At BlueLedge, our instructors are the heart of what we do. With more than 106 years of combined industry experience, they bring real-world insight, strong industry connections, and a passion for teaching. Through 46 courses and live webinars, they empower students at every stage of their journey to reach their goals in the legal field. This series introduces you to the experts guiding your path to success.
Meet Merritt | Meet Tamara | Meet Kristin | Meet Sharon | Meet Natalie
Sharon Allred, Instructor
Prior to becoming a BlueLedge instructor in 2022, Sharon Allred’s professional career took a few twists and turns; and she now enjoys working with students who desire a positive career change to legal transcription. Those twists and turns included a stint as an intermediate schoolteacher of language arts; a medical transcriptionist; a community college instructor for medical and business transcription; and eventually, hospital transcription management and leadership of a national company offering healthcare documentation services. During the COVID pandemic, Sharon pursued training in legal transcription, which was a challenging but rewarding transition. Her lifelong desire to help others pursue their career goals has been fulfilled as a BlueLedge instructor.
What’s your area of expertise, and what drew you to teaching in this field?
Most of my career has been in the workplace and not in education; however, in every position I’ve trained others to be the best they can be and pursue careers that mesh well with their strengths. I love helping students grow and succeed in a career that’s a good match for their abilities, income requirements, and personal circumstances.
What’s one thing outside of work that helps make you a better instructor?
Continued interactions with friends and colleagues from past positions keep me updated on current expectations in the industry.
What’s your favorite advice to give students?
This is all a learning experience. It’s what we do with what we learn that makes the difference!
How would you describe your teaching philosophy?
Students learn best when they feel an instructor understands the learning challenges and provides feedback specific to those challenges. Not all students desire to communicate with an instructor, especially in an online, self-directed course. But my desire is to communicate personally with each student, understand their background, and tailor feedback with that in mind.
TESTIMONIAL
The BlueLedge course is very organized and easy to follow. My instructor, Sharon, was incredibly detailed and helpful with her feedback and advice. The resources she provided will be a great help throughout my transcription career. I really couldn’t have done it without her! I would highly recommend BlueLedge to anyone considering a career in transcription!
– Jennifer K.