Erin Almario is a District and School Customer Success Manager at Goalbook. Before joining Goalbook, Erin served as a middle school English Language Arts teacher, school dean, and assistant school leader. In this Q&A, Erin shares how she has continued to be a part of an education community through her work at Goalbook.
- What inspired you to go into teaching?
My grandma did! My grandma was a teacher for over 40 years at the elementary school I attended in Los Angeles, CA. She lived in the community where she worked, so walking down the street, people would call her by name and say hi. Since she taught for so long, generations of families knew and loved her, and she was very respected. She had a demanding yet warm demeanor; she had high expectations but balanced them with love. I wanted to be a teacher and part of a community just like she was.
- How did you determine what role in EdTech would be best for you?
I didn’t know what options I had because I didn’t know about the different roles in the EdTech industry. I actually had no idea what District and School Customer Success at Goalbook entailed, but after taking the time to research the role, I realized it perfectly aligned with my interests and passions as an educator and an administrator.
I’ve been really interested in EdTech ever since Google classroom came out. As I took on more leadership roles at the school I worked at, I really enjoyed coming up with innovative ways of using technology, and I often led professional development sessions on how to use technology to increase efficiency, effectiveness, and engagement. I saw that in the customer success role, I would get to collaborate with schools and districts on using Goalbook Toolkit, an EdTech platform, to increase their overall efficiency and efficacy.
- What have you found to be the biggest differences working in EdTech vs. in a school/district?
I’d say one of the biggest differences is the overall flow of my workday. Working at a school meant I had a very stringent schedule. I needed to wake up at a certain time to arrive prior to school, and then I wouldn’t return home until the school day was over. I could take time off during the school day to go to the doctor or run an important errand, but it would impact someone else.
In my new role, I can create my own schedule in alignment with internal and external meetings. This required me to learn how to prioritize my time — both in ensuring I completed tasks for work as well as ensuring I took breaks for myself.
I’m also able to work and collaborate with educators across the country now! When I worked at a school, I only worked with my team in Los Angeles. Now, I get to work with partners across all of California and sometimes even other states, such as Hawaii, Texas, and Indiana.
- In your current role, when do you most feel your work is contributing to improve the education system?
When I lead trainings, I feel like I’m improving the education system — especially when it’s training a specific audience and supporting their practices. I remember times as an educator when I’d go to trainings and feel like they weren’t completely applicable to me or to my students. So I feel helpful when I get asked to do a training that is tailored for a specialized audience of educators and leaders and their unique needs. I model how to use Goalbook Toolkit practically in their individual roles or with their students.
For example, I was doing a training at a district on how to apply Goalbook Toolkit to a Student Study Team (SST) process. I was an SST coordinator at my school, and the educators were really excited to learn that about me. They knew that, because the training was coming from someone who can really talk in a practical way about the process, their questions were going to get answered. I think that’s really helpful.
“My work with Goalbook has actually still allowed me to be a part of an education community, but on a much larger scale.”
- What was one of the more challenging parts of leaving the classroom?
I got into education because I was passionate about working with my community as well as the kids and families within it. I only worked at two different schools before coming to Goalbook because I wanted to be a part of each community, so it was hard for me to leave that.
I’ve realized, though, that my work with Goalbook has actually still allowed me to be a part of an education community, but on a much larger scale. The positive impact I was passionate about has grown from one classroom or one school to many different leaders, schools, districts, and networks. I’m working with many districts, and because I know Goalbook Toolkit improves teacher efficacy and student outcomes, if I can help educators use the tool, I still have a positive impact on education.
“I have the advantage of having a shared experience with the schools and districts I work with, which helps build trust and leads to collaboration between both of us.”
- How has being a former educator given you an advantage in the District and School Customer Success Manager role?
When I was an assistant school leader, I often worked with vendors that weren’t previous educators. This often meant that the training we received about using a product was coming from their perspective only, instead of an educator’s perspective. As a former educator, I have the advantage of having a shared experience with the schools and districts I work with, which helps build trust and leads to collaboration between both of us. It also helps the trainings feel practical and often allows teachers to feel more comfortable about asking questions, since I have that shared knowledge and know what they’re talking or asking about.
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