Sunday 13 September 2020

Managing Change - Our New COVID Reality

 

At my core, I am a creature of habit. I would suggest that for the most part, many educators are. We like structure and routine, predictability and patterns. Change is uncomfortable. And unsettling. It is an unknown element that fills many of us worry and stress. But I have also come to understand that in that place of uncertainty, growth and learning happens. Learning happens on the edge of understanding.

In many ways, this pandemic has forced us to re-examine long-held systems, to re-envision which aspects of our traditional structures best serve our communities. It has been an opportunity. With so much "new-ness", innovation and change is a constant. And for the most part, we have come to accept that. 

But with change, comes anxiety. It is palpable in our communities. It is real. And it can be debilitating. And so I am mindful of doing my best amidst all of this "new-ness" to also offer the security and stability of familiar routines and structures. 

The next few months will be about finding a balance. A balance between the new and the familiar. A balance between those things that must be implemented, and those things that we can take the time to examine. reflect upon and consult. 

I am in a new city, in a new district, at a new school. But like my fellow educators, one element remains the same - we will do our very best to support our students. 
No matter what. 

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