Should I attend . . . ?

I spent this past weekend at the BCPVPA Presidents’ and Chapter Council Meetings in Richmond, BC.  I have had people question the value of my attendance at these meetings and they wonder if we are getting good value for the money spent to send me to take part.  My answer to that question is it is good value.  I would encourage others to become involved and to further their own professional development by becoming an active member of the BC Principals’ and Vice Principals’ Association.  There are three key benefits from attending these events.   You get to connect with other principals, you get to learn about issues from the provincial perspective, and you get time away from your own building to reflect on the learning. 

When you attend one of the regular Principals’ or Chapter Council meetings you get a chance to talk to other principals from around the province.  There are people from schools of 1500 students in districts where there are over 200 principals, to others who may be in schools with less than 100 students and where there are fewer than 20 principals in their district.  Despite the size and location of the work environment, we tackle similar issues, and we can also learn from those experiences that we may never have to encounter ourselves.  The recent survey of BCPVPA members has highlighted that within the room there are some who have many years of experience and hold a vast amount of knowledge and expertise, while others are young and inexperienced or have just arrived to the role of principal.  Access to this networking opportunity, where experiences can be shared, and where common issues can be discussed is invaluable to individuals new to the position.

           

Another benefit of attending these events is the chance to see education issues from a larger provincial perspective.  We discussed issues affecting our Association and our membership as a whole and we also got to hear from the Minister of Education, Peter Fassbender.  His address was particularly timely as he emphasized that that change is happening.  He said that the time for talk is over and that it is now time for action.  This is an important message for me to bring back, not only to our members, but to our staff as well.  Another key bit of learning was in regard to the Teacher Regulation Branch.  Although this organization has been in existence for almost two years, we do not really have a clear picture of their role or the impact that they are having.  My own lack of knowledge about the TRB, and that of most of the people in the room was concerning.  However, we are now more informed and will be able to share that information with our colleagues.

The final benefit to attending these events is simply the time to reflect on our own situation/circumstance in a more relaxed, somewhat social setting away from home.  Many of the most insightful pieces that I discovered in the last three days happened at coffee breaks, at meal times, or during the evenings after the formal meetings were completed. 

           

Attending the BCPCPA Chapter Council and Principals’ meetings is something that is valuable to our District, to my colleagues in our local Chapter, to me as an individual.  This is money well spent.        

           

Supervision for Learning is about the Learning

I am currently part of the BCPVPA professional development initiative called Supervision for Learning.  The focus of this particular year-long experience is to improve student learning, by improving Learner-Focused Dialogues with teachers.   What makes this particular professional development initiative different from many of the pro-d events I have taken part in is the collaboration aspect.  At our initial gathering in Vancouver in September we met with table groups of six people from around the province.  From that group of six, we were broken into two triads.  We meet as a triad via Skype once per week to have a Joint Practice Development focusing on Learner-Focused Dialogue.  We also meet five or six times over the school year, via Skype, with our table groups and the Pro-D facilitator, Caroline Picard.  During these discussions we review highlights and key learnings from our experiences so far.

We have been at this now for about four weeks and I feel that I have gained some valuable insights from the experience so far. The most significant learning for me has been about the value of collaboration.  In our weekly meetings we are holding each other accountable for doing learning walks on a regular basis and having Learner-Focused Dialogues with our teaching staff.  I like to think that I am already good at getting into classrooms and having those conversations, but by actually tracking my progress I’ve come to realize that it’s difficult to get to everyone you need to.  Even with the focused intent of this program, there are still classrooms that I have not been to very often. 

The collaborative aspect of this project has also helped me to gain confidence in asking some of those more difficult questions.  The first ones are always the most difficult, but they get easier, the more often I venture outside of my previous comfort zone.  What I have noticed so far is that I’m not the only one looking for answers.  By asking the difficult questions, I enable the person to voice their own concerns and to question as well.  The collaborative approach to improving learning is underway.

I am looking forward to reporting more on how this particular process evolves over the year.  It’s about the learning.

My son wants to be a teacher . . . .

My son wants to be a teacher . . .

My son recently graduated from high school and is taking a gap year to work and to decide on his path for the future.  He is a smart young man with a lot of things going for him.  He got decent grades in school.  He played competitive sports in school, and he played rep and now jr hockey.  He is charismatic, charming, and caring.  He has a very large close social network, and a supportive extended family.

Like any parent, I still worry about some of the choices my son is making.  He says he wants to be a teacher.

We live in an area abundant in natural resources and therefore abundent in resource based jobs and careers.  There is incredible opportunity for young people to create very lucrative careers in the trades in our region.  I'm torn between supporting my son's interest in becoming a teacher and pushing him in the direction of the trades.  I have a lot of misgivings about where his interest in teaching will lead him.

Don't get me wrong.  I love my job as a principal, and I loved being a classroom teacher.  However, I have been at this now for almost 20 years and I feel the need to share my misgivings with him.  The prospects for new teachers directly out of univesity are not very bright, especially for students in the humanities.  He could end up with a degree, a pile of debt, and few job opportunities in his field of study.

Teaching can be an extremely rewarding profession.  Where else do you get to work this closely with kids?  Where else can you be part of ongoing systemic change that can have a profound impact on the future?  Where else do you get to help shape our next generation?

My misgivings over my son's current direction come not only from my worry about the shortage of jobs for new teachers, but also from my worry about what awaits teachers in the future. The job is becoming increasingly complex, and from my vantage point, increasingly stressful.

What do I tell him?

Summer?

I'm just finishing up my last official day in the office before my summer holidays begin.  I thought I would take a few minutes to reflect on a year that seemed to zip past.

This was another year of change at DCSS, with Paul Chisholm taking the lead role and Diana Lindstrom joining the team.  Keith Maurer, our previous principal moved off to the District office, and Trevor Kolkea, one of the vice principals, headed off to new challenges in Coquitlam.

Despite the change, our focus remains the same.  Student learning and engagement continues to be our primary focus, while our biggest challenge continues to be bringing all of our teaching staff together to share that focus.

Looking ahead, I'm excited about the changes we have put in place for next year.  Paths, mentorship, community connections, a revamped alternate program, and the movement of grade 10s to our Central Campus and Grade 9s to the South Peace Campus will all mean a very different look and feel to the larger school next year.  Our staff focus in re-culturing the school will be a challenge, but also it will be fun seeing how students react to the intentionality of our plan.

It has been a great year.  I want to end by thanking all of our terrific staff, and our amazing students for making DCSS the best school in BC.