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
Oct 04
World Teachers’ Day 2012
We celebrate World Teachers’ Day on October 5, 2012. So who is the we? Simply put, the “we” is all of us who have been blessed with having a teacher in our lives or in our children’s lives who made a difference. I’m pretty fortunate as Superintendent of Schools to be around many of those …
Sep 30
From the Desk of the Superintendent- October 2012
The first month of the school year is always filled with great excitement and seems to fly by! Parents are busy renewing routines after the summer months and schools are a bedlam of activity- opening masses and celebrations, orientation days, new family blessings and barbecues. It is certainly a highlight for me to get into …
Sep 23
Why I do what I do!
This past week, I had the chance to re-listen to Simon Sinek’s presentation “How Great Leaders Inspire Action” on Ted.com. Often, you don’t hear the message the first time it is spoken. It may be that you were not ready to hear the message or simply did not appreciate the depth of the message. Regardless …
Sep 16
Being an instructional leader!
It is already September 15th and the question is, “Have you visited a classroom yet?” Most school administrators will probably be able to answer that question in the affirmative. Within the first couple of weeks and generally throughout the year, principals and associates find themselves walking through and visiting many classrooms. However, if I rated this activity on …
Sep 09
Getting out of our comfort zone
What do you do when you wake up really early (5:30 AM) on a Saturday morning? The answer of course, for connected educators is to engage in the Twitter chat #satchat. This week the discussion focused on 2012-13 professional development opportunities. Interestingly enough, being connected through Twitter, book studies as well as the “unconference” #edcamp themes …
Sep 02
From the Desk of the Superintendent- September 2012
The first day of school is September 4th however, the official start for all staff began last Wednesday with our division’s opening mass. It was a powerful celebration organized and hosted by FLVT staff. Bishop Henry was the main celebrant for the mass and provided a motivating, positive message. Board Chair, Sandra Dufresne opened with …
Aug 30
Opening Message to Staff
Good morning and welcome back. It is good to be with you again and I hope that you experienced the same rest and relaxation that I had over the summer. I would really like to thank Bishop Henry & all of our clergy here today for celebrating with us. Your presence reminds us of the …
Aug 23
Time for Action
Last week, I participated in our annual summer conference in beautiful Waterton Parks National Park. This event brings together senior administrators from 10 school divisions in southern Alberta as well as representatives from Alberta Education, CASS, ASBOA, ASBA and ASCA. It signals the beginning of the school year for us and provides an excellent opportunity …
Aug 09
Olympic lessons for education
Great holiday timing and superb coverage by the Canadian media has allowed me to watch the Summer Olympics on an almost daily basis. Although I’m more familiar with some sports than others, I enjoy watching all of the different competitions. Much to the chagrin of my wife, I try and watch all of them simultaneously, …
Jul 21
Leadership Lessons
I began my leadership career as a brash and cocky 29 year old back in 1991. As a new vice principal in High Prairie, holding a fresh graduate degree, I thought I knew it all. Fortunately, I had a wonderful principal and mentor who took the time to guide me through the beginning of my leadership journey. …