Change takes time

Positive, constructive and sustainable change takes time, persistence, clarity of purpose and energy. 

It isn't like deciding overnight that you want to shift to a new way of doing or being!

(thx to @AlliPolin)

It's not an end in itself. 

It takes reflection, consideration, strategic planning.

It takes self-awareness, capacity building, understanding.

It takes strength of mind and willingness to share.

It takes vision, holistic and cohesive thinking.

It doesn't happen by itself. 

It's not like switching on or turning off a light - it's more like turning around a supertanker.

It needs to be purposeful, authentic, meaningful and relevant.

It needs to resonate, inspire, build interest, ignite passions and embrace ownership.

It can only happen through knowledge, collaboration and reflection.

Change is a process, not an event. It doesn't happen overnight. 

But when it does happen....it can be amazing.

It always seems impossible...'til it's done (reprise)

I recently took a trip to Central Australia with my boys. We had a fantastic family trip visiting Uluru, Kata Tjuta (the photo here is actually of my sons in Walpa Gorge, Kata Tjuta), Kings Canyon and then Alice Springs.

There was so much learning that happened during our tour - about our land, its people, culture, identity...and even football (we were in Alice for the wonderful Lightning Carnival and my boys were lucky enough to play a scratch match with the mob from Ngaanyatjarra to help in their prep for the carnival). 

I couldn't help but think each day as we walked and walked and immersed ourselves in the deep ochre of this ancient landscape what a huge country this is....the expanse, the distance, the space...and how this helps to put things into perspective.

Like this image of the boys at the base of the cliff at Walpa Gorge, our travails might seem big to us, and almost insurmountable...especially at the beginning of our journey....but in the scheme of things may be a little less overwhelming.

Now halfway through the second #BastowLSDA course of 2015 with our Mildura crew, I am sure some participants are feeling this a bit. And that's normal! I know I've been asked "does the workload get much more than this?" and I've read e-journal entries expressing frustration and discomfort with the load of coursework. I sense others might be struggling to get up to date with their PoUs and feeling panic...or the guilt of inertia. Meantime, I am starting to see emerging 'aha!' moments...planning C21 walks around their schools, creating a PLN of their whole town, seeing the reach of social media when you ask your extended PLN for advice and assistance, witnessing the "I've never smiled so much in a year of teaching" presentations from our colleagues at Canterbury PS.

With 2 months to go, it's important to see things in perspective. Step back a bit, like I did in this photo, and see the bigger picture. Use your term break time to do this....And ask yourself why you signed up for the course in the first place. Revisit what is driving you to spend your time in an already pretty jam packed busy schedule to build your capacity as a leader further, to stretch and challenge your thinking. Consider your moral purpose. Think about your school team, your school, your students.

And then draw a deep breath, like we did as we approached these looming cliffs, and take that first step forward because every journey begins with a first step and every journey needs to maintain enough momentum to keep moving forward.

Mandela said "It always seems impossible, until it's done."

Keep doing and make the seemingly impossible, possible. You'll be as impressed as we are about how much you've learned and how far you've come, once you're done.

Why blogging helps

Our lives today are so busy. We move from task to task so quickly that sometimes we don't get a chance to reflect until late at night...and that's when we get those midnight to dawn epiphanies that are like a double edged sword - insights that keep us awake.

And for those of us who are educators, we struggle with leadership roles, competing demands, different priorities, a crowded curriculum etc...and rarely build into our routine time to record, reflect and share what we are learning ourselves.

That's why I love blogging...and why we have instituted the requirement in #BastowLSDA that course participants spend some time each week reflecting on and recording their learning journey. It's a great discipline, but it's also a chance to articulate those thoughts that have been urging in the recesses of our minds, but also to connect with others who can provide feedback and support.

These blogs enable us to develop narratives around our own thoughts and learning....thoughts that can invariably be lost in the hustle and bustle of our busy lives.

And then when we connect with others, or we create something that resonates, that's when the blog magic happens!

I hope those of you on the #BastowLSDA journey are finding this benefit in your blogging and are starting to think about other ways of implementing this form of reflection, documentation and connection in your now personal or school contexts.

These ways we can forge and sustain invisible threads of connection that can yield inspiration for us all.

As Nietzsche said "Invisible threads are the strongest ties" - let's connect, create and strengthen those ties in the weeks and months ahead.