4 minute read
The Fear That Comes with Change
By Dr. CHIP KIMBALL, Superintendent
Singapore American School has undergone a challenging process to dramatically improve an already successful school. The change process was designed to challenge deeply held assumptions, engage faculty, shape culture, and transform the way students at SAS learn. We continue to adapt to an ever-changing world, but just because change is critical, doesn't make it any less hard. Dr. Kimball reflects on the fear that comes with change and why we must continue to evolve.
Parents who have heard me speak have surely heard me talk about how quickly the world is changing. And while thinking about change can be daunting, it is a part of our current culture, the new normal if you will. And change actually may turn out to be one of the few constants in our lives. No matter what—we are faced with change.
We are preparing our students for a different world than the one that we are experiencing today. Singapore American School has been very deliberate about identifying the skills that students need most to be successful in university, and in the professional world they will enter and eventually lead. We’ve known for some time that curriculum changes would be required to arm students with these skills—what we call our desired student learning outcomes of character, collaboration, communication, content knowledge, creativity, critical thinking, and cultural competence.
What we don’t often talk about is how hard change can be. As expatriates, many of us are adept at managing change, but even so, research shows how stressful change can be, even when the change is considered positive. And while the uncertainty of what is ahead is challenging, it is even more difficult when we aren’t sure if we have the skills to adapt. This often elicits stress, anxiety, insecurity, and fear.
Our goal at SAS is to provide students with the skills to be successful in the future, as well as the disposition to adapt to a changing world. Similarly, our faculty have also become increasingly adept at change, adapting their practices to new curricula and the needs of a new generation of students. I am proud of our students and faculty as they have taken on these challenges, and understand that many of our parents find themselves wondering and even afraid as we make changes to what was once understood as the best way forward.
When I became a dad for the first time I was excited and terrified all at the same time. I had dreamed of being a dad, but I had no idea what it would really be like. Did I really have what it takes? Could I adapt to new schedules and routines and give this beautiful girl all that she needed? Was I ready for all of that change?
And as with most parents, I did adapt. It was excruciatingly hard at times, and I made mistakes along the way, but it also produced more joy and satisfaction than anything I have ever encountered. I got better at it along the way and my experience gave me new skills, insights, and a perspective that could only be obtained by going through such change. In some ways, the changes that are underway at SAS are a lot like being a new parent— bringing new life into the world with all of the anticipation and fear that it presents.
And while every one of us has endured change, no change has us more vested than those that impact our children—the single most important part of our lives. And this is why we take this so seriously, and understand why parents need assurances and might even have some fear. There is nothing we love more than our children, and nothing more important than raising and educating them well. To see changes to the education model that we may have known brings fear that is real. We understand this more than ever.
But what is even scarier than facing change is the consequences of not changing. If we do not adapt as the world is changing around us, our kids will lose ground and will be left behind. It is this rising tide that keeps us moving forward, discovering the best possible strategies for our kids.
The change process at SAS has been underway for some time. Faculty and leadership team members have been researching and debating for years, and our team has been perfecting our teaching practices to ensure that our students get what they need most. Some changes we’ve made have been easier than others. When students and families get new options, change can be exciting; but when families perceive a loss, when something might be discontinued, change is much harder to process. Even with deep research, debate, and strong designs, if there is loss, the change becomes harder to accept. This characterizes why change can be so hard. Change often represents loss.
At the end of our multi-year research and development process and subsequent strategic plan, we had hundreds of worthy recommendations for our school to consider. But to make room for many of these richer and more meaningful experiences, some programs would need to be phased out over time. Ultimately this is what strategic planning comes down to—prioritizing all the great ideas to an actionable number that will eventually lead our organization to fulfill our vision.
Identifying programs, practices, and initiatives to discontinue in order to implement more relevant curricula has been the single most challenging work for our faculty and leadership at SAS. When we committed to being a world leader in education, we agreed that we would look at everything we do and authentically evaluate whether it would meet the needs of our students for the future. We had no idea how hard it would be to prioritize that work after such a long history of excellence at our school.
—Anatole France, 19th century novelist
Today at SAS there are amazing things happening in classrooms every day. Our changes have taken root and are producing fruit from the work of our faculty over the past five years. Even further, we envision a future where learning will be even more personalized and relevant. There are few educators around the globe who have been trained to teach in a more student-driven, flexible environment that develops such skills like we do. This journey, while scary and hard, has turned out to be incredibly rewarding, similar to becoming a parent for the first time.
The 19th century novelist Anatole France wrote that “all changes, even the most longed for, have their melancholy; for what we leave behind us is a part of ourselves.” At SAS we need to give ourselves permission to pause and acknowledge the emotions that come with change. We need to listen more, acknowledge the fear and stress associated with change, paint better pictures of where we are headed and why, and stand shoulder to shoulder in support as we all navigate the future for the sake of our kids.
The world as we know it will continue to change at an extremely rapid pace. We know that as this happens, while we can’t slow down the pace of change, we can most certainly do a better job of supporting each other as we navigate that change. This is our commitment—that we will manage change through human understanding so that as SAS becomes the world leader we are capable of, we do it without sacrificing the extraordinary care that is at the heart of the ethos of our school.
