Survive Your Layoff -
Emerge Victorious

Over two hundred teachers received a layoff notice in out district of one thousand faculty members. As a teacher with forty-five years experience, since this was my first year in the school, I was one of the recipients of the pink-slip notice.

Believe me, I know how you feel.

After allowing myself a few days of grieving (and feeling like a frustrated failure) I ditched the self-pity and got on with trying to figure out the plan of attack.

For a younger teacher a career change that required going back to school might be an option, but not for me... look, I didn't want to be the only graduate with a walker, you know.

The Plan Unfolds

Step One: Analyze my Strengths and Interests

• Writing about and discussing the world of education and learning
• Producing and presenting professional development seminars
• Using technology in the classroom
• Writing about various topics
• Golf...golf...golf

Step Two: What could I possibly do with this stuff?

• Continue promoting my book Radical Excellence
• Present seminars, but I had no money to advertise or travel
• How could I use tech stuff if I'm not in the classroom?
• OK, the writing is a passion, and doesn't mandate travel
• Join the senior tour...errrr... NO!

Step Three: Was there any theme in my musings?

After writing out long lists of possible options about how to deal with this impending layoff, I literally shoved them aside and simply spent multiple hours just relaxing in an open-brain sort of way, hoping that serendipity might make a welcome appearance.

Well, it wasn't serendipity, but just a couple of weeks of building up the courage to say yes to what I kind of knew from the beginning.

Plus, I needed a new adventure anyway.

The Plan Crystallizes

I had been fooling around with making websites for my classes, and had also done some web searches on trying to form an online business. It didn't take long to recognize there were lots of "get rich quick" schemes out there... and the only people they made rich were those selling the scheme to the rest of us.

My heart and head kept reminding me that those schemes would only further deplete my wallet, so I resisted the appeal of getting $28,281.58 in only one month, and kept searching for something real.

Perhaps that elusive serendipity did emerge, and I happened upon two very important sites that gave great optimism that my layoff was survivable.

• Eric's Tips: a blog that made an online business make sense
• Site Build It! a system of training that shows HOW to make a business with genuine stability

Each month we will address a critical issue in the world of learning and teaching, and will also provide you with some free pdf downloads that address selected issues even more deeply.

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