The Cost of Change

May 7, 2021

 "Use it!" – Blade: Trinity (2004)

The first week of May is Teacher Appreciation Week in the United States of America. This year, many parents/guardians showed up and showed out in their appreciation of teachers. Teachers and schools’ staff are finally starting to be recognized. For many teachers, not even a pandemic or lack of support stopped them from creating space for students to learn. So, where do we go from here? When the good feelings about teachers begin to wane, and the gratitude turns into expectations of what should be, what then? Is that real change? No! It costs more!

Phrases like social justice and real/meaningful change have become buzz words in a new effort to restore humanity to the human experience (for all). But words alone are not enough. That means creating a social media platform to raise awareness isn't enough...sharing a news story isn't enough...Blogging isn't enough. These can all be good starts, but we gotta find a way to do more. Too often we compare our baby steps towards change to those who do nothing at all. This allows us to suggest to ourselves that we are doing something on a gargantuan scale. (I can say I am guilty of this behavior). In these moments we naively misunderstand the cost of change in its entirety. In these same moments we can foolishly think we cannot be part of the problem because we did something to fight against the status quo of oppressing other humans. Au contraire! Change is not simple; it is more complex. We gotta go beyond words. We gotta live it out.

Jellyfish syndrome is the concept of people having good intentions but do more harm in their actions than good. Whether is one is woke, naïve, or in denial, we all can create additional problems in our efforts to end problems. Hence, that doesn't mean you can only be part of the problem or part of the solution...you can be both! We must be careful not to mix up barriers to change with the cost of change. We need to know the difference. We need to be real about the cost of change. Change doesn't come free. You gotta be willing to educate yourself. You have to be willing to acknowledge the problems that are there and the role(s) you play towards those problems. If we don't name the problems that block change, we cannot be held accountable for our parts that contribute to the problems. So, while the United States is trying to move past the pandemic, our educational system is stuck. It’s stuck because as a nation we did not fix what was already broken, and we have not addressed the new problems in education that have manifested.

To fix any societal ills (education or otherwise), we all gotta sacrifice. We all must lose something that matters to us! We all gotta be willing to be inconvenienced consistently! Consistently, we must be willing to correct our behavior. We must hold people in our sphere of influence accountable, consistently. We ALL must sacrifice our time to invest in something greater than ourselves. In 2021, this is STILL not embraced by the collective. And that’s one reason real change for the better is continuously NOT happening in education. It can’t just be some of us. It has to be ALL of us!

I'm not a weightlifter, but I have heard you need pain to get the muscle gain you desire. Muscles grow by muscles being broken. Once they are broken, they can be repaired stronger than they were. I do know a little about distance running. All distance runners endure some type of pain to reach success. The Olympic and competitive marathon runners are no different. The fastest distance runners perfectly mix discipline and endurance of pain better than any other runners. They understand the cost of winning is pain, so they pay the price. To make education better is not a pain-free process. Pain is part of price of change. It's important to make sure the burden of that pain is not just for a few. When this happens, change is likely to be temporary. Education in the United States (and throughout the world) needs meaningful, helpful, and empowering change that will last!

Change cost; choose wisely. Good change is painful, but it's worth it! Sometimes the payoff comes quickly...many times the payoff is slow to generate. Don't be discouraged, be patient. It's coming! So, who's ready to mix their endurance and pain to win the race of change?! Our students of the present (and future) are depending on you! 

-Professor H.