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, it is important for all of us in education to self reflect on our year and ask ourselves, “What legacy have I created?”

To accurately assess that question, educators need to engage in self reflection. Although this should be an ongoing practice, it is of greatest value when we come to the end of an activity, a course, a year or a career. This was emphasized for me as I listened to various colleagues who will be retiring at the end of this school year. 

There are those who retire from the teaching profession with little or no regrets. They have created such a positive legacy that in essence, they are leaving at the top of their game. I imagine that their introspection throughout their careers was both highly honest and action orientated. “If my actions are not creating a positive legacy, then I need to make a change!” I respect those who have stayed just long enough in this career to remain at the top of their game before retiring. I admire those who leave this profession with a positive legacy of making a difference in the life of a child, co-worker or parent. It is difficult to watch those individuals “ride off into the sunset” because you know that you are losing an exceptional person. Yet, they know (through honest self reflection) when it is time to leave and pass on the torch for others to follow.

Every day that we step into a classroom, office or boardroom, every interaction with an adult or student, we create our own legacy.  It is what we do when we live in the educational system…seemingly 24/7. Our legacy may be developed through the exciting classes we teach, but it is more likely built or destroyed by the personal interactions with our students, our peers and our community. I was reminded of this again by Tom Hierck in his TEDxPowell River presentation that I recently viewed. We often are unaware of how our words and actions impact those around us and without any conscious thought we may never know what legacy we are creating.

It is only through honest self reflection that we can truly articulate our own legacy making. Often that causes some uneasiness, because what we see, may not be what we truly want. However, self reflection is not about beating ourselves up because of our failures. We will all fail! Self reflection is about learning from our failures or avoiding less failures. It prevents failing from becoming a permanent condition in our lives. It allows us to create the legacy that we want to create!

In education, we hold the future of children in the palms of our hands. What a great honor but what a great responsibility! Remembering that message and more importantly living it, will allow us to create the legacy that we want to create! At the end of our careers, we all want to define our success as expressed in the words of Ralph Waldo Emerson:

What is success? To laugh often and much; To win the respect of intelligent people and the affection of children; To earn the appreciation of honest critics and endure the betrayal of false friends; To appreciate beauty; To find the best in others; To leave the world a bit better, whether by a healthy child, a garden patch or a redeemed social condition; To know even one life has breathed easier because you have lived; That is to have succeeded.

 

 

Jun 13

From the Desk of the Superintendent- International Students

I wrote this blog post on my return flight from Bogota, Colombia. The purpose of the trip was to build relationships in the hope of bringing in international students to our division. Based on the agreement made, I would suggest that the trip yielded positive results. When school divisions try to entice international students to their areas, I would think that a primary reason is as an additional revenue resource. School systems have rarely (if ever) been in a position where they can say they have enough money. However, if that is the only reason that school divisions are entering the international student market, then I believe that their mission is flawed.

One of the greatest advantages of being a connected educator is the elimination of borders. As I look at my PLN, I note people that either I follow or follow me from all around the world. It provides me a far better perspective of the global world. Yet, as I experienced again during this trip, there is still no better way (when possible) to make connections than face to face. It is for this reason that I believe school divisions should promote international student programs.

International students provide a perspective that is neither right nor wrong, simply different. Our understanding of differing cultures and our exposures to foreign languages only connect us more with the world. Even with an already open mind, the trip to Bogota convinced me of the wealth of wisdom that other cultures and languages possess. Often, in North America we tend to believe that we are the only people that have it right! Well, I must confess that not only do we not have it right all the time; other cultures have it right just as often or sometimes more often. We do not possess this “right” monopoly.

So, what are some of the goals of our international student endeavor and how might we measure success? Well, I need it to be cost neutral at the very least and given our agreement that is easily achievable. In fact, it may even become a slight source of revenue in time.  Part of this condition being attainable is that this trip was in partnership with one of our neighboring school divisions. Instead of competing for students we pooled our resources to be able to offer a larger and I believe more a sustainable program.  One of the benefits of working in the area that I do is the cooperative nature of our neighboring school divisions and this endeavor is an excellent example.

But the real goal of our international program is to simply bring the world to our own backyard. Southern Alberta has much to offer and there are many things that we should be very proud to showcase to the world. However, more importantly than us showcasing our world, I want our students to experience a more global perspective. I want our students to not only be connected to the world via technology, but face to face too! I want our students to be culturally aware and globally knowledgeable. I want our students to recognize our similarities, gain understanding of our differences and choose to build a more inclusive world. Interestingly, it is the same goal that I hold for our First Nations, Metis and Inuit communities- understanding and acceptance.

My trip was a great success for not only the school division but for me personally as well. I am grateful for our hosts in Bogota, for their patience with this unilingual person, for their commitment and desire to bring Colombia to our division and most of all for their friendship. I look forward to the continued partnerships with our local school divisions, our foray into the international school market and further trips to Latin America! Ciao!

Jun 02

Creating Pathways to Success

The following article was written by me and published in the Lethbridge Herald on May 29, 2013. Although written from a Holy Spirit perspective, the article highlights the importance of creating multiple pathways for high school students.

During this past year, my fellow superintendents and I have written about the changing face of education. Certainly the world of the classroom is in a major stage of transformation. This was evident during Education Week when some major shifts in policy were announced by Alberta Education.

A major focus of the government is in the redesign of high school and responding to the question of, “What does success look like for a high school student?” This question, posed to our Council of School Council Chairs and Student Advisory Committee, yielded an overwhelming desire for more opportunities for students to be further engaged in their own learning and a need to create multiple pathways to successful post secondary transition or directly into the world of work. Holy Spirit has taken this input and created many additional learning opportunities for students.

The high school flexibility project is an example of this redesign process. Catholic Central High School was part of this project when it began and students have reaped the benefits of having more flexibility in their learning and increased opportunity to link many cross-curricular outcomes without mandated time frames. This provides excellent real life learning and acknowledges the importance of student choice. This coming year Holy Spirit is one of only seven school divisions in the province to be granted permission to offer flexibility projects in all of our three high schools, thus providing amazing opportunities to our students.

We often say that every child is unique and every student learns differently and yet we plunk them into the same curriculum for the same amount of time in coursework. Trinity Learning Centre, located by Catholic Central High School, offers outreach programming that creates alternate pathways to success. The addition of teaching staff late this year and the extension of operating hours (now open Tuesday and Thursday evenings) offers students additional opportunities to meet their diverse schedules and learning styles. Trinity, with its drop-in format and self-paced options allows students to meet their own unique high school programming needs. 

Finally, schools need to address the growing needs in the area of trades. Southern Alberta has a requirement of nearly 2100 apprentices and schools only provide approximately 100 placements. The Registered Apprenticeship Program (RAP) is an apprenticeship program for senior high school students 15 years of age or older. RAP students are both full-time students and registered apprentices, and must be actively working toward the completion of senior high school. Beginning in the fall, this program will be a high priority for the Board as they continue to create multiple pathways to success.

Holy Spirit recognizes the importance of creating multiple pathways for students to ensure they remain in school and transition effectively into post-secondary or directly into the world of work. The redesign being implemented by Alberta Education is exciting and should serve our students and community well in the future.

May 31

From the Desk of the Superintendent- June 2013

May has come to an end and that means only one more month of school. Over the next weeks, students will be busy preparing for final exams, year end field trips and of course, thinking of their upcoming summer holidays! We celebrated the graduations of students in two of our high schools in May and are looking forward to the graduation ceremonies of St. Mary School in Taber at the end of June.

May is typically a fairly busy month for school divisions. This was certainly exacerbated with the barrage of announcements from Alberta Education. Staffing is one of the greatest priorities during this month. Teachers are required to submit their retirement and/or resignation notices by May 31st at the very latest. Based on those decisions, as well as any other staff movement, open positions are filled on a seemingly continual basis. The strategic priorities of the board drive the budget and the budget drives staffing. School divisions across Alberta faced some difficult budget decisions this year. We were not immune to the budget woes as our Division faced a decrease in provincial revenues of over $1,005,000.  With the believe that provincial funding may be further negatively impacted next year, the Board was cautious in their use of operating reserves ($500,000) to balance the budget. Still, the Division will continue to spend nearly 79% of their total budget or over $42,000,000 on instruction. Compete details of the budget can be found here. Additionally, our regular board meeting brief can be found here.

The board also set out some priorities to assist in creating more pathways to success for high school students. Trinity Learning Centre (located near Catholic Central High School), will be offering expanded hours to better serve the diverse needs of students. In partnership with the school and Alberta Distance Learning Centre, students will have the choice of accessing their education in print or online formats. The Registered Apprenticeship Program will also be highlighted with the hiring of an Off Campus Coordinator. This teacher, will focus on providing our students with greater accessibility to the trades and work experience throughout the Division.  In addition, we are working closely with neighbouring school divisions and the Lethbridge College to realize a dual credit program for Health Care Aides. And finally, our growing immigrant population has resulted in an English Language Learning Program being offered for junior and senior high students at St. Francis and Catholic Central High School.  Each of these strategies has been established to create more pathways for success.

During the month of May and June, many of our schools are showcasing the FNMI culture that exists in our area. With the Blood Reserve (largest reserve in Canada) and the Piikani Reserve in our own backyard, we are fortunate to have local expertise share their tradition and culture. Earlier this month, we held our annual Feather Blessing and Metis Sash Ceremony, our FNMI Student Awards, a Pow Wow at Children of St. Martha and numerous other Heritage Day events in our schools. Later this month, students from CCH will be organizing a Division Wide Pow Wow on June 12th beginning at 5:00 PM at Campus West.

Dancers at Children of St. Martha Pow Wow

 If May is any indication, June will pass by just as quick. Good luck to all of our students in preparing for all of their year end tests and activities! God Bless!

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 of new computer-based tests known as Student Learning Assessments. The basic premise of these assessments is to provide a snapshot of each child’s strengths and weaknesses at the beginning of the school year and allow teachers to differentiate instruction early, based on these assessments in order to meet the needs of each student. However, the removal of these standardized tests does not automatically ensure that more impactful learning will occur in classrooms in Alberta. In fact, the question of, “Now what?” is even more pressing for education in Alberta.  

I have often heard that until the removal of the PATs, teachers lacked the full ability to be truly innovative and creative in the classroom. The current accountability pillar model and organizations like the Fraser Institute place significant pressure on teachers, schools and systems to “teach to the test.” I cannot imagine ranking teachers like the Fraser Institute ranks schools based on test scores given the diversity in our classrooms and the narrowness of factors. The provincial achievement tests did not support a changing educational system and were far from the goals of Inspiring Education. That said, the removal of the PATs eliminates all excuses not to change our pedagogy!  The work required to advocate for the elimination of the PATs will pale in comparison to the work required to ensure high quality, creative and innovative teaching without barriers! Government and the general public will be scrutinizing our work (and rightfully so) to ensure that the removal of this perceived accountability method actually facilitates greater learning.

Secondly, learning and not just achievement has to be better defined first by educators and then better communicated to parents. We have long been able to measure achievement but it has been much more difficult to measure learning. The definition of success for students cannot be simply tallied by the number of students who access university or achieve 80% or above. Our transition to a more inclusive environment in schools requires our definition of student success to be highly individualized. However, highly individualized does not mean that we no longer have any standards. In fact, I believe that our standards should be even higher in the learning context. High expectations for learning should be in place for all students and our ability to teach without the barriers of standardized tests should instill innovative practices at every level in education. But, we still must be able to demonstrate and clearly communicate learning to our parents, stakeholders and the general public. Parents have the right to know how their child is learning and comparative factors will always need to be present.

I applaud the decision of the Ministry, regardless of whether it was an election promise by the government or not. It provides another catalyst for educational transformation. But like any catalyst, it will cease to exist if we choose not to act upon it quickly. External accountability has been replaced by internal responsibility. Every classroom, every school and every system must now fully engage in highly interactive teaching practices; must take an approach of innovation and must simply…ACT! It is now time for all educators to take on this responsibility and utilize their collective, informed professional judgment to make sure that the “now what” is the beginning of the educational system that will propel our students into their future and not our past!

May 12

From the Desk of the Superintendent- Graduation Address

This weekend, I had the honor of addressing two graduating classes within our division. I began my Saturday addressing 242 graduates from Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge. Later in the day, I drove an hour west to Pincher Creek and spoke to 16 graduates from St. Michael School. Although the number of graduates was significantly different and the format for each ceremony was unique, the overall celebratory and faith filled atmosphere were consistently present in both. It is my belief that each graduating class deserves an original address based on their own theme or situation. And, the students, parents and families didn’t come to hear me talk, so keep it meaningful butkeep it  short. Below you can read both of the addresses I made to our students at Catholic Central High School and St. Michael School. Congratulations graduates and sincere thanks to all of the organizers of the gradutation weekend!

CCH Address

Oki! Bonjour mesdames et messieurs and good morning ladies and gentlemen, honoured guests and graduates of 2013. It is my pleasure to bring greetings on behalf of the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division.

Last night at the grad mass, Fr. Kevin talked about your dreams. But I want to begin with your first dreams, the dreams of your parents. Even before you were born, your parents dreamed to hear your first breath, your first cry. When you were born, your parents held you in their arms and dreamed for things like good health and much happiness. When you first started school I’m sure their first dream for you wasn’t that you would get a good grade on your provincial exams but rather that you would like school, you would like your teacher, you would have good friends, enjoy school, have fun and be safe. Although many of their dreams have stayed the same for you, as you got older and especially in high school their dream or maybe even their expectation was for you to finish high school. Now while some of you may think that that is not a big deal, 1 in 4 students in Alberta or 25% don’t complete high school in 3 years. They do not graduate as you do today! Whether it is an expectation or a dream of your parents, you completing your high school and later walking across this stage is significant.

Now however, as you graduate it is time for you to reflect on your own dreams and ensure that they do become your reality. For your dreams to become reality they must come both from your heart and your head! Your heart is all about your passion. It is what you love to do. Your head is all about following that passion and finding a way to make your dream come true. It is about logic and practicality.

But many people forget that part of their dream to reality journey must involve their soul. You see, you will never fully realize your dreams and live a life of contentment without your soul, your spirit guiding you. It is this spirit, gifted to you from God that ensures that your dreams are not all about you alone but about others. Your dreams cannot just be about being the richest, or the greatest but instead must always be about and for others. The world needs you to dream big but not just for you but for others too!

After the fanfare of graduation and your last exam is over, I would ask you to reflect on your dreams. Make sure that they come from your heart, your head but mostly from your soul. If you do that, your dreams will become your legacy and your reality will be one of service to others and will be demonstrated with actions of love. Dream big…for you and for others! And so it is my wish, my hope and my prayer that you ensure your dreams become your reality. Good luck Graduates of 2013 and God Bless!

St. Michael Address

Good afternoon ladies and gentlemen, honoured guests and graduates of 2013. It is a great pleasure to address our graduates today and bring greetings on behalf of the Holy Spirit Catholic School Division.

As a superintendent, my two favorite times in the school year are the first days of school and graduation. Although they are at very different times in the year, they have many similar qualities. Both are celebratory and provide great excitement. They are beginnings- the beginning of a new school year and the beginning of a life after high school. There is always anticipation of the unknown to come, a few nerves and some pauses in order to reflect on where you are going and where you’ve been.

And so, where have you been? Well, many of you have been at St. Michael’s for your entire schooling, started with Mr. Kuchison and watched him grow up. Many have grown up in this area for their entire life and have a great understanding of the advantages of small town life and rural living. Many have been part of sporting championships which is one of the hallmarks of this school. And ALL of you have been loved and supported by your parents and families and the staff of this school. You are daily recognized as a unique gift from God and today…God is proud!

Now, where are you going? Our fast paced society seems to believe that once you leave high school, you have it all planned. You know exactly what you want to do! While some of you many have a clear path to your future, its okay if you don’t! Whether you have it all planned or not, make sure you take some time to dream big, follow your passion and be the person that God intended you to be.

So now, what person does God want you to be? It’s fairly easy to dream big and more often than not you can follow your passion but it’s not always easy to be the person that God intended you to be. The advantages that you’ve had however are worth noting. You’ve been educated and raised in a Catholic Christian environment that has taught you the importance of charity, of service, of hope and of love. You have learned to be tolerant and understanding, value diversity and demonstrate compassion to your fellow students and others. God doesn’t choose your path in life, you choose that path. What God intends for your life is that whatever you choose; you do the work with charity, hope and love. You do the work to serve others and not just yourself.

You have been blessed to be part of St. Michael School and this community with its deep and rich values and traditions. You have all the tools to dream big, follow your passion and be the person that God intended you to be! Good luck St. Michael Graduates of 2013 and God Bless!

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 most frustrating group to work with is neither of the above. Instead, I’m frustrated by those who openly advocate for the need for change but actually construct barriers to change or worse, practice open non-compliance.

There are few fields of study that more rigorously debate change than education. We are constantly looking at ways to improve instructional practice, enhance curriculum relevance and to further intellectually engage students. It would be my belief that I would receive a resounding affirmation if I posed those improvements to the general society. Who would not agree with efforts to improve instructional practice, enhance curriculum relevance or further intellectually engage students?

Unfortunately, here is where the struggle manifests itself. While there is certainly agreement with those needed improvements in our education system and many will even suggest that the system is “broken”, few are willing to accept the monumental changes required to get there! There is a “yes to this” and a “yes to that” BUT “don’t you dare change that” mentality that stalls most transformation plans. In other words, I want you to climb the mountain of change but I’m just going to cuff your hands and shackle your feet before you begin!

A sad example of this thinking came last month in a small rural division in Alberta. Battle River School Division made a monumental leap in terms of their assessment practices. Not only was their move well based in research, it was the right thing to do to move from 20th century learning to 21st century learning and beyond. It was a bold action because it challenged our existing views of how students learn and how we assess that learning. Unfortunately, it was met with significant hostility forcing the Superintendent of Schools, Dr. Larry Payne to issue this letter.

We have very different students in our classrooms today. In fact, we have a very different society. Knowledge is available 24/7 and technology has created a world that is flat and almost without borders. Our North American education system, as good as it is, cannot ever meet the needs of our current or future students without radical transformation. This transformation will require us (educators and society alike) to move away from what we know to the unknown. We can no longer embrace the traditions of schooling that we’ve held on to so dearly when we are being required and rightfully required to educate ALL children and not just some!

Every child that enters our classroom is unique. Each have special talents, hidden abilities, hopes and dreams. Every child has the ability to create and innovate. The education system and society in general can ill afford to place an abrupt end to any of those talents, abilities, hopes and dreams. But to accomplish this monumental task, we must let go of the old and the comfortable; practices and structures that only further enshrines the 20th century model of schooling and instead dream and be open to the  limitless opportunities we have in the future. The education system needs modern leaders (trustees, administrators, teachers, parents and community members) who refrain from holding on to the known, especially when stepping into the unknown is what’s needed.  

 

 

May 04

From the Desk of the Superintendent- May 2013

Last evening, I returned from the Blueprints Conference. Blueprints is an annual conference organized by the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Assocation and held at the Delta Lodge in Kananaskis for Catholic administrators, trustees and clergy. Its unique format provides a powerful retreat setting that leaves participants spiritually uplifted. Our division sees the Blueprint experience has a critical process for the continued faith formation of our leaders. This year, 15 people attended this conference including trustee Bosco Baptista, parish priests, Father Vincent from St. Augustine in Taber and Father Gary from Ss. Peter & Paul here in Lethbridge and school staff. One of the many highlights of Blueprints is the presentation of the Excellence in Catholic Education Awards. This year, our representative for Holy Spirit Catholic Schools was Anita Lethbridge-Gross. Anita is a teacher/counsellor at St. Francis School and is very deserving of this honor!  

Blueprints 2013

The Board of Trustees held their regular monthly meeting on April 24th. The Board recognized some further excellence in the Division with a presentation to Kelly Roth. Kelly, who teaches at St. Francis, is Holy Spirit Catholic Schools’ recipient of the Edwin Parr Award. The Edwin Parr Award recognizes excellence in first year teaching. Kelly will be furthered honored on May 8th in Taber at the ASBA Zone meeting. In other news from the meeting, the Board voted to support the Provincial Framework Agreement negotiated between the Government of Alberta and the provincial Alberta Teachers’ Association. Local teachers also voted in favour of the agreement that evening. Although the Board did not agree with the process of the negotations, they were certainly in favour of a number of positive attributes of the deal including the length of the deal (4 years) and cost certainty. For more information on the board meeting, please check out the Board Briefs.

This coming weekend, two of our high schools will be hosting their graduation ceremonies. Both Catholic Central High School in Lethbridge and St. Michael School in Pincher Creek celebrate the important accomplishment of high school graduation. It is a special time for our students, their families and our schools and a cause for celebration, reflection and prayer. It is always an honor for me to attend the ceremonies and address the graduates and I again look forward to that opportunity this year. My thanks goes out to the staff (both present and past) who have worked with our students during their schooling and to our parents and families for their continued support. Thank you for the honor of allowing us to teach your children and share in their wondrous growth and development.  Please pray for our graduates this coming week and keep them safe.

Budget, staffing and educational planning are on the minds of trustees and administration this month of May. Some school divisions around the province are struggling and are being forced to make significant cuts to balance budgets. Although our division is not immune to having to make some tough decisions, we believe we will remain strong for the 2013-14 school year with minimal staffing adjustments and a projected enrolment increase. Holy Spirit Catholic Schools continues to be recognized as a leader in educational delivery and transformative practices throughout the province and this will not only be maintained but further enhanced in the coming years.   

This month (May 14th), the Board of Trustees and Senior Administration will meet with all of  our school council chairs. The board recognizes the importance of these meetings to ensure ongoing and transparent conversations and engagement. Later this month, I will be hosting the inaugural meeting of a Student Advisory Committee to the Superintendent. Students from grade 8-11 will be nominated by their school administrators and invited to attend a supper meeting to discuss a variety of educational topics. This initiative, will allow me an opportunity to hear directly from our students and provide increasing value to student voice.  I’m looking forward to this conversation with our students.

Have a blessed May!

 

Apr 24

Forming Ethical Citizens

This past Monday, the entire staff from Holy Spirit Catholic Schools gathered for our annual Spiritual Development Day. Typical professional development days speak to our minds and impact knowledge on improved practice. This day, however, is organized for the heart of those in Catholic Education and is solely for faith nourishment. This year’s theme, “Taking our Place at the Table,” focused on our call to participation and to put our faith into recognizable action in our homes, schools, communities and beyond.

These types of days remind us of a shared responsibility with parents and the community at large to form ethical citizens. Together, we want to teach our youth to do the right thing because it is the right thing to do! It is not only our goal within Holy Spirit but it is the desire of the province to graduate students who are “engaged thinkers, ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit.” Engaging students and developing an entrepreneurial spirit are well within the single realm of the school, although far more enhanced through partnership. However forming an ethical citizen requires the greatest partnership, one that involves the entire community.

Ethical citizenship requires us to teach our children responsibility for their own actions; not through the harsh hands of discipline, but guided by the gentle hands of love. It demands the teaching of acceptance in the rich diversity we share in our own backyard and throughout Mother Earth. It welcomes the inclusion of all God’s children, whether religious or not. It reminds us to act as good stewards to our environment. And finally, it accepts and encourages multiple perspectives.

Our world contains much sorrow and much hatred as was so evidently portrayed in the recent bombings at the Boston Marathon. The need for forming ethical citizens has never been greater than today, than right now! All educational institutions in partnership with parents and the greater community must work together to ensure that our children learn to live justly, act compassionately and love tenderly. Only then will we have raised truly ethical citizens.

Pope Francis in his Installation Mass on March 19th said the following, “I want to ask you a favour…I want to ask you to walk together, and take care of one another.” His words speak to all of us so that we may raise ethical citizens for tomorrow’s world because it is the right thing to do! 

This article was printed in the Lethbridge Herald on April 24, 2013   

Apr 21

EdcampYYC

This past Friday I attended (with six other school leaders from Holy Spirit) and led a conversation at EdcampYYC. My congratulations to the organizers of the event, Matt Armstrong (@Armstrong YYC) and Paul Genge (@paulgenge) and the host Elboya School. Although we’ve held similar “open spaces” at our divisional PD day and for our Learning Leadership Team and grade level meetings, this was my first official edcamp experience. Before I share my thoughts on the edcamp experience, let me take you through my day.

Edcampers numbering around 300 began the day with a short keynote address from Dr. Ron Glasberg, an Associate Professor at the University of Calgary. Dr. Glasberg highlighted compassion, courage, creativity, consciousness of conscious as necessary components for teaching for innocence. He also reminded us of leading by example, everyday, in front of our students. Following Dr. Glasberg’s keynote, participants had a choice of 30-40 sessions on various topics over three time periods through the day. Each of these sessions either had a lead facilitator or an open facilitation concept that allowed participants to take the conversation where they directed it.

My first session focused on a movement away from grades and was facilitated by Joe Bower. Joe is a passionate educator who believes that testsandgrades (one word according to Joe) limit our ability for impactful learning. While Joe and I have not always agreed, I can’t but admire his passionate stance for wanting to do the right thing. We may sometimes take very different routes, but we both want high quality learning not to be jeopardized by ineffective accountability. My second session was open facilitated by the group on the topic of digital citizenship. There are some great resources out to support the teaching of digital citizenship and this session highlighted the importance of connecting with one another so as not to re-invent the wheel. I need to give credit to Ron Eberts for a thought that was a great takeaway from this session, “We teach digital citizenship by students being digital citizens just like we teach people how to drive by driving!”  The last session of the day, held right after lunch (thanks Matt & Paul) was led by me and focused on leadership during transformation. The key points to my presentation focused on the importance of role-modeling as a senior leader, creating a  risk taking environment and building trust. Each of these topics could be a discussion in itself and some great points were brought up by co-learners of the group. 

Edcamp illustrates an important piece to remember that all professional learning begins with a conversation. When we are prepared to listen to a different perspective, be open to new ideas and are prepared to shed our comfort zone,  learning is highly engaging. The edcamp format should be experienced either formally (preferred) or informally by everyone in the education system. It is rich in learning and meets the personal and professional needs of all involved. No matter where you sit in the hierarchy of education, edcamp reminds us that we are all colleagues, all co-learners and all co-creators of an improved system for students.