Meditate often on the swiftness with which all that exists and is coming into being is swept by us and carried away (Marcus Aurelius)

Photo by Georg Eiermann on Unsplash

Change is constant.

Recently, I heard a friend say, "I hate change".

To me, that is like saying, "I hate life", because change is constant. To get upset by change is to wrongly assume that stability is possible.

Schools are incredibly unstable places - every period is different, the students are different each day (not just behaviourally, but physically, and academically). The periods change at the end of every hour. There's a change-over and a new set of students arrives. Every day is different. In schools people come and people go constantly. Every year staff come and go, every student advances to a new year level. We are in a constant state of flux in a school.

No man steps in the same river twice (Heraclitus) - because the river has changed and so has the man.

I am in the process of a change to a new school. I am mindful that every school is different. I embrace that idea and I am excited by the prospect of having to learn new ways, meet new people, teach new students. That gives me a strong sense of purpose.

Some of my students and colleagues may have struggled to understand why I have changed schools. I loved my job, why would I change?

My former head of department said in his farewell speech to me that - at this point, "Warren has earned the right to go and do whatever he wants to".

I embrace the idea that everything is change, and in the end, it doesn't really matter because I can't control change. Yes, I made a conscious decision and applied to a different school, but I didn't control the outcome. Events have conspired to indicate that the time is right to change to a different place.

At this point, it feels right to go with that flow.

The future's in the air, can feel it everywhere, blowing with the wind of change (Scorpions)

Photo by Nathan Dumlao on Unsplash

change

 noun  

difference

1. the act or result of something becoming different 

replacing something

2. the process of replacing something with something new or different 
3. 
   

One of the standing truisms around my school is that change is the only constant and, therefore, you need to be adaptable, receptive to change, to work here.

Change is messy. That's why reams (zigabits) have been written about it. Books, careers, doctorate theses - you name it - all devoted to the process and advice given to adjust or else get left behind (Dr Johnson's Who Moved My Cheese is a famous take on it that I especially enjoy reading from time to time - Move with the cheese!)

One of the key principles of the All Blacks' philosophy is - when at the top of your game, change your game.

Like I said, it can be a messy process. They find that out from time to time by losing a game (most recently to Argentina for the first time, so they changed/adapted and beat them 38 nil a week later).

Sometimes change in education feels glacial (it's a bit oil tanker-ish after all). At other times, mysteriously fast. Sometimes it's managed well, at other times - not so well.

One of the best pieces of advice I've come across when change isn't managed well (outside of Who Moved My Cheese): 'The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.' (Steve Maraboli).

Handling change the way Donald Trump is currently doing is only leading to pain for him and others.

At the end of the day, when all is said and done, when push comes to shove, I agree with Ginni Rometty who says, 'Growth and comfort do not coexist.' 

Just take what you need and leave the rest (The Band)

Photo by Amritanshu Sikdar on Unsplash

Don't get me wrong, I love change.

In my working life, I've lived and worked in a number of countries (England, China, Qatar, UAE). In New Zealand I've lived and taught in many regions: Taranaki, Auckland, Hawkes' Bay, and Nelson). During those jobs, five years in one place is still my record and that was during last century.

All that adventure means: different cultures, different restrictions, different climates, different geographies, different colleagues, and different bosses. 

All of these different organisations brought about a lot of change.

Adaptability and flexibility are therefore deeply ingrained in my psyche along with relentless positivity.

So, when I wonder if there is such a thing as too much change, you should listen because I'm worried about that tipping point, when the rate of constant change becomes counter productive. 

The analogy of a barrel of water is a good one: there is a limited capacity for water (change); change disruption is how much water is in (and is being added to) the barrel.

How much water in the barrel can an organisation handle before saturation happens?

Luckily, quite a bit is the answer.

Except it's not the abstract idea of 'an organisation' that needs to be considered. It's people who feel change saturation, not a school.

When the water barrel is overflowing, the potential for disengagement and apathy, frustration and increased stress, fatigue and burnout, resistance and confusion, cynicism and skepticism are present. 

In addition, there is the potential for any great on-going initiatives to suffer as well; exciting existing projects may, and probably will, fail to gain or maintain momentum because everyone is cream crackered, and over it! 

And that would be a tragedy.

So, what needs to happen if that saturated bloated water gorged barrel is overflowing?

Someone with the overall vision (possibly/probably from a group often referred to as 'The Powers That Be') needs to step back and consider the collective impact those changes are having. Everyone else has either vested interests or is too close to the change implementation process.

Just take what you need, and leave the rest, is one way one looking at it, or, as William Arthur Ward says, "The pessimist complains about the wind, the optimist expects it to change, the realist adjusts the sails".

Thinking how things have turned out (The Eels)

It seems more and more people are getting on board the 'we need to transform education' train (see my previous post).

Frinstance these pull quotes from people involved in something called the  Arizona State University/Global Silicon Valley conference held in April this year are pretty succinct:

"It's kind of a fool's errand [to think that] if we just train people to lead for institutions built for the last century that we're going to get different results," said Stacey Childress, CEO at the NewSchools Venture Fund. She favored finding an expanded vision of what student success can mean, beyond the focus on test scores.  

After attending the day's sessions, Linda Clark, the superintendent of the West Ada school district in Meridian, Idaho, said, "We believe we're engaged in changing everything about school".

2,500 entrepreneurs, educators, and developers gathered for the conference, spending three days discussing students and schools, what they need and how to shape a future that may look little like the present in education. 

That's a bunch of people - all gathered in one place and time on the planet to consider things. And agreeing.

I've just bought a book by Sir Ken Robinson called Creative Schools. Subtitled Revolutionising Education from the Ground Up! (my exclamation mark). Subtle he's not.

Sir K starts off by saying how he's been talking about these things for many years. Like millions of others, I love what he says and yes, he has, thank goodness (been saying these things for years).

Recently, my Principal tweeted this link to a promo for a new film called Most Likely To Succeed. 

The documentary features Sir K and Salman Khan (see my previous post) and looks like the kind of film all educators must see. I certainly want to.

With any luck it may be the tipping point we need.


Most Likely to Succeed Trailer from One Potato Productions on Vimeo.

Now - how about we do some stuff now and change things. 

Enough with the talking. Can we just get on with it?

Please!

Remember: one man's ceiling Is another man's floor (Paul Simon)

The perspective of change over time is interesting - it varies according to individuals.

I was recently accused of 'bulldozing' through a change at school that involved the organisational culture generally and a move to vertical Home Room classes specifically.  

Interesting seeing this first flush of resistance from different viewpoints. The resistance, btw took a while. I was expecting it earlier but it took a term (roughly 10 weeks) to eventually...um...eventuate.

From my perspective, having started thinking about the potential for this change a year ago (check the blog posts), the time frame is about right. Allowing for my bias and impatience, I think a year to enact a change is okay. I'm basing this on the fact that I'd like to do more and do it quicker and others would take much longer and maybe not at all. In my experience a big change takes about a year to plan and execute.

From others' point of view it was 'bulldozing'. I'm unrepentant.

If we had waited the impetus could have waned with second guessing and more hand wringing possibly putting the change on permanent hold. That would have resulted in an opportunity missed from my pov.

If anything we didn't go far enough. The mix of horizontal and vertical systems at school is driving me batty. The two don't mix and the frustration it creates was both predictable and avoidable.

As I said to a colleague - if it was a bulldozer, it's only got to second gear so far.  

Holding on is like the ways of the wind (Pm Dawn)

Feel in a wild and crazy mood? Have a butchers for 'Process of Innovation chart' in Google Images - you'll get some amazingly convoluted beasts.

I found myself doing just this after reading a section of Dr Ian Hunter's Imagine. He had a great chart that I was looking for without success (hence the scanned version below).

I particularly like this chart for its simplicity (the wiggly line is deliberate - it's not a straightforward process).

For me it was interesting to overlay the chart on my inquiry into new pastoral care systems at school this year.

We are right at the application moment and so the bit that naturally intrigues me is the resistance wall.

Not surprisingly there has been a small degree of resistance already as we moved to set up for the application in term 1 next year. Small needs emphasis as the staff is generally keen to embrace change in general and keen to embrace this change in particular.

Made me wonder where the resistance comes from, and no - it's not Muse (good album though The Resistance is). Dr. Hunter has the answer!

Resistance, according to him, comes from people preferring their existing way of doing things.

People are funny creatures. Although we may profess a general enthusiasm for change, often, when change means altering what we do or how we do it, we resist. It is human nature to prefer the known to the unknown; to seek comfort over discomfort; to side with the proven...rather than the possible, because we like the comfort that certainty gives us, not the risk that uncertainty produces. The irony is, of course, that progress only comes through change. (Imagine page 43)

I must be (shock horror probe) a bit weird. Like Ted Nugent in my previous post, I am not content with the status quo - ever.

It doesn't take me very long to start looking around and thinking up ways to change things up. This has applied to jobs, places to live, and systems and processes in schools. I also admit to being a mass of contradictions - I've been happily married for over 30 years, but let's leave that particular status sleeping quo dog lie.

Anyway - back to that chart - it was a timely reminder that resistance is very likely next term. Forewarned is forearmed.

A ritual is an enactment of a myth (JosephCampbell)

Prize givings are a ritualistic part of life, and I love rituals.

Prize givings are at heart an initiation ceremony that moves students from childhood towards adult responsibilities.

As they include a graduating class, prize givings become an important rite of passage - that push out of the nest that is SO important.

Appropriately, parents, teachers, and friends watch on as the young throw off the old life and welcome in their new life. It's an exciting thing to witness and be part of.

For me, prize givings are woven into the fabric of each year, a hardy perennial if you will. By my reckoning Wednesday's formal ceremony at Woodford House was my 43rd all up. 

How come? Let me see -  

• Six as a student at Mt. Albert Grammar School,
• Two degree graduation ceremonies of my own (missed one by being overseas), 
• Five for my children's graduations (KW had two), and 
• Thirty* as a teacher (some schools have split junior and senior prize givings so that number is conservative).

[*I didn't include the myriad prize givings during taboor at Ali bin Abi Taleb school in Al Ain - they LOVED prize givings!!]

My favourite bits of prize givings tend to be the student speeches (adult guest speakers too often seem to struggle to get out of cliched, platitudinous mode). I'm not a fan of guest speakers: beyond Sir Robert Muldoon I can't think of many memorable ones down through the years.

Because they are shedding their school skin, students tend to speak from the heart and more often than not, they end up dissolving in tears (boys are certainly not exempt from being overwhelmed by the whole deal). And you can't fake that human emotional side of things.

This week's latest version went to script pretty much but given it was our Principal's farewell it also had added emotional heft. 

I've been lucky again: right place/right time as I stumbled upon the last two years of Jackie Barron's tenure. She's a gifted leader, a person of integrity, an ideas woman, a top notch communicator, and an all round good egg. I can think of no higher accolade!

But wait there's more: beyond all that she has allowed change to flourish - not an easy thing to do believe me. Managing change is one of the trickiest things to pull off. It includes placing trust in other people and allowing them freedom of thought. And that starts at the top. 

So- hats off to her!

I took a quick P.P.P. (post prize giving poll) - best moments: the dux announcement, the Head Girl's speech, and a really really REALLY extended gardening metaphor by the Principal were the most memorable aspects.

I'm always fascinated at the way prize givings contribute to the myth of the organisation. 


Woodford House ends its prize givings with the Principal giving a gift to the graduating class who then, on mass, run out of the prize giving ceremony - symbolically moving away from the old life with a whoop and a hollah. 

Last year Jackie handed out an artificial butterfly, this year it was an artificial flower. Apparently the previous Principal instigated this symbolic conclusion- it will be interesting to see whether Jackie's successor adopts it or changes it. That decision, and many others, will also add to the myth.

After the graduating class burst from the ceremony, the remainder of the school...um.. remains, until the Boards and staff leave. 

Parents, and students then leave together. Nice.

I finished the ceremony by remaining behind to help remove furniture and pick up rubbish from the floor. 

The symbolic nature of that last bit alludes me for the moment, but- through sacrifice, bliss.

I am now on holiday for the summer. The rituals of my day changes substantially now and my determination to post every day on my blogs will be tested.

We shall see, we shall see.

Your eyes are shining on a beam through the galaxy of love, transformer man (Neil Young)

I read an interesting article recently titled ' If you want to change people - change what they talk about'.

I like that idea and I'm always game for a laugh so here are my responses. First though - here are the ten invitations to transformation:

1. What are you good at?
2. How did you get so good at…?
3. How could I get good at…?
4. How are we winning?
5. What’s working?
6. What do you love about working here?
7. Tell me a story about someone who made a difference in your life.
8. Remind me of a time when you went beyond the call of duty to get something done.
9. What are you doing when you feel most successful?
10. How can we get you doing more of what you love?

Cool list huh? Okay so here goes:

1. Here's three: I'm a good listener, I keep the blogosphere regularly updated, I'm very patient. 
2. Patience and being a good listener are innate qualities rather than skills (I used to be a good football player which happened through some natural ability to kick with both feet, having a football brain, and I loved to practice and then do more practice). Having good listening habits can also be a skill but for me it started long ago with something inside me making me interested in what others were saying. Blogging is something of an addiction. I like writing (my university career tells me I am good at that too), musing over things, and I like publishing my writing - hence the blogging.
3. How could I get better in my teaching? The Nissan Way improvement model helps me a lot (the photo shows it's on my pinboard by my desk at school) but mostly it's the blogging, my current colleagues and Twitter that have all helped immeasurably with that one. So...more of that should do it!
   
4. We're into the plural pronoun here so I'll answer this for my English department at school: we are winning by being brave, exploring new ideas, challenging the status quo and each other's thinking, giving up some control, and by adapting to new technologies.
5. Our grades are high in internal NCEA standards, our value added scores are the envy of other departments.
6. There is a lot of teacher driven inquiry going on, some free thinking and an environment for change at my school; being given autonomy to get on with the job always helps me; the people I work closely with and the fun staff room vibe where I work inspires me daily; the students won't let us rest on past achievements - they live in the now, they demand the best and rightly so. All of those things make me love my job.
7. My parents, a lot of teachers and a few Principals have made a huge difference to me. One story is tough but I'm going to go with Colin Prentice, then Principal at Macleans College, walking and talking one day after school and telling me (I was an English teacher then) that I could easily lead a department. That seemed far away at that point and not even part of my consciousness but someone like him having that kind of belief in me sent me on a pathway.
8. Our use of Schoology as a Learning Management System has allowed me to frequently respond to student requests for help after hours. Last weekend I was in Auckland for my son's wedding and a student asked for help via Schoology with an essay. I went beyond the call of duty to give her that advice.
9. See number 8.
10. Tough one. I love my job but I also love balance between job and my life outside of school. Truly though - I would love to be given more time to work on some special projects at school that are dear to my heart.