Apr 17

Leadership During Transformation: EdcampYYC

On Friday, I’ve been invited to be a discussion facilitator on the topic of leadership during transformation at EdcampYYC (Calgary). The following information is posted as a session descriptor:

Leadership During Transformation

  • How do we lead effectively in an era of constant change and challenge?
  • Is Distributed Leadership an answer? If so, how do we build Distributed Leadership Networks built on collective responsibility and trust?
  • What is “The Teacher Effectiveness Framework and Instructional Leadership?”
  • How do we create a culture that promotes and demonstrates collaboration, innovation, and is supportive of teachers’ efforts to improve student learning?

To assist those who may be attending my session, I would like to throw some additional irons into the fire. So much of leadership today is about asking the right questions and isolating the real issue. Given that, I’d like to provide a few other thought provoking statements for reflection.

  1. Change requires participants to be allowed to make mistakes. Leaders must create an environment where risk taking is encouraged, allowing for teachers and students to be creative and innovative. They must also ensure that the risk is educated, calculated and not damaging in the least! Parents have a right not to have their children as the guinea pigs in educational transformation. Where lies the balance?
  2. I have often used the phrase, “The more responsibility is taken, the less accountability is required!” Leaders need to decide which responsibility to “give away” and which to keep? Furthermore, leaders have to understand who is willing to take on the responsibility- many in organizations claim they want the responsibility until it is given and then they quickly fade away. It is much easier to be directed and blame than to take responsibility and accept. Are you willing to take the responsbility?
  3. Another frequent motto from a planning or decision perspective is “Bottom up when possible, top down when necessary!” Leaders need to decide when decisions need to be made bottom up and when they are required to be top down? All decisions cannot be top down nor bottom up! There will be times for collaboration, consultation and directive decision making. When do you exercise each?
  4. Just as there is a continuum in our classrooms, there is a continuum in our staffs. Leaders need to address the needs of the early and late adopters to change. They must ensure that the early adopters don’t get too far ahead AND the late adopters don’t fall too far behind. How do you support and encourage both ends of the spectrum?  
  5. Trust must always be initiated from the leader but it will only be solidified from those being led. Understand that often when you extend the hand of trust, it will be bitten. Each time it  is bitten, it is more difficult to stick it out as far as the previous…but you must extend it! How do you extend your hand for trust?
  6. And finally, leadership during transformation is about learning. From Eric Hoffer, “In a time of drastic change it is the learners who inherit the future. the learned usually find themselves equipped to live in a world that no longer exists.”  Leaders cannot rest on their laurels of being learned, we must be constantly learning, stretching our own minds in order to stretch others. What have you done lately to be seen as a learning leader?

The beauty of the edcamp experience is that we come together as both teacher and learner. What a great opportunity to engage our minds, reflect on our roles, challenge our assumptions and forward our goals.  See you in Calgary on Friday!  

 

Apr 15

Digital Citizenship with Intent

A couple of weeks ago I wrote a column for our local paper, the Lethbridge Herald on Digital Citizenship. In many ways it was a tongue and cheek article that compared the teaching of archery and the teaching of digital citizenship. The premise was that while we would never allow children to pick up a bow and arrow without any instruction we often give our children technology without any formal training or boundaries. And while I received many re-tweets when I posted it on Twitter and a follow up editorial in the paper, one article will never be enough. Digital citizenship or more correctly defined as responsible citizenship in a digital age will never be achieved without intentional and ongoing teaching and learning at school but always beginning at home.

How many stories do we have to hear about another young man or woman committing suicide to escape the wrath of cyber bullying before we pull our heads of the sand and admit we have a catastrophic issue? How many times do we allow excuses to justify these actions? Simply, there are no excuses for a child taking his or her own life because of being cyber bullied.

Fortunately, we have many means to make an impact on this growing issue. There are some tremendous resources for parents and teachers alike that can assist in raising responsible citizens in a digital age. Banning technology at home or at school is not the answer. However, monitoring use and teaching children to be responsible is not a choice anymore, it is a must! A great starting point for parents is a contract with their child when they receive a smart-phone. I’ve included an example here from Janell Burley Hofmann that can be modified to fit one’s needs. One of our own teachers, Carmen Larsen (@larsenc14), did her graduate work on this topic and her weebly sits on our website as an excellent guide to both staff and parents. There are resources for staff and parents for students from Kindergarten to Grade 12. I would highly encourage parents to check out Common Sense Media. It has a great section for parents entitled “Parent Media and Technology Education Program.” Nicole Lakusta from Parkland School Division is also creating a Digital Citizenship Divisional Scope and Sequence document that is extremely helpful.

It is not the means that we require but rather the will. In 2015, the new Education Act will take effect in the Province of Alberta. It is a comprehensive document that outlines significant responsibilities for parents, teachers, and school boards regarding bullying both in and out of school. In our current society it will likely be a dismissal failure if we (as a society) continually point fingers and refuse to take responsibility for our own actions. The end result will be legal battle after legal battle and an education system that desires engagement and partnerships becoming more closed. Facing litigation should not be the sole reason to insist that digital citizenship is part of what we regularly do at home and in school. Our decision to ensure responsible citizenship in a digital age must be based on our values and our ethics. It must be done with intent because it is far too important to be left to chance.

Apr 03

From the Desk of the Superintendent- April 2013

Happy Easter! I hope that our staff, students and their families are enjoying a wonderful vacation. We return to school next week remembering that we are a resurrection people. Our risen Lord brings light to our world and peace to our hearts.

Our March board meeting continued with our planning process. The 2014-17 Capital Plan was approved by the Board. The Division is hopeful that our capital priorities will be met in the coming years. A thorough review of our buildings and enrolment trends have led the Board to re-submit the following priorities: (1) Modernization and right-sizing of St. Michael School in Pincher Creek, (2) Modernization of St. Patrick School in Taber, and (3) New elementary school in north Lethbridge.

A second item approved by the Board was the 2013-14 strategic priorities. These priorities have been established through consultations with our parents and staff and ongoing conversations with our school adminstrators and align with the business plan of Alberta Education. Our first priority always revolves around our Catholic faith. Our Catholic identity must be visible in all that we say and do and involves the faith formation of our staff and students and strong relationships with our local parishes. Our second priority establishes our commitment to the success of every student. We are blessed to live in a diverse society and recognize the importance of meeting the needs of all children in the environment best suited for their learning. Finally, the Board and division as a whole believes in open and transparent operations. Ongoing communications to all of our stakeholders and a greater opportunity for engagement characterizes the priority of generative governance. A great synopsis of our board meeting can be found by viewing our Board Briefs.

During March, a Framework Agreement was made between the Government of Alberta and the Provincial Alberta Teachers’ Association. This agreement was made without any provincial representation from boards. At a special meeting, the board recommended that the Alberta School Boards’ Association reject that agreement on the principle of non-involvement. Although the government provides the majority of funding for education, individual school divisions are the employers and being left out of the conversations was not well received. This Framework Agreement needs to be ratified by all ATA locals and school divisions by a deadline of May 13. Our Board of Trustees and Senior Administration will be reviewing this agreement through many lenses but ultimately from the position of what is best for our students.

A preliminary review of the budget for next year suggests a deficit of nearly 1.5 million dollars. This is assuming that everything stays the same from this year. Excellent stewardship of our funding by both the Board and school/senior administration should allow us to continue to maintain the high quality of education we are accustomed to in our schools. We are fortunate enough to maintain a positive enrolment trend in our division, especially in many of our rural communities. This trend is certainly not the norm and speaks to the excellent programming provided in our schools.  Our concentrated effort to build teacher capacity, promote early learning and continually focus on learner engagement has established Holy Spirit as an innovative and high perfoming division. This label is something that we should all take pride in!

On behalf of the Board and Senior Administration welcome to April and hopefully to some wonderful spring weather!

Mar 24

Measuring Learning vs. Measuring Achievement

I want you to reflect on this question, “When was the last time your performance was measured by a written multiple choice test?” There will be few of us who have had our performance measured by a single test in our adult life. Our performance cannot be captured on a single or even a series of tests. Our performance is dynamic and contextual and multiple indicators are required for accurate assessment. Yet, in education, we continue to give the “test” to measure the performance of students, schools and divisions!

Why do we continue to only measure, what I would consider, the lowest form of learning, namely achievement? I would suggest that there are at least three main reasons on our continuance to measure achievement only. The first is that measuring achievement is fairly easy. Tests are easy to create and easy to mark. “There you go, you received 76.32% on your exam.” My issue with this achievement measure is what does that percent really mean? Does the student know 76.32% of the material on the test, or 76.32% of what was taught or 76.32% of the curriculum? And really, what is the difference from a learning perspective between a mark of 76%, 78% and 80%? Achievement testing may be quick and easy but does it really measure what we want it to measure?

The second reason that achievement is measured so readily is that it is easily communicated and understood. Parents grew up in the era of marks and grades and therefore they speak that language. Many still want to know their child’s percentage score and gulp… their child’s ranking in class. With an input of the marks and a push of the button, we can calculate just how well the child is doing compared to the class average!  Educators can defend their grades given based on the list of assignments, quizzes and tests that generate the mark. Achievement testing many be easy to communicate but does it communicate the right thing?

Lastly, measuring achievement provides for and supports an somewhat archaic accountability system. Governments, school divisions, schools and even some teachers can hold up their test scores and say, “See, aren’t we doing well!” Education funding is substantial and achievement testing is seen as a good analysis of how our tax dollars are being spent…wisely! It also suggests that this accountability system is how the real world is and a requirement for university. If that is the real world, then there should be an awful lot of people out of work because many of us in our current jobs would be unable to simply write a test for our performance to be evaluated. Secondly, with less than 20% of our students entering university, is it really fair to create a system that only works for that few?  Achievement testing may be good for accountability but is it good for children?

Let me give you a couple more divergent scenarios to reflect upon before I speak to learning. Does the number of years a couple is together be the only indicator of a good marriage? Does the young adult who passes his or her written driving exam automatically know how to drive well? Simple numbers or achievement scores alone can only tell us a small part of the story. Learning is much more difficult to measure and far more complex. Learning must be measured (to be truly accurate and meaningful) through an outcomes based approach. And although many elementary schools follow an outcome based model, it must go much deeper. It must involve the competencies that our students require for this ever-changing world. It must focus on the skills required to address the mismatch between education outcomes and labour market needs as suggested by the Canadian Chamber of Commerce in the document Public Education 2.0.

This type of learning requires a shift from content focused to competency based. Knowledge is no longer sacredly held by only the adults in the school. It is readily available and easily accessible. Learning for tomorrow is about creating citizens and developing character. When was the last time you saw that on a multiple choice exam? Learning is about collaboration and networking with others… we usually call that cheating in school! Learning is about innovating, creating, problem solving and critical thinking. Those are best measured though performance and projects not multiple choice tests. Learning is suppose to be about real life and in real time. Learning is suppose to be rigorous and FUN!!!

Learning, the type that we really want our students to be engaged in, is not only difficult to measure but hard to explain. It requires our educators to have not average but exceptional background in assessment. It requires our educators to be able to clearly communicate what learning looks like so that their students and parents and the public fully understand. It requires our educators to be truly reflective of their own practice and be willing to let go of pedagogy that does not enhance the spirit of learning fully. It is an uphill climb but, if we truly want to transform education and develop engaged thinkers, ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit, we must be willing to tackle the task of measuring learning and not just achievement.

Mar 20

Digital Citizenship

One of our schools, St. Mary in Taber, offers an archery club. The teacher/instructor is fully credentialed to teach archery and, as you can well imagine, safety is of the highest priority. It is understood that before any student picks up a bow and arrow, some significant safety training, rules and responsibilities are provided. We don’t want to imagine what would happen if we just allowed students to come in and begin practicing archery without those first lessons. We provide this training to ensure that our students are safe.

Yet, we typically give our children personal technology devices (cell phones, I-phones, etc.) with little thought of providing them with any safety training and without reviewing what constitutes responsible usage. Students at a very young age are being exposed to a digital world that should not be feared, but certainly respected. We should never allow students to engage in archery without formal training, nor should we allow students to access the digital world without some knowledge of digital citizenship.

I’m a great proponent of technology as a teaching tool and believe that students should not have to power down when they walk into schools. However for any tool to be used properly, it requires teaching and learning, and technology is no different. Banning technology is not the answer! Rather, students must understand the importance of responsible use.

In my era of schooling, slanderous remarks were often scribbled on the washrooms walls of schools. Comet, a little elbow grease or some fresh paint eliminated those comments fairly quickly.  Even inappropriate photographs and their negatives could be destroyed! Today however the digital footprint that each of us creates, or is created, without our knowledge or permission, is not as easily dismissed. In fact, your digital footprint is never fully eliminated.

The significant increase in cyber-bullying can be easily attributed to a lack of understanding of digital citizenship. Comments made online through social media or texting would rarely be repeated in a face-to-face conversation. Parents and teachers have always taught what is appropriate in those face-to-face conversations. Today, in our technology based world, it is even more important that we teach what is appropriate in those digital conversations too! Our children need those same understandings to properly communicate digitally. And this teaching must be initiated early, and must be ongoing at both home and in school. 

We know that part of learning as a youth is through mistakes. However, digital mistakes can result in consequences that are severely life changing. Ultimately, a strong partnership between home and school is required to ensure that digital citizenship is not only taught but more importantly role modeled on a daily basis. Parents and school staffs must continue to be vigilant in teaching digital citizenship to provide safe environments for all students in this connected world.

This article was published in the Lethbridge Herald on March 20, 2013.

Mar 10

From the Desk of the Superintendent- My AISI Eulogy

On Thursday, the provincial government released the budget for 2013-14. As part of the education budget, one of the most successful grants to instill innovation for learning, the Alberta Initiative for School Improvement (AISI) was eliminated. It would be easy to simply blame the government in making that decision, but not necessarily fair. While I’m a great proponent of AISI for our school division, I understand there is always a bigger picture. Alberta is facing a significant fiscal challenge that must be addressed. Whether you want to categorize it as a revenue issue or a spending problem is almost irrelevant. We, as a province are not as flush as we once were and therefore we are required to tighten our belts.

Education Minister, Jeff Johnson has always been about putting as many dollars at the classroom level as possible. Unfortunately, AISI in many ways is not seen to be an impact that directly affects the classroom and therefore when looking through those lenses, it can be a fairly easy target. In addition (and I’m very sad to say), some divisions did not leverage the potential of AISI as they should by either making it a top down affair or ensuring it was another initiative as opposed to part of the development of the professional teacher. There were also some teachers around the province who did not see the benefits of AISI either as mentioned by former Education Minister Dave Hancock.

Where AISI was utilized to its fullest potential, like in Holy Spirit, it made a great impact at the classroom level. During the last four years of AISI, our teachers have been immersed in 21st century learning with a focus on competencies to meet the needs of an educated Albertan.  Teachers are provided time (this costs money which AISI supports) to collaborate and share expert practices. Through grade or subject level meetings, teachers have the ability to work together building capacity. A great sense of trust amongst the professionals has been established which provides a safe environment for innovation and creativity to be born.

We have developed a collaborative culture that has encouraged both teacher and student engagement and autonomy. This autonomy is allowing our staff to co-create our preferred future. It is unfair to ask our teachers to enhance their own practice without some sort of support in their professional learning. AISI, in Holy Spirit, provided that support! If we truly want to move our learners from compliant to committed, our structurse and practices must align differently. AISI was the driving force of that realignment.

The amount of funding received for AISI equates to approximately 3 additional teachers in our division. That is 3 teachers spread over 13 schools and 4500 students. And while it is always desirable to reduce class size, three teachers will have little overall impact. But, the funding used as we have in Holy Spirit would continue to promote innovation, support creativity, augment engagement and build teacher capacity. So in the end I ask you, “What will impact the classroom more?” My fierce conviction is that AISI will have the greatest impact on creating an engaged thinker, an ethical citizen with an entrepreneurial spirit…which just happens to be the goal of Inspiring Education!

Mar 02

From the Desk of the Superintendent- March 2013

Today, March 2, 2013, I am in Medicine Hat, Alberta to celebrate my mother’s 70th birthday. She doesn’t know that we have travelled down and so she will be quite surprised when we meet her and my dad at supper. When I left home at 17 to attend university, she was just 36 years old and my parents have been empty nesters ever since. It is difficult for me to believe that my mother is 70; she still works part time and exercises every morning at the local YMCA! She also has a hole in one in golf- I on the other hand do not! Happy Birthday Mom!

At our regular meeting in February, the Board of Trustees received a donation of over $16,000 from the Food for Thought campaign organized by the Lethbridge Herald. This amount supports our Mother Teresa Fund which provides breakfast (and sometimes lunch) programs for students in our schools.  It is hard to imagine that in this day and age, we have nearly 1 in 5 children living in poverty in the area. These programs are essential in providing students with the nutrition required for brain development and educational success and we are ever grateful for the leadership of the Lethbridge Herald and the generosity of the community.

The trustees also received a presentation from Division Principal, Lorelie Lenaour and AISI researcher, Jana Boschee. The presentation provided an update on our AISI project which focuses on learner intellectual engagement. Even in its infancy, the project has been recognized provincially and continues to provide excellent support to our teachers. This support becomes evident in our classrooms where students are more engaged in school and demonstrate increased responsibility in their own learning. I’m extremely proud of how our teachers are engaging in their own learning as professionals, improving their own instructional practice and role modeling their own love of learning to benefit our students.

The Board also engaged our stakeholders in February with two separate consultation evenings; one for staff and the other for parents only. The evenings focused on setting division priorities which are based on the goal of Alberta Education of ensuring that every student is an engaged thinker, ethical citizen with an entrepreneurial spirit. The feedback (in its raw form) from the two evenings has been shared with the Board of Trustees and will be provided to the Council of School Council Chairs on March 4. Senior and school administration will be further reviewing the data in detail looking for trends. This data will assist the trustees in developing the 3-year education plan and annual budget.  

Speaking of the budget, it will be released on March 7 to the public. Given the financial situation of the province, school divisions are not expecting any increase. The forecast does not look promising and therefore an even tighter fiscal picture is likely. In my 28 years of education, I have never stated that we have enough money in education so I’m not particularly surprised with this rhetoric. Although shrinking budgets force tough decisions, Holy Spirit Catholic Schools has been able to weather these past storms and I am confident we will do so again and continue to offer high quality Catholic education!

During the first couple of weeks in March, the fine arts programs of St Francis Junior High and Catholic Central High School are highlighted. Junior high students from St. Francis will be performing the musical “Guys and Dolls”, while our high school students from CCH will be showcasing “Bye Bye Birdie”. I love attending these productions to witness the many talents of our students. I also recognize and certainly appreciate the countless hours of rehearsal put in by the students and staff. When the final curtain comes down, they will all deserve a thunderous applause and many, many accolades. I would highly encourage all staff, parents and community members to check out either one or both of these musicals…you won’t be disappointed!

We have a special anniversary this month as well. St. Patrick School in Taber will be celebrating their 50th anniversary on March 17. This will be an extra special celebration for me as my first position in Holy Spirit Catholic Schools was as the principal of St. Patrick School from 1996-2001. I’m looking forward to seeing many of the former staff and community members from yesteryears. Congratulations St. Patrick!

On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Senior Administration may your Lenten journey continue to remind you of God’s unconditional love and may you experience much health, hope and happiness as your prepare for the Easter season!

Feb 22

Do we want great schools?

Do we really want great schools? I think I would be hard pressed to find anybody who would say no. But in truth, do we really want great schools or are we content with good or worse, mediocre schools. It sounds like a trick  question but in fact it is at the core of what we do and for all of our future work.

Listening to Jim Collins yesterday at AASA National Conference on Education reminded me that greatness comes from the zealous pursuit of…greatness.

Disciplined people with disciplined thought engaging in disciplined action is what merits greatness.

Anything less than that will achieve “good” at best. Greatness requires hard work all the time. It requires, in Seth Godin’s words, emotional labor! I’m not sure whether educators are prepared to invest themselves so heavily in making schools great given the world we live in today.

Great schools require us to make difficult decisions in the area of human resources. Great schools require us to ensure that we are getting the right people on the bus and then, in the right seat. With education being such a “relational business” we often shy away from making those tough decisions. We would rather try and fix or just live with the problem than terminate the problem. And although we can’t fire our way to Finland (thanks Charlotte) we can must say no when the opportunity arises. This relational business that we live in acts as both a blessing and a curse!

We also need to have the will to accept only the best practices in our schools. We cannot allow mediocre teaching to occur. Now that’s a tough one because “that” requires one of those tough conversations. Again, relationship seems to get in the way! Charlotte Danielson alluded to her research that the vast majority of teacher evaluations she reviewed demonstrated top marks. Everybody was at the top of their game! Really? Great schools require everybody to be at the top of their game but we know (if we are really truthful) that every school is not filled with all “top” performers.  

Greatness also requires us to take a significant leap from our current paradigm. We need to understand that although our current schools are “good” we will never elevate to greatness following the same path. Continuing our 20th century practices and assessments will no more improve our schools than just talking louder to a student with make them learn better. Collins suggests that as little as a 20% change (need to ensure the “right” 20%) will assists us in getting out of our comfort zone and move us toward greatness. Simply put, we can no longer exist as we are and reach that pinnacle.

“The natural enemy of greatness is goodness” states Jim Collins and nothing is a more truthful statement. This is especially evident in our Alberta schools. We have been good for so long that it is extremely difficult to move from that comfort zone. Yet, we somehow must create a sense of urgency to truly desire great schools and everyone in education should be yelling that desire loudest. We need great schools and the only way to get to great schools is to want them…really!

Today and for each day that follows, educators should engage in self reflection on what they can do to make great schools. Greatness begins not with disciplined systems but with disciplined people. It begins with disciplined thought not bandwagon programs. Greatness comes through courageous and disciplined actions. Believe me, you must be courageous because you will face many who are quite content with good or mediocre. As a leader, you need to have a persistent will to move from good to great.

Seriously, the children we have in our schools are far too important to settle for good. I implore every reader of this post to look deep inside and ask, “Do I really want a great school?” If you do, become a disciplined person. Gather those around you who have the same disciplined thought and align practices with core values through disciplined action. And then, we can say that we really do want great schools!

Feb 13

AISI: Not just another acronym

Education is full of acronyms and AISI is another. So what does it stand for- Alberta Initiative for School Improvement. AISI has been in existence since 1999 and has provided substantial funding to school divisions across the province with a goal of encouraging and promoting creativity and innovation in Alberta schools. Projects are three years in length and 2012-13 marks the fifth cycle of AISI in Alberta.

Although defined as a three-year initiative, Holy Spirit has categorized AISI as an opportunity to build on the existing strengths of our teachers. It has been the driver of educational change by focusing on the professional learning of our staff. In my five years with Holy Spirit Catholic Schools, I have witnessed tremendous examples of the benefits of AISI for our students. Teachers are teaching differently because students learn differently, resulting in increased student engagement. Instead of students being simply information receivers, they are becoming knowledge creators. They are learning how to learn and building skills that will assist them in being successful in their 21st century world. AISI continues to provide students with increased autonomy, mastery and purpose in their learning.   

We know that teaching quality matters! Our classrooms and society as a whole are far more diverse than ever before. And although schools have continued to evolve, the world has changed at an extraordinary rate. How do we prepare students for a world that is in constant flux? In Holy Spirit Catholic Schools, it is excellent teaching through AISI support that is leading that charge!

AISI in our division is helping create the professional conditions and supports necessary to prepare students for their “unknown” future. It allows teachers to be reflective of their practice in order to improve student learning. Through grade and subject level meetings, teachers share promising practices with one another. Our collaborative peer mentor program has teachers implementing research-based strategies to enhance their own instruction. Learning communities are established where teachers engage in collaborative planning and visit multiple classrooms to witness outstanding practice. School administrators continue to improve their skills as instructional leaders through robust classroom supervision in order to provide feedback on excellent teaching.

Even though AISI funding was cut in half two years ago, our Division has been able to continue to leverage educational transformation. Work on formative assessment, 21st century competencies and learner intellectual engagement has characterized our last three AISI projects. Our teachers are continually implementing more creative and innovative practices in their classrooms. They are implementing a research-based model of teaching that encourages pedagogical risk. The result of this work is students who are becoming critical thinkers and collaborative learners. AISI is not just another acronym in education; it is a way of life in Holy Spirit Catholic Schools.  

NOTE: This article was published in the Lethbridge Herald on February 13, 2013

Feb 10

What does our future hold?

I graduated from McCoy High School in 1979. Although I may have had a slight inkling of where I was going, there was no way I had an understanding of how much the world around me was going to change. Imagine that the kindergarten children entering school in September 2012 will begin retiring (assuming an age of 65) in the year 2072. Even if the rate of change remained constant over the next 60 years, this will be a very different world.

Even with all the changes in my own world, education has always been the saving grace. The ability to be a learner, to problem solve, to articulate a critical response and to adapt has been instrumental in navigating this ever changing world. Education from early learning to post secondary, informal and formal, and inside and outside of the school building must continue to be our saving grace. In order for education to lead us through future generations, schools must continue to evolve and teaching quality must always be a priority.

Few of us could have imagined the world we currently exist in when we were in high school. In terms of technology itself, we are miles ahead of any of our dreams from those years. I would venture to suggest that even our current high school students have only the faintest glimpse of how much the world will change throughout their life to retirement. Yet, our role in education is to prepare students for that unknown and unexpected world.

Dylan Wiliam in his article, “Teacher quality: why it matters, and how to get more of it” articulates that schools in the past have been talent identifiers. We sorted students in a factory model based on students’ current talent without any acknowledgement of future growth or potential. Today’s world requires extensive talent and skill and therefore we must work with all students to create potential and that can only be accomplished with high teacher quality.

In essence, teachers need to see the magnificent diamond within each child. They must be able to seek the inner talents hidden within every child and let them grow and prosper. They must be able to recognize that what you see may not be what you get! While we may not be able to bring every child’s dreams to reality, we must never take the potential of dreaming away from any child. The potential that exists in our children must not remain untapped!

The unknown world of tomorrow will not require students who can simply regurgitate knowledge. They will need to be able to create knowledge. In order to problem solve effectively, they will need to be precise in the identification of the problem. We will need divergent thinkers who challenge the status quo, creative minds who think outside the box and innovative risk takers. These kinds of students will only be developed under the tutelage of high quality teachers and transformed systems.

Even an unknown future can be prepared for through education. Classrooms that engage prepare for that future. Teachers, who question and stretch the box, prepare for that future. Environments that support risk taking and growth mindsets develop potential in our students, a critical competency for the 21st century. Understanding that “if you can’t be wrong, you can’t learn” prepares students to recognize that failure is an essential part of the learning process. Committed learners, who understand hard work and are willing to explore multiple pathways to that learning, not just compliant students will be successful in tomorrow’s uncertain world.  We may not know what the future holds in store for us or our children. But we know that our educational system with high quality teaching will be our best strategy and our saving grace to prepare our students for that future.