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
Jan 28
Tracking Progress With Data
The following blog post was published in the Lethbridge Herald on January 28, 2015. Next week, senior administration will be travelling to each of our fourteen (14) schools to review their continuous improvement plans. These one-hour meetings occur on a regular basis every 4-6 weeks. Continuous improvement plans set the direction at each school. They …
Jan 11
Play is serious learning!
During the month of January, our division hosts elementary grade level meetings. As a superintendent, I always try to attend parts of these meetings. It allows me to interact with our front-line staff and provides me with a great learning opportunity. Although I typically have something to contribute, I always come away from these meetings …
Jan 04
Failing is okay!
I’ve spoken about failure before and how we are instilling an almost risk aversive society of students because failing or anything that resembles adversity is being squashed because of self-esteem! Nothing could be farther from the truth! Let’s be frank, “Failure as a permanent condition is unacceptable but failure as part of the learning cycle and developmental …
Dec 31
The Benefits of the Education System in Alberta
The following article was written for and published in the Lethbridge Journal on August 31, 2012. In Alberta, Catholic Education is publicly funded. This has been a constitutional right in Alberta since 1905. This same right is also provided in Ontario and Saskatchewan. For parents and families coming from locations where Catholic Education is not fully …
Dec 29
Why curriculum needs to change!
This will likely be my last post for 2014 so, I might as well go out with the proverbial bang and talk about the need to update, modernize, enhance or simply “slash: the current curriculum. It has served us relatively well in a knowledge economy but knowledge is easily attained and we now live in an innovation economy. In …
Dec 16
From the Desk of the Superintendent- Christmas Message 2014
The Christmas season is just around the corner. Friday, the 19th of December will mark the last day of work for many in the education system. Two glorious weeks of holidays are like a reward, a short reprieve from the lightning paced life we’ve experienced since the beginning of the school year. It may seem like a …
Dec 07
From the Desk of the Superintendent- Continuous Improvement Plan Reviews
This past week, over an intense 3-day period, members of senior administration and I visited all fourteen schools in the division to review continuous improvement plans (CIPs). This process occurs every 6-7 weeks and allows senior administration an in-depth view of the work occurring in the schools. It may sound a little intimidating (3-6 senior administrators descending …
Dec 06
The gift of giving
Once a week, the Lethbridge Herald publishes a column written by a superintendent of one of five school jurisdictions in the Lethbridge area. This week’s column is authored by Chris Smeaton, Superintendent for Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate Regional Division No. 4 and was published on December 3, 2014. Now that we’ve hit December, experienced …
Nov 23
From the Desk of the Superintendent- November 23, 2014
Happy Sunday! I hope you’ve enjoyed your weekend and the feast of Christ the King. To help celebrate, here’s a great YouTube clip from the band Newsboys singing one of my favorite songs Blessed Be Your Name. Next week, we begin the season of Advent in preparation for the birth of the Christ child. It is …
Nov 22
Leadership is more than pleasing people!
There is a plethora of research on what characteristics define the truly great leader. Integrity, honesty, vulnerability, vision are all descriptors of the outstanding leader. There is also a prevailing belief (in which I concur), that you cannot ascend to the highest level of leadership without being relational. Relationships matter! Gifted leaders, ones who are well-respected, …