Friday, October 7, 2011

Change

Change is inevitable.  Change is hard.  Change is refreshing.  These are three statements I believe to be facts concerning change - whether it's a change in your personal life or professional life.

I am about to go through some major changes personally as I am anxiously anticipating the birth of my first child. (!!!!)  So obviously change has been on my mind lately.

The teachers at Moore are going through major professional changes lately - with recent budget cuts and new curriculum standards rolling out across the state, teachers are more overwhelmed and overworked than they've ever been.  So it's hard for me, as a person who thrives off of helping and supporting teachers as their Curriculum Coordinator, to feel comfortable abandoning ship to go on maternity leave for the next three months.

I know, I know - once this baby comes, my mind will be anywhere but work.  However, I hope that anyone who knows me knows I am 100% committed to this job, a job that I love, working amongst the best school staff ever.  So it's difficult to just let go and leave when I feel like I'm needed the most.

But that also may be narcissistic of me, to think that anyone around here really NEEDS me.  Regardless, I just wanted to do one last blog entry before my maternity leave to remind my fellow staff members that WE CAN DO THIS.

I know it feels like just when we get a handle on things, something else comes our way that is totally unexpected and more overwhelming than we'd ever imagined.  But as I said earlier, change is inevitable - ESPECIALLY in education.  And since we can't control the changes coming our way, let's all try to control our attitude toward the change.  Easier said than done?  Sure.  Possible?  Absolutely.  We can fight the change, swim against the current as much as we want... and be miserable.  Or we can look at the change as a possibility, an opportunity, as something positive - and push through the stress, the exhaustion, the never-ending to-do list in order to spread an "I Can Do" attitude amongst ourselves.  Call me Suzy Sunshine if you must, but I've always believed in the power of positive thinking.  So since I'll be gone after today, I'm gonna need y'all to keep the positivity alive amongst yourselves and trust that it's all happening for a reason - a good reason - even if it's hard to see that now.

Yes, I'm about to be a sleep-deprived mom who doesn't know up from down or left from right, but I am going to miss this school while I'm gone!  I know the upcoming changes for all of us - both personally and professionally - are going to be difficult... But I'm excited about the future, and I intend to always feel that way.  So bring on the change and the challenges, because we can only grow from it all!

I'll see you in January!

Don't Forget!
*October 24th - 1st Quarter Test (Reading)
*October 25th - 1st Quarter Test (Math with a Calculator)
*October 26th - 1st Quarter Test (Math without a Calculator)
*October 27th - 1st Quarter Test Make-ups
*November 2nd-4th - CogAt Testing
*November 14th-16th - ITBS Testing