99 Problems, MAP Is One

"As the world we live in is so unpredictable, the ability to learn and adapt to change is imperative, alongside creativity, problem-solving, and communication skills."
~Alain Dehaze

I'm not sure how many of you noticed it this week, but things didn't exactly go as planned. In fact, I think we were only about 10 minutes into the week before things started to get a little sideways. When it was first communicated to me first thing Monday that MAP was not working properly on desktop computers and iPads didn't have the app available, I couldn't help but think it was going to be a long week, and for some of you that may still be the case, but just as soon as that thought entered my head, the next thing I registered was the immediate reaction of our staff to simply find a way forward.

I've long believed that there are essentially two kinds of people (Yay! Another "two kinds of people" philosophy): problem solvers and problem identifiers. These two kinds of people will react to similar situations in entirely different ways. If these two people are sitting in a room and a water pipe bursts, the problem identifier will start panicking and repeatedly identify that the pipe has burst and then start identifying all of the problems the burst pipe is about to create. "Aaaaaagh! The pipe burst! It's going to ruin the floors! It's going to destroy the furniture!" You get the idea. The problem solver realizes that saying all of those things does not stop the water nor prevent the damage. Saying all of these things, which are obvious to everyone else in the room accomplishes nothing. Instead, the problem solver will immediately begin taking action to solve the problem to the best of their ability. The problem solver will find a way to stop or slow the gush of water or at the very least begin removing items from the danger zone to limit the damage until the water can be stopped.

On Monday morning, we could've all turned into problem identifiers and simply started listing all of the negative implications of the technical issues we are having with MAP, but what would it have accomplished? Every single one of us knew the plan we had was out the window and that things were going to be a little complicated. Instead, this crew once again showed that you are problem solvers. Super proctors were not coming to me pleading with me to pull the plug and give up; they were coming to me with status updates on how many students were up and running and how many could be if we could get the app to load. Room proctors were organizing a system in their room to keep the students who were testing going while systematically working to get additional iPads in the game.

I've said it once, and I will continue to say it until I no longer believe it is true, but you all make my job so much fun because I walk into this building every single day knowing we can handle any challenge that comes our way. Thank you for being problem solvers.

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