6:45am... The phone rings. I look at the caller ID and decide to answer it. The first sentence out of my co-worker's mouth goes something like this, "Katie, the biggest lesson a teacher can learn is to be flexible." Mentally I think, "this is never good." Never. However, I decide to continue on with the conversation. As it turns out, both of my third grade counterparts were going to be absent... on the day of a field trip... to Toledo. It was my turn. The girl who has never taken a class on a field trip, and who know approximately 20 names of the 60 students attending the field trip... Panic mode! Except here's the thing... I didn't panic. I just kind of went with it. Weird... I know...
I have been getting a lot of lessons in flexibility lately. After reflecting (probably at 3am when I should have been asleep), I've noticed that the more practice that I get with being flexible, the easier it is to do... at least that's what I can figure. Maybe... just maybe... I might be getting good at this flexibility thing.
I'm not generally a fan of change, which generally goes hand in hand with flexibility. But lately, I've had so much practice that I think I have just learned to accept things. And I think that's the key. Just acceptance of the fact that something is happening. Something is changing. Now, I'm not saying to surrender every proactive fiber of your being, but rather don't get stuck in the idea that something has to be a certain way.
Some of you who know me may be thinking, "Katie, you are telling me to not worry about things being a certain way? You are telling me?" These are probably the people who have walked into my room... but as I think about this, in my mind that's something that I can control. I can't necessarily control how my lesson plan is going to go or what outside forces are going to affect my family, but I can control where my purse gets set down at the end of the day or that my bed is made in the morning.
So that's what I challenge you to do... I challenge you to only control the things that you can... and the rest of the time... just go with the flow. Be flexible!
