Day 8 – Change

“The only way to make sense out of change is to plunge into it, move with it, and join the dance” (Alan Watt)

Today my 4th graders went on a tour of the 5/6 school that they will attend next year. This is the first time in the 10 years I have taught 4th grade in this district that I had students in tears. Other students were visibly anxious. Why? Change is hard but for this group of students this is the first year in a long while, that has finally been stable. I wonder if they feel that they are just not ready leave…not ready for change.

I know my son is feeling the same way. When I said good night to him last night, he reminded me that next year he will be 18. When I told him to not remind me, he said he didn’t want to be reminded either. His anxiety is ramping up and that means his fuse is very short. I know he is thinking/worrying about all the things that are ahead of him in his life. He has to think about his grades, baseball, college, friends, who knows what else…so much weighing on him.

For kids and adults alike, change can be scary. But I think with all that we have all gone through over the past couple of year, we can’t trust what will happen next.

My job as a teacher and a mom is to help my littles and my son navigate the changes and not only to join the dance but to enjoy it and dance with abandon.