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
Jul 19
Renewing public confidence in education
There is no doubt that public education in North America is under attack. The lack of confidence is more pronounced south of the border than here in Canada. But even so, everybody has an opinion on education and more often than not a ready-made solution for our ills. Just because you attended school or you are …
Jul 10
Fail Forward
During my opening address to staff last year I termed the phrase “Fail Forward” as a way to promote an environment of risk taking and culture of transformation. Although I was fairly confident in my own definition of the phrase, I erred in not fully understanding the potentially negative connotation of it. Failure is not a word that …
Jul 03
Act, Dream & Believe
This past Friday I addressed the graduates of St. Mary School in Taber. Enclosed is the short message I delivered that evening. Enjoy! Good Evening Ladies & Gentlemen, honored guests and graduates of 2012. It is always an honor to bring greetings on behalf of the division at graduation ceremonies. And coming back to Taber brings such …
Jun 24
Evolving Practice
I was struck by a conversation I was involved in with our leadership program participants last week. We began to reminisce about the teachers who had taught us and some of the practices that were considered the “norm” in those days! Each of us could recount many examples of those teachers who made such a positive …
Jun 17
Don’t forget to celebrate!
The school year in Alberta is coming to a close and it will coincide with my first year of blogging anniversary. What began as a desire to simply communicate from the my office has developed into an almost weekly personal education reflection. Upon reviewing my yearly blog posts, I would suggest that the vast majority …
Jun 13
Where lies the enemy?
There is considerable finger pointing in our world today. We’ve replaced responsibility with accountability. Too often, society is quick to blame somebody or something else for their own woes. This really struck a chord a couple of weeks ago when I was involved in a Twitter chat that blamed everything beyond themselves. Even trying to …
Jun 02
From the Desk of the Superintendent- June 2012
It is hard to imagine that we have only one month of school remaining and the Stanley Cup Playoffs are still going on!!! All kidding aside, each year seems to pass by quicker than the previous and this year was no exception. I’m very proud of the accomplishments of Holy Spirit again this past year. …
May 27
Educators need Twitter!
I read a message while following the chat at #connectedca that stated, “I’ve learned more from Twitter in the last year than in the last 5 years of PD activities.” This message was similar to one I provided at my opening address beginning this year. This does not imply that I have not attended some powerful professional …
May 21
The importance of play!
This past week I visited one of our Pre-Kindergarten classrooms to observe their Science Fair. Imagine that! Four year olds with their parents engaged in neat experiments, laughing and learning through play. When I reflect on the activities I witnessed, two main messages come through loud and clear. The first message is targeted at parents. …
May 13
Living and Learning
This weekend I provided messages to the graduation classes of Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge and St. Michael’s School in Pincher Creek. With both convocations being on the same day, it was a mad dash to finish up with CCH in the morning and then drive the 1 hour to arrive in time for …