Molly wanted to change the world. And she wanted to grow to become the kind of person and professional that can not only help people, but also organize others to do the same. That’s why, she says, she “got so lucky” and was placed at Success Academy Charter Schools when she did a two-year teaching program.
During her time at Success Academy, Molly has been able to drive change, grow as a professional and a leader, and move up the ranks of a major organization.
The Best Place To Make Change: The Classroom
Even though Molly had signed up for a teaching program, she didn’t plan on staying in the field.
“I had taken the LSAT the summer before my teaching program and I thought, ‘Okay, I’m going to do this for a couple of years and then maybe I’ll go to law school if I want,’” she says. “But then when I started teaching, I became enamored by the immediate impact I could have every single day in my classroom.”
Success Academy Helped Her Develop Skills That Take Years To Get Elsewhere
Molly noticed that her experience at Success Academy was very different from other young teachers.
“My friends who were at other schools were not really getting a lot of support and a lot of development,” she says. “And right away, I was getting feedback all the time.”
That feedback and development is encapsulated in Success Academy’s state-of-the-art teacher training program. It offers hundreds of hours of classes and professional development throughout the year and helps teachers develop everything from communications skills and data analysis to actual curriculum content and design.
“The Success Academy curriculum is just so cool—way cooler than any way that I learned when I was growing up, especially the math. It’s amazing,” Molly says.
How Molly Worked Her Way Up
Molly was quickly picking up the skills and experience necessary to become an excellent teacher, and her bosses noticed that.
“A potential misconception is that there isn’t room for career growth when you start as a teacher, and that is definitely not true at Success Academy,” Molly says.
“When I started teaching third grade, that’s when my Principal started talking to me about pursuing school leadership opportunities,” she says. “My boss was recognizing my potential and started developing me to really take on that role.”
This recognition led to more mentoring, then a promotion to work as a Grade Team Leader. The following year Molly got another promotion, this time into school leadership—and she was still just in her twenties.
“That’s a very unique part of our organization: It really is a meritocracy. So, if you work hard and you show value and you grow, there is no limit to where you can possibly go and be within the organization,” Molly says.
The Skills She’s Learned Give Her The Freedom To Go Anywhere In Her Career
Though it’s definitely inspiring, Molly’s story is not rare for Success Academy teachers. They all develop essential skills that help them advance their careers.
“Public speaking and being able to captivate a crowd is definitely something you have to become good at really quickly as a teacher and it’s super transferrable to any job,” Molly says.
“Another skill is relationship building. Part of being in any job whether you’re in business or in finance is building relationships. As a teacher, you have to work with so many different types of people and as a Principal or an Assistant Principal you have to manage a lot of different types of people.”
There are also more technical skills you pick up on the job, too.
“I think one thing that is probably overlooked about teaching is data analysis skills. At Success Academy, we’re extremely data-driven. I’m constantly gathering data and analyzing. You have to be able to watch the data, analyze it, and make moves based on that,” she says.
“I have a lot of friends who worked at Success for three or four years, but are now doing other amazing things,” Molly says. “A few of my teachers and friends who worked at Success now go to some of the best law schools in the country. Additionally, I have a bunch of friends who are now at business school who were Principals.”
How To Know If Success Academy Is Right For You (According To Molly)
According to Molly, a few simple traits can signal that Success Academy might be a good fit for you.
“You have to be smart and problem solve,” she says. “How are you, a smart 22-year-old, going to get a class full of 30 five-year-olds to master this material?”
If you’re willing to work hard, grow, and help children do the same, then you could be a great fit at Success Academy. Doing those things also means you’re more likely to develop into the person you wanted to be when you were growing up.
For Molly, that meant—and still means—becoming someone who can change the world.
Ready to start a career you can be proud of? Learn more about Success Academy Charter Schools on WayUp!
