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.
