A few weeks ago I read a quote on Twitter which resonated with me ~  “Change is inevitable, growth is optional”.    In education, we are always in a state of change as we continue to meet the ever changing needs of our students and their families.  As I reflect on my own teaching career, there are so many more innovative ways to engage our learners; everything from technology to research about multiple intelligences to new resources.  As I reflect on my career in administration, we are also embracing change as we purposefully work together in Networks to improve student learning by focusing on teacher practice.  We are becoming more intuitive about how best to use data to support our school based goals and improvement plans and the list goes on….

I shared the above quote at a staff meeting, prior to a discussion about staffing for the upcoming year.  I was pleasantly surprised by those staff members who appreciated the philosophy behind the quote and who are already thinking about how they can continue to embrace growth within their current assignment and also what opportunities are available to them if they choose to explore another teaching assignment.

As with any message shared, there were also some staff members who became quite anxious about the potential for a  change in assignment for next year.  I was left wondering how best to support those educators who need the confidence to know that they may be just as successful in a junior classroom as in a primary classroom.  After all, we are “teachers”, not “grade three teachers”.

As teachers, how do we model “embracing change” for our students?  

As administrators how do we support our teachers and encourage them to continue to grow and improve their practice, when change is not an option.