Embracing Change
By Dr. Marcia Davis-Dawkins
In one of my recent blogs, “Change Our Positions”, I wrote about change and it seems as if I am revisiting because as we evolve we need to have change. Change can sometimes be difficult for most people. What then is the meaning of change? Change as defined by the dictionary, is “to make or become different.”
Change for some means moving forward and forgetting things that are behind. For many, the change of a new year means making a resolution to do better in life – whether it’s losing weight, changing your way of eating or simply doing things differently primarily to make life better. When for instance, there is a divorce, there is also change and a new way of life for both persons involved. At times it can also mean change in location for one or both parties. If there are children involved, they have to deal with change of being in a single parenting home or moving to another school.
For the most part, change is usually not easy, but the idea is to pick up the pieces and start over, but don’t dwell on the past or what could have been. Change can mean trying new things, as well as growth, because you are learning new things and setting new goals and aspirations. Change means switching from one thing to another, but it also means that you find out about yourself with regards to what you can tolerate and in turn grow through the learning.
Fear
There are many people who fear change because they are comfortable with what they are doing or at the level they are. This lack of movement towards change can hinder progress to move forward. Since we always seek to evolve and grow higher, change is a necessary force that we must encounter. Many times the change may cause us to come to a roadblock, but we have to find ways to get over or around the obstacles so we can be elevated. And if and when we pass the roadblock, we gain strength. Just imagine the joy when we realize that we surpass the trials and tribulations and how satisfying to know that we did it! This definitely is a booster to our self-confidence and now we can believe more in ourselves. This sudden rush of joy could also encourage us to want to climb higher and higher. There is a little song that we use to sing as youngsters that said, “It only takes a spark, to get the fire going and soon all those around could warm up in it’s glowing.” This joy will become contagious because we want to spread it all around. This positive vibe will keep on going and soon there will be no stopping the elevation, as we won’t want to stop learning. Change definitely means learning new lessons and discovering things about us. Some of us make changes is our lives with the belief that like the old adage says, “flowers tomorrow are in seeds planted today.”
What role does change play in education?
Like so many other things, change is necessary for growth. Students are going to need skills in their future beyond the academic achievement goals that have been the focus of the past. To help them prepare for that future, they must become adaptable learners. That means that change is not only necessary, but inevitable. Change WILL happen, so why not embrace it? Teachers are sometimes resistant to do that because often they view change as being done solely for the sake of change. Unfortunately, sometimes that is the truth. Veteran teachers have seen changes initiated only to be abandoned because they did not prove fruitful. But “meaningful change” goes beyond that, leads to something better and should be welcomed
Letting go of what we find most familiar and comfortable is difficult, but stepping out of that comfort zone enables the potential for fulfillment and reward. Innovation and change will only be successful if we believe there just might be a better way. So, focus energy not on fighting for the old, but on building the new. Our students cannot become who they want to be by remaining what they are.