cc licensed flickr photo shared by Alex Barth
I read this quote today:
“One of the major negatives is that change is rarely welcome. People tend to like the stat quo and do not want the apple cart overturned. Our first year was fraught with change; change in vision, strategies, instructional methods and materials.” Pam Lowe
As an educator, I have experienced my share of change being in 6 schools in 12 years with many different positions. As someone who went to school to teach Kindergarten, it is interesting that I have actually taught every grade but that one. Working with all ages of students and different groups of people has taught me so much. I have been able to see the best ideas from different organizations, and bring those experiences into my own school.
Ironically, students experience change every single year. They have new teachers, classrooms, and at some point, usually have to adjust to several teachers in a single day. On the opposite end of the spectrum, many high schools and middle schools that have subject specific teachers seemingly have too much change and not enough consistency. We worry that this constant change is NOT beneficial to our students.
As schools develop and adapt to ensure that students are able to be prepared for their future, it is important that we change. This is not to say that all of things that we are doing in schools is wrong. In fact, there are many things that are right that currently are happening in our schools.
As teachers should always be learners first, should we not role model change and adaptation to our students? Will this ensure that we are not stagnant in our practice and give us an appreciation for what our students go through on a yearly basis?
How do we balance change while also improving our practice? If we change too much, can we ever truly become experts in any area? I would love your thoughts.
