Dec 04

Teachers aren’t miracle workers but they can sure make a difference!!!

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.

Oct 12

Choosing your municipal candidates

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!

Aug 01

Becoming a school board member

The third Monday of October will see Albertans go to the polls for municipal elections. Included in those elections will be individuals seeking to serve a four year term as a trustee on their local school board. For most, this is their first time entering the political arena and some are far more ready to serve than others. During the past couple of months, I’ve been sought out, to engage with potential candidates on what that role looks like and to more or less give the hard truth about being a trustee. As a teacher, I knew very little about the role of a trustee other than they negotiated the collective agreement. When I took on an administrative role, I learned a little more about what they did, but it was not until I began my central office career that I began to truly understand the importance of this position. This importance, is why I believe those running should be made aware of this fact and more importantly, voters need to be clear on who they are putting in place to govern their local education system for the next four years.

With that in mind and my experience over a 19 year period of working with elected trustees, (some of the very best and some that should never have been in the position), I share the following:

  • Big egos and service don’t work well together. While the role of trustee is essential (or should be), it is and never can be about one person. Great working boards function as a team and ego gets in the way very quickly. Trustees have no individual decision making power and that is extremely difficult for the alpha male/female to live with.
  • The last statement is critical for candidates and electors to remember, especially during the campaign phase. Individual trustees cannot simply demand a decision or make something happen. There is a protocol and decisions come through the corporate board. If a candidate begins to speak about all the things he or she is going to do when they get elected, take it with a grain of salt. Boards govern, they don’t administrate and they shouldn’t be involved in decisions made at the school level.
  • If you are fortunate to get elected, you will always be seen as a trustee, no matter where you are. This is really important to remember, because the conversations you had beforehand are no longer allowed. You may have been the most involved parent on school council but that is no longer your role. Just like there is a line drawn between teacher and administration, administrator and central office personnel, there is a line that all new trustees cross. Not only do trustees need to cross that line, but they need to stay on the right side of that line during their entire term.
  • Be ready for few accolades! I’ve worked with some of the very best boards and seldom did any ratepayer or staff member give them a shout out. The person who runs into you at the grocery store is likely not coming up to you to say what a great job you’re doing; it is generally to complain about something or someone. Remember it is not in your job description to fix it, so learn to listen and direct it to administration where there is the authority to address.
  • Not only will you get few accolades but you are going to make some tough decisions that will not make people happy. While in the political arena you must always advocate for increased funding from your provincial government but don’t ever believe you will ever have enough to satisfy everyone. Needs of the division must be addressed long before wants of a school or individual. You are making decisions with the understanding of the entire division and not any individual. However, in your decision making, DON’T ever forget about the individual child or staff member when that decision will impact them. You’ll need to develop a tough skin but not ever lose a compassionate heart. If tough decisions are easy for you, you’re not right for trusteeship. Every cut of program or staff should be hell on you even when you know it is the right thing to do for the division as a whole.
  • Tough decisions are accepted much better when trustees are relational. This doesn’t mean that trustees become buddy/buddy with their school communities but it does mean being open and honest. Rural trustees may have more difficulty with this because the school and community tend to be so tightly connected. I’m not suggesting that you stop attending school concerts or athletic events but remember your role needs to be always apparent… you are the trustee!
  • There was a time that I believed school boards should only be made up of educators. However, I’ve learned that great boards just like great teams need diversity. Decisions need to be made and motions need to be debated from multiple perspectives and that won’t occur if you have any board comprised of only one segment of your electorate. I can think of some retired educators who would be outstanding as a trustee but I’ve also worked with some who were dead awful! The latter tend to believe that the system was so great that nothing should ever change or the system was so poor that everything must change.
  • In terms of retired educators, I have a special note for newly retired superintendents running for trusteeship…DON’T!!! I believe it is selfish period! It is not fair to the new superintendent or senior staff or the system as a whole. If you couldn’t make the changes you wanted as a superintendent, don’t try it from the trustee chair. My only caveat may be if you’ve moved to a different city and the senior administrators in that area are unknown to you and you to them.
  • Single issue trustees don’t serve the board well. If you are running on a single issue, you are not going to contribute as you should for the next four years. Typically a single issue is either solved early in a trustee’s tenure or ignored because it is so trivial. Your passion needs to be about service with the goal in mind to achieve high quality education for all students in a safe and caring environment.

As a society we are often found complaining about the work of our politicians and so often it is because we don’t know enough about our candidates and their views. While trusteeship may not seem as important as being a Member of the Legislature or a Mayor of a city or town, the role deals with the education of our children. A strong education system will always build a better future and so trustees need to be considered highly important and influential. Don’t take the system that is educating our children for granted by electing those who don’t have a passion for the job and a commitment to building a better future! Make sure you know who you are voting for in the next election!

Jun 05

Being a superhero!

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!

Jun 01

Another Residential School Tragedy

Like any with a heart, the discovery of 215 children in an unmarked gravesite at the Kamloops Residential School hit me hard. I was born in that city and although I didn’t grow up there, I spent almost every summer visiting my grandparents. I knew there was a residential school there and I even attended a midnight mass, when my family was there for Christmas back in the late 60s. The unfortunate part, is that I really didn’t know about residential schools until I was a superintendent beginning in 2009. For almost 50 years I grew up with a belief that residential schools, although not perfect, were overall, a pretty good idea. HOW WRONG I WAS!!!

I remember giving a presentation where I spoke about the very dark history of the government and the Church regarding residential schools. After my talk, one of the attendees approached me to say that all things at the residential school were not bad. Her perspective was that of a teacher in a residential school. While she may have been a very caring and great teacher and there may have been many more who fit that description, the very nature of and reason for residential schools was purely evil! Let’s put things into perspective and go back to the spring of 1883 and read the words of Canada’s first Prime Minister, John A. Macdonald:

“When the school is on the reserve, the child lives with its parents, who are savages. … He is simply a savage who can read and write,” he said, as quoted in the record of debates in the House of Commons. Indian children should be withdrawn as much as possible from the parental influence, and the only way to do that would be to put them in central training industrial schools, where they will acquire the habits and modes of thought of white men.”– Toronto Star

Talk about arrogant white thinking back then and sadly in many people today, it still remains!

It is not ever acceptable to try and eradicate a population. We scream outrage for the extermination of the Jewish people under the Nazi regime and when there are examples of other genocides around the world we protest. But in Canada, where we experienced our own genocide, we “whitewash it” or simply ignore. Even when the history is as evil as the experiences of residential schooling, we need to educate our children in our classrooms. It cannot be swept under the rug like it has for far too long. True truth and reconciliation requires truth first and to present our history from an only very narrow colonial perspective is not helpful for our future generations. When visiting Germany a number of years ago, I was told that as part of the national curriculum, every grade 9 student visited a concentration camp. Germany has a terrible history under Adolf Hitler and the Third Reich but it is remembered for future generations to learn from and not merely omitted in order to save face!

In April 2017, I wrote an article for the Lethbridge Herald entitled, Foundational Knowledge of First Nations, Metis and Inuit. In it I shared how one might feel if their own children were apprehended by authorities and removed from their parents. But let me paint the picture more clear as the uninformed and ignorant would suggest that the removal of those children were for their own sake! We have two grandchildren, ages 5 and 3. They are living a life that is their norm. They have loving parents and extended family. They already have beliefs and traditions they follow and a language they speak. Now imagine that a new government came to power and decided what was best for MY GRANDCHILDREN! What if they simply took them away from everything they know and were told their parents and families were savages, their traditions/beliefs/customs were evil and their language was never to be spoken again? And then, let’s remember that their parents would be jailed if they tried to “rescue” their own children and be further biased simply because of their race!

While it shouldn’t take us getting so personal to see how the residential school system’s goals were so devastating, it might be the only way to get to truth and reconciliation. We have a very dark history in Canada and we can no longer make excuses for the past. Instead, we must acknowledge the attempted genocide of our indigenous people and ensure that the truth is taught in our schools.

215 children! The youngest child found was just 3 years old. How is that not close to home and how can anyone not be on the side of change!

May 02

Maybe we should talk about curriculum!!!

I’ve sat on this blog post for weeks now, but figured it was probably time to get my viewpoint out on curriculum. I would never consider myself an expert, but I’ve been well involved over the years in working with Alberta Education, as part of numerous teams overseeing the development and/or implementation of new curriculum. That said, I’m unapologetic in saying I know a hell of a lot more than people like David Staples! For expert analysis of the draft K-6 curriculum being considered by this government, I would suggest checking out the works of Dr. Robin Bright, Dr. Richelle Marynowski or Dr. Carla Peck. Each of these content and pedagogical experts provide excellent reviews without much partisan politics. I’ve worked with two of the three and have great respect for their expertise.

Rather than be specific about this draft, I intend to make some broad strokes about curriculum. First of all, curriculum needs to prepare students for their future and not our past. Knowledge is not the same thing as understanding and a curriculum based solely on “facts” does nothing to prepare students for an ever changing future. This does not mean that foundational skills in literacy and numeracy are not essential. In fact, it is highly critical that students have a sturdy foundation in “reading, writing and arithmetic.” However, students and ultimately society cannot function with that superficial level of curriculum. A more robust curriculum where students are taught to infer, think critically, problem solve and ultimately know how to learn is where one must go!

One of the best examples of forward thinking for curriculum development was initiated by former Education Minister and 15th Premier of Alberta, David Hancock, as part of Inspiring Education. The goal was to develop students who were “Engaged Thinkers, Ethical Citizens with an Entrepreneurial Spirit.” Now that is forward thinking! Unfortunately, the “Ministerial Order on Student Learning” that followed that vision didn’t align with the curriculum at the time. However, the notion of being innovative in the classroom and looking for ways to better support a focus on competencies, improved student engagement and a stronger commitment to inclusive learning was born. These are some of the major pieces that we should be looking at when developing curriculum! It has to move students and ultimately society forward rather than maintaining the status quo or worse taking a step back into the dark ages.

Any curriculum developed needs to be age appropriate. It is unethical to demand students to learn concepts when they are not intellectually ready. There is a reason that toy manufacturers put ages on their products. I watched my own grandson become frustrated with a toy given to him as a gift because it was beyond his development. This is especially important in the early years. Children are born with a natural curiousity and some of the quickest ways to destroy it are to provide no choice, unbending structure and non-age appropriateness. Discovery, (which seems to be a swear word when you add it with math) is a wonderful way for children to begin to learn. And dare I say…play is serious learning! Learning is on a continuum with some students excelling at different ages and stages of life. It makes organizational sense to set students up in cohorts based on their ages (grades) but it makes no sense from a pedagogy perspective. That however, is a blog for another time but regardless, curriculum must be designed to support the research on child development.

New curriculum must also be aware of limits on outcomes. While I still believe in the process of large scale stakeholder input, everybody’s wishes can’t be taught in schools. That was probably my greatest frustration working on curriculum development teams where someone from a stakeholder group would insist on the inclusion of an outcome before signing off. I applaud the addition of financial literacy into the new curriculum (even though it is already in the current curriculum) but then what is deleted to allocate that time. We already have too many outcomes forcing teachers to cover curriculum rather than allow time for “deep learning.” High end students may be able to keep up with that pace but we’ve built a system (not perfect yet) that is to be based on inclusion and therefore, learning should be the non-negotiable, not time. If we really want learning to be the non-negotiable, we need to scale down the number of outcomes and give time for students to learn deeply. Less curricular outcomes may also allow students time to explore their interests which really improves engagement.

I want to go back to a curriculum for inclusion. One of the loudest cries for the “back to the basics” move is because Alberta student results have plummeted. I would say that is an exaggeration at best and possibly closer to a lie. But let’s assume that our results have either dipped slightly or at worse remained relatively the same. What other measures are we looking at to evaluate our system because if it is just marks from standardized tests we are woefully lacking in a full understanding. An important fact, is that we successfully educate more students today than ever before and allow them to write those exams. Years ago, students who would not do well on those exams would be exempted or “missing on that day!” Now, as long as it is not harmful for the child, opportunities for those exams are welcomed even though government officials and so called education media evangelists lament at the crisis in our classrooms. Given a harsh accountability system, schools and divisions accepted the intense practice of streaming kids even though it never promoted a more inclusive environment. While I’m a firm believer of being data informed, I’ve learned that there is always a story behind the data and more importantly being “data driven” should never be in conflict with the move toward increased inclusion.

Finally and this is critical, curriculum must instill a better sense of community. In other words, it must help children and future generations understand diversity and combat against racism. This has never more evident in Canada than with our indigenous people. There are recommendations from the Truth and Reconciliation Commission that speak specifically to education. The new standards for teachers, leaders and superintendents all have a specific competency to support our First Nations, Metis and Inuit students, families and communities. We cannot have another generation of students grow up not knowing the negative impact of residential schools or not understanding the truth of our history even as horrific as it is, period! And the Black Lives Movement is not just for our neighbours south of us, it is here in Canada too! We talk about building better communities into the future and that must start by acknowledging our grievous errors in history within our curriculum.

Alberta has had a rich history of excellent curriculum and outstanding results. While I’ve not always agreed with all party politics, I cannot say anything negative about the curriculum development of previous governments until now! I’m a retired superintendent and that means, I don’t have children in school anymore but I will have grandchildren entering next year and in two years. I want them to be fully engaged in school and to simply love to learn. I don’t want them to just regurgitate knowledge that they acquire but rather to shift their minds as below. Curriculum needs to be for our children’s needs NOT our own!

7 Competencies for Deep Learning | A Parents' Guide to 21st Century Learning

Apr 11

High School Programming Now and into the Future

Last week, I had the pleasure of moderating a C21 Canada webinar entitled, “The A, B, Cs of High School Programming.” The webinar featured five Superintendents/Directors from across Canada. The two main questions that framed the discussion were:

  1. What pandemic opportunities have occurred in high school/secondary program models that encourage a deeper look at pedagogy? 
  2. What challenges or barriers need to be overcome to further implementation?

There were a few common themes from all of the speakers with the first being the implementation of a blended learning strategy. While we’ve highlighted for years the importance of technology in the classroom (virtual or not), the pandemic has acted as an accelerator to infuse its use into current pedagogy. High quality digital resources and platforms throughout this pandemic have been essential in continuing the learning journey of students. Pedagogy that leverages effective education technology cannot be seen going forward simply as “nice to have” but for the sake of future generations, it must be a “NEED TO HAVE.”

This need or the equity issue was another theme that crisscrossed through the country. When students are in school and in class, the equity issue is somewhat addressed. It is not perfect because most public schools do not have the ability to offer 1 to 1 continually, but until ALL students have access to a device during ALL hours of school, it won’t be. However, the inequities became blatantly obvious when students weren’t in the school. Marginalized populations without devices or internet access or both were highly disadvantaged when schools went to at home learning. One province, had the leadership (with some cajoling) to implement a full BYOD program for all high school students. While connectivity may still be an issue, having devices in all students’ hands is certainly a great move forward. The bottom line however, is that governments need to support this type of approach if we truly want equity throughout our systems. Where you live should not define high quality learning!

The last theme that was prevalent might be best described as an increase in flexibility in programming and for student voice and choice. The increase of outdoor learning activities was music to my ears. Real life and practical experiences amplifies student engagement and improves learning results. Many divisions have also altered schedules to better fit student needs with structural changes like alternate day attendance or quarter system timetabling. One concern that I’m well aware of is that just because you change the structure doesn’t necessarily mean that innovation is automatic. What this flexibility is truly about is increased student voice and choice and improved pedagogy with the assistance of technology. All of these moves supports the work of Daniel Pink who suggested that motivation comes from increased autonomy, mastery and purpose. Many of the approaches to high school programming are now addressing these three characteristics in one form or another.

Motivation - Conversion Uplift

We know, or at least we should know, that returning to what we used to do in high school programming post pandemic is not acceptable. As I’ve suggested in an earlier post, the window for change will only be open during this time and one of the challenges all of the leaders shared is the fear that we go back to the “normal” when the pandemic is over. The gains made during this pandemic in regards to modern learning and digital platforms cannot be lost. It would be extremely disheartening if the way we used to do things returns and the lessons learned are lessons lost.

Continuous improvement is always a goal of systems, schools and professionals and what I saw and heard from these leaders, it is certainly occurring in their areas. Well done!

Apr 05

Leadership and the rules of the game

A couple of weeks ago, veteran NHL referee Tim Peel was caught on a live microphone wanting to call a penalty on a team. He was subsequently released as the NHL believed strongly that the integrity of the game was at stake. There has been a lot of discussion on his punishment and whether it was warranted or not. “Even up” calls are not unheard of in sports; it is just that they are typically not as blatant as this one given the live microphone.

Everybody has an opinion on the issue but one comment that I heard during Saturday Night Hockey was in regards to the difference between calling the game black or white or managing the game. The best referees seem to manage the game and are almost invisible. I find that those who like adherence to strict rules, hence it is or it isn’t a penalty, only favour this position when it is beneficial for their team. If officials were instructed to call everything that they saw, sporting events would be dragged down to a snail’s pace and the entertainment value would be lacking to say the least. There are blatant infractions that will always need to be called and good referees know when, but they also know when to “put away their whistles too!”

The same can be said about leaders. Most poor leaders live in an either/or world because it is easier. The tight structure of right or wrong provides them the ability to lead without any emotional intelligence. Their mentality is, “You cross the line, you pay the price!” Many old style managers held this tyrannical type of leadership as their way to control. They tend to use the excuse that such rigidity is fair, yet we know that fair is not always equal. Plus, a lack of grey in their decision making contradicts what is most appreciated in leadership qualities, relationship!

I’ve often talked about how difficult it is to be an effective leader because you have to live in the grey and still be consistent in your approaches and decisions. Grey doesn’t mean wishy washy but rather an understanding that the threshold may be slightly different depending on the situation. Leaders know that there are the untouchables and they usually are around breaking the law or for organizations, ignoring a collective agreement. But breaking the law and bending the rules are very different. Organizations only improve when their people have some freedom to step outside of the line and try something new. Either/or leaders don’t allow that type of culture to develop and flourish.

Most rules have some flexibility and as leaders, it is critical to implore that flexibility for the sake of the organization and the people within. Bending rules for self is never acceptable but for the benefit of others, that is part of a leader’s job. Most people, like most fans want “black or white” when it suits them, but true leaders see grey in just about everything. In some instances, the threshold may be a little wider than in others and in others there is no options. As a gifted leader you need to name your untouchables (those that you have no tolerance for) and be transparent with your thresholds. Your people need to see your consistency (even in the grey) and that will provide them with confidence in your leadership.

Mar 21

The future of professional development

I was most interested following my social media feeds during virtual Teachers’ Conventions this year. The pandemic has certainly changed the way that professional development has been offered. There will be an end to the pandemic but with that end, what will become of professional development as we know it?

I remember one of the first posts I read, “Went to three sessions today. One great, one okay and the other terrible!” That comment could have been just as easily posted for a normal in-person conference. Virtual or not, the content or speaker or even the technology can make or break the satisfaction level. Most of the comments however, seemed to talk about the relaxed atmosphere and especially with the recorded sessions, the ability to hit pause and grab a bite to eat, something to drink or hit the washroom without waiting in line!!! Some people expressed disappointment with not being able to see friends and colleagues from different schools and divisions and just the lack of energy that large crowds gathered can instill. Regardless, the virtual component of education will require some deep thought coming out of this pandemic.

As a superintendent, I loved the opportunity to get all of our staff together in one place. It reinforced the community aspect that I believed was essential in maintaining a strong culture. I always tried to position myself near an entrance so that I could interact with as many staff members as possible. My preference as a superintendent and as a presenter has always been live and in person. I love the excitement, the energy and the ability to read the body language of those who I’m presenting to and learning with. But that is my preference and from that angle… Having also been involved from the other side and not presenting, the comforts of my home office are also pretty nice.

We have heard for years that professional development does not have cookie cutter solution. One size does not fit all! But at the same time, a smorgasbord of options is usually impractical and highly expensive. You just can’t have enough sessions to satisfy everyone! There are times when you need all staff to hear the same message and learn the same thing, in person or virtual, and there are times when the choice of professional development both what and how it is delivered are paramount. We live in a world that seems to gravitate to an either/or paradigm when we know that and/both is most often the best way forward. A blended approach where some face to face in person is offered, virtual components and on your own time must be the way that we offered professional development now and into the future.

If the pandemic has taught us one thing in education, it is that we can’t just simply go back to the ways things used to be. We know that from a teaching of students perspective and we need to understand that from a teaching of adults too! I like my virtual meetings/webinars where I don’t have to travel but I also miss those personal interactions. The question will always revolve around when to offer each because solely one or the other cannot be the way. We need to find a balanced blended approach to ensure high quality professional development is the rule and not the exception and that will be the future!

Feb 18

Schedule the important

A number of years ago I was introduced to a daily blog entitled “Leadership Freak.” The author, Dan Rockwell’s tag line is, “Empowering leaders 300 words at a time.” I’ve shared the link to many of my colleagues, as well as to former students of graduate classes who I taught. When time is tight, which it always seems to be for leaders, it is welcomed to gain some great insights in this 3 minute read.

Earlier this week, Dan wrote the following blog: The Urgency Illusion: Are You Running Around With Your Hair On Fire? Here’s Why? The premise of the blog was understanding the difference between important and urgent in relationship to tasks. While distinguishing between important and urgent is essential in the world of leadership, it has great parallels in many aspects of life as well. Point in case, I referenced the visual below in a faith presentation I did earlier this week.

Everyone moves through these quadrants during different times of the day or week. From my perspective, if you stay in the first quadrant very long, you are in crisis mode and headed toward burnout. If everything is important and urgent, then you are not likely managing your priorities well or not allowing your team members to be involved in tasks. Successful leaders try not to spend an inordinate amount of time in Quadrant #1. They also don’t live in the fourth quadrant often, as it is neither healthy nor productive.

However, for the purpose of this blog post, focusing on Quadrant #2 is my main topic. Scheduling the important needs to be almost non-negotiable for leaders. Without that commitment, urgent takes over and not only do your priorities slide away but your organization sees a detour in what you deem as important.

What is important in your words must be followed by what is important in your actions.

As a Superintendent of Schools, I believed that being visible in schools and the work of instructional leadership were important. Meetings in my world had the potential to consume my days if I didn’t block off time to get out of the office and into our schools. I wouldn’t say that my schedule was inflexible, but it was important to me that once I provided it weekly to trustees, school and system administration, only major emergencies could derail it. It was seldom urgent to get into a school but it was always important! My scheduling of the important also provided role modeling for my colleague administrators and mostly eliminated the excuse, “I don’t have time!”

Any task, that you deem important must be scheduled or it gets lost quite quickly in the busyness of the day. Quiet time, prayer time, getting exercise, going to church or even spending time with a loved one needs to be scheduled, especially if you are a busy person.

Emergencies and crisis come up, but it is not sustainable to be constantly putting out fires. Leaders and ultimately everyone needs to ensure they know what is important in their lives and jobs and then schedule around those priorities. Commit whenever possible to living in Quadrant #2 and enjoy your important schedule!