We caught up with the brilliant and insightful Lizzie Pichowicz a few weeks ago and have shared our conversation below.
Lizzie, appreciate you joining us today. Let’s start with education – we’d love to hear your thoughts about how we can better prepare students for a more fulfilling life and career.
Between technology and social media, children have an enormous amount of extraneous distractions taking up valuable mental space to engage with learning. It’s not that “kids don’t want to learn these days” – it’s that kids need help managing their cognitive loads in order to learn. The “kids don’t want to learn these days” mindset is super damaging and perpetuates the problem instead of trying to find solutions. On the first day of my freshman year of high school, my teacher introduced a designated cabinet for all of us to lock our phones in at the beginning of class. She insisted that we would get our phones back right before the bell rang for dismissal. Because she didn’t make locking it away a requirement, I didn’t think anybody would actually do it…to my surprise, one-by-one, students put their phones in the cabinet, so I did, too. This conscious choice became a daily ritual special to that class because that teacher thought to try it. Without the distraction of notifications buzzing or the temptation to send a message to my friends, I was truly swept away in learning about Shakespeare, using SAT vocabulary words, and reading American classics page by page like “Catcher in the Rye” and “To Kill A Mockingbird”. In order for this mindset to trickle down to our children, it starts with adults being intentional and mindful about what their technology consumption looks like and how they prioritize managing distractions.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers.
Hi! I’m Lizzie Pichowicz and I call myself on Instagram “Your Teacher BFF” – I feel like that encompasses the vibe I try to radiate when wearing all my different hats. My passion lies in serving children who learn exceptionally, inspiring the teachers who teach them, and empowering the parents who raise them. By day, I’m a public school special education teacher and reading interventionist. Outside of the classroom, I tutor elementary aged kids across subject areas, run the social media accounts for Amore Learning (a local education business in DC), and manage my own presence on social media as The Good Vibes Teacher.
Special education can feel isolating and unapproachable for teachers in training and parents of children with new diagnoses. I created The Good Vibes Teacher as my personal diary that showcases the joy, magic, little moments, and big moments of my life not only as a special education teacher, but a whole human being. I try to strike an organic balance of providing educational resources, leaning into the creativity that is possible in the classroom, and sharing my life outside of school. From this, I’ve been able to connect with parents just starting their journeys in special education, college students considering a career in special education, veteran special education teachers who have so much wisdom, and even successful, driven adults who had IEPs (Individualized Education Plans) throughout their schooling.
Any insights you can share with us about how you built up your social media presence?
I graduated in 2021 coming off the heels of the global pandemic. Entering the classroom during this time felt extremely heavy and uncertain. I couldn’t turn to social media to help because at that time #teacherquittok was trending, which was the exact opposite of content I needed to see. I started @the.good.vibes.teacher as a way to showcase the genuine enthusiasm, curiosity, and passion I had beginning my teaching career. My social media account served a purpose in reminding me of the joy of being in the classroom and why I pursued the field in the first place. Once I became more experienced in teaching, especially gravitating toward explicit literacy instruction, I was able to create higher quality content that people sought out. I dove headfirst into The Science of Reading methodology and instructional practices when many people were just starting to learn about it. It helped me fall so in love with teaching kids how to read and write that I pursued my Master’s degree in doing just that. By delivering those instructional resources and sharing my professional development journey, I was able to not only grow my audience, but connect with a wide array of incredible businesses, teachers, and parents that has deepened my practice.
How about pivoting – can you share the story of a time you’ve had to pivot?
My mental health took a direct hit my second year of teaching to the point where I considered leaving the classroom. I couldn’t tell if I was unhappy in teaching or just at my school after my second year, but I knew I needed a change. It felt like I was screaming in a soundproofed room – I had so many concerns and felt like nobody was actually listening. This is a feeling educators know all too well, and that feeling drives many teachers to pursue other paths. I looked at jobs outside of the schools but struggled to get an interview with no connections elsewhere, only two years of professional experience, and not enough opportunities for the amount of people attempting to leave education. I shopped around neighboring districts, chose the one with the highest salary, asked every question I wanted to in interviews, created a massive spreadsheet of all their answers, and chose the school that aligned with my values. This change energized how I felt about teaching. Next year will be my third year at that school and I feel fulfilled, impactful, and supported at my school. If I hadn’t gotten those “nos” and “not right nows” from jobs I prayed for, I would not have found the school that changed me for the better.
Contact Info:
- Instagram: @the.good.vibes.teacher
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/elizabeth-pichowicz/
