There is a tree outside my window. During storms, its branches sway wildly in the wind, bending farther than I ever think possible. Yet when the storm passes, the tree is still standing. It survives not because it is rigid, but because it is flexible.
In education, we face constant storms— new laws, mounting
expectations, emotional exhaustion, shifting initiatives, and the daily
unpredictability of working with others. The educators who endure are not the
ones who refuse to bend. They are the ones who learn how to adapt without
breaking.
This is the power of the Habit of Mind: Thinking Flexibly.
Thinking Flexibly allows us to step back and view challenges from another
vantage point. It helps us generate new ideas, reconsider our assumptions, and
remain open to different possibilities when our original plan no longer works.
In schools, flexibility is often the difference between growth and burnout.
When a lesson fails, a student struggles, or a team conversation becomes
difficult, closed thinking traps us in frustration. Flexible thinking, however,
asks, “What else could I try?” That shift in perspective creates space for
growth instead of defeat.
I experience this often when I write. There are moments when I become stuck on a section of content and cannot seem to generate a fresh idea or a better way to explain my thinking. If I stay rigid, frustration builds quickly. But when I allow myself to think flexibly—to walk away for a moment, shift perspectives, brainstorm alternatives, or approach the topic differently—I can keep moving forward. That flexibility allows me to continue instead of shutting down.
This habit works hand in hand with another Habit of
Mind: Persisting. Persistence does not mean stubbornly refusing to change
course(although my family would say I am stubborn). True persistence means continuing through challenges while adapting
along the way. Like the tree in the storm, we bend so we do not break. Growth requires both resilience and
flexibility. The storms will come, but when we learn to shift, adapt, and
remain open to new ways of thinking, we develop the strength to weather them.
Whatever storms you are battling either professionally or personally, I hope you can find flexibly thinking and persistence.