Are You Overlooking Simple Solutions?

Originally uploaded to flickr by flakeparadigm

Recently I attended my first parent orientation for middle school. (You can definitely say a prayer for us as we embark into uncharted parenting territory!)

The Principal informed us that the children would not have assigned lockers this coming year. This past year was the first time they did away with 6th grade lockers and instead provided two sets of books — one for at home and one set to stay in the classroom.

The Principal told us that last year was the smoothest 6th grade transition to middle school they had every experienced. He added that there were absolutely no tears shed on the first day of school.

Doing away with the lockers eliminated the stress of fumbling for the combination, forgetting where their locker was located — and even losing important stuff in the “locker abyss”. Parents were happier and kids were happier. No tears. The principal said he wondered why he didn’t get rid of the locker madness years ago.

Such a simple solution to what might have been an over analyzed emotional problem. Looking at the transition into middle school, many highly educated people might be tempted to attribute the first day blues to a hormone imbalance or quirky adolescence….when really it came down to eliminating something that has been romanticized by culture….lockers.

Sometimes I think we overcomplicate things. I wonder if there is a “locker” issue that you need to tackle in your ministry? At the end of the day, what we do isn’t rocket science. And if you are shedding tears of frustration, it might be time to go back to the basics and get rid of some of the madness that has been romanticized by decades of “we’ve always done it this way.” We naturally drift towards complexity…so maybe it’s time to strip away the build up and get simple again.

If you are needing to make changes happen but don’t know where to start, why not find someone who has successfully navigated the mirky waters and learn from their example? The change you need to make might be smaller than you think!

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