Kate Dubose
Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention Early Childhood Special and General Education '24
Right away, Bank Street helped me find a job. I reached out to my instructor to visit her at her job at Kaplan, and she eventually hired me as a substitute and then as a floating teacher. And now I’m there full time.
Kate DuBose, GSE ’24, describes her career change into the field of education as a “long and gradual process.” While she had been aware of Bank Street Graduate School of Education since her college graduation, she spent 25 years working as an administrator at many companies, including the Massachusetts Historical Society, Sports Illustrated, and Mekanism, before she felt ready to pursue a new path.
In 2022, she took the leap and started Bank Street’s Infant and Family Development and Early Intervention/Early Childhood Special and General Education program with a wealth of lived experience to apply to her classroom practice. Today, she serves as an associate teacher at Kaplan Nursery School in New York City, where she has worked with two-year-old children since she started her graduate studies at Bank Street.
Kate integrated her professional skills into her new vocation with surprising ease. The meticulous organizational skills honed in her roles as an assistant reference librarian, advertising sales assistant, and facilities and operations manager translated seamlessly into the classroom. In fact, these skills became an advantage for navigating the complexities of school environments.
“As a career changer, I had a lot of different takes to draw from and reflect on that made for a much richer experience for me and hopefully for my colleagues.”
During her first semester, she was deeply impressed by an instructor’s child-centered approach to classroom culture and curriculum. Kate reached out to this mentor who helped her to secure a position at Kaplan Nursery School, where she currently serves as an associate teacher, with plans to become a head teacher next year.
“Right away, Bank Street helped me find a job. I reached out to my instructor to visit her at her job at Kaplan, and she eventually hired me as a substitute and then as a floating teacher. And now I’m there full time.”
In her work with two-year-old children, she collaborates with a team where 10 out of 12 teachers are Bank Street alumni, which creates a cohesive environment rooted in play-based learning and mutual respect. She finds immense joy in the daily rhythms of the school, utilizing her administrative strengths along with her studies in education to support a classroom culture that is deeply responsive to the needs of toddlers and their families.
Looking back at what she learned at Bank Street, Kate finds that the self-reflection she learned from her mentor and the other students in their conference group is one of her strengths as a teacher.
‘Self-reflection is an incredible tool to develop—being able to look back and experience and think about why I responded the way I did, how I felt in the moment— that’s really powerful stuff, and I make use of it daily.”
No matter what field you’re coming from, Kate encourages other career changers to seek direct connection with the Bank Street community as the first step.
“Reach out. Just talk to somebody. They will absolutely answer your questions, ease your concerns, and help you find a way to move into education.”
Ready to start your own journey?
Your unique professional background belongs in the classroom.
Register for our Career Changers Virtual Info Session