I'm in that season where things are just different than they used to be. At school many of my colleagues have either moved on to other endeavors or retired. Teaching has new standards, new evaluations, new testing, new grading systems, new technology, new textbooks, you name it, it's all different. "Fruit basket turnover!" As I reflect on my own state of the union, I've learned some things about change.
We can hold on tightly to systems that work for us, but eventually it will change. New technology, new research, new generations require new methods There's a freedom in releasing our grip on what was, allowing ourselves to accept what is, and finding our way through it all to make it work for our students and for us.
Resisting change limits our future possibilities. Remaining in the same place will eventually become predictable. Predictability is comfortable, but one dimensional. We'll never know what we can potentially accomplish if we don't allow ourselves to experience what we've never done.
I read a book a few summers ago called, In A Pit With A Lion On A Snowy Day by Mark Batterson. My take-away was that we sometimes allow fear or just plain laziness to keep us from the greatest experiences ever. How many times haven't we turned down an invitation to do something amazing, or to lead an endeavor, or take on a project because we felt it was just too much. We were afraid that we couldn't handle it, or we just didn't feel like doing it at the moment. Later we find out that we canceled ourselves out of an amazing adventure. Shucks! Anything worth doing will require our time, our effort, some changes, but in the end, it's worth it all. I think I need to read that book again.
When I first decided to become a teacher there was no question about what age level I would teach, it would be elementary, primary grades. Older kids intimidated me. I thought I couldn't relate to them. K-3 would be my niche. When my daughter was entering middle school, I was offered an opportunity to launch an ESOL program at her school. I'd be the department chair and I could design the program myself. The only problem I had was that it was "middle school". Inspite my reservations of the age group, I accepted. Twelve years later I'm still working with middle schoolers. What I thought I could never do, I have done for twelve years. Allowing myself some tension in order to experience something more provided exponential growth for me. I've learned to really love my middle schoolers. Yes, they can be a handful, but they can also be sweet, kind and wonderful.
I'm sure I don't need to explain how change hurts or why it hurts. As long as we're alive we know this very well. Nevertheless, just because shifts sting doesn't mean we should be afraid to take a chance. Some of the most beneficial and beautiful things come by way of pain. Just ask a butterfly. My all time favorite children's book is Charlie, the Butterfly by Dom DeLouise. I read it every year, even to my middle school kids. Charlie's suffering and coccoon experience wasn't the end of him, it was the beginning.
Changes transform our circumstances. These circumstances can elicit feelings of either contentment or disappointment, sometimes both. At the end of the day, the change doesn't make or break us, our response does. When initial sentiments have passed and the dust settles, attitude makes all the difference.
. . . Probably the biggest lesson of all. This is my blog's motto and my life's, as well.
So, in these seasons, when everything we've known seems to be shifting, let's not fear or resist. Beauty awaits in the horizon.
Update:
I wrote this blog last weekened when my background disappeared. Well, as you can tell, it's back.
This taught me one more thing about changes,
sometimes things just change right back to normal.
Hugs,
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