What we call the beginning is often the end
And to make an end is to make a beginning.
The end is where we start from. T.S. Elliot, Little Gidding
As I sat in church Sunday, listening to the Homily on beginnings and endings and the coming of Advent, I thought, too, about teaching. Our school years certainly begin and end, giving us closure on one episode and an ability to re-do or start again. But I also thought about how difficult this shift in thinking about teaching and learning is for some. Letting go of traditional beliefs means an end to what we know, what is comfortable, and what made sense in our past.
As Carol Dweck says, people hold onto a mindset for a reason. At some point in their past it made sense in forming who they were and who they wanted to be. When we ask people to shift their mindsets about how people learn and what they should do in the classroom, that “end” can be difficult, almost painful. As Dweck says, it’s like letting go of yourself.
But beginnings can also hopeful if we approach them well. We need to look for examples of what is working, using those positive models to frame reasons for change. As the Heaths said in Switch: Knowledge alone doesn’t change behavior. “To create and sustain change, you’ve got to act more like a coach and less like a scorekeeper. You’ve got to embrace a growth mindset and instill it in your team.”
Have you felt loss in the classroom about leaving something behind? What examples of new beginnings can you share with us? When have you been able to “act like a coach,” encouraging someone to move on?
Image: ‘quarter past 5‘
Susan Carter Morgan
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Wow! “The end is where we start from”. I can relate in so many ways. I can relate at a personal level from the loss of my parents and professional from the sense of loss when I left the classroom (K-1).
Just over a year ago, I left the classroom to take a new position as K-4 Math Coach. I had been a classroom teacher for 15 years. I really didn’t know how it would feel to make the change. I had been leading change in the area of mathematics with our school division. I was providing workshops for teachers and opening my classroom to other teachers.
I remember telling a teacher that I was working with how great it would be if I did this (coaching) full time.
I was eager and excited to start my journey. After the first day of school, I realized that I was no longer a classroom teacher. It broke my heart. It still breaks my heart! The deep sense of loss that I felt the first year as math coach was heartbreaking and lonely. I almost felt ‘less of a person’. Being a teacher defined me. So who am I now? I knew how to be a teacher; I did not know how to be a coach.
I am now 1 year and 3 months into this new position and I am now starting to embrace it. This is such a wonderful opportunity. I am learning so many new things. I still have a great sense of loss but I am embracing my change. I now can say that I AM A TEACHER. I am a teacher to self, students and peers. I am not only a teacher, I am a learner.
In the classroom, I look for ways to change things on a daily basis. I strive to make improvements and I often have new ideas I like to try. However, there are times when change happens that I didn’t choose. There are shifts in education that require letting go of the way we do things in order to try something else. It can be hard to let go of the the things I worked so hard to improve. I spent time and effort tweaking my teaching techniques, lessons (or whatever) until I was satisfied, and then the time comes to scrap that and start all over with something else. That is when the letting go can be a bit disheartening.
Although letting go can be a challenge, the alternative is stagnation. Stagnant things begin to stink. I don’t want that to be me. This is one reason I embrace change. Another reason is because change is invigorating. Do I really want the same old thing? No, I like variety. I like to learn. I may have my moments of nostalgia over letting something go, but I’m willing to try new things.
It is by moving on that we get to experience new beginnings. That is one thing I enjoy about teaching. We get to start fresh every September. Not only do I get to begin again and meet a new group of students, but I can do things differently this time if I choose to.
I’d also like to relate the ideas of “letting go” and “new beginnings” to my personal life. Raising children involves a good deal of both concepts. My children entered new phases of childhood faster than I wanted them to. I savored the tenderness of infancy, but it soon became the toddler phase. As I gave way to the change and became entertained by the endearing antics of a toddler, my darling toddler became a self-assertive, independent preschooler. It was difficult to let go of that preschooler as she entered kindergarten and the school years that quickly followed. Just when I was in the routine of the school days, homework and sports schedules, it was time for the teenage years. The “empty nest” is awaiting. Ready or not, change happens. It’s hard to let go, but sadder yet to miss out on what is to come.
Susan, thanks for sharing your story. “So who am I now” is such a powerful question. I’m happy you are beginning to find your way. Sometimes the movement must take time.
Jeanette, you are so right about raising children. I remember those steps along the way, the feeling of having to let go. Dealing with the sadness and joy. I love your last line: sadder yet to miss out on what is to come.
I’ve had many opportunities for change during my teaching career. I’ve moved back and forth between 3rd, 4th and 5th grade, and I’ve also moved between the being a classroom teacher and a technology teacher. As I think back about all of the experiences I’m finding that I didn’t really view any of them as endings, and I didn’t really feel any loss. Each time I switched positions I was excited about the prospect of doing something new and trying new things that would make me a better teacher and, as Jeanette said, it was always the opportunity to start fresh and see what I could accomplish.
While switching grades never seemed like a loss, saying goodbye to my students (especially when I send my 5th graders on to the middle school) is always very difficult for me. It’s just very sad to me to know that I will not get to see everything that they accomplish in the next 6 years. I’m also experiencing a sense of loss right now. Although the changes aren’t currently happening, at the end of this school year I’ll be leaving the school where I’ve worked for 13 years to become part of the faculty of a brand new school in my district. While I am extremely excited about the possibilities this new school holds, I am very, very sad to be leaving the supportive, amazing second family that I have come to love.
In looking at those two examples the times when I chose to change did not seem like losses while the times when the change isn’t my choice seem much more like losses and bring a sense of sadness. I wonder if this is a pattern for everybody, or if it just happens to be a pattern for me.
I suppose I could say I had the opportunity to act as a coach this year when my friend was offered the opportunity to switch grade levels. We talked at length about the pros and cons of switching, and the one comment she made that sticks in my head was, “If I don’t do it now, I’m afraid I’ll be stuck in the same place forever.” I would like to think that perhaps her seeing me move back and forth between positions was a motivator / encouragement for her to switch and feel like she could be successful.
It’s an old cliche, but a goodie: If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll keep getting what you’ve already got. As teachers and in our personal lives with can’t be happy with what we’ve already got. While endings and goodbyes are never easy (even if it’s your choice it’s a lot of work) they are the only way to grow, learn, and experience new opportunities.
Becky, you have hit on a truth. When change is our choice, it seems a little easier, doesn’t it? There may still be moments of sadness (or at least butterflies in the stomach), but having control over our choices makes the shift seem less stressful. Helping others see the joy of learning through change certainly does help. You were a good model to your friend.