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 …
Category: Educational Updates
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 …
Jun 16
What legacy have I created?
The end of the school year is fast approaching. Final exams, year end activities and retirement functions are all a part of this final month. There is a push to get through these last few weeks of school and begin to enjoy a restful summer vacation. But even with the fatigue that is setting in, …
May 26
No more Provincial Achievement Tests… now what?
There was a barrage of announcements during Education Week from the Education Minister that has the possibility of significant impact on education not only in Alberta but throughout North America. Of particular interest to parents and teachers, especially those teaching grades 3, 6 and 9 was the elimination of the Provincial Achievement Tests (PATs) and the creation of a series …
May 05
Do we really want a better education system?
Change is an interesting dilemma! There are those in the world who are continual non-adopters of change and others who jump on every change that comes about, good or bad! From a leaders point of view, I can understand both, accept both and need to work with the two ends of a very diverse continuum. The …