After nearly a 35 year career in education, I retired as the Superintendent of Schools in January 2020. While in the role as superintendent, I sat on two national committees, ERDI and C21 and also was an adjunct professor for Gonzaga University. I now work as a leadership consultant supporting the work of school boards, system and school leaders.
Chris Smeaton
Author's posts
May 13
“We are Glorious” 2018 Graduation Address for Catholic Central High School
Oki! Bonjour Mesdames et Monsieurs, and Good Morning Ladies and Gentlemen and especially to our CCH Graduates of 2018. Although I love movies, I’m not great at taking them in at the theatre and so unfortunately I’ve not seen the movie, “The Greatest Showman” from which you’ve taken your grad theme, “We are Glorious.” But …
May 09
The Journey to Inclusion
Recently, my Director of Support Services and I have been meeting with a small group of parents from the system on our continued journey to inclusion. All of these parents have children with diverse learning needs, some more significant than others. This is not a formal committee of the board, but rather an opportunity to …
Apr 29
From the Desk of the Superintendent- May 2018
I’m writing this blog post while in beautiful Kananaskis, having just finished attending the annual SPICE Conference hosted by Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Association (ACSTA). I’ll be here for a couple of more days for Catholic superintendent meetings and then be back in the office on Wednesday morning. This is my first time attending SPICE …
Apr 15
Why are we dismantling education in Canada?
It is Sunday…a typical work day for me (I try to take Friday night and all day Saturday off to spend with my wife and family) and I’m ready to focus on work I need to do for the division. But instead, I’m going to spend the next 2-3 hours or more responding to the …
Apr 04
From the Desk of the Superintendent- April 2018
Welcome to April and the winter that never seems to end! I hope that everyone had a most blessed Easter and those who could were able to spend the time with family and friends. March was certainly a full month of learning and activities in schools and throughout the division. Highlighting the learning was our …
Mar 25
No Armed Teachers Here!
Since the tragedy in Parkland, Florida and the ensuing conversations around gun control in the United States, I’ve found myself trying to hold back on not making comments. Part of my reasoning is because I’m Canadian and in some ways probably don’t have the right to judge another country’s policies. But I’m also an educator …
Mar 02
From the Desk of the Superintendent- March 2018
“You have three priorities in your life. Faith, family and then the job! Keep them in the right order as much as possible.” That statement is one that I share with all of our new teachers at the beginning of each school year and is one that all of us should hear more often. Wellness …
Feb 23
Style vs. Substance
Next week I’ll be part of an interview committee for a principal position in our division. Part of our process is the inclusion of multiple stakeholders who provide me with feedback on each potential candidate. Before we begin, I always provide the committee with a reminder to listen carefully to the answers and don’t get …
Feb 21
Ode to Support Staff
The following blog post was published in the Lethbridge Herald on February 21, 2018. It is difficult not to automatically think about teachers when we talk about schools or education. In past articles, I’ve written about the importance of our school leaders and, just recently, about the unseen life of teachers. But our school systems …
Feb 11
Psychological Safety
A couple of weeks ago, during a conversation with an executive coach I was re-introduced to the term “psychological safety.” I had not thought much about the term previous from a leader’s perspective but after the talk I realized the importance. As I further reflected, I realized how much psychological safety is connected to high …