One of my most interesting consulting roles that I’ve fallen into after retiring from the superintendent position has been working with local school boards. My initial work has been board orientations, focusing much of the time on defining their “why” and providing a deep understanding of their role and that of the superintendent. Later this spring, I’ll be engaged in the processes of board and superintendent evaluations.

In my review of the role of boards, every board has development as part of their work. But what does that look like? My career in central office working directly with boards spanned over 19 years. I can honestly say that seldom did I worry about board development other than when an election was held, and a new board was formed. That in itself, was a little self-serving, as I really wanted board members, especially new board members to know the difference between their role and mine. Plus, in most cases, board development became a responsibility of the superintendent under that famous contractual phrase, “and other duties as assigned.” While superintendents should have the opportunity to co-learn with their boards, it should not be part of their work. The superintendent is the “sole employee” of the board and as such, can be placed in an awkward position leading the learning of the board. Remember, the role descriptor is board development not board/superintendent development. Superintendents already have a massive commitment to their own learning and that of leading their overall learning community.

There was a time in education when professional learning happened at an event. While those events could be powerful, we now know that once or twice a year sessions are insufficient to impact ongoing improvement. Boards who believe that their involvement in bi-annual meetings (of which some PD is offered) is sufficient to place a check mark beside their board development role do not fully understand their responsibility. There is an expectation that educators be lifelong learners and engage in continuous improvement yet, many boards settle for simple attendance at annual meetings as evidence of board development. Tone at the top is important and so boards should never expect their employees to engage in ongoing professional learning if they are not prepared to engage in the same themselves.

Board development is vastly different from individual trustee development. Trustees should always be on a learning journey, but it is the corporate board that does the work and therefore that development must be prioritized. I’ve been pleased to witness many boards engage in book studies but dismayed that most were facilitated by the superintendent. Again, the co-learning opportunity is essential, but it needs to be directed by the board or an outside consultant.

One of the easiest first steps I’ve found to get development front and center on a monthly basis, is to have board members review their own meetings. Successful boards understand their role better than anything else and it can be relatively easy to see if the board is operating in their correct lane by their meetings. Some sample questions to lead the reflection and discussion might be:

• Reviewing the agenda of the board meeting, when did you act in the following modes:
  • Fiduciary (Oversight)
  • Strategic (Foresight)
  • Generative (Insight)
  • Innovative (Continuous Improvement)
• What policies did you review?
• If you made any changes to a policy, how did it better support the role of the board?
• What are some board actions or conversations that focused on the board’s priorities?
• What evidence would you use to support your board meeting was successful?
• What might you change to improve the work of the board at the next board meeting?

These are just a sample of questions that have the intent of generating dialogue on the work of the board during meetings to ultimately lead to further development. Just as educators are called to be reflective of their practice to initiate improvement, so must boards. Board development is not a sprint but a marathon. It must be intentional and ongoing! If the general public is to see the value in school boards and the work being done, then it is critical that boards commit to getting better and engage in ongoing development.  

Early in my senior education career, I remember then Deputy Minister Maria David-Evans, speaking about how Alberta was a world class education system. One of her key points was the importance of a strong centralized curriculum. While not always perfect, no curriculum is, Alberta has always been recognized as having a strong curriculum that jurisdictions around the world have sought to emulate or simply use when possible.

Late last year, the government of NWT made the decision to not continue to use Alberta curriculum. Instead, students in NWT will follow BC curriculum beginning in September 2022. After years of a successful partnership with Alberta curriculum, the question of why the change by the NWT government should be fairly evident. What is coming to students in Alberta beginning this September is simply unacceptable.

One of the reasons that Alberta’s curriculum has been so world renowned was due to the process of development. Broad based, forward thinking, and age appropriate were all pillars in the development of new curriculum. But always, current and practicing teachers were well engaged in the process. While it is essential to have senior administration, curriculum specialists, post-secondary, parent, business and community input, a strong centralized curriculum will never be as good as it should be without teacher input right from the initial stages of development. I cannot imagine any new developments in any other profession being contemplated without those same professionals being involved from the very beginning.

This government has shut out the very professionals who will be implementing this new curriculum from the start. They have made this new curriculum more political than any previous government and have made the arrogant assumption that they know more about curriculum development than the classroom teacher. It takes a massive collaborative team to design robust and relevant curriculum and this government has done so without key members of the team, namely teachers.

Alberta, as a world class education system is in jeopardy if this new curriculum goes forward. It is just that plain and simple!

I am really disappointed with the arrogance and ignorance of this government to assume that they know better than teachers when it comes to developing new curriculum. We have had a process that for years included practicing teachers that has produced high quality learning outcomes and maintained our educational excellence. Without a course correction before September, we will be implementing an ill-advised, non-child friendly curriculum that will take us back 50 years!

The future problems we will face will not be solved by students subjected to this soon to be implemented, outdated and irrelevant curriculum! OUR STUDENTS DESERVE BETTER!

Get teachers back into the process and watch the magic!!!

Most of my blog posts have typically focused on leadership however, with this pandemic and especially lately, I have tried to write about the impact of the pandemic on teachers. While many still believe in the myth of the 9-3 teacher, teaching has never been easy, and it is even more difficult and complex today!

Today I want to focus on system leaders and the additional stress that this pandemic has placed on those in charge or in support of entire school divisions. During the last couple of weeks, I have had the good fortune of connecting with many of my former colleagues and to say that they are leading in unprecedented times would be an understatement.

When I retired in January 2020, I had the good fortune of having worked with boards who appreciated and valued my leadership. Over an 11-year tenure as superintendent, I was able to gather a team of some of the greatest central office leaders to support the mission of the division. Equally or even more important was the stellar leaders who led our schools and teachers and support staff who made the magic happen in the classrooms. The last advantage I had as a long-standing superintendent was a strong connection with our parents and communities. They knew me and they trusted me in always desiring to do what was best for students.

I would be insulting to my readers if I said that my tenure was not difficult at times as there were trials and tribulations along the way. But those blips were usually minor or at the very least not long lasting. While always trying to give others credit for a job well done, I always felt affirmed in the position and a great satisfaction for the job. I question whether I would have those same sentiments if I were still in the position during this pandemic world.

COVID has created a very divided country and those divisions live in our school systems too! System leaders are walking through a minefield trying to support ALL and give voice to MANY! They are being pulled in every direction possible and any decision being made is always wrong to someone and usually that someone is voicing his displeasure loudly and often inappropriately.

Leading a system is a very tough in the best of scenarios but now, it requires almost superpowers. Dealing with staff and student absenteeism to ensure learning continues even though it is like having a never-ending penalty and constantly playing shorthanded is just one of the new challenges facing leaders. The decision to remain in school or move to at home learning does not just happen without some sort of thought. Closing one program to prop up another, keeping board members very aware of new nuances and of course working with a government who has demonstrated the absolute best of poor leadership.

People are frustrated as we approach our second-year anniversary of living with COVID in Alberta. We have lost vulnerable lives and closed the doors on businesses. People have been negatively impacted on a mental health spectrum not ever seen before. Family and other social interactions have been curbed to stop the spread and so many more issues have arisen due to this pandemic. Not to say that this is the first pandemic that people have the choice to be vaccinated or not.

The greatest leaders bring people together. They build cohesive teams, and they move toward the preferred future. That is significant work in itself but place the DIVIDE mentality of COVID into the mix and you begin to see the need for superpowers. I applaud system leaders of today and would suggest more should do so as they are leading through an educational crisis better than any others would be able to do.

I have said this before, but it is so applicable right now, “Its easy to criticize from the cheap seats when you don’t have any skin in the game.” The role of the superintendent, director or system leader is complex, and few can do it. So, before you begin to criticize your system leaders, I would suggest you get your head out of your @ss because you don’t know what you don’t know!

I try and stay socially connected to the education world through my Twitter account and what I’ve been seeing is pretty disheartening. Educators are feeling exhausted, disrespected, frustrated and little angry too! I know that most social media platforms allow a person to “sound off” without much care on the impact of their words…but what I am reading is from people I know, solid educators who I would have my grandchildren in their classrooms in a heartbeat. Some without a real understanding of what it is like be in education may want to assume that this is the perspective from the “union!” No! These are highly competent and compassionate professionals who care about what they do and the students they serve. So where does that leave us and what do we do?

While I was a superintendent, I always addressed our first-year teachers and reminded them to keep their priorities in the right order. It was a consistent message to all staff. Everybody has different priorities at different times but in communicating my list for them, the job was always last. It did not mean that I had low expectations for their work, in fact I expected a remarkably high standard. I believed however, in Covey’s famous principle, “Put first things first!”

“You can’t give what you don’t have.” Educators have lives beyond the school and classrooms and we want to think that those lives are not messy. But they are! We have educators just like the rest of society that have health problems and relationship problems and family problems and…the list goes on and on. Yet, while we may acknowledge that this is true, we expect these highly trained professionals to just leave it at home and do their job with excellence. Most do but in this demanding pandemic world, some are not, and others are on the very edge.

So, I return to the title of this blog, “Being selfish” which is a foreign concept to these compassionate educators. Putting first things first begins with the individual. It is about finding some solid rock in your life before you reach out to others. It is not about being selfish for more things but being selfish to be able to give more. There is a significant difference between the two. Taking care of yourself so that you can take care of others is not a new or novel idea. But it starts with looking honestly at your own life and figuring out what you truly need to be better and that takes you to be a little selfish.

Business folks caring only about the bottom line believe my way of thinking is ludicrous and sense that employees will just take advantage. No matter what profession or line of work you are in, there will be those who take advantage of your request for them to be selfish. However, most employees will see the care you have for them and will always give you more. If you have more people taking advantage, then maybe you should not be their leader.

I would never suggest that organizations have an opt out clause to promote positive mental health in their employees, but individuals must make some changes in their own lives too. Do not be afraid of being selfish to enhance your own mental health and your overall wellbeing. Remember, what helps you, benefits the students in your school!

Depending on where you are in North America, educators are either preparing for students to return to in school learning or preparing to offer online education in the coming days. Regardless of the decision made by governments, a high degree of stress is present. This newest variant, which is by far the most transmissible, is putting significant strain on not only our health systems but our education system too!

From an education perspective, teachers and leaders are facing their own health concerns and that of their students. “Will I be safe going back into the classroom?” is a fair question, as is, “What supports will there be for my students and I regardless of being in school or at home?” The only thing we know for sure is that we continue to be living in an ever-changing world and unknown future.

With that in mind, I would like teachers and leaders to be mindful of the statement below as we all continue to experience this pandemic: Don’t try and be perfect. Just do your best.

Late last year I presented on the fact of not living in this new normal but rather creating a better normal. A better normal does not mean nor should it ever mean being perfect. Educators, like all of us just need to do their best and that will be highly varied depending on their own situation. My best might be barely struggling to pull myself out of bed or it might be walking into my classroom with more vim and vigor than ever before.

Acknowledging where we are, right now is our best, and that needs to be the starting point for everyone. Once we start with our best, we can start on getting better.

Here is the myth about getting better that most of us believe inherently: Getting better is instantaneous. Believing that causes frustration because we tend to evaluate our process on the ultimate goal rather than the small steps getting there. Getting better is a journey with many slips and falls, ups and downs. And leaders, especially need to understand that getting better requires support. There needs to be an acceptance that this is extremely challenging work (it was even before the pandemic) and supportive coaching, empathy and simple care are necessary.

Regardless of where you are on your “best” meter, accept it as your starting point and begin to move from there. Do not allow others to tell you where you should be! You are where you are period! We take students from where they are and not where we think they should be. Why shouldn’t that lesson translate to us as educators?

Your best is where you are right now! Your better comes in your time and with the supports you need. Be okay with your best and welcome your chance to get better!

It is almost two years to the day that I retired from the role of Superintendent of Schools. That means, that I retired pre-pandemic. There was certainly a time when education was easier, but I cannot imagine a time when education was more difficult than during these past two years. It does not matter where you sit in the educational world, these last two years (and likely beyond) have been the most demanding on record.

Teachers and leaders are doing their very best, but they are living on the edge. The unpredictability caused by the pandemic and the realization that this is the new normal is not very comforting. Often the public is forgetful that educators have lives beyond the school. So when we talk about closures or child care or online schooling or… the impact is felt on multiple levels by the educator. Add in the fact, that we have students in classrooms who for almost two years have not had what we would say a typical school year. Teachers are trained in pedagogy and although it is often magic what they do with students from such diverse environments, they are not magicians.

Governments across this country are trying to make decisions to balance the need for students to be in school with a required plan to stop the spread of this latest variant. Any decision will be an impact on family life, economics and of course the education world. While some governments may be better with their plans, the unfortunate part of this issue is that there are no right answers for everything and everyone. And sadly, there will never be enough money to “fix the problem!” In my almost 35 year career not once did I ever say, “We have enough money in education!” We never have and we never will!!!

That does not mean that governments should wash their hands of the funding issue. There are resources that should be allocated to school divisions immediately that would support the education system. But what I would like to see, especially in Alberta, is a government (starting with the Premier) that demonstrates respect for educators and an acknowledgement of the demand that has been put on them especially these last two years. This respect and acknowledgement that are owed are not simply words of appreciation, but rather can only be demonstrated by actions. Unfortunately, so many of this government’s actions made to date have created a massive chasm that I’m not sure can be bridged under the current leadership but that cannot stop any attempt to move forward.

One action that would go a long way to demonstrating respect for educators is to bring teachers into the fold of curriculum development. It was a partial holiday present when the Minister of Education put a delay on the archaic social studies curriculum. Even if I assume that the remainder of the new curriculum coming out this September is “good” there is far too much baggage to have a successful implementation. A pause to allow teachers back into the development of new curriculum is all that is required. We are not starting brand new as previous governments (NDP & PC) have both provided excellent blueprints on the what and how of curriculum. This is not about ideology but rather starts to de-politicize education which is very much needed. Great curriculum needs educators’ involvement from the very start.

The quote above is a reminder to governments (and maybe even the general public) that feeling appreciated can make such a difference. With the immense pressure being experienced in the education sector and the additional pressures put on schools and systems during this pandemic, governments need to find ways to build stronger relationships, develop more collaborative processes and ultimately demonstrate through actions, an appreciation for the work being done.

One of the advantages of consulting for Nelson on a part time basis, is that I am able to access the wide array of professional learning that is offered. Most recently, I’ve been involved in the webinar series Relationships First: Rethinking the Post-Pandemic Classroom that is led by Dr. David Tranter. I’m currently in the midst of reading the resource, The Third Path- A Relationship-Based Approach to Student Well Being and Achievement, and am finding the information extremely helpful to the work I do in leadership and also personally.

Long before I retired in 2020, many school divisions were trying to address the need for trauma informed instruction and a more concentrated effort on social emotional learning. Students experiencing mental health challenges continued to soar, and educators, long before governments ever acknowledged the crisis, knew that something different had to occur to address this growing need. Even while governments, and too often the public as a whole, continued to lash out at the teaching profession on the lack of “academic” results, school divisions, educational leaders, and teachers in the trenches, understood what was most important, especially in this pandemic world, which was the emotional health of children. So, with little to no additional funding or supports, (don’t believe government propaganda) schools were tasked with doing it all under significant pressure and top down accountability. Add in, that some governments relish in the desire to completely obliterate any relationship with the teaching profession or “invent” a curriculum that is neither appropriate nor relevant, it is easy to see the scrutiny that the education sector is under.

Often government officials and “Joe Public” want to bring us back to the time when they went to school. While that might be an appropriate thought for them, today’s classroom is vastly different from what they remember. We have a spectrum of children in our schools and although the percentages are not fixed, the generalities should lead anyone to see that teachers are facing some monumental tasks long before they see the faces of the students. As an example, here are some facts from Dr. Tranter about who is in the current classroom, found in The Third Path resource. (pg 37-40)

• The Secure Child- Approximately 60% of all children fall into this category. They have caregivers who have been consistent, responsive and reliable and feel worthy of love. Secure children tend to be “happy, resilient, and able to sustain exploration and learning.” (pg 38)
• The Avoidant Child- 15% of children in our classrooms exhibit an avoidant attachment pattern since they have grown up with caregivers who tend to be rejecting, resentful, intrusive, and controlling. We might characterize these children as loners and are often perceived as sad and disengaged.
• The Ambivalent Child- About 10% of these children live in our classrooms. Their caregivers have been typically unreliable and inconsistent leading them to feel unloved and unworthy. They tend to be seen as attention-seeking and can be whiny, clingy, or simply angry. Concentration is difficult for them and so they are easily distracted.
• The Disorganized Child- The last category involves about 15% of all children. Given that their caregiver’s behaviour is volatile and unpredictable, they exhibit a wide range of behaviours from fearful, to angry to controlling. In the classroom they are highly disruptive and have little respect for rules, property or personal space.

While it is certainly not my desire to lay the blame on parents/caregivers, the attachment spectrum above is linked to caregiving. Raising kids is probably the toughest role that we have and most of us have little training beyond how we were parented. That being said, school divisions in partnership with other agencies have again taken the lead to fill the void and help parents/caregivers develop better child rearing practices. Part of the issue is that all of us have a difficult time in saying out loud that we need some work in our parenting skills and more importantly access the supports to do just that. I don’t believe there are any caregivers out there who wake up on a daily basis and ask themselves how they are going to “screw up” their child today! It is not intentional but as you can see, it happens!

So wouldn’t it be nice if all children felt secure- not just from a social emotional perspective but from a learning perspective too? Society as a whole, needs to be part of that fix but until then, teachers and educators throughout take the challenge head on.

But that’s not all! You see, if we want to build a more compassionate world, we welcome all children (as much as possible) into our classrooms. Our desire to create a more inclusive environment (which is the right direction) provides an additional complexity into classrooms today.

Even if we assume that children with diverse needs fall into the category of the secure child, they require additional programming to support their learning. THIS CLASSROOM is very different from the one that most of us grew up in and it is not overly helpful to want to go back to the “good ole days!” What is needed from governments and the general public is recognition that teachers are not miracle workers but instead superheroes. I say superheroes, because given the complexity of the classroom, the vast majority of teachers still work toward creating an environment that supports social emotional learning and academic growth. While those have typically been in conflict with one another, The Third Path provides a recipe for successful achievement of both.

Teachers don’t need our pity but they certainly deserve our support. The needs of the (at most) 60% of secure children must be met just as the needs of the other students in the classroom. In the business world, most organizations wouldn’t survive if only 60% of their staff were ready and able to work every day. And business, have the ability to terminate those who don’t fit in as required. In education however, we don’t “fire” kids. Instead, teachers lose sleep trying to figure out how to connect with a child when nothing seems to work. They hear parents say, “He never behaves like that at home” or “It wasn’t until she came to your class that this all began.” Instead they listen, even though they know there is another story that is not being told or shared and enter the classroom bruised and bloodied but still willing to be there for EVERY CHILD!

No, teachers are not miracle workers, but what they do for children who are not there own, is pretty darn remarkable. Let’s try and remember that the next time the topic of education comes up and someone belittles these superheroes.

We just came through a federal election here in Canada and a fairly useless and expensive endeavour to boot! Most people would have voted along party lines and that would likely be similar in provincial elections too! Obviously there are exceptions, but in general, the person is far less important than the political party.

However, in the upcoming municipal elections, there are no direct party affiliations and therefore you are voting strictly for a person. In this blog post, I’m hoping to provide some insights to assist voters in selecting the best candidates and ensure our municipalities and school boards function much better than most other governments perform in provinces and the country. I have previously written about “Becoming a school board member” which might be a helpful read as well.

• Voting for incumbents- Incumbents should have a leg up when it comes to the election and that is partly due to name recognition. However, it is important for voters to have a clear understanding of what those incumbents have done during their term. Have they been successful? Have they made a positive impact to the community they served? I always liked the phrase, “The best predictor of future performance is past performance” and this is what voters should be looking for in incumbents.
• Name recognition- This is not only for incumbents. Sometimes a well established family or member of the community has a relative running for office. While the name may be respected, it is not automatic that the candidate will be strong. I’ve witnessed far too often people being elected because of their name and failing miserably in the role.
• Voting for new- I’m a strong believer that a mix of new and incumbent candidates serve boards and councils best… but they have to be the right new! When looking at new candidates running for positions, it is essential to understand their reason for seeking election. As Simon Sinek says, “What is their why?” For me, I really want to hear candidates talking about service to all and not just a select few of their cronies and an opportunity to give back to the community at large.
• Balance- As highlighted in the above bullet, the right balance of new and current candidates is essential. Just as boards and councils who have become long in the tooth have a tendency to become stale and disconnected, the opposite of all or nearly all new can be just as damaging. Not to be disrespectful, but new candidates to boards and councils have limited knowledge about the role and without some experienced mentors, those groups can become pretty dysfunctional pretty quickly.
• Mayors- While there may be exceptions, I would be hard pressed to vote for a mayoral candidate that doesn’t have council experience. They may be great on paper but they lack council experience and it is really important to have a good understanding of council business, roles, procedures and policies beforehand. However, if the current lot of councillors running have a past record that is poor at best, find the best “new” out there.
• Promises- I refer back to my statement that most candidates who have not been in political roles have little true understanding of that role. It is easy to make promises about what you will do when most times that is not part of your role description. “You don’t know what you don’t know” is an appropriate statement here. Promises should be around a candidate’s character and how he or she will act. While these promises may not hold out to be true, lofty promises about “changing the world” are arrogant at best!
• Single issue candidates- When candidates are fixated on one issue, chances are that they won’t be much help to the organization, board or council. If the issue is quickly resolved or it is actually a non-issue or unsolvable, the candidate is left in almost limbo since his/her reason for running is now mute! Candidates who come in with an axe to grind are similar, but might be even more dangerous because they are coming into the position in the name of revenge and not service.

Unfortunately most of the general public don’t do the necessary work to get to know their candidates and then get what they get! I’m hoping that in this next general municipal election on October 18th, that the right candidates rise to the top and serve as needed and required in this most challenging of times!

Last week, I completed a follow up presentation to a school staff, that I’ve worked with this past year. In my first presentation, the staff was introduced to Miss Patty in the video The Calling. It is a video from a father who expresses his gratitude for his little girl receiving the gift of learning from a teacher named Miss Patty. I followed up in my next presentation, with a short video entitled Being Mr. Jensen, which is from the perspective of an adult recalling his life changing teacher. After the video, I asked the staff to write down the name of one or two students in the school that they were a Miss Patty or Mr. Jensen for, this past year. Names flew across the chat box because educators (everyone in the school setting) took a special interest in one, two or more students in hopes of changing the life trajectory to a more positive path. That is what educators do, but until you ask them that question, they seldom reflect on what those extras mean in the life of a child.

Some of those students may have had tough home lives or needed a boost of confidence or simply needed a caring adult to advocate for them but regardless, the influence of those educators made a difference. While the poor teacher is often held up as the example of the teaching profession, the truth is, that most educators go above and beyond and are a Miss Patty or Mr. Jensen to a student everyday.

After presenting this point as a retired superintendent, I put on my dad hat. As many of you who know me, we have two children. Our daughter was a pretty compliant and good student and didn’t get into much trouble in school and had a great number of educators who were either Miss Patty or Mr. Jensen. Our son on the other hand, was gifted in social intelligence (that means he was quite the talker) and tended to live on the edge or step over the rules line a fair amount. However, I know what it felt like as a dad when one of his educators became his Miss Patty or Mr. Jensen. I look back at those individuals with so much gratitude because they saw our son for all of his goodness and strengths and not everything that was negative.

Every teacher cannot be everything to every child but every child requires at least one Miss Patty or Mr. Jensen in their lives everyday. Schools (regardless of the size) that have formal procedures in place that ensure that every child has a Miss Patty or Mr. Jensen are so much farther ahead on the social emotional learning scale. It is not that some children won’t still fall through the cracks but intentional action will see more positive life changing interactions for students.

In this crazy pandemic year, educators has been nothing short of superheroes even though governments haven’t considered them to be frontline workers and have characterized them as simply a “special interest group!” My message is one of great gratitude to the Miss Pattys and Mr. Jensens in the educational trenches and my challenge is for all educators to remember their influence and importance and to ensure that they continue to make a difference in the live of a child each and every day!