How many times have we heard a person say, “I don’t do math” or “I’m not good at math” and walk away honestly believing those are acceptable statements? Would we look differently at an individual who made similar statements that involved reading or writing? We are generally pretty quick to judge those with poor literacy …
Category: Educational Updates
Jul 02
“It’s Moments That Matter!” – Graduation Address for St. Michael’s Bow Island 2019
Good evening Ladies and Gentlemen, honoured guests and a very special greeting to our St. Michael’s Graduates of 2019. I always look forward to attending this graduation ceremony and am honored to bring greetings on behalf of the school division. This graduation ceremony, has a little extra meaning for me, as this will be the …
May 15
Developing Strong Resilient Kids
The following article was written for the Lethbridge Herald and published on May 15, 2019. During my career in education, and especially these past ten years as Superintendent of Schools, I’ve witnessed an almost epidemic rise in student anxiety. School systems continue to support the hiring of more counselling staff and offer programs to build …
May 11
“Shine your Light! Follow your Path!”- Graduation Address for St. Michael’s Pincher Creek 2019
Oki! Good afternoon Ladies and Gentlemen. It is always a pleasure to come to Pincher Creek and celebrate the graduation of our students from St. Michael’s. Congratulations to our St. Michael’s Graduates of 2019. What a great theme you have chosen for your graduation this year, “Shine your Light; Follow your Path.” I want to …
Apr 28
Enhancing leadership capacity
One of my core beliefs as a superintendent is to provide support and build the capacity of our school leaders. While somewhat of an over exaggeration, in many cases, “how goes the principal is how goes the school.” This doesn’t mean that everything good or bad needs to be laid on the lap of the …
Apr 03
Shifting our Focus
The following blog post was written for the Lethbridge Herald, April 03, 3019. Sometimes it is very difficult to let go of the past. It is comfortable, even though we know that it is likely remembered far better than it was actually lived. Similarly, we often hold on to our traditional beliefs about schooling and …
Mar 24
3 tips for becoming a more relational leader
A couple of weeks ago, I wrote a fairly harsh blog post entitled, “If you can’t get along with people…don’t be a leader!” Demonstrating honesty, integrity and trust are all key characteristics for getting along with people. But what else? No matter where you are in your leadership journey, improvement or honing your skills should …
Mar 08
If you can’t get along with people…don’t be a leader!
I’ve always been a strong believer in the importance of fostering effective relationships in the workplace. There is good reason why it is the first competency stated in all three standards; Superintendent, Leadership and Teacher. But some of the best lessons regarding the importance of relationship building have come from the business world. In other …
Feb 20
Transitioning to a New Superintendent
This is the first Lethbridge Herald article I’ve written since I officially announced my retirement for the end of December 2019. The new Superintendent of Schools for Holy Spirit Catholic School Division will take over the reins on January 5, 2020. It may seem odd to many that my announcement has come so early in …
Feb 03
Know your people and let them know you!
It still amazes me there are leaders who don’t believe in the importance of fostering effective relationships with their people. And when I say people, I just don’t mean their direct reports but as many as possible within the organization. While I understand that may be impossible in larger corporations or school divisions, it should …