CEDO 565 Week 3 Dealing With Change

This week I watched the video Who Moved My Cheese, read about the differences between the Millennials and Generation X and adaptive leadership (Chapter 4 of How to Thrive as a Teacher Leader). Although I learned quite a lot from all of the lessons’ activities this week, my focus seemed to be transfixed on Who Moved My Cheese. Before I became a teacher, I reinvented my career every two years, essentially changing jobs for one reason or another. I never felt truly happy or fulfilled in any jobs until I became a teacher.

As a teacher, I was able to use all of my talents and creativity to help groups of people who were a lot like I was at their age. I loved it. The routine of knowing what type of schedule I would have every day, with the excitement of a new challenge everyday was thrilling to me. That was thirteen years ago. Others who started this journey in lanes next to me have moved into leadership roles as some sort of administrator in our district. I am now starting to feel like I have been like Hem for the last three years. I have counted on the routine to remain the same and still be fulfilling, but I have to admit things are changing.

As I watched the video and saw the characters scramble daily for “their cheese”, I realized that I am growing tired of my “old cheese” and fighting to go back to the same “Cheese Station C”. This Generation Xer is deeply craving a more flexible work schedule and more balance in my life when it comes to my work and personal life. In the video Haw began to write messages of inspiration and deep thoughts on the walls of the maze as he searched for his “new cheese”. One the messages actually asked the question, “What would you do if you were not afraid?” This week I asked myself this question and am working on finding the authentic answers for myself. Sometimes the best way to deal with change is know it is time to change.