I never imagined that the first blog I would write for Education Scotland would begin with a quote from the singer Sheryl Crow, however, when I think about the topic of change, it is hard not to hear this catchy refrain in my mind.

Crow tells us that there may be benefits to change, but I do notice she refers to A change, she does not say that ‘100 changes a day (sometimes before 9am), will do you good’ – mainly, because it is not so catchy, but also because it is just not true.

Prior to working as a teacher, and a middle leader in a primary school, I worked as an actor (no, you won’t have seen me in anything). The job was full of brilliant moments with wonderful colleagues all working together to create something magical for the audiences. Each day we would all arrive at the theatre, hug, share our stories about our days, laugh and then get ready to perform.

Here’s the thing, whilst each day we had new stories to tell about our lives, the highs and the lows, once we walked out on to the stage, we performed exactly the same show as the night before – and the 200 nights before that. Our performance was so rehearsed, polished and practised, that as long as we were there in body, the subconcious part of our mind would take over and get us through the rest (well, almost, I did once appear onstage as Horrid Henry’s friend, Aerobic Al, without my blonde David Beckham-esque wig that I had forgotten to put on – a real shock for the children in the audience starring at a balding Al!)

The routine and consistency, meant that, even at the end of a tough week, we could all still hit our marks and do the job. We never had to deal with huge changes that would knock us out our stride.

Then I became a teacher.

I am uncertain if any two days in my job were the same. This was one of the great appeals of the job; dealing with children, tackling issues, responding to the world around me. However, in recent years it felt like those changes were non-stop, out of my control, and it was not always easy to keep up.

The biggest change in recent years we all had to compete with was the school closures at the time of the pandemic. When I reflect back on that time, and the way educators responded, I am full of pride. Looking closely at my own journey through that period of change it is clear that my response to the situation mirrored that of the Change Curve of Kubler Ross.

1. Shock or Surprise – We had a sense that the closures were coming – in school we had made preparations and had everything in place. That meant the shock of Nicola’s Sturgeon announcement in March 2020 gave me an initial upturn in emotions. The adrenaline kicked in and we moved into action.
2. Denial – Like many, this initial upturn, quickly diminished as the scale of the lockdowns became clearer. This was no short term solution.
3. Frustration – My emotions turned to frustration as we tried to tackle things that we had not foreseen. We had planned as best as we could, but now we were responding in the moment to new directives. One minute we were all being sent home to keep safe, the next we all had to turn up at a hub school to work out a plan for key workers children. As well as we had planned we were now really up against it.
4. Depression – The depression that Kubler-Ross describe is not of the clinical type, but low mood. I lingered here for a while, disengaged from the situation as I processed what was being asked and tried to avoid the anger and frustration at situations outwith my control.
5. Experiment – The start of the upturn in emotions. Working as a team we put together solutions and plans that would work in our context. We made progress and positive steps forwards.
6. Decision – We problem solved, we found what worked, we engaged with our staff and the community and created a plan that suited our setting.
7. Integration – Once the new normal was established and routines created, we started to feel more confident and comfortable in the roles we had. I was at home, taking care of the digital classrooms and virtual playgrounds. I knew what I was doing and, maybe more importantly, I felt useful.

If you reflect on a period of change in your life, or work, you may find that it also follows a similar pattern.

These seven stages lasted a period of around two months, but the curve is also reflected in a lot of short-term changes whilst working in schools – new planning templates, curriculum changes, new staff. It can also linger a lot longer in some situations – when I changed jobs I think I was in the frustration and depression for a long time as I struggled to find my feet.

So what do we do?

• Understand Where You Are:  understanding where you may be within the change is important. You can’t really shortcut from stage 1 to 7, but you can be kind to yourself whilst you are having a tough time. You can be assured it will pass, you will find a solution and move forward.
• Communicate: It is key to speak to those around you. This will allow them to understand where you are, and you will get an idea of how they are coping. If a colleague is frustrated, whilst you are already beyond that stage, it is important to allow them time to work through that and be there for them whilst they do. And allow others to offer you support and a hug when you need it too!
• Change is Everywhere: I think what is also important to note is that this is one change curve I have spoken about, and we are rarely on one at a time. I started to accept this as part of my role as a leader. Most days I would have been dealing with the unexpected issues, and when I sat down at my desk I had done nothing from my ‘actual’ job. What I began to realise, was that guiding myself, the pupils and the staff through those changes, was actually an integral part of my day.

I gave up acting as I craved the pressure of thinking on my feet, of reacting to situations, of dealing with real emotions. I yearned for a job with a real sense of purpose.

Then I became a teacher.

Teaching gave me all of that – and a lot of changes on top.

In education, every day really is a winding road, so drive carefully and enjoy the ride!