I've passed it on all this time.

I think the profession has been traditionally dominated by women, and that can be intimidating or actually put some people off. But the truth is that the profession lends itself naturally to women because women are so good at multitasking, paying attention to detail, and are intrinsically nurturing and thorough in making sure they know everything in order to do everything very, very well. Women can make a classroom look gorgeous while they also make it powerful and life-changing. I'm really glad and honored that I've gotten to be in this profession this long, and I tell everybody it's an amazing and beautiful profession. My advice to women would be to plan financially accordingly, because yes, women aren't well paid across the board. But if women plan financially well - know that you need to be very diligent in how you watch it, and how you invest, and how you save - it can be done. It just requires that extra planning. Maybe other professions don't need that because the paycheck is bigger, but with careful financial planning, you can thrive in this profession.

Right now, the biggest challenge is hiring and keeping teachers. I often wonder if it's related to what I already shared - the fact that it's a lot of work, it's very demanding, and at the same time, the salary doesn't match the hours that we're pouring into all of this. I'm in South Florida, and South Florida is very expensive, so I find that many teachers who are good at it are often moving, either upstate or out of state. So the biggest challenge right now is hiring and keeping the good, passionate, innovative, loving teachers.

I very much believe in treat others like you want to be treated - love others. I think that love is something that I take seriously. The importance of loving and respecting others no matter what, even when they disagree with you, or maybe even more so when we disagree. To lean into love and lean into respect. I love when someone actually changes my mind - I can say, oh my gosh, wait a minute, you just changed my mind, and this is amazing. Being open-minded is so important. Not loving others and not respecting differences and not respecting humans for what they bring to the table - we're all so gifted and uniquely created that we deserve love and respect at all times, no matter the age.