Mike's Blog

Syllabus update: Middle School teacher pivoting to Al and Machine Learning

“Education breeds confidence. Confidence breeds hope. Hope breeds peace.” - Confucius

How I got into teaching

I originally became a teacher out of necessity. I graduated with a bachelor’s degree in communications 3 years after graduating high school and nine months later, my mom suggested that I should try out teaching.

I wasn’t initially thrilled by the idea but figured this could be my way of giving back while having consistent employment. I had great teachers who inspired me, so I wanted to do the same, especially as a Black man. So, at 22 years old, I became a middle school math teacher.

I was taken aback by how quickly I connected with my students. The nostalgia of teaching math concepts that I remembered learning when I was their age, made me realize that I had a knack for teaching, and felt a deeper appreciation for the profession.

Teaching can be a very fulfilling experience, and getting into this profession solidified how much I loved children and providing a learning environment they feel safe in and inspired by. There was a deep satisfaction from seeing my inner child in the classroom. The excitement to learn, the hesitancy to answer to a question for fear of being wrong, the satisfaction when overcoming that fear and having the right answer, working in groups, and having fun with your friends while trying to complete projects. Being the facilitator for these events was fulfilling and even healed my inner child’s relationship with math that broke apart when I struggled in high school.

However, four years into navigating the education system, I felt the ceilings closing in on me as exhaustion overwhelmed my passion in the classroom. I was overworked and stretched beyond capacity in my last two years of teaching, having to teach multiple core subjects with even less support. The three-hour daily commute also didn’t help or prevent transporting my workload outside of the classroom just to keep up. From marking homework, lesson planning, parent teacher conferences, learning support for students falling behind – the list was endless, and my work-life balance suffered.

Teaching wasn’t rewarding anymore. My efforts were being hampered by having to divide my focus at the expense of serving my students with quality learning and support. It was clear the structure of classes determined by the administration was never going to align with my growth in this profession. In June 2024, after five years of teaching, I resigned from my position and began exploring career opportunities in the tech industry.

The game plan

Since math is my favorite subject and specialization as a teacher, I was drawn to Machine learning, AI and programming with Python. The goal would be to upskill in AI, get into programming with python, and continue levelling up my math skills. I would focus on learning data analytics via Google’s Coursera class, python programming from Python Crash Course by Eric Matthews, and practice Math daily on Math Academy, aiming to get to a point where I could learn the skills necessary for the Machine Learning section of tech.

“Limits, like fears, are often just an illusion.” – Michael Jordan

The decision to walk away from teaching wasn't difficult and the immediate relief when I handed in my notice confirmed this. I'd say the hardest part was saying goodbye to my students after five years of nurturing a part of their future in those classrooms. Weeks later, the initial relief post resignation wore off and was replaced by a growing feeling of restless emptiness. I'd been working as a teacher for five years and suddenly, I wasn't. My purpose and fulfillment were now in freefall while trying to carve out the next steps of my career, and that's when my first piece of homework was due - confronting my fears and overcoming overthinking.

“Never mistake motion for action.” - Ernest Hemingway

I was nervous, excited and determined to execute on my plan to pivot into the tech industry. I spent the summer working towards all these ideas, trying to do it all at once and juggling goodness knows how many courses. But the reality was that I was scattered, trying to do too many things each day, or focusing on one goal and feeling that I neglected others. I would find myself starting and stopping when it came towards whatever goal I set every week or two and eventually ended up settling for doing 50-100XP on math academy daily as my bare minimum. This was clearly an unsustainable way to level up and my body did a great job of forcefully reminding me.

My game plan had to change.

“Goals are good for setting a direction, but systems are best for making progress.” – James Clear

I was overthinking because I hadn’t clearly defined my long-term goals or how far I was from achieving them. So, I took a step back to reassess my initial game plan and realised I wasn’t specific enough about what I wanted to do in machine learning. After researching, I decided on two potential paths: becoming an entry-level software or machine learning engineer focused on developing and deploying ML models in production, working with data pipelines, and implementing ML frameworks.

With a clear goal in mind, I broke things down into manageable daily actions to avoid feeling overwhelmed.

I committed to two focused activities: Improving my math skills and writing Python scripts. I set simple, measurable targets—50 XP on Math Academy and five Python practice exercises each day. This approach gave me the right balance of maintaining steady progress while challenging myself daily.

As I worked through these daily goals, I confronted limiting beliefs: doubts about my abilities and regret over wasted time pursuing the wrong direction. I had to embrace being a beginner again and appreciate the journey of learning and improving.

The rollercoaster I've been forced on after taking this leap of faith uncovered a simple truth in the end: I couldn't afford to second-guess myself. It didn't help me move any faster nor did it help me work better.

Slow and steady wins the race so locked-in and ready will land me in the best place.

So, what’s next for Mike?

As a former teacher transitioning into AI/ML, I bring a unique ability to blend human-centered thinking with technical problem-solving. My experience in the classroom has strengthened my capacity to:

What I’m learning next is building on my understanding of math concepts as I prepare to delve into calculus with the goal of learning the math skills needed for machine learning, continuing to improve my python skills so that by the end of Q1 I can begin to have projects on my resume that I’ve built, and researching more about all things related to artificial intelligence and machine learning.

I’m looking to join a mission-driven team dedicated to developing AI/ML solutions that are ethical, inclusive, and impactful—leveraging my background in education, problem-solving, and empathy to bridge the gap between technology and human needs.

“Teaching is the one profession that creates all other professions.” - Unknown

The last five years as an educator has taught me that the future is the result of arming the next generation with the tools and information needed to solve real-world problems that will better society. I’ve done so in education, and now I will do so in tech.