Accepting Change

     I am fortunate in that I work in a district that is very progressive and embraces change. As a professional, I welcome change and attempt to grow daily.  Since my profession is personal to me, the two worlds constantly merge and change filters into both areas of my life as my ideas and opinions about various topics continue to mold. There are many examples of this from my life and many yet to come.

     Being married to a farmer, a change that has taken a long time to develop and still requires regular encouragement is mellowing my road rage when driving behind a tractor, trailer, combine or other insanely slow farm machine on the road.  Frustration flares because I am always in a hurry!  Just like every other working mom, my mind is constantly in a million places and I have a ridiculous amount of errands to run.  Of course living where I do, it is a common occurrence to be brought to a screeching halt when I come across a tractor on the road.  My sister-in-law has the perfect bumper sticker that puts this into perspective:  WTF-Where’s the food, without the farmer? After all, a girl’s gotta eat!  
     This comical, yet thought provoking bumper sticker helps put my rage at bay because everyone has a job to do and every job requires continuous change, development and hard work... at least to be done well.  As a teacher, the biggest change I have made is not only continuing to learn from other educators and reading various books but understanding that I can learn as much from my students as what they can from me.  Granted, the lesson contents are vastly different, knowledge is still exchanged.    
     Although I feel I am fairly welcoming to change, not everyone shares this sentiment.  For example my husband, Robert still uses a flip phone and actually sent a text to a friend who had texted him, “Bobby don’t text.”  Keep in mind this man’s wife is a teacher and tech coach!  
     Every teacher has been in the situation of attempting to understand a child, then meeting the parent and thinking,  “Ohhhh, now I get it,” which explains my children. While beginning the process of converting bedrooms for the baby on the way, my oldest son’s excitement quickly turned to tears as we began placing bunk beds in his room and he whined, “I don’t want things to change.” While my other son started jumping on the new mattresses, ready to move in with his brother.  
     These lessons help me understand as part of my job as not only an eLearning Coach, but apparently a mother and wife as well, I am going to need to continue to be receptive to change and help colleagues and my household members understand that change is exciting..... and only a little scary!