When Change is Happening

Change is good, right? That is what we are told and we all value people who are flexible and adaptable to many circumstances. 

Change is also challenging. This summer, two of my children have moved back into my house. It's temporary and joyful to have them, but it has also meant change.  We have an extra dog, I've lost my office and my things are spread all over the house as we make room for two additional people.

Change is also what we'll be facing this fall. Questions remain about how the Delta variant will impact schools, but it is looking more like we will start school without the severe limitations we saw in the last year.

As registration begins, parents are facing the necessity of sending their children to buildings where masks may not be mandated and close contact is likely. Change.

Many of us have taken some time this summer to evaluate what we do as educators.  Is it worth returning in the fall? Is there a way we might find employment that serves us better? Is there a different school or role that might allow us to achieve a better life balance?  Change.  Even returning to a job you love involves change because that job will be different than it was last year.

This is what I have discovered as I examine my own change. I'm trying to learn about a new position, learn a new language for that position, and adapt to a new role in education.  As I do this, a quotation from Jim Knight stands out, "When teachers strive with all their might, their quest is to do all they can so their students can experience as much growth, joy, power, and learning as possible" (High-Impact Instruction 2).  Helping teachers to help students experience as much growth, joy, power, and learning as possible seems a good place to start.  

May the changes you face allow you to experience as much growth, joy, power, and learning as possible as you adapt to this new school year in whatever role you find yourself. It may require you to be both flexible and adaptable, but the outcome is a worthy one.