'...this is not going to be a presentation. This is going to be a class discussion...I'm a teacher and a coach at heart.'

If you're hard pressed to choose whether Liz or our 50th (!!) Walker, Kermit Cook, said those words, no one would blame you. When education is in your bones, it spills out in all ways, at all times...no matter where your path leads.

But it was Kermit who said those words, during his hiring process that led to his becoming CEO of Penn Foster, an ever-growing online educational system with roots in helping miners find safer jobs and branches touching thousands of learners who just do not fit into the traditional mold. He embodies that heritage, initially enrolling in the very programs he was set to lead in order to feel the roadblocks for himself. Like a player-coach, the 'student-CEO'. The Bill Russell of vet-tech programming. Kermit is a living example of the 'beginner's mind', of patience in career paths, and of actively learning every step along the way. What a pleasure.

So tag along for our 50th Walk and the newest in the Meet Me on the Playground subseries. Thanks for walking, Kermit.

#WalkwithMe #WalkwithLiz #GENed #Parenting #Leadership #LearningDifferences #Inspiring #PennFosterGroup #OnlineEducation #Teacher #Coach #TeachforAmerica #PrivateEquity #CEO #BeginnersMind #BHAG

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And before we go...50?! FIFTY?! We sat down over a year ago to outline this project, and boy, has this been a labor of love. You can scroll through the blog and see how the writing has changed, how the production has improved, how the walks have expanded. There will be plenty of reflection ahead, but it's important to put a marker down sometimes. And 50 is one for the books. Let us all thank Liz Hofreuter for bringing us together once again.