Ch-Ch-Ch-Changes

I struggle with change. I can talk on and on about all that I’d like to improve upon in my own life, and yet, when met with change, my inclination is to resist it. While not always perfect, my present circumstances are often something I am familiar with, and therefore, for the most part, comfortable with. Change threatens this sense of comfortability…the predictability. While what this change may bring holds the potential to be better than what I know now, what if it is instead worse? 

Almost a year ago now I made the decision to step away from the classroom for a period of time. This decision was in part a result of my desire to spend some time traveling in a camper van built out by my boyfriend, but also came from my own hope to gain clarity around the direction I wanted to move next with my career. 

I have spent the first four months of this year applying for roles with various Ed. Tech and Curriculum companies. I’ve made it to the interview stage for a couple of these positions, but no job offers have come my way. Feeling defeated, I have consoled myself with the thought of teaching for another year as a potential option. 

About a month ago, I received a call from a close friend saying that a position had opened up with his company and that he thought of me as a promising candidate for the role. As this company lies within the field of education and is responsible for the creation of a curriculum of which I am passionate about, I couldn’t help but agree. 

Fast forward to now…I have signed a contract and am set to begin my new job on May 17th! This is my first post-college job that will take place outside of a classroom. After seven years in an Elementary School, I am now venturing out. “How do you feel?” I have been asked. My emotions are all over the place. 

Teaching is an extremely challenging career and these last few years have left many educators questioning whether it is the right place for them. While teaching, I often thought about what it might be like to try something else. 

Now that time has come. I am extremely excited for what lies ahead, and I am also grieving for what I am leaving behind. I will miss the kids – the morning hugs and hand drawn artwork that are offered as they spill in through the classroom door. I will miss the sense of camaraderie felt amongst the teaching staff – as only another teacher truly knows what it means to be a teacher. I will certainly miss those absolutely necessary breaks during a school year – Summer, Winter and Spring. 

Teaching is a beautiful profession and one I am so proud to have been a part of. And, who knows? Maybe one day I will return. 

For now though, change is underway and while I am grieving, I am also celebrating. My time away from the classroom left me wanting to try something different, to explore other options. I knew that I wanted to stay within the field of education but for my focus to be shifted more into the realm of curriculum or instructional design. However, permeating the bubble of Ed-Tech and Curriculum isn’t easy for someone with only teaching experience. Certainly possible, but not easy. I was beginning to wonder if it would happen for me. Then, this opportunity found me. I am celebrating this opportunity to work for a company whose mission I can stand behind. I am celebrating that I can impact not only a great deal of students, but the administrators and teachers who work with these students. I am celebrating the opportunity for growth and the possibility of more doors opening down the line. 

“Change is inevitable; growth is optional.” – John Maxwell

Change will always find us. For me, right now, that change is coming in the form of a new job. I can choose to resist this change, shrinking back towards what feels comfortable and familiar…or, I can embrace it and recognize this change as an opportunity for growth. I am choosing the latter. 

Walking towards change, as opposed to running from change, doesn’t come naturally to me. Not only because my present circumstances are comfortable, but also because walking towards change also means walking towards fresh challenges and new obstacles to overcome. What if in this change I am met with failure? What if in this change I am left feeling like I made the wrong choice? My present is known, change is not. And this is scary. But it is also exciting. It is also worth celebrating. 

Taking time to acknowledge the change I am undergoing is an important step towards being able to embrace it. If you are going through a period of change right now, remember that change (in some form or another) is inevitable. I encourage you to pull out your journal, or give yourself a quiet moment to stop and reflect. Ask yourself, “What am I grieving?” Change usually means loss of some sort. Let yourself grieve. Then ask yourself, “What am I celebrating?” Change also entails growth. Let yourself celebrate this opportunity for growth. There is room for both. 

Change is scary, unpredictable and unfamiliar. It is also exciting, expanding and full of opportunity. Where you choose to place your energy will make all the difference in the ultimate impact of change.