Greenfield Team Spotlight:

2020 learnings & silver linings

Featuring Karen Rowland

Educational Services Team - Ontario & Quebec, Canada

1. Can you tell us what a day in the life of Karen at Greenfield Learning is like?

A typical day in my life as an Implementation Partner at Greenfield Learning begins with an email check. I respond to teachers and administrators who may require support with the use of the Lexia reading programs in their classrooms and buildings. If scheduled, I provide professional development sessions for staff. I work closely with my Greenfield team, most of whom reside in California. We are in touch regularly as there are always exciting new developments and opportunities.

2. What are three things most of the Greenfield team won't know about you?

Three things most of the Greenfield team won’t know about me is that I love to hike and camp, I’m a kombucha and tea connoisseur, and I LOVE doing laundry!

3. What is one of your favorite things about your role at Greenfield?

One of my favourite things about my role at Greenfield is that I get to work with amazing people, and they’re all ADULTS! After teaching kids exclusively for 30 years (and which I continue to do and enjoy) it’s nice to switch it up and help to empower and build capacity in adults. Hopefully the knowledge shared will in-turn help to impact exponentially more kids on their journey to reading success.

4. What did you learn about yourself as you maneuvered the challenges of work and life in a pandemic?

During the pandemic I became far more busy than usual. I’m thankful for this however as I know that’s not the case for others outside of our company. I learned that I can work 12-16 hour days, day after day, and yet still function as usual! I guess adrenaline can carry me for long periods of time. It must have been due to the fact that I love what I do.

5. Can you tell us about a fun new activity or hobby you tried out after everything went ‘remote' in the spring?

Given my previous answer, in recognition that my mind is always “on”, one new activity I tried this spring was meditation. I thought perhaps I should try to learn to quiet the mind. I used an app and followed a 30-day program. I absolutely loved it.

6. Any piece of advice or words of wisdom you have gleaned recently that you can leave us with as we kick off the fall?

My favourite quote is, “Change your attitude and you change your life” (Roy Bennett). I find this an empowering message as it demonstrates just how much control we have over any given situation. A positive attitude always generates positive results.

We hope you enjoyed Karen’s interview as much as we did! To read more of this Team Spotlight interview series, navigate back to: the Team Spotlight 2020 Learnings & Silver Linings main page.

To see more things like this, stay in the loop about our team’s services, and keep up-to-date with the latest edtech resources, follow us on social media using the links below.