Navigating Change: Streamlining When Old Ways Don’t Quite Fit a New World

In the dynamic world of education, the concept of streamlining curriculum has become so important. It’s about bringing things “up to date,” “modernizing,” and “making simpler or more efficient”. We sometimes cling to the idea that we can make everything fit, even when it clearly doesn’t. That sounds good, but how does this work when you are balancing the emotions of letting go with what you know and are comfortable with to allow for experiencing some new adventures and challenges in adjusting to the new?  I had a personal experience recently that served as an illuminating example.

We finally decided to downsize–move from a large house into a small apartment. We have lived in the house for 60 years and have grown accustomed to a way of using space, and suddenly, we had to try to cram that entire existence into a much tighter footprint. The realization hits you: it doesn’t all fit!

This story  isn’t just about physical space; it is a powerful metaphor for how we need to  approach curriculum storyboards. We’re not living in the same world we always lived in, and it’s essential to understand that while some things are worth preserving, some things just don’t fit anymore. We faced the same questions we ask of our curriculum when streamlining:  What to cut? What to keep? What to create?

Here are some of the lessons we learned:

• Allow Yourself to Change Your Mind: This is perhaps the most critical step. It’s about being flexible enough to reconsider what was once special and good, and to decide how to incorporate it, or not, into a modernized perspective. Don’t hold on just for the sake of holding on.
• Rethink the “Fit”: Instead of forcing old solutions into new problems, allow yourself to rethink what you’re doing so that you make the fit actually fit the context and the circumstance in which you’re in. This means adapting to your current reality, not trying to bend reality to your past.
• Embrace New Incorporations on Your Own Terms: Consider technology, for instance. Everyone might have a TV in the middle of their living room, but that doesn’t mean it’s right for your living room. The question becomes: What’s the role I want technology to play in my life as opposed to what others think?. This personalized approach extends to everything new you consider bringing into your life.
• Open Your Mind to Wonderment: This entire process of adapting and letting go is a journey of streamlining and thinking differently. Most importantly, it’s about how do we really think about the things that need to change and how do we open our minds and change our minds thinking flexibly being able to really open myself to wonderment and awe in new ways. What truly brings a sense of wonder to you now, rather than just clinging to things that always did, “so to speak”?.

Ultimately, navigating change is a constant process of rethinking and adjusting your mindset in relationship to what truly matters to you. It’s about consciously deciding what to keep, what to let go of, and how to embrace the new in a way that truly serves your present and future.