To the teacher who has had to change what they do this year....

Change is not a word most like to hear because it usually means getting out of what we view as comfortable. Some times we get to choose that change and sometimes that change is chosen for us. I've been through enough events in my life where the change has been chosen for me that I'm not a fan of it. I like to change on my terms, well God's terms...but I like it when He kind of lets me know what He's doing.  This is an honest and transparent post with the intent to encourage and maybe show an educator that needs to know they are not alone. In 14 years of education, I've changed rooms more times than I can count and changed what I do almost as much. Last year I had finally found a happy medium and was loving where I was at.  However, as we all know in education, change happens and the bigger picture that we cannot see dictates a lot. Change in what I do every day happened for this school year and it rocked my world. I was finally at a place where I had found purpose, was in that sweet spot of not just a job, and even on the hard days, I knew I was making a difference. Hear my heart......if you have moved (or are moving) grade levels, job titles, etc for this school year...don't let your feelings about the change take root. Embrace the unknown, knowing that God can take what looks like a mess right now and write a message in His time. I know it's not easy.....and I know sometimes we are put in situations that we didn't choose. It's in those moments that we have a choice to make.......do we put ourselves on autopilot and just do what has to be done, or do we choose to still try to do what we do every day with a spirit of excellence even when it exhausts us? Our feelings lean towards the first choice, but when we have discovered our purpose(i.e. to make a difference), we can lean towards the latter choice. 

I'm not trying to say I've got it figured out just yet, but I'm making progress. Find what drives your passion and make that happen where you are at. Maybe you love technology like I do, find ways to bring it into your instruction and let that creativity flow. It's those lessons about coding over the last couple of weeks that have been a match to a fire that's gone out. In time, the fire will be ablaze again, but the little spark that I've seen this week helps me to keep pressing on (even when I want to quit). So if you have found yourself changing content, grade levels, or positions like I have this school year.....find time to fuel your creativity because the Kids Deserve It. By all means, take care of you too....burn out is real this time of the year and a change in workload/content can expedite the process. Have time with God, Sleep when you can, watch the show that makes you laugh, and find ways to connect with people outside of your do. You are the difference-maker in your classroom and there is a message waiting to be heard through this year!