Change

“If you don’t like something, change it. If you can’t change it, change your attitude.” – Maya Angelou

This summer I have been reflecting a lot on change since I am going to be starting a new school this year. Making this change was not an easy decision, but one that I knew I had to make in order to continue to be successful as an educator. I have already seen the benefits and the costs of changing schools. The most obvious benefit I have noticed is a much better commute. My new school is only 7 minutes from my house, and I won’t have to drive on a congested interstate to get there. The hours are much earlier as well. Before I was looking at getting home at the earliest 5, but more often it was closer to 5:30. Now I should be home before 4 every day. I’m not sure if this next one is a benefit or a cost, but there are some pretty good coffee shops on the way to work. Before I would have to take a detour to get there. No change comes without a cost. One cost is I am going to have to set up a new classroom for the first time. I know it’s going to be a lot of work because I opened the cabinets when I dropped my things off, and I was in shock at how much stuff was inside those cabinets. Another cost is don’t know anyone at the school. I have met a couple of people there, but I will be getting to know a new set of educators. I also don’t know how things at the school work in terms of scheduling, routines, and culture. I won’t fully know if this is a good change later this school year.

I took these photos when I visited Hamilton Branch State Park last July. At one point during our visit, I decided to just walk around the area where we were hanging out at. I had to watch out for snakes and ticks the entire time I was out, but I was able to capture some beautiful scenes off the trail.