Transitions. New Job. New Opportunities
Eight years ago I fell into the education world almost by accident. I went to work for a great little district that dared to dream big. They trusted me to see them into the 21st Century and I think we’ve done a pretty good job of that over the years. The district is half way through transitioning to a fully 1:1 learning environment. In just one and a half short years, the transformation will be complete. I’m very proud of what we’ve accomplished together. Teachers, Administrators, Students, Parents, Custodians, everyone. Working at Le Grand has been a rewarding and fun place to work and I will certainly miss it.
Transitioning for a one person IT shop can be a challenge and Le Grand’s diverse environment of Linux, Windows, iOS and Mac made finding a replacement even tougher. More importantly, bringing in someone that shares the vision and beliefs of what we have built and the direction we are going was critical to moving forward in the right direction. I’m happy to say we found the right person and I know he’ll carry the vision forward. Le Grand’s edtech future is in good hands.
So on January 3rd my adventure begins with the East Side Union High School District. It’s a big district with a rich history and proud tradition. I look forward to leading the IT department in the support and service of the district’s 24,000 students, the community and all of the staff. Many challenges face education today but I believe now is one of the most exciting times to be involved with education technology.
On some level I am sad to be leaving Le Grand but just as coming to work here was an unplanned career move, so was this newest adventure. The opportunity presented itself and a new chapter in my life is opening. I’m excited to be moving back into actual management and to have the opportunity to positively influence the learning of so many students and staff.
The family and I will be trading small town Merced for the big city life of San Jose. It’s actually a return to big city living for us. We lived in downtown San Jose right out of college. This time we’ve got two kids a dog and two cats tagging along and I’m really looking forward to paying pet rent every month.
Colin Matheson 1:27 pm on December 12, 2011 Permalink |
Congrats. Sad for Le Grand to be hit with the loss of Danny and you in one semester. However I hope you can Ubermix all of San Jose.
Maybe you can start a Big School, Small Tech podcast (small in a good sense).
Andrew Schwab 1:34 pm on December 12, 2011 Permalink |
Thanks,
We’ve hired a great replacement and I’m confident he’ll see Le Grand through to the 1:1 finish line. Danny and I are in a bit of a quandary with what to do with the podcast title. Maybe we need to bring in a third guest host on a regular basis that actually is working at a small school.