Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Change. Try to Embrace It.

Written by Ms. Berman
Change.  Some fear it.  Some fight it.  Some challenge it.  Some judge it.  And some, such as myself, try to embrace it.  I like to think of change as a new chapter, a part of growth, and that no matter how old we are, we should continue learning and improving our life's work.   A student recently said to me that "all hell has broken loose at IS."  This is how things may appear at the moment, as we await in anticipation of Mr. Ankeney securing his position as principal of our school.  In a close-knit community such as IS, once one essential component is threatened, it throws the entire community off kilter.  No one likes it when things are out of his/her control.  With the eminent budget cuts, parents are anxious about losing the integrity of the programs at IS.  Students are wondering how the upcoming year will be different in terms of school pairings, course selection, and class sizes.  Teachers are questioning whether they can work any harder than they are already doing now.  But it is important to remember that times such as these bring about self-reflection, as each person is thinking about what he/she values most and how their pivotal goals can be attained. 
Taking the time to think, really think, about the roles that we play in life is critical in order to continue evolving as human beings.  Sometimes the conclusions that we come to will surprise, disappoint, or alter other people's perception of us, but it is essential that we know what we want to achieve and how to go about doing so.  And that brings me to pathways.  I have often stated that there are many different pathways to get to the same place.  As a wise colleague of mine once said, "there would be no need for maps of New York City if everyone took the same route to the same location."  Not only do people need to take different paths, but they need to move at different paces.  So when you find yourself on a path that doesn't feel as if you are going in the right direction or at the correct pace, you probably aren't.  It is time to think about how you function best, and be open to taking an alternative route.  These are patterns that are being established for the rest of your life.  Although change can cause some angst, it can also allow for new opportunities.  For it is often the very things that we fervently resist in life that bring us the most satisfaction in the end.  Change.  Try to embrace it.

6 comments:

  1. Change is one of the scariest things we all will have to face at various points in our lives. It is entirely unavoidable, even if we try to escape it, change will always catch up with us, and we only have control over how we react to it. We can stubbornly try to resist change, and deny its existence-or, as Ms. Berman suggests, we can try to embrace it. In high school, the ever-presence of change becomes more obvious than at any other point in our lives. Suddenly, we are confronted with the change from childhood to adulthood, high school to college, living at home to living in dorms/apartments. One of the scariest things about change is that it brings uncertainty; no one knows exactly what will happen next. But, that can also be exciting- change brings with it new opportunities. When things change, we are forced to react-to decide “what next?”

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  2. Change. It seems so simple but its yet one of the most complicated things any human being is forced to face. No matter what, everyone will be a victim of change whether its good or bad. change is inevitable and although it may seem that we are going through "hard times" there are always millions of people out in the world who have it worse. But why look at change in a negative way? Change brings out the good in people as Ms. Berman has already proved with a ton of her own former students. Right now it may seem that change is bringing out the worst in people, our economy, and community but that is because people fail to see the positive things change has to offer. "Change. Embrace it."
    -Iman Khatib

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  3. I like the perspective you toke on change that most people don't take. Usually I try to also look at the good in everything. Sometimes with change you have no choice but to go with the flow and like you said 'embrace' the change. In the case of the changing going on at I.S. it would seem when everything is going bad the best choice would be to accept the change. Not in the way that seems like you're giving up but in the way that shows students that change can be positive sometimes. In other cases when change is bad it wouldnt be ok to just accept it. In bad cases it would be better to stand up for what is right. Like Ghandi said 'be the change you wish to seek in the world'. :)

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  4. I think most people believe change is bad because they don't know what is going to happen. They are so use to something being the same, that they just don't want it to change. Change shouldn't be looked at in a negative way. Everything always turns out right in the end anyway.
    - Roxana Lopez

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  5. I also embrace change without change there would be no progress. Without progress there would be no future. Without a future there would be nothing for us. The thing is is that change is going to happen no matter what you try to do. One can either fight it and be forced to change. Or one can embrace change and role with it with ease. Without change it would be hard for us to progress trough life.

    Miguel Preciado

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  6. Change. Where would we be without it ? Change is the one constant thing that is continuous in our daily lives. For some change will never come, and for others there is change in their everyday life. Many people don't like change, I on the other hand love change and embrace it the best way I know how. Throughout high school you expeirence the most change and some changes are small while other changes are big, some changes will forever effect and change your life while others not so much. Fighting change doesn't make it go away, and not accepting it won't make it dissappear. Its understandable why people don't accept change its a new step in life and something that causes them to change something that they've been doing. While in high school and college change comes alomost everyday, in the real world change doesn't come as often so when oppurtunity knocks, we have no other choice but to embrace it or challenge it. No matter how people chose to handle the change that comes in their life, change is one of the few things in life that is constant, and without it our human race wouldn't have been able to evolve the way it has. I look at change with such an open mind and heart, and always think how is this going to effect my life. I do believe in time people will begin to see that change brings nothing but new and exciting things in our lives. We only have one life, chose wisely and be smart about decisions but enjoy it.

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