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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

And frankly, this is for better or for worse. There are some situations where this is a net positive and other situations where this is a net negative. It's up to you to figure out how much you're going to be okay with.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

This goes for all industries--feedback on anything is valuable but at the end of the day, people who work in admin or for corporations generally do what's going to make them money, keep them employed, keep the majority of people around them happy, and doesn't cause a massive scandal.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

This is sometimes an adjustment from people leaving the classroom because you go from having a ton of autonomy in your own space to essentially having to work FOR the system instead of working WITHIN a system. The feedback teachers give on tech is valuable but only goes so far (to be truthful).

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

Even when I *didn't* work with folks who held the primary credit card when I was a coach, the goal was to be an advocate for educators but also to work alongside administration to advance goals forward. The job was bigger than a classroom. It was the entire school, and I had to operate accordingly.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

In my role I cater to decision makers who have purchasing power, and in previous roles I've also had to cater to this as well. The bottom line is that most educators do not have purchasing power. They can give feedback, but they don't hold the credit card. I work with folks who hold the credit card.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 24/02/2026

On the topic of leaving teaching: I haven't had a classroom in 8 years. I did re-enter in 2018 but was also consulting. Then I was a coach. I've worked full time in tech since 2022. When you're no longer in a teacher-facing role, your end game is no longer other teachers. It is the SYSTEM.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

T-Mobile slashed their K-12 department. PowerSchool did layoffs (in December, but it was so close to the holidays that we still count them in our groups). Prodigy did layoffs. Vimeo laid off a majority of their staff. And now, Renaissance. We’re speechless. This is a lot. 2/2

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 05/02/2026

So I’m in quite a few professional learning networks and this has been the first time I can think of where at least 10 people have already been laid off this year and it’s only FEBRUARY 5TH. 1/

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

Additionally, his father seems completely checked out. Part of the reason why they moved is because his father got a different job. But it seems like that was his ONLY focus. He'd come home from work completely aware that no schooling was done all day and just kind of ignore what was happening.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I can tell that he really, really has compassion for his mother and her challenges, but from the outside looking in I spotted the red flags pretty much immediately. She’s like the “boy moms” on my mom forum who are entirely too dependent on their sons for their own happiness.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 03/02/2026

I'm about 150 pages into this book (it's taking me slower to read due to work travel) and my biggest takeaways so far are that his mother was insecure and unstable, he was struggling with moving to a new town, and his mother used that to her advantage to push homeschooling.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

100%. I always tell people: do NOT quit your classroom/district/school/whatever job until your next job is lined up AND you have your start date AND you've cleared the background check AND it is absolutely confirmed that you will work there. There's way too much uncertainty now with layoffs.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

And I totally get it. Sometimes it does feel like an "Ariel in the first act of The Little Mermaid" situation ("when's it my tuuurnnn?"). But at the end of the day folks really aren't doing themselves any favors when their public social media becomes more of a diary when they're job searching. 6/6

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

...treat it like you are looking like your next professional stepping stone. If you were in a position of hiring, you probably would go for the candidate that speaks about the neat things they're doing professionally versus the one who is always moping about how they didn't get their chance. 5/

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

I know it might be hard but you need to ground yourself in GRATITUDE. You can be frustrated about where you're at professionally but pivoting professionally means that you also need to put yourself out there in a professional way. Do not treat social media like a diary. Instead... 4/

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

A company does not want to hear about all the times that you were rejected, nor does it want to hear about your ongoing job search. I've spoken about this in many articles (one linked below) but you need to post POSITIVE THINGS. Link: www.edutopia.org/article/5-wa... 3/

edutopia.org

5 Ways to Maintain a Professional Online Presence

Teachers can unlock the potential of social media in constructive ways that lead to personal and professional advancement.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Lesson number two is that if you are serious about transitioning out of a classroom/coach/school/whatever role and into corporate is that you need to stop posting about your search publicly. Lil Wayne said "real G's move in silence like lasagna." You need to be like lasagna! 2/

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 02/02/2026

Alright y'all: I'm happy that I'm seeing less "transitioning teacher" content on LinkedIn and other platforms but some of the stuff I am seeing is truly out of pocket. Y'all absolutely HAVE to stop saying "hire teachers." These corporations do not owe you anything. That's lesson number one. 1/

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 29/01/2026

The kids: “Mrs. Thompson, we made a playlist for you of songs from when you were a kid.” Me: “…okay…” The first song was Rockin’ Robin. I AM THIRTY-TWO YEARS OLD

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 26/01/2026

Putting this out there: We can feel thankful that we are alive, employed, and able to take care of ourselves and our loved ones. But we can absolutely also feel angry about the state of the world. These feelings can 100% coexist and don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 22/01/2026

Did I purchase this book? Absolutely. I heard about Block’s story on NPR and how his mother “homeschooled” him (it was more like unschooling) and how he fought to exit that environment and become independent, all the while still trying to stay close to his mother. I am excited to read this memoir.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Exactly. I kind of feel like this is a craven attempt to curb behaviors seen by nonstop screen use at home, and instead of telling people directly that they need to limit screens at home they're limiting screens in schools and calling it a solution.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Utah’s legislative season began *checks notes* YESTERDAY (January 20th) and runs until March 6th so we will see how this plays out. I can absolutely see the SAFE Act passing, but not the BALANCE Act (BALANCE is the screen time ban one).

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 21/01/2026

Well, my day just got a lot more interesting! Utah has introduced two bills regarding technology usage in schools. One of the proposed bills completely eliminates “non-essential screen time” in grades K-3. Link: www.abc4.com/news/educati...

abc4.com

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

If you are interested in listening, the link is below. It's a VERY interesting listen. Essentially, her parents were part of the sovereign citizen movement and with the help of her grandparents she was able to truly escape. Link: radiolab.org/podcast/invi... 2/

radiolab.org

The Girl Who Doesn't Exist

In today’s episode, we meet a young woman from Texas, born and raised, who can’t prove that she exists.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

A book came across my feed and I'm lowkey thinking about purchasing it for my kindle and reading it. I was locked into "The Girl Who Doesn't Exist," which is a real story about a girl whose parents didn't have any legal documentation for her, and it made it impossible for her in adulthood. 1/

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/01/2026

Thank you Ebony! You are so awesome. I hope you're doing well too.

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Reposted by Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing!

ethorntonghs.bsky.social @ethorntonghs.bsky.social · 11/01/2026

I don't know how much time she spends online anymore but this is a quick @victoriathetech.bsky.social appreciation post. I hope her and her wife are doing great and staying safe and well

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

In 2026 news, if y'all are attending FETC in Orlando, FL I will be there (as always) and look forward to seeing you there!

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 08/01/2026

I'll be honest, I don't utilize this platform as much as I could. I make a conscious effort to not have social media on my phone unless it's at a conference or an event, and I really don't want to have to download another app. I'll try harder this year, though. (Without another app.)

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

If I don’t know you, how in the Jimmy Crack Corn am I going to give you an honest referral?! I’ve received at least 6 inquiries over the last week from folks who I don’t even know asking me if I can refer them for jobs. No! That’s not how this works!

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

If you don't know somebody personally as a friend or within a professional network, skipping the initial chat or "coffee conversation" puts you in a position where you don't even know someone and you're asking for them to refer you for a job. This is bad job-seeking etiquette.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

My suspicion is that the advice-givers are trying to position this as a win-win situation, where if the referral gets hired and the company offers a referral bonus then everyone gets money. The issue is that in order to submit a referral you generally have to, you know, KNOW THE PERSON.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 20/08/2025

So in today's edition of "please stop listening to advice that you see on TikTok," there must be some "wisdom" floating around that if you apply for a job (especially if it’s in tech) to cold message people who already work there and ask for a referral. This is not good advice. Do not do this.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 19/08/2025

Kourt and I had an absolutely wonderful “staycation” (since we live 25 minutes away, we staycation at Disney!) at Animal Kingdom Lodge this past weekend. We made it a mission to go to Animal Kingdom each day too.

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Reposted by Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing!

Rhea Hansen, M.Ed @rhansen3rdgrade.bsky.social · 17/08/2025

If I say "guess who I ran into at Disney" @victoriathetech.bsky.social is usually a good guess!

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 13/08/2025

This week I'm in Chicago, IL for an internal work conference. Today we had our "Women in K-12 IT" breakfast. It was so yummy!

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 11/08/2025

Shout out to all of my educators, school leaders, and district folks starting the school year today! 🎉 Have an AWESOME day!

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

I used to get swept up in these debates until I’d go into buildings and realized nobody cared and these were mostly “terminally online” conversations. Especially now, people just want to do their jobs as best as they can, help kids as best as they can, and then go home to their spaces and relax.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

It’s like every year the same topics get rehashed and the same answers get rehashed too. There are one or two great answers and options that come from it but otherwise it’s just people fighting. Not worth it. Not worth your time. Not worth your energy.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

For the last few years I have not participated in what I refer to as “pencil discourse.” If you’re in education and this (and the school supplies conversation) stresses you out, I encourage you to do the same. If it’s worth your peace of mind, stepping out is ALWAYS the right option.

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 10/08/2025

Kourt’s home, our neighbor is over (more on that later—if you’re on the other site, you’ve probably seen the saga where I helped my elderly neighbor get set up with an online dating profile), I made a pot of tea and made a cookie cake, it’s raining, and it’s another peaceful Saturday evening. 🌧️

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 28/05/2025

Alright alright alright it's been a while! I'll be headed to Georgia today to be a part of their "Cobb In Tech" conference in Cobb County, GA! I can't wait!

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Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing! @victoriathetech.bsky.social · 19/05/2025

This is a friendly reminder that the best store in the world, Costco, will be closed on Monday, May 26th in observation of Memorial Day. If you need anything from Costco soon, get it before next Monday!

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Reposted by Victoria Thompson, M.S. is resting and relaxing!

Rhea Hansen, M.Ed @rhansen3rdgrade.bsky.social · 17/05/2025

What else do you do on a Friday evening but make a quick run to #EPCOT to get the gorgeous new #Maleficent AP magnet! Bonus points running into @victoriathetech.bsky.social and Kourtney at the Boardwalk! #DisSky

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