Reflecting on Why Change can Seem Like a Bad Word

As some of you can imagine, there are a lot of changes happening in our district. When you are integrating technology, working towards K-12 standards-based grading, are investigating K-5 guided math, and feel the urgency to meet the needs of all learners through a student-centered classroom, change is a lot of what we are about. I am in my second year in Van Meter School District and I feel like I can understand why "change" seems like a bad word.

Talk of change implies we were doing it wrong. We weren't good enough... we aren't good enough... we aren't good.

In this profession - maybe more so than any other profession - we are dominated by passionate and dedicated people who want to see kids succeed. Feeling "not good enough" is a huge slap in the face and runs contradictory to the very reasons educators are in this profession.

So, I feel the need to define "change" as I see it. Change is the ongoing, never-ending, always reflecting, never accepting less, reflective practice of continuous improvement. I have been told I am my worst critic... Yes, I am. I believe I can get better. I can learn more. I can tackle new problems each time I am faced with them better than I did before. I can reflect on what I have done and pick out things that worked well, and things that I should do differently next time. I can identify my weaknesses and improve upon them.

I can improve. I am dedicated to being better. I am growing. This is change.