Lauren Farrow was former educator who has now dedicated her career to helping educators, parents, and students navigate a safe and successful path into a future of AI integrated education.
Her mission is to inspire educators to see AI not as a replacement but as an opportunity to create a future where teachers and technology work hand-in-hand, and harmonize technology with pedagogy.
Through Teacher To Techie, she provides PD workshops designed to bridge the gap between traditional teaching practices and modern tech advancements, empowering teachers to adapt confidently to this evolving landscape. She was recently chosen to speak at the FETC (Future of Education Technology Conference)!
Listen to the episode in the podcast player below, or find it on Apple Podcast or Spotify.
Find Lauren here: LinkedIn
Learn more about Teacher To Techie here: https://TeacherToTechie.org & https://teachertotechie.org/homeschool-consultant/
Free Quiz: What career outside of the classroom is right for you?
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Mentioned in the episode:
- Sign up for 7 days of free access to Orchard
- Use code “TCC” to get 50% off of everything at Aspireship
- Our career path quiz at www.teachercareercoach.com/quiz
- Explore the course that has helped thousands of teachers successfully transition out of the classroom and into new careers: The Teacher Career Coach Course
Episode Transcript:
Elizabeth: Hi everyone. And welcome back to the podcast today. We are so excited to have Lauren with us. Welcome Lauren.
Lauren: Hi. So great to be here.
Elizabeth: Well, we’re excited to learn about where you are now, but we’d love to hear where it all started. Can you talk us through? through your journey in education?
Lauren: Absolutely. So my journey is a little bit unique. When I started college, I was initially on a biomedical track. All I know, all I knew at that time was that I wanted to help people. I wanted to make an impact in the world. I wanted to make a difference. And so I was following the footsteps of my mom and trying to become a nurse.
And so I eventually discovered that nursing was not for me, and I took a couple education courses and found this is where I’m supposed to be. I got very excited and looked into education and our education system and what it is like to be a teacher, and so I pursued an elementary education degree. When I graduated, I had experience with Peds Academy, which was a hospital education program.
That was the highlight of my undergraduate experience. So interning at a hospital education program was just phenomenal. Um, I worked with kids from elementary level to high school level, based on their stay at the hospital. And it was such an enriching experience being able to teach these kids and bring that light into their day and just help them, you know, lighten their mood or, teach them about, you know, current events and, uh, everything in education.
And, um, I also had experience teaching out of title one school. So I’ve had quite a variety of experiences within education. So my experience at title one school was also a great experience. Um, I really got a feel for where I wanted to teach once I got my full time placement. so I also taught within, uh, a suburban school.
So I had experience with a hospital, an inner city school, as well as a suburban school. So once I graduated, I did teach at a suburban school and my experience was also pretty unique. it was very challenging, of course. I think. Being a teacher, the more of your heart you put into it, the more you get back.
and it was a very, very gratifying experience. I mean, I loved being, you know, a leader in the classroom where I could teach students and see those lightbulb moments and guide them into, making good choices and, um, really becoming like upstanding citizens of their school. one thing I did really Realize.
And one thing I did learn from teaching was that schools truly are a microcosm of society. Each class is kind of a replica of society. It’s a microcosm of society. And so I found that I had a lot of difficulties with behaviors. And so my challenge was overcoming that classroom management aspect helping mediate behaviors.
At that time, I was teaching second grade, and I had only about three students on grade level. I was given the class where the parents didn’t get to choose, like, the school that I taught at. At that time, they had a lottery system, so parents could bid on what teacher they wanted. And so I got the class where parents weren’t as involved.
And so all of the students were kind of, um, either, um, mobile. So it was their first year attending that school, or their parents just didn’t know, weren’t too involved in their educational journey. So I had about four or five students on grade level. I had a couple IEPs and, um, behavior interventions and, uh, ESOL and ELL.
And it was, uh, it was a challenging experience, but I learned so much from it.
Elizabeth: So I love to hear your path so far, like you were thinking about nursing, um, then education, and it kind of is a precursor to this non linear path that you did take, and I’m excited to get into that further to hear what you did after teaching, but what was kind of the point where you decided that it was time to transition out of the classroom?
Lauren: I realized that it was the right decision for me to transition out of the classroom when I realized I couldn’t give my 100 percent to my students. I understand it’s challenging as teachers to show up and give that 100 percent every single day.
but what I felt was that My skills might be more useful elsewhere. And so that’s when I kind of made the decision near the end of the year to try to see what it’s like, um, in. other industries other than education. I also, when I was teaching, I did listen to teacher career coach. So I was a fan. I still am.
It’s so great connecting with other educators and hearing what they have to say in their experiences. It’s so, so enriching. I did feel empowered to explore what else is out there and take a risk and, um, You know, I, I always knew that education was there for me in case I, you know, needed to go back.
Um, I know that that was always an option. Um, I’m very open to, you know, teaching and I love teaching. It was just very challenging at that time.
Elizabeth: That makes sense. I know a lot of teachers in the community will be able to relate to that. To your story, and I’d love to hear a little bit about the position that you got right when you left the classroom. So now you’re in a different position, but talk a little bit about how you got the job as a creative director and what does a creative director do?
And then how did that even come on your radar when you were searching
Lauren: Yeah, so one piece of advice that I would like to start this story off with is that every single interaction you have is an interview, whether that’s with your colleagues or friends of colleagues. I feel like it’s so important to be authentic, of course, but also express your strengths, express what you’re capable of.
and so I was referred by a colleague to one of her friends. And she knew I was struggling. Um, my colleague knew it was, uh, I was struggling a little bit with teaching. And so she said, I know my friend is looking for an employee. And so I followed up with that. I took the risk of, transitioning out of the classroom that summer, just spending it, learning marketing and learning business.
And so I was hired, at a digital marketing agency and. For about three to four months, I was wearing a lot of different hats. And when you’re transitioning out of a career, you’re kind of open to just about everything. You know, you’re willing to learn. Teachers are lifelong learners. That’s nothing new.
Um, very adaptable, very flexible. So I was wearing a lot of hats. I was writing website content, um, wireframing websites. When you, when you kind of design how the website flow, goes, I was sitting in on meetings. I was Um, the youngest person in the conference room, just, uh, listening to conversations and sales negotiations and just taking it all in.
Um, and so one of that, uh, one of our digital marketing agency clients, he recruited me for, his digital marketing agency, to be that creative director. I ended up taking that position because it aligned more with what I was, uh, achieving and more of, uh, What I wanted to pursue within marketing and, uh, business.
And what I’d like to say to teachers transitioning out is you really are a sponge when you get that new career or when you are learning something new outside of education. Just take it all in, learn as much as you can, connect with so many people, as many as you can. And, um, I like to think of my experience, those kind of four to six months until I was recruited.
As, as if I earned a degree in business, that’s how much I was just sitting there and learning and being exposed to so many new things. as a creative director, that’s where I would manage our clients and manage our employees, which would be a team of content writers, graphic designers, and developers. And That’s where I leveraged my time management skills and project management skills to oversee a group of employees and make sure deadlines are being met and timelines were achieved.
Elizabeth: so far, like, there’s a couple of things to unpack there. I love at the beginning where you said, Everything is an interview. I think that’s so important to keep in mind. Even if you’re at a barbecue, you know, on a Saturday and you’re meeting friends of friends and their family members, everyone is working unless they’re retired.
And, you know, they’re in different industries and you just never know where you might, you know, be interested in that industry or that company. So I love how you, and you still have that mindset. Like everybody you meet that make a good impression. You never know where that might lead you to. And then the second thing I noticed too, is that you really focused on upskilling and learning during those months. And I think you’re exactly right. Like if you, if you get your foot in the door and you’re in a new career, you’re a sponge. You, you have so much to learn. And if you really do utilize that time and learn, you’re going to be able to Move and progress in in that new industry, because I think that’s something to where a lot of teachers, you know, they’re leaving the classroom, maybe after 10, 15, 20 years.
And it’s like, oh, well, now I’m kind of back at square one. I’m in this new spot, but there is a lot of room for growth in these new industries. So that’s so amazing to hear. And I’m excited to hear kind of what led you. Um, To start off on your own after that, after you were doing this learning, working in this marketing position, how did you kind of get the seed idea to, uh, start your own business?
Lauren: Right. So that’s a great question. About nine months into getting the job at the digital marketing agency I of course could not shake that. I was leaving something behind in education. My heart was still there. It never left. I don’t think that when, you know, educators or teachers really, I don’t believe that when teachers leave the profession, it really is,
you know, a happy decision. I know a lot of the time our hearts are still with our children are with our students. And we, we still have that itch of making that impact. And so while working at that digital marketing agency, we worked with a lot of tech startups. And so I was finding that there are so many AI tools that teachers can use to make their jobs easier, whether it comes to.
using AI to automate an email or use, a zoom or use a Google meet AI firefly recorder, which transcribes your meetings into a transcript. And you can share that with either your parents or your admin, or a teacher who has gone from a professional development seminar. there’s just so many tools that can benefit teachers and schools and districts that I don’t believe enough schools are really taking that initiative to learn.
Of course, as a teacher, I knew that the amount of time and, the amount of your heart that you put into teaching, it was, it was hard to think and consider, um, AI among all of your, your tasks and your to do lists. It’s, it’s an overwhelming, thing to think about when you’re a teacher. It’s like aI is like the Wild West, we’re navigating totally new territory.
Um, and so I found a teacher to techie to bridge that gap between traditional teaching methods and modern technology. So essentially I’m finding that bridge between pedagogy and traditional teaching methods. So we are revolutionizing education. We are bridging that gap. I’m doing all of the heavy lifting for you.
So when I help teachers in schools. I am providing them with a whole toolbox of AI tools based on their specific needs and learning styles. And I am spreading AI literacy and allowing teachers to embrace AI in a stress free way that really helps them maximize their student impact and minimize the time spent outside of the classroom strategizing and planning.
I know when I was a teacher, I would spend Hours after school and even one or two hours before school. And I’m not even talking about the weekends. It was a lot of time goes into education and it’s a beautiful profession, but I am here to help those teachers who feel burnt out. leverage AI to truly make their jobs and lives easier.
There’s so much potential with AI and that’s how I really founded this mission. It really is to support teachers like me when I was in this position and when I was getting burnt out and needed some support. I provide that support to teachers who were in that same position as me.
Elizabeth: Well, that sounds like a very relevant problem that you’re addressing and especially current as well, trying to help teachers, with efficiency using AI. And I’m curious to hear a bit about how do you, um, Get clients. Um, do you have schools as clients or individual teachers? Talk us through a little bit about that business mindset, about, um, what that looks like
Lauren: Absolutely. So I do, I do serve both schools and individual teachers. Um, when it comes to schools, we do school wide professional development workshops that will earn you professional development points. And as for teachers, I do support you with one on one consultations. And that can range from ethics of AI, lesson planning with AI, differentiating with AI.
And if I had one message I could tell teachers who are thinking of transitioning out or those who are just feeling a little burnt out, try AI before you leave because it might just be that one thing that changes everything. Um, I help teachers save hours and reclaim their weekends. With AI. And I’ll give you all the strategies, all the implementation, um, the training techniques and everything you need to be successful with AI, with data backed strategies.
Now, as for marketing, I do, uh, schools also refer and also teachers have colleagues that they spread the word to, but it is a lot of inbound and outbound marketing efforts, as well as just genuinely wanting to provide value to those teachers.
Elizabeth: So now that you’re out on your own, can you talk us a bit about, um, what it looks like? business. You know, I know a lot of teachers are, who are still teaching, you know, have their retirement set. You get your paycheck monthly. does it look like? Because it’s quite different when you branch out on your own.
What did that look like? Did you, how did you plan for that?
Lauren: That’s a great question.
So when you’re employed with an employer, you understand your day to day tasks and you have sort of a schedule that you follow as well as a expected paycheck And owning a business is, is definitely a huge change from that. So in the beginning, of course, when you’re starting your own business, you want to plan ahead. You want to make sure in the beginning you’re being stealthy and you’re, um, ensuring that your marketing efforts are amped up until you can provide and work only on your own. But And when it comes to your day to day, you want to be sure that a third of your day is solely dedicated to earning for your business. generating money. A third of your day is spent on building your business, doing your administrative tasks, improving your business and improving customer journey.
And then the last third of your day Would be learning. So doing more research, continually learning about your industry and your field legislation surrounding your field, and just keeping up to date on what is working for those for others, what is not working for some, and just, sort of being your own boss as a teacher, you are the leader in the classrooms you are sort of, you are similar to an entrepreneur where you are in charge of your day. get to set your schedule, um, with. Some parameters, but you really get to decide how you want to approach your day. And the more of your heart you put into it, the more you get back. So, it really is up to that individual.
One thing I have observed is that teachers are incredibly hard workers. They thrive in marketing and business, and I know a lot of CEOs are, they specifically scout teachers because they know how hard teachers work.
Elizabeth: that’s great to hear. I love that. This journey from teaching to marketing to founder and just all of the aspects that weave together to make you a strong fit for this role. there any challenges that you notice or see with being a founder? What are some of the challenges you’ve run into?
Lauren: of course. So some of the challenges that I’ve run into is, one thing that I want to avoid as much as possible, Is being one of those teachers who left the classroom and wants to teach other teachers, but not keeping up to date with what is happening. So I make sure that I substitute teach within schools.
So I, so I get an up to date idea of how children are using technology, how teachers are feeling about technology and AI, and getting to know those specific problems that. Teachers and students are facing with A. I. Technology and just making sure I’m up to date. I never want to be one of those teachers that left the profession and now get to, you know, or someone who’s out of the classroom having a say or an opinion on education when they’ve been out of the classroom for so long.
So that is just one of those things that I make sure I uphold because I think it is so important to. Really know what’s going on within those four walls of the school.
Elizabeth: I’m so happy to hear that. And that’s such a smart way to keep building trust, to stay current, to stay relevant. And also when people come to seek your services, they know that you are making an effort and you know what’s going on in education right now. Um, so I’d love to hear that you’re still substitute teaching.
What a good way to be like hands on in it with your position. And now, uh, that you’re in this position, you spoke a little bit about earlier about, you know, in the classroom, the difficulties with classroom Behaviors, and now you’re a founder, you’re still working in education. What are some of the work life balance changes now that you’ve made this big shift?
Lauren: I think work life balance is always going to be a struggle. It depends on who you are. But for me as a teacher, I worked outside of contract hours before and after school and on weekends.
And now when it comes to my business, I am, you know, up very early and I work late nights. And so it is very much long days, but again, like I said, it’s really about putting your heart into it and just making sure, of course, taking those self care days and, and, uh, making sure you’re not getting, you know, little to no sleep, of course, prioritizing sleep and nutrition.
are two big things for me in particular. But, yeah, I think like weekly check ins are so important, making sure you’re not. You’re still taking care of your core so you can still give your 100 percent to your clients and, and your, partners and everything of that sense.
Elizabeth: like to hear too that sleep and nutrition, we think of such like sometimes basic things that are overlooked, but you’re exactly
right. You know, they’re
Lauren: Yeah,
Elizabeth: vital,
Lauren: vital.
Elizabeth: And so, um, I would love to hear, we love to kind of wrap these up by learning what you learned from yourself during this big process.
Lauren: What I learned about myself in this process, wow, that is a big question to unpack, but I think the most important thing that I learned is that self self reliance self confidence goes such a long way. If you believe in yourself and you believe in your mission, then nothing can stop you. I think having that confidence and knowing that if you’re a teacher or if you’re transitioning out of being a teacher, knowing your why, I know that is something that really is drilled into teachers and, and, referred to a lot, but in general, knowing your purpose and knowing why you’re doing something and what is your mission really, really sustains and and grows that self confidence.
Cause you know, at the end of the day, every single day, If you’ve given your 100 percent to your mission and your values and your integrity, making sure that you are really. You know, going to be there to catch yourself when you trust fall, right? it’s so important to be self reliant and show up for yourself because you know, that you, all of your actions, um, will take you far.
If you put, put that work in, of course, it is important to, uh, have a community and have a group of your inner circle that you rely on and bounce ideas off of. but yeah, at the end of the day. It really is having that self esteem and trust that you will achieve and having faith in your idea that you will see it through to fruition.
Elizabeth: Thank you so much for sharing with us today, Lauren, I loved hearing your story and can’t wait for everyone to listen.
Lauren: Thank you so much for having me. I really hope this message resonates with your audience. And I hope that, teachers out there, you find your niche that makes you happy and feel fulfilled.
