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
Sep 01
Creating opportunities not solving problems!
Earlier this week, I read Dan Rockwell’s blog aka @Leadershipfreak, about making meetings vibrant. His premise was that meetings where opportunities were created, left participants feeling energized. In contrast, meetings where the sole purpose seemed to be about solving problems, left everyone feeling exhausted. For leaders, who always seem to have a abundance of meetings …
Aug 29
From the Desk of the Superintendent- Opening Address to Staff
Good afternoon everyone and welcome back. What a great start to the day with David Wells and I hope you are enjoying our combined Spiritual Development Day and opening celebration. Before I begin my opening comments, I would like to take this opportunity to thank the entire staff of Children of St. Martha, Kelsey, Kim …
Aug 25
A marathon and not a sprint!
This week, staff will officially return to work on Tuesday, although many have been in and out of the schools throughout the summer. Our Division’s opening day celebration will be held on Wednesday and then schools will have a couple more days to prepare before students return to classes after the long weekend. There is always …
Aug 18
Compliance is not engagement
When you look back to your days as a student, were you well behaved? Did you sit still and listen? Did teachers like to have you in their class? If you answered yes to these questions, my next question is of utmost importance: Were you truly an engaged student or were you simply compliant? Compliance …
Aug 13
Cohesive Teams
There is tremendous amount of information and research about being a leader in today’s world. But what about the team that surrounds the leader? Successful leaders do not do it on their own! Instead, they develop a team that carries their organization forward. A focus on the development of the leader’s team is crucial for the leader’s success but ultimately …
Aug 06
Blogging as a reflective practice!
Early this summer I read Dean Sharski’s post “In search of a reflective practitioner.” on the importance of blogging as a reflective practice. It caused me to reflect on that practice (or lack of) during my own career. I would like to say that as a beginning teacher in 1985, I rarely engaged in reflective practice. …
Aug 03
To Sir, With Love
A couple of weeks ago, while flipping through the channels, I came across the movie To Sir, With Love starring Sidney Poitier. It is a favorite of mine, that I’ve watched all or parts too many times to remember. Like many films that tackle real school life, it reminded me of the power of an educator interacting …
Jul 29
My Last Class…
At the end of June, I brought greetings to the St. Mary’s Graduating Class of 2013. The evening held a little bit of nostagia for me as this graduating class, was in kindergarten during my last year as a principal. So in essence, this was my last class. Although I’ve coached since then, both in school and …
Jul 02
From the Desk of the Superintendent- My Last Class
Last Friday, I addressed the 2013 graduating class of St. Mary School in Taber. It was a special evening for me in particular, as many of these students were in my last kindergarten class. In 2001, I left the principalship of St. Patrick, where these students attended kindergarten. This group is the last connection to …
Jun 23
From the Desk of the Superintendent- Year End Message
Where has the year gone? I ask myself this question about this time every year. It reminds me that the work done in education is akin to a sprint more often than a marathon. We hunker down in late August and barely look up until the end of the school year. It also reminds me …