“..Change is the only constant in life…”- Heraclitus
I feel like I have been realizing this more and more lately. It has taken me 6 months to return to my blog to reflect, but I hope to start a routine over the summer. I have always been a “Plan B” kind of person so I’m prepared most of the time. But life doesn’t work that way, life throws you a curve and sees if you swing and miss, wait for a better pitch or alter your stance to knock that sucker out of the park. A friend recently posted this image and it struck a chord with me in that moment. 
All of this reminds us of how we deal with unexpected change. Do we bury ourselves and expect things to only get worse? Do we go at it with the idea “things can only get better from here!”? Or do we make choices to determine how that change will impact us or others?
I have had to face this on many levels this year. I have had small things that I couldn’t control, such as the weather at our wedding that meant we had to make a change in what we had originally planned for months leading up to our date. OK, not what I planned but in hindsight, a good call. I’ve had larger setbacks with injuries, illness and an unexpected 2nd surgery for my now husband, that we hadn’t planned.
Jobs shifts, weather, policy changes, etc. So I plan, adjust, plan again, rinse and repeat. I’m not alone. It happens to all of us and sometimes you pull yourself up and move on as you adjust. But other times you lean, maybe just a little, maybe a lot, on others. Your spouse, your siblings, your best friends, and hopefully your “Tribe”. Your Tribe should consist of those that are like minded and understand your struggles. They sympathize, they listen but they don’t allow you to stagnant. They “get” you. They know you are a leader because sometimes you fall back and listen and other times you lead.
So, how do we build this in others? How do we support or even lead others to this state of “adjusting their sails” and being in control? Do we provide students opportunities to struggle, problem solve and have success or learn from their failures? Do we make failure an option? Do we offer time for students to create their own “Tribes”. Not cliques that exclude, but rather communities of commonalities that support. Their “Tribe” outside the classroom might look completely different than within the walls of the school. How can we allow them the freedom to find other like-minded people to support and challenge their thoughts, ideas and hopes so they can have success, even within their failures? I am creating so many questions that I don’t have all of the answers to because they are forever changing and offer all of us opportunities for discussion and thought. I see glimmers in things that I do with students and teachers, but I know that there is much I haven’t seen and done, so I sail forward and when the wind blows, I adjust, constantly adjust.
Outside The Box 