By Ronnie HolmesKSBA President
“It’s like déjà vu all over again,” said Baseball Hall of Famer Yogi Berra. Like it or not, one of the few constants in life is change.
As a self-employed member of the construction trades, I remember several years ago buying a bag phone and being on the cutting edge – for a little while. I then remember Verizon calling on that phone a few years later, insisting I upgrade to a flip phone or they would terminate my service because bag phones were outdated.
Eventually, I got used to the flip phone until Verizon convinced me I needed a smart phone. It didn’t take long to realize that a smart phone is smarter than I am, but at least I’ve learned to make and take calls on it! Being a school board member is a lot like my reaction to phones over time: Change is constant; the key is our reaction to it.
The Kentucky Education Reform Act of 1990 (KERA) was the first major change I experienced on the school board. Our board did not like the large degree of change all at once or many specific changes. In the end, parts of KERA were good, but other parts were not, a lot like life itself. In life, you learn to deal with changes great and small, but usually it’s a struggle, especially when the change begins.
You’ve probably heard about the famous study that revealed five stages terminally ill patients experience: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. Some people experience similar stages in losing a job after a long time. That list is a natural reaction to change.
When Willie Nelson first got the chance to make music his own way, he wrote and performed all the songs on an album called “Phases and Stages.” One side of the record (it was 1974) told a woman’s story of the breakup of her relationship and eventual recovery from it. The flipside told the man’s point of view. The refrain throughout goes, “phases and stages, circles and cycles, and scenes that we’ve all seen before … let me tell you some more.” While reactions of the man and woman were somewhat different, the same basic phases and stages were quite similar.
I believe that in Kentucky, public education is resilient in similar ways and, in the end, generally adapts very well to change. Yes, it seems about the time you understand one concept, someone comes up with a new idea and things change again. However, despite the mandates from Frankfort, which continually change, I believe we have learned that our attitude in adapting to change is crucial to moving forward in education.
A major reason is the dedication and professionalism among educators, who genuinely believe education is key to self-improvement and life success and that public education gives every child a fair chance. That mentality is at the heart of putting kids first!
Each spring, many young people embark on major changes in their lives, deciding whether, when, where and how to enter college and/or the workforce. Just like changing phones for me, it is a big adjustment.
I said all that to say this: Change is not always bad; change can be a new and exciting challenge. Maybe we all should approach change preparing for the worst but hoping for the best.
If your mind still is not at ease, just remember: This too shall pass.