Pivot’s Director of Systems and Accountability, Lindsey Vining, started with Pivot over 7 years ago as an Educational Coordinator teaching mathematics. She has since taken over systems and curriculum, despite her love for teaching and math, as Lindsey’s true passion in the field of education is supporting students and helping them see how successful they can be.
“What brings me the most joy in my career are the types of students I work with,” said Lindsey. “I’ve always been attracted to environments, schools and jobs with unique program offerings that serve people who need help in a different way. Since I am a bit different, finding something for people who may feel out of place was really valuable for me, and that’s what Pivot has.”
In looking back to how she got her start with Pivot, Lindsey had the choice between a more traditional public school teaching job and the educational coordinator role at Pivot. Ultimately, she selected Pivot because she is able to reach the population of students finds most fulfilling to work with and because she is driven by the culture among staff at Pivot who truly care about their students.
“I love working at Pivot for all the people at Pivot,” Lindsey said. “Pivot is full of staff, teachers and students alike who have a common goal of helping others. It’s inspiring to be surrounded by a community that is centered around student success.”
Lindsey believes that Pivot is able to address different students’ needs because Pivot has flipped the model of instruction to allow teachers the time to get to know students and their families really well. This gives Pivot’s Educational Coordinators the opportunity to teach one-on-one to a students’ particular needs and learning styles.
Although the 2020-2021 school year brought challenges to many, Lindsey shared a positive perspective on how Pivot’s experience and flexibility in hybrid and independent study programming has allowed them to continually advance as a leader in individualized education.
“We are constantly evolving our programming, always improving as educators,” said Lindsey. “We learned so much this past year about how to support our students fully virtually, and we are ready to apply these newfound skills and strategies to improve our virtual and in-person support systems in the 2021-2022 school year and beyond.”
A fun fact about Lindsey is that since her start at Pivot, she has experienced her favorite moment on the job six different times. That moment? Student graduation.
“I am lucky because my favorite part of working at Pivot happens every single year,” said Lindsey. “Seeing students graduate who potentially didn’t think it was possible is very special, and I love hearing them speak about their experiences on a day where they especially deserve recognition for their accomplishments.”
In addition to the Class of 2022’s graduation, Lindsey is looking forward to enhancing student experiences in the upcoming school year through new workshops and learning opportunities.