Reflections and Thanks

After a very busy week filled with amazing events at incredibly diverse schools in the District, I was in a reflective mood today.  I was thinking about how fortunate we are to work education in this District. 

This past week I served lunch to students and staff at Tremblay Elementary in Dawson Creek.  There I was impressed by how closely staff members work with students and the positive relationships they have in supporting some of our most vulnerable children.  Students made their way through the food line expressing their thanks and smiled, laughed and responded positively to the strangers in their midst.  Teachers and educational assistants mixed in to support those who needed more encouragement or assistance along the way. The positive rapport between adults and children was evident as they sat together and chatted openly, enjoying the meal provided. 

I traveled with Christy Fennell and Melissa Panoulias on Tuesday out to the Saulteau First Nation to watch the Moberly Lake Elementary School Christmas concert and have lunch with the community.  Along with the wonderful concert put on by the students and staff, I was impressed with the obvious close connection between school and community.  There was strength in the partnerships that were evident throughout the event.  Anneli Duncan has worked very hard to forge those relationships that are making a difference for the learning of her students. Parents and community members reached out to express their thanks to the school and the District for the support being provide for their children.

On Wednesday and Thursday I traveled with Candy Clouthier to watch the Christmas concerts and Peace View and South Peace Elementary Schools on the two Hutterite Colonies served by our District.  It was here, at both colonies where the culture is so foreign to most of us, that I witnessed the importance of family support and connection to others.  At each school the concert space was full and most in attendance were related to one another.  Watching the children perform and the adults respond to the wonderful singing, the short skits and the smiles of the children on stage reinforced for me how closely connected each of these communities are. It also had me thinking about how each child is supported by not only their parents, but by the community as a whole.  How fortunate we would be if this was the case in all of the communities we serve. 

I spent part of the morning today attending the Christmas Talent Show at DCSS-Central Campus, where I was principal last year.  Here I watched students, and staff, step out of their comfort zones and put themselves out there.  With close to 400 people in attendance, students were able to perform wonderfully, extending themselves in areas they previously would have not thought possible.  It was the supportive environment created by teachers, staff, student, and parents that made this possible. I was impressed by the growth shown in students I remember from last year, whom I would not have expected to see up on stage. 

My last stop of the day was at the Northern Lights College classroom on campus at DCSS-South Peace Campus.  Here the NLC staff was hosting a bar-b-q for students in the Heavy Duty Mechanics, Auto Service, and Esthetics Dual Credit Programs on site.  I had the opportunity to talk to school and college staff and also with students.  A question I often ask students, and I did today is, “What’s the most important thing you are getting from this program?” For two of the students I talked to the answer seemed to be a sense of hope for the future.  Both are students who have had struggles in their high school lives and who may have ended up dropping out and having diminished life chances.  Both are now on their way to careers in trades.  One is currently working and will continue to work with the same company after graduation and the other is on his way to a wonderful apprenticeship opportunity. It’s the hard work and support of an amazingly dedicated Career Education Team, along with support from school and college staff who make this possible. 

As the day comes to a close, my reflections on the last week have me feeling extremely thankful.  At my position in the School District 59 Board Office, I am surrounded by people who care passionately about the education, and social-emotional success of children in our District.  I am honored and thankful to be part of that team.  I want to thank you all for your commitment to children and for the difference you are making in their lives.  Merry Christmas to all of you and may you have a wonderful holiday in the company of family and friends. 

My First Career Education Society Conference

I recently attended the BC Career Education Society Conference in Vancouver BC.  It was a two-day event that featured amazing keynote speakers, a wide variety of timely breakout sessions, some hands on activities, and a wonderful networking opportunity. 

The Keynote speakers, Cathy Campbell and Wade Davies, both shared their insights about career development, directly and indirectly.  Cathy spoke to the importance of communicating to students that career paths are not linear, but rather a tangle of experiences, steps forward and steps back.  Wade Davies shared his own incredible personal story of personal discovery, based largely on his knack for being in the right place at the right time, and his curiosity and willingness to take risks. 

I attended a number of sessions that provided me with key information that will help me to guide our SD59 Career Education Team.  I listened to Tim Winklemans and Joanne Armstrong present Ministry direction and our need to align our practices with Ministry policy.  I also attended a session with Christian St. Cyr where he presented information from the  “Labour Market Year in Review.”  I was fortunate to also take part in an on the ground tour of the new Women’s and Children’s Health Centre construction project on the current site of the BC Children’s Hospital.  Here I saw journeymen trades persons and apprentices working on site in a vast array of trades.  It was an awesome morning on site.

What stood out to me the most at this event was just how passionate Career Education teachers, school staff, principals, and District staff are about their students and the opportunities that they have before them.  There are amazing careers awaiting our students, if they take advantage of the resources that we have to support and guide them in their initial steps into industry, professional designations, work and life in general. 

Now back at work in Dawson Creek, I am busy trying to continue to coordinate the provision of opportunities for our students in this dynamic, changing, economic climate.  What a great endeavor to be a part of. 

Learning Something New

I’ve been mulling over a number of blog topics for a while now, and nothing seems to really jump out and grab my attention.  My purpose for writing a blog is to share my thoughts and encourage discussion about learning.  I planned to keep up to date on trends and new findings in education and then write intelligently about those topics. 

Over the last few months I have been reading a lot, but it has not been about education.  I am currently finishing up Michael Watkins’ “The First 90 Days,” as I transition in to my new role as a District Principal.  I also have on the go, Simon Sinek’s “Start With Why,” and Susan Scott’s “Fierce Conversations.”  I bounce from book to book and it’s taking me longer that I’d like to read all three.  I recently heard from a colleague that my approach to professional reading could be referred to as “drive-by pro-d.” I'm certain that I don't like that term, as I am digging into the topics presented.

I have other books piling up on the corner of my desk that beg for my attention as well.  Sometimes it feels like there is just not enough time in the day. Despite the mountain of pages ahead of me, I think there is hope here.  I am learning. 

We all have our own strategies for moving forward in our careers and in life in general. If connecting with District staff, Principals, teachers, and students and having meaningful conversations with them is getting in the way of my reading, that’s a price I’m willing to pay.  As for jumping in to topics that demonstrate that I’m stretching my understanding of educational issues, I will get to those when the opportunities arise. 

For now, I’m living intent of School District 59’s Core Value:  “Continuous Learning for All.”

Adapting to Change

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness . . . ."

Charles Dicken's famous opening to his book, A Tale of Two Cities (1859), is a fitting description for our current time as we roll into the beginning of the 2015-16 school year.  There is still lots of optimism around opportunities for our students from K-12 and beyond, but it is tempered by the reality of rock-bottom oil prices and an economy heading into a recession.  

For the students in our geographic area, with Tumbler Ridge being the exception, most school aged individuals have not experienced a time when the local economy was not humming along or even booming.  For our graduating students, jobs have been plentiful and career opportunities have seemed limitless.  We are going into this school year optimistic about what the Site C project and LNG development will mean for the local economy, and in return what it could mean for the future of our students.  

We also need to be mindful of how quickly things can change and prepare our students accordingly.  Our focus on Critical Thinking, Collaboration, Communication, and Problem Solving through Inquiry Based Learning will help our students to meet the challenges of an uncertain future.  

As we embark on a new school year, with hope and optimism, we must continue to adapt to the changing landscape.  We also must think critically, collaborate with all stake holders, communicate our intensions, and problem solve to best of our abilities in order to continue to provide "Quality Education for Each Learner."    

I've been gone for a while

It's been quite some time since my last blog post.  Work and life in general got very busy, which should not be an excuse for not fulfilling a commitment to keep this blog up to date.  I apologize to you and to me.

I had to stop for this photo opportunity on a run last week.

I don't have a lot to share today, but like with my current return to running, I needed to get started again.  I have felt guilty about not running, but had the excuse of injury that kept me away for such an extended period.  Hip pain and a diagnosis of arthritis and bursitis made it difficult, if not impossible to return to the pace that I was at a year ago when I completed the BMO Half-Marathon in Vancouver.  I have run twice in the last week and I am relatively pain free.  I'm a lot slower and have limited my run to 5K, but at least I'm back at it.

I have not written a blog post for 6 months.  I have no excuse.

When I made a public statement about having registered for the half-marathon, it helped me to stay on track and committed to running so that I could carry through on my public commitment.  I think blogging will require the same public commitment as well.  My goal is to write at least one meaningful post per month over the next year.  I hope that you, and I, keep me on track by reminding me about this commitment.

Thank you for allowing me to share this with you.

Aloha

I recently attended the Hawaii International Conference on Education in Waikiki.  Upon my return, people commented on my tan and made lots of jabs about my island holiday.  I must admit that it was convenient that the conference was in Hawaii.  I had not been to Hawaii before and attendance at the conference provided an opportunity for Jody and I to take a winter vacation in a gorgeous location.  We spent five days prior to the conference enjoying the sites and sounds of Waikiki Beach and Oahu in general.  

Once the conference began, it was back to work.  After five very nice days and a week and half of Christmas holidays, it was hard to get back into “education mode.”  However, the sessions immediately sparked my interest.  The first two presentations were from the Wing Institute in Oakland, California.  The first, “Why science has not had a greater impact on education,” pitted the Constructivists against practitioners of explicit instruction.  The presenter, Jack States, suggests that culture is key to our skepticism about science, which leads to our belief that constructivism is better.  However, evidence indicates that teacher centered models have a bigger effect size.  This all led States to suggest that there needs to be a balance in approaches.  What I appreciated about his presentation was that he provided research to support his observations.  

The second presentation during my first hours of the conference was “Culture Mapping: a cognitive analysis of the education culture landscape in America,” by Randy Keyworth of the Wing Institute.  His main premise is that culture influences educational policy.  He states that we all see education through different frames, 

Individual frame
Blame frame 
Visionary leader frame
Magic bullet frame
Local solutions frame
Private sector frame
Back to basics frame
More funding frame
Computers frame

Approaching education reform from any one of these frames will influence our own beliefs on what works and what does not work.  The important lesson here is to be able to identify which frame someone is coming from.

All in all, the conference was a positive experience.  I met a lot of interesting people from different parts of the world and I learned a lot too.  I look forward to writing more about my new learning over the next few weeks.

Mike Readman