Change is good? (weeks 2 & 3)

From, The Lion King

(After Simba talks to his father's spirit through the cloud)

Rafiki: What was that!? (laughs) The weather. Very peculiar. Don't you think?

Simba: Yeah. Looks like the winds are changing.

Rafki: Ahhh. Change is good.

I'm taking my advice from a monkey? A mandril? A baboon? Whatever.

This is the end of the first week back. Teachers reported on Monday, and students reported on Thursday. Things have very suddenly - and distinctively - changed. Over the course of the previous three weeks I was in the office doing things, but didn't feel like my role from last year (7th grade teacher) had changed that much. Just a lot of housekeeping issues - both figuratively and literally. When people would ask, "How's the new job," I'd answer that it was great, but that it was about to change once the teachers and students arrived. I knew that, but had no idea how.

No longer am I merely viewed as a colleague. No matter how much I'd like to be.

No longer am I simply treated as one of the teachers, struggling to understand the idiosyncrasies of the new administration. I am the new administration.

Almost overnight, my role has changed. And, I'm scared. Excited, but scared.

Teachers are frequently defined and typecast as "creatures of habit." And understandably so. A single teacher could, theoretically, do the same thing every day for 20-30 years - if allowed to do so. If a teacher is teaching the same subject/grade over and over, it's easy for that teacher to develop a routine, procedure, and habit in their daily life that would allow them to simply "plug in" new students each year into their pattern of instruction. In education, we call those procedures and routines. Everywhere else we call those habits, or even worse - ruts.

I'm not kidding myself. As a teacher, I didn't necessarily design my classroom (rules, routines, procedures, and instructional styles) primarily because I thought it would benefit the students. One of my primary, contributing factors was how it could make my life easier, more comfortable. The problem was that the level of comfort I enjoyed didn't push me to grow - which, ultimately, inhibited the growth of my students.

At my school - and across our district and state - we're being urged (and even required) to change the way we do things. It's uncomfortable, but it's ultimately for the glory of someone else. At school, we do all these things so that - at the end of the day - the kids can hold their hands up high in victory for accomplishing something they couldn't earlier. We do it for their glory.

I'll tell you that right now I'm coming to work every day and wondering what in the world I'm doing. Everything is new. There's new vocabulary. New responsibilities. New challenges. New struggles. And a new strategy for coping and understanding it all. However, I'm loving every minute of it. It's constantly exciting and engaging. And it's to bring glory to someone else.

And isn't that what Christ is promising to do in our life? He doesn't want us to stay where we are - where we are most comfortable. He wants - and requires - us to change and bring glory to Him in order for Him to bring glory to someone else - US! He turns it back around on us! In Matthew 18:3, Jesus tells us that "unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven." We will never experience His amazing victory if we don't change from whom we once were. And we will never change if we don't allow someone to come into our life and make us uncomfortable.

Will it be scary - yes.

Will it be exciting - definitely.

Will you be changed? Undeniably.

Will it be good?

It will be forever.