Have you ever felt as though career-wise you’re just going around in a circle?  Perhaps now you may feel as if you have hit a brick wall and not making any progress.  Deep down you sense a need for change but you’re not sure what that change should be. 

Desiring a change is a good thing, but sometimes the options seem so few and the possible changes seem like a giant step out of our comfort zones.  Trust me I know the exact feeling! 

Perhaps you’ve been working in that same position, teaching at the same grade level or in the same school for such a long time, that you just want something different…..ANYTHING!!!  You can feel that you are a bit stagnant and that’s not good.  The last time I checked, stagnant water begins to stink and little life hangs around it.

Recently, I’ve had conversations with several excellent educators who expressed that same inertia in their professional lives.  They still loved being an educator but sensed the need to do something else, perhaps even something more challenging.

But what options are there, especially for educators?  Well, it all depends on your desire.  If you still envision yourself in the field of education, maybe you might want to consider such adjustments as:

• Changing the scenery by moving to a different grade level that you’ve seldom or never taught before.
• Requesting a transfer to a different school or school district.
• Seeking to specialize in an area where you’ve developed additional expertise.
• Taking on the challenge of a new initiative for students after school or even during lunch time.
• Engaging colleagues in an on-campus mastermind group that devises and engages in regular professional development initiatives.
• Applying for a leadership role as a grade level leader, department head, subject coach or an administrator.
• Accepting the challenge to mentor novice teachers in the field.

These are only a few ideas that you can consider.  However, if you find that nothing excites you, you may need to reevaluate your personal career vision for your life.  In doing so, you might find that it’s time to move on.  Nothing is worse than being in a place when the fervor for it has gone.  Not only would you be miserable, but you’ll make those around you miserable too.  Furthermore, you might be experiencing burnout and this is definitely not a healthy thing.

We were designed to keep growing, to be productive and to add value to others.  To do this, we must embrace change as a good thing, and remain committed to excellence.

Leave a comment:  Have you ever experienced that “feeling” that  it was time to do something different in your career?  How did you handle it?