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When I think about how I ended up in Faribault, I would say I was facing some what of a crisis situation. Sometimes I think as humans we get comfortable with the routines of our life and it is hard to make a move to help improve our situations. I was comfortable where I was at before Faribault. However, making the move to Faribault has been the best decision I could have made for my life at that point in time. I was in the midst of a crisis and had I not been in the midst of a crisis I probably never would have made the decision to look for another job. I do think that having that crisis is ultimately what made me make the move and I am glad I did.

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It seems like the past three years something has happened. The first year at Gibbs, I was displaced due to low Kindergarten numbers. It totally sucked. My heart is in Kindergarten. In all reality, I had more seniority with our district but it didn't count since I came from early childhood to the K12 side. My seniority actually kicks in this year (I had to wait three years). Fortunately I was able to stay in the same classroom, I just switched grade levels. I moved to first grade. I'm still waiting to go back to Kindergarten. The positive is that I got to work closely with another awesome team. Last year, my colleague died at school, 45 minutes before our day was to begin with students. That was a true crisis. The crisis team arrived and helped us when we couldn't be in our classroom. We made it through and we celebrated Jill's life! This year, I would consider Covid-19 and distance learning a traumatic situation. Crisis...yes! We will get through this! We are teacher strong! We have bonded as a team. We have bonded as a building and we will continue to bond, grow and support each other.

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Although I am a relatively new teacher, this made me think about my first job as long-term sub. I had started in January as a long-term sub at a small private school, then was asked to stay on through the school year and offered a position for the following year. While I was flattered and really liked the idea of not having to continue to look for a new job, I could not help but feel nervous about the state of the school as a whole. The principal was leaving, each grade level had less and less students as the grades went down, enrollment was down and families were sharing that they would not be returning almost weekly. As the school year started to wind down I realized that I could not confidently go into this job the following year. I was internally conflicted because I loved my students and my coworkers and felt like I was adding to the "jump ship" mentality. It took a lot of self reflection for me to understand that I need to look out for myself as well, and that most veteran educators would understand my viewpoint.

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I have had to deal with crisis situations both professionally and personally in life.  They have forced me to evaluate both the situation and determine what was an appropriate course of action.  In my professional position I am often the person that is called to help work with students who are having behavioral problems in the classroom.  Every situation is different and requires different techniques to approach the situation.  Students are different, teachers have different expectations, and the classroom is different.  During my 4th year as a counselor in my current building I worked extensively with a student who had severe outbursts in the classroom but we did not have enough documentation of interventions to go through a special education assessment.  This was a trying experience for everyone involved.  Everyday it seemed as though there as a crisis situation involving this student and it really required me to re-evaluate my approach, beliefs, and skills in working with her.  In going through the experience I have learned so much about myself, my role as the counselor and what I want to be to students.  I had to think outside the box and advocate for what I know is right and what was necessary for her to be successful.

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This makes me think of the beginning of my career when I was cut two years in a row. The first time, I ended up being hired back to the same job in July.  As much as I had been devastated when I first lost my job, and it was great for me to get a job, I felt like going back to my old job was going backwards somehow.  Losing my job had felt like an opportunity to make a big change, and going back to it closed the door to that opportunity.  The following year I got cut again, and this time I was able to make a change and was hired by the school I'm at now and have been very happy at this new job.

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This prompt is super relevant to me as I have been in a crisis mode this entire week. I was displaced from my building because a tenured teacher needed my position. Professionally, my administration has not handled this very well and I have felt very hurt and upset about how my time in the building is ending. Next year I will be teaching English in a new district and completely new grade level (going from middle school to high school). My role, building, coworkers, district... everything will be changing in my life. It has been very difficult for me to find the positive in the situation. I am finally starting to think ahead and be excited about the change, after a number of difficult conversations and rigorous interviewing process. I am now excited to try something new and see what my future has in store.

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I have definitely dealt with crisis within the school environment.  This makes me think back to our last two school years.  Last year, within my school behaviors were spiraling out of control, the new administrator was swamped, staff members were being assaulted all while our students are dealing with trauma within their home on a daily basis.  In addition to this, one week after a second grader assaulted a staff member, choked her from behind, brought her to the ground and broke her hip, another staff member passed away in the bathrooms at school with a heart attack.  Our administrator was fired in the middle of the year and we had interim principles for the remainder of the year.  This was a definite crisis within our building and it was felt by all.  Because of all of this, and the stress being put on us by our new administrator, I am switching schools and grade levels within our district for a fresh start!

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I have had crisis in both my professional career and personal life. I have always looked at the crisis head on and prioritized what needed to be done. When emotions are high and things are changing it can be a scary time. I am not going to get into specific examples but I will say each time I find myself first grounding my thought process with what I know/love/value. Then I look at the big picture to see "what business" needs to be done. I evaluate what family, coworkers, students etc. need from me to help them understand and navigate the challenge being faced, while not forgetting to check in with myself and meet my needs. On more than one occasion I have set out on my "New Normal". My cup is always half full and the door is never closed. I once had someone say to me that that is an unfair thing to say because not everyone has that mindset. or the capabilities of being that way. My response to her was then I hope I can be the support someone struggling needs to get through a hard time because although I have not ever seen my life challenges as "half empty", I have watched people very close to me need help finding their way to their "New Normal."

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When reading this I think..yes! I can take a crisis and use it as a learning opportunity. But, then when I start to think about it more or when I am actually in a crisis that can be difficult to do. A crisis can stop you in your tracks and make you forget all of those great tools that you have learned in your past. It can paralyze you for a while. I think that is why continuing to learn about new tools on how to move on and grow is so important. That way in a crisis after you have gotten over the initial shock you can stop...breath...and make plan on how to not only make it through, but learn from it.

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I have dealt with uncomfortable or difficult situations professionally, but I don't feel that I have dealt with a crisis. Personally, I have come closer to a crisis. I have learned that regardless of if a situation feels like a crisis or is just very difficult, it is happening for a reason. It is difficult to remind yourself this in the middle of your crisis, but given some time, I am usually thankful for how things happened. I think that you inevitably make changes after a crisis, intentionally or unintentionally. Even if the dust has not yet settled or you don't understand the reason for your crisis, you make changes to avoid another. A crisis changes your outlook.

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I have definitely dealt with crisis in my personal life.  In my professional career I would say that I have faced difficult situations, I don't know that I would call them a crisis.  One of the difficult situations that I have faced in my career is the school that I work in was considered an under performing school eight years ago and we were forced to make a drastic change or the state would come in and decide the change.  This was a high stress situation for all of the staff and administration.  We ended up changing our calendar and we became a school that operated on a 45/15 calendar. There were many different reactions by staff members throughout this stressful process. At the end of the journey some of them decided to leave the school due to the stress. What I learned from this difficult situation is that everyone deals with stress differently. We had no control over the administrative decision to change the calendar but we did have control over how we responded to the stressful change. Although I did not view this as a crisis, some staff member did. I think it is important to evaluate your own behavior in times of stress, chaos, or crisis.

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I am a big believer in adapting to different and new situations. Life is what it is, and if we can't handle changes or interruptions from what we think should be happening, I think we are causing ourselves a lot of unnecessary stress. Often a crisis offers an opportunity to grow and can open up a new door for us. I think back to working in politics for many years and just one day deciding I didn't want to to do it anymore. I quit a decent paying job because I wanted to do something different. Probably pretty stupid, and scary as I tried to figure out what to do, but eventually I decided I wanted to try teaching. I don't know if I would have made the decision to go back to school and embark on an entirely new career if I didn't have the crisis (albeit self-imposed), of being out of a job/career.

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I've been around for awhile and have encountered many crises both personally and professionally. I've learned that keeping your head on straight and stepping back with a deep breath makes a big difference. I tend to think of 'what is the worst that can happen from this?'
Typically I handle crisis pretty well. I have a strong faith and rely on that to make it through which gives me quite a sense of peace.
I am someone who embraces change usually and look at it as an opportunity to grow.

A side note: I do know that crises get worse for me as I am tired or worn out at work. The home/work balance is very critical to handling a crisis as it unfolds.

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I can only think of two times in my 15 years of teaching that I have come close to crisis. One of those times was about 5 years ago. One of my special education colleagues collapsed in the hallway and was rushed to the emergency room. We found out that she had a tumor on her brain. As emotional as that was we had to persevere through it. My supervisor at the time came to me and asked if I would be willing to complete the IEPs and paperwork for this teacher since we were getting a substitute for the rest of the year. It was only October when this happened. This put me at 25 students on my caseload and a number of them had multiple needs and had pretty big IEPs. I gladly accepted the challenge but it wasn't easy. It was very time consuming and a lot of work but I pushed through that year. I am happy to say that this teacher has been back with us and is cancer free.

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The first thing that comes to mind with this is the importance of perspective.  Obviously, it would be ideal to rebound from a crisis situation with a good attitude and positive outlook.  I often find, however, that when I'm tired and weighed down, that is a hard thing to achieve.  In the last two years I have been working very hard to change my perfectionism, and to be honest, it's really hard. My perfectionism oftentimes stopped me from enjoying things and I was WAY too hard on myself. This caused a lot of drain on my energy, which in turn made crisis situations worse. I think that if we are working on self care and having a Growth Mindset, we will inherently have more energy for difficult situations that come up in our lives.

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To me the word crisis is something that makes us move out of our comfort areas and into an area of unchartered and uncomfortable places!  It may look different for each of us! And we may all define the word crisis a little differently.  I have not personally had one, single traumatic event that others would call a”crisis”, but I have experienced many things in my life that have cause enormous stress and to me kind of threw me into a state of crisis!  Usually these events are things that happen to my own children or to the students in my class!  I can think of one such event involving a student at recess.  It involved another student and behavior that would be considered a type of sexual assault!  I still remember the look on my student’s face and the tears upon tears, which caused me to also start crying right there in the middle of the class!  Anyhow, needless to say it pushed us all to a place of extreme discomfort, but also provided the opportunity for conversations, problem solving, re-examining many areas that we may be thought were fine! The story does have a happy ending, as the mother of my student was amazing in how she handled it, taking this crisis and turning it into opportunity for their family to grow!  So I guess what I learned is that even through the hardest times, there can always be a light at the end of the tunnel, we just have to persevere and look for the good!

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This is my second year teaching.  My first year I got hired in the district I student taught in.  The kids were tough but the staff as a whole was absolutely amazing.  I decided I ended up getting a job in the school district I grew up in and moved back in with my parents.  In April I discovered that all non-tenured staff (even after your third year) are cut every year in this district and are expected to reapply and reinterview to stay in the district.  So I am currently applying to my district as well as numerous other surrounding districts. I am hopeful I will find something for next year. I am more hopeful I will eventually be at a place that will eventually feel like home and I can stay and grow in one place.

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As a first year teacher, I delt with a little crisis this year with a loss of an art teacher. This was challenging not only for students, but the staff at our school. However, my school was very supportive in the situsation. There were several social workers and guidance counselors hat came in from the other schools. This was challenging also because students were in elementary school. I think it was very empowering how everyone came together at school and was really their foreachother. In situsations of crisis, it is important to be a community, love your neighbor, and cherish the small moments. This was a learning opportunity for me as a new teacher.

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I wouldn't say that my situation was a crisis but in the moment I was upset and it was hard for me!! Last summer I found out the week before workshop week that we were going
down a section in kindergarten. I was told I was moving to first grade and needed to come in that day to pack up my classroom. This completely caught me off guard because we had been told that our numbers were ok and that we would all be staying in kindergarten. I also had a newborn at home and knew I was going back to grad school. I was super overwhelmed with the idea of change and learning new curriculum, having a newborn at home and going back to grad school. I knew how awesome the first grade team was but in the moment I was sad and scared. Looking back now I am SO glad the change happened. I feel like I have grown so much as a teacher and mother through everything I have learned this year. My new team is amazing and it has just been such a refreshing year. I am excited to stay in first grade again next year!!

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Luckily I have not dealt with any major crisis' in my professional career. I have been through the dreaded budget cuts and was lucky enough to not have to be cut. I would consider myself thankful that I have not had to deal with any major crisis' during my career when I think about some of the things other teachers have had to go through.

Next school year brings a major change for me. I have taught 5th grade for the last 6 years and will be moving to 4th grade. I wouldn't call this a crisis by any means because I am eager to move it is just the unknown which is a little scary right now. I am going to a new grade level with a completely new team. I am also going to a new grade level with teammates like myself who have never taught 4th grade before. I am excited because that means we will be able to really change things up and make them our own, while at the same time it is a little scary not having anyone to rely on that knows the curriculum. So I can't even begin to put this major change in a category with crisis' but it is the only major thing I could somewhat relate to.

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I haven't yet experienced any real crisis in my professional career. Through my 3 years of teaching I have learned countless things and definitely pinpointed some specific areas that I am weak in that I've made adjustments to change and make better. I'm sure that a crisis will eventually happen and I will be forced to reflect on how to make things work or a growth mindset view would be that I am able to see that crisis as an opportunity to make BIG changes that will revolutionize my classrooms potential to impact my students in a positive way.

I should say that Minnesota is up for a change in state standards so that will will bring opportunity to change my curriculum to fit them and now that I've been teaching for several years I feel I have more experience in my planning and instruction.

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Thankfully, I have not been in any type of crisis in my professional career.
I have taught first grade in the same classroom for the past 5 years. I have loved every minute of it! My team was a powerful and strong team and we did amazing things. We were all different and each of us had our strengths. Next year I am making a big change and moving to third grade. This was a choice that I made as I knew in order for me to continue to grow as an educator I needed a change.
This change brings up so many feelings. I am nervous as I have NO idea what needs to be taught yet. I am excited becuause I get to work with a group of students who I had as first graders and I am excited to see how much they have grown. I am worried I won't be able to meet their academic needs since I am starting over with my resources. I am happy that I get to work with a great team.
I know that I meet the challenge and do whatever I can to help my students succeed. I am looking forward to the summer when I will have time to think and process through this new opportunity and find amazing resources to use.

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I've dealt with many crisis, both professional and personal, over the 7 years I have been in my district.  The first 4 years, we had multi-million dollar budget cuts each year, including loosing all library staff, cutting positions, etc...My position has changed a number of times because of this as well.  I've learned that while the crisis itself can not be changed, how we handle it can be.  I actually don't mind change, as long as it is not long and drawn out.  I think as a staff, crisis can break or bond you, and I am fortunate enough that my 6th grade team has taken the bonding approach.
This also rings true at the moment because, while actually a good thing in the long haul, we just passed a bonding levy that will see my school close in three years (for reference this is a $270 million overall improvement across the district with new buildings/renos etc....).  This means whether I want it or not, change/potential crisis is coming but I know about it and have time to plan for it.

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While I have been very blessed in the fact that I haven't had to endure any crazy crisis's in my personal life, reading this brought me back to my student teaching experience.  I was in a tough school with a great cooperating teacher, and I was miserable each day.  Students were mean, I felt small and worthless, and I almost quit right in the middle of my last semester.  After this, I swore up and down I wouldn't go into teaching.  [I didn't but I wanted to.]  Looking back on this crisis I learned a lot.  I learned how to handle tough school situations, I learned how to disconnect emotions in the fact that some students are just mad but not mad at me, etc.

I truly believe that strength comes from crisis and struggle. People who have endured crisis's and have endured hard times come out the other side stronger and more successful.

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After teaching in a district I absolutely loved for seven years, three years ago I chose to pursue a teaching position in a district closer to home. That fall I was six months pregnant with our second child. At open house, I was introduced to one of my students who was new to the district. No one knew this student's history so it was by total coincidence she ended up in my class. To make a long story short, for the first six weeks of school the police were called to our school numerous times to help handle this child. She ended up leaving with them one day and never came back. It was a very hard and trying experience. A week after that I got a packet mailed to me from our district saying I didn't qualify for FMLA since I was new to the district and no one told me this upon my hiring. If you have ever had a child before, you know that is very bad news. I ended up fighting it with the union rep and won but that was a long, hard month or more. Fast forward to after my maternity leave... I come back to work and hear our district needs to make major budget cuts. Since this was my first year in the district, this meant I was on the chopping block. With a new house, new child, a 3 year old, etc. this was a very scary three months of waiting and hearing rumors. Luckily, everything worked out in the end and I was given my tenure. That was a very traumatic year for me! I was very close to walking out and leaving the profession but I am grateful for a few amazing teacher friends who talked me into giving it another year. I have had several great years since! After that experience however, I completely understand teacher burnout and why some choose to leave the profession.

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I feel very fortunate to not have had any sort of major crisis in my life, both personally and professionally. That being said, that doesn't mean change isn't going to happen. I am someone who is not a fan of change and probably have sort of a fixed mindset in regards to change. I think I am uneasy about it because I don't know what to expect. I haven't had any bad experiences with change, so I am not sure where my mindset comes from in regards to that idea.

Moving forward, I would love to work on having a growth mindset toward change. I think this is going to take time and a lot of practice, but recognizing this is an area of discomfort could be the first step!

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In my first three years teaching I was cut twice due to budget and staffing and asked back twice (one of the times, after the third year, was to keep me on for my fourth year to start my continuing contract). I have luckily been able to remain at the same building I had started at all these years. However, being in crisis of not knowing if I would have a job at the start of the next school year provided me with a grateful attitude and also provided me the opportunity to apply and interview at other schools. Even though being picky about what school I wanted to work at didn't seem like a good thing to do, I mean having a job was necessary, I was picky about what school I would work at. I knew what a great school was like and I didn't want anything less.

When I interviewed somewhere that did not make me feel welcome and comfortable I knew they weren't the place for me. If the school did make me feel that way I was more than open to accepting a position and if I didn't get hired I would take in the ideas and philosophies they had like a sponge and now use bits and pieces of that in my teaching today!

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I think the biggest fear that I have with change is entering the unknown. Are you moving from one problem to another and sometimes the chaos you know is better than new Chaos. I have been incredibly fourtunate to have been recruited to my current job and now that I am considering a transition again I have started to be recruited into two different jobs. It is scary because I am looking at leaving the classroom and entering into a dean or leadership role. This has been a dream of mine but man it is scary to leave the unfamiliar place I was and enter into a new career path all together

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Four years ago I was cut for what I was told budget reasons. In the same meeting I was asked to reapply for my same job the following week.  I was hurt and confused at why this was happening. In the middle of all of this I was teaching my toughest class that I have ever had teaching Kindergarten. I was unmotivated to come to work, but motivated to not let it affect my students. I was their safe person for the majority of my students. On top of knowing I had to look for a new job, I was nearing the end of my second pregnancy. "Would anyone hire someone as pregnant as I was" constantly went through my mind. I interviewed the the school 5 minutes away from my house and I just finished my 4th year here with no plans to go anywhere else. I get to see my daughter in the hallways and my sons will be starting here in the future. If I didn't go through the crisis of being cut, I never would have applied in Milaca.