Nov 25

Perspective!

Yesterday, I hit the gym as I’ve already put some pre-Christmas weight on and was feeling a little disappointed in myself. While riding a stationary bike, I noticed a young mother pull into the parking lot, get out of her car, into her wheelchair and then unload two small children. Perspective!

Often my exercise regime is far less about keeping in shape and far more about clearing my head and aligning my thoughts. In essence, it allows me to regain perspective! During my workout, I reflected on the many gifts that have been bestowed on me and the many reasons that I should be far more grateful. And, I also reflected upon the many times that we as a society are not nearly as grateful for our own blessings. We have allowed our society to value ME over US and MONEY over MORALS. 

Unfortunately, the one place where this thinking should not be commonplace, the education system, has too, fallen under this trend. We complain about workload issues, work stress, limited budgets and other challenges that we “face!”  I myself, get frustrated with government decisions, inappropriate actions of staff and unrealistic demands of some parents.  Even with all the challenges we face, it is important to put things into perspective.  Alberta is still recognized as one of the best education systems in the English speaking world. We receive a high percentage of the provincial budget in funding. We have highly skilled and well paid teachers. We have great supports for students. Our schools are safe and caring and our working conditions are well beyond adequate.

But, if that is our only perspective, we will always want more! Our perspective cannot focus on the monetary piece of our education system. Our perspective must revolve on the giftedness of each of us and the gift of being in the education system. Our perspective must be that we hold the future of children in the palms of our hands each and every day.  Our perspective must be that we have the ability to change a world to value “we!” Our perspective must be on knowing that we can make a difference in every child’s life who walks into our room.

Tonight I will attend the prayer service of one of our young students who passed away this past week. This is the second tragedy that has impacted our division in the last number of weeks. It seems so easy to gain perspective on our own lives when we are surrounded by tragedy or other impactful events. During these times, it is quite simple for most of us to recognize that the crosses we bear are far smaller than many others. But what about when those tragedies become only a faint memory? Do we still have the right perspective?

We are surrounded by people who may have sacrificed much, carried burdens for a long time and have suffered silently! If our perspective continues to focus on the “me” we will never recognize those who truly need and deserve our support. If our perspective continues to be on what I don’t have instead of what I do have, we will never be happy. Today and tomorrow and the tomorrow after that, look at all the blessings we’ve been given not the burdens we face. Welcome the opportunities we’ve been afforded. Seize the gifts of each day because that’s the right perspective!

Nov 21

Maintaining the status quo is falling behind!

Alberta continues to be recognized as one of the best educational systems in the English speaking world. Parental choice, high-quality teaching, centralized curriculum and significant government funding are examples of the many reasons for this recognition. Given that, it may be surprising to many of our public that Alberta Education and local divisions continue to talk about the need to transform our educational system.  But frankly, maintaining the status quo in today’s radically changing world is realistically falling behind.

 This past weekend, I had the opportunity to meet with our Minister of Education Jeff Johnson and hear him speak on a number of educational topics. As the former co-chair of Inspiring Education, it is not too difficult to fully realize that his focus has, and continues, to be on students. Holy Spirit Catholic School’s Vision Statement, “…where students are cherished and achieve their potential”, illustrates that same commitment. 

In my last column, I spoke about our work on learner intellectual engagement. This work supports the focus of Alberta Education in creating a system that produces engaged thinkers, ethical citizens with an entrepreneurial spirit. It cannot be seen as a wish but rather a requirement in order to prepare students for their future and not our past. It must be stressed that as leaders in education we cannot accept good enough! We must prepare students for a future world where the only constant is change itself. Standing on our laurels of past successes will no longer support the necessary changes in today’s classrooms. We must continue to search for best classroom practices that engage our students in meaningful learning experiences.

Alberta students have long done well on standardized, international tests. Maintaining the status quo would suggest that we continue to do what we have always done. But tomorrow requires workers with sophisticated skills that cannot be measured with only a paper and pencil test. Our education system must evolve so that students can demonstrate their learning in multiple ways. We need students who are innovative, creative and critical thinkers and that will require an accountability system that supports alternative performance assessments.

Holy Spirit is well positioned to make this leap and begin to fully engage our students with multiple assessment strategies. We are looking forward to working closely with Alberta Education because maintaining the status quo is simply not good enough!

Please Note: This article was published in the Lethbridge Herald on November 21, 2012.

Nov 11

Building a strong school community

There is an old saying, “It takes a community to raise a child” but what happens when the community in unable to do so? Unfortunately, I think many of our communities regardless of their location either cannot or worse choose not to be part of raising our children. Therefore, it is critical that we develop strong school communities that can assist in raising children who will one day build that type of community. Last week I presented on this same topic to the entire staff of Saipoyi Community School on the Blood Reserve. Although this topic could be presented over an extended period, I set the stage by being adamant that schools’ number one priority must be their students…period!

Educational organizations can ill afford not to have students as their central focus. Building a stronger school community requires an investment (both in human and capital terms) in students. Quite simply, schools were built for the education of children and not as an employment agency for adults. Establishing that strong community requires schools to ensure that learning not teaching, collaboration not isolation and results not intentions are the norm. This describes the definition of a professional learning community but that phrase has become so misused, I worry about using it (that will be another blog post). There are many methods to build a strong school community but I will comment on three in which I believe are of critical importance.

Strong leaders are essential for building a strong school community.  They need to keep one eye on students and the other on the myriad of management tasks that our society has placed upon them (that too is another blog post! Focusing on students means that leaders are constantly in classrooms, working with teachers and setting the bar at the excellence level. They question practice, challenge existing paradigms and build capacity. As true professionals, they are constantly honing their own skills in order to enable a better experience for their students.  They push the envelope and don’t ask why but why not! They lead the school to operationalize the vision. Successful leadership is both an art and a science. The picture below is the Learning Leadership Team of Holy Spirit Catholic Schools. Each of them have a momentous task of building a stronger community in their schools and division.

Leaders like the above, hire staff who have the same mantra of putting students first and foremost. And for me, it is this high quality staff that is the second requirement for building a strong school community. Children do not deserve CAVE (Completely Against Virtually Everything) Dwellers of ROAD (Retired On Active Duty) Warriors. Our students deserve the very best, all the time! The bar we want to establish in the hiring practice is simply stated by this question: Do I want YOU teaching (working) with my children for the next 35 years? If I can’t say yes, why would I employ you, since my chldren are no more special than any other parents. It is a harsh criteria and yet if we truly believe that students need to always be our first priority, then it makes perfect sense. Education is and should be a demanding profession especially when we realize that we hold childrens’ futures in the palm of our hands. There is no room for minimally competent or mediocre staff.  

Lastly, strong school communities need to function as effective teams. Teaching and learning has become far too complex for any individual to make the necessary impact on all students. Effective teams need to develop a shared vision and guiding norms. They require trust, understand that healthy conflict is important and  are committed to achieving results. The need for outside accountability is eliminated because they have developed a collective responsibility. Effective members understand their own roles and responsibilities and foster a team approach to forwarding the vision. They support one another! But, make no mistake they are present for the sake of the students…always!

Many of our communities are unable to build the world that we need or want. Therefore, it is crucial that our school communities build and model that world. Our children are our future and without strong school communities it will be a bleak future at best. So no matter what you do in your own educational system or where it is, make tomorrow the first day toward building a stronger school community!  

 

Nov 04

Playing at the outer boundaries!

A couple of weeks ago, Holy Spirit Catholic Schools hosted our annual division-wide professional development day that showcased many of our own teachers leading sessions and also included an open spaces concept. This year I offered both a morning and afternoon session entitled, “A Conversation with the Superintendent- Let’s talk about transformation!” It was an opportunity to share my thoughts and dreams about the division but more importantly to respond to questions and engage staff. To be very honest, these conversations are far more beneficial to me as I hear grassroots thinking that allows me to grow as a leader.

One of the topics that came up in both sessions revolved around curriculum. I have long been a critic of the extensive curriculum that currently exists in Alberta. The overabundant amount of curricular outcomes often leaves little time to develop learning beyond the surface. This lack of depth deprives students of truly engaging in their own learning. Teachers typically believe that they are mandated to cover every outcome whether it has anything to do with what I would suggest is core learning to that grade or the next grade. There is a mandate but I thought I would push the envelope a little by asking, “If you didn’t teach all of the outcomes, would the superintendent, your principal, parents or students know?” The obvious answer was a categorical, “No!” I decided to go a little further and ask if great teachers had a full understanding of what needed to be taught at their own grade or subject level for student success. Participants believed that was the case!  So, my final question was, “Why aren’t we focusing on those outcomes instead of trying to get through everything?”

I relayed this conversation to Alberta Education personnel at a recent information session. I’m not a “rule breaker” but I believe if we continue to congregate in the middle of fenced area that governs education, we will never move far from where we currently exist. Transformation will require us to get to the far edges of the fence and hopefully enlarge the flexibility of our rulebook. And part of the transformation process has to include a redesign of the current curriculum. Alberta Education is involved in the process of Curriculum Redesign currently and it is outstanding. Their Framework for Student Learning provides the right direction for educational reform.

Framework for Student Learning- Alberta Education

However, the issue I have is not on the excellent work being led by the province but instead on the time it will take to “get it right!” I’m suggesting that we continue with the work of Curriculum Redesign but also allow individual jurisdictions to pilot some common core initiatives. The guidelines need to be fairly strict to ensure that student learning is enhanced and professional judgment is collective and informed. Teachers cannot do this in isolation as professional judgment is far too diverse and therefore, schools and divisions must build in the collective approach.

We know that literacy and numeracy must be central to student learning.  We also know that both teacher and student autonomy are motivating for increased student engagement. The literature is also overwhelming that purpose and mastery are key to learner engagement. It is my believe that shrinking the curriculum in order to allow for deep inquiry in outcomes will allow the goals of inspiring education to be more fully realized. It is time for education to move from the comfort of the center of the “rules” fence and start investigating the outer boundaries.  But to do this there must be permission granted not just from my office but from the province too!!!

Nov 04

From the Desk of the Superintendent- Catholic Education Sunday 2012

The following message was provided at each mass this weekend to celebrate Catholic Education Sunday 2012 in Holy Spirit Catholic Schools.

Holy Spirit is a regional division that serves students in Coaldale, Lethbridge, Picture Butte, Pincher Creek, Taber, and surrounding areas.  Today, we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday.  Each year we set aside this special day to celebrate the gift of publicly funded Catholic Education here in the province of Alberta.

Pope Benedict XVI has declared this year as the Year of Faith. It coincides with the 50th anniversary of the beginning of Vatican II. During these last 50 years there has been much change in both our church and in our Catholic schools. 50 years ago only Catholic students attended our schools. Today, more and more non-Catholic families are choosing Catholic schools because of the Christian values taught and permeated throughout the day. 50 years ago, all students received their sacraments while today, less than half of our Catholic students receive the sacrament of Confirmation. 50 years ago our schools were led and supported by clergy and religious orders and today our laity are most common in our schools. But there are two things that have not changed in our Catholic schools and together they demonstrate why our division continues to be recognized as a provincial leader in Catholic education.

The first is the commitment to our Catholic faith. It is our first priority! Each day, students attend schools in Holy Spirit where Gospel values are proclaimed so that students may come to know and believe in Jesus Christ. Hearts are opened and minds are ready to learn of the gift of our Lord. The schools, along with the entire Catholic community walk with our students as they journey in their faith. We are a community of believers and it is our vocation to ensure that every child is witness to the love of Christ and the blessing of the spirit. Faith is foundational in everything that we do!

Secondly, our Catholic schools continue to demonstrate excellence in learning. Last month, our educational report card from the government was released. Holy Spirit Catholic Schools demonstrated very high or high achievement in 12 of 16 measure categories. Our schools are safe and caring; we have one of the lowest drop-out rates in the province and one of the highest high school completion rates. Alberta education recognizes us as a high performing division in the province. We are extremely proud of the work of our staff, students and parents and the results produced.

As we enter this Year of Faith, I ask that you continue to pray and support Catholic Education in Holy Spirit. We offer students the opportunity to encounter Jesus on a daily basis in our schools. We teach students to be prayerful, to be witness and to be humble in Christ. And finally, we offer students the opportunity to be cherished and achieve their potential.      

Please continue to pray for our students, our staff and our Catholic schools as we journey in faith.  Have a wonderful Catholic Education Sunday and God Bless!

Oct 31

From the Desk of the Superintendent- November 2012

The month of October always brings about the organizational meeting for the board. At this meeting, both the board chair and vice chair are selected and committee representation is decided. I am pleased to announce that Sandra Dufresne was acclaimed Board Chair and Terry O’Donnell was acclaimed Vice Chair. Both Sandra and Terry have demonstrated excellent leadership in their roles this past year and will continue to lead the work of the board. A full list of committee representation can be found in our meeting brief.
 
During the regular meeting of the board, the October 2012 Accountability Pillar Overall Summary was presented. This is a report card from Alberta Education that evaluates the performance of every school and school division in the province. Holy Spirit continues to be recognized  as a high performing division by registering very high or high achievement in 12 of 16 categories. This excellence demonstrates the high quality of education offered in our schools by talented and committed staff. It also recognizes the hard work of our students and the support we receive from parents and families.  Although our division excels in many areas, we still share the desire as professionals to continually improve our system. As communicated in an article I wrote for the Lethbridge Herald and shared in a blog post, we have begun a three year focus on learner engagement.  Schools continue to evolve to meet the needs of a society that has changed radically in the last number of decades and students need to learn how to learn to be successful.  Engagement requires students to be an integral part of their own learning shifting them from a compliant student to a committed learner. Each of our schools have developed plans to further engage our students.
 
Team Lethbridge was also a part of the board’s work in October. Board Chair Sandra Dufresne, trustee Bosco Baptista and I travelled to Edmonton to meet with MLA’s, Ministers and their departments. Eighteen organizations from Lethbridge and surrounding area participated in this event. While in Edmonton, the government introduced Bill 3- Education Act.  As of today, the Bill has passed both 1st and 2nd reading and is awaiting 3rd reading. Legal counsel for the Alberta Catholic School Trustees’ Assocation is reviewing the Bill to ensure that the rights of Catholic education are not infringed upon and will provide boards with feedback in the near future. Upon a cursory review of the Bill there are some positive changes that should benefit students. Student, parent, teacher and board responsibilities are clearly outlined and there is a focus on addressing bullying behaviour both in school and out. One of the initiatives that I will be pursuing this year is hosting 2 consultations (1 for parents only and 1 for staff only) on the topic of bullying related to the new legislation.  Stay tune for more details on this initiative as well as updates on Bill 3.
 
This coming weekend we celebrate Catholic Education Sunday. Pope Benedict XVI has declared 2012-13 to be the Year of Faith and therefore our theme for this year’s Catholic Education Sunday is Year of Faith: Embracing Evangelization. During this weekend’s masses, trustees, senior and school administrators will be reading a common message about Catholic Education in Holy Spirit. Alberta is only one of three provinces (Saskatchewan and Ontario) that has publicly funded Catholic Education. Many families coming from out of province or country are surprised to learn of this gift. Please ensure that you communicate that Catholic Education is not privately funded and tuition based as in most provinces and states.
 
 
On behalf of the Board of Trustees and Senior Administration, I would like to wish you an enjoyable month of November!

Oct 27

From the Desk of the Superintendent- Team Lethbridge

This past week, Board Chair Sandra Dufresne, Trustee Bosco Baptista and I travelled to Edmonton as part of Team Lethbridge. Team Lethbridge is comprised of 18 diverse organizations from the City of Lethbridge.

  • Aboriginal Council of Lethbridge
  • Allied Arts Council
  • Canadian Home Builders Association- Lethbridge
  • Chinook Country Tourist Association
  • City of Lethbridge
  • Economic Development Lethbridge
  • Holy Spirit Roman Catholic Separate Regional Division #4
  • Lethbridge College
  • Lethbridge Chamber of Commerce
  • Lethbridge Construction Association
  • Lethbridge & District Association of REALTORS
  • Lethbridge & District Exhibition
  • Lethbridge Family Services
  • Lethbridge Lodging Association
  • Lethbridge School District #51
  • Lethbridge Senior Citizens Organization
  • University of Lethbridge

Team Lethbridge meets with Premier Redford

The three day event took us to Edmonton where we were able to meet with MLA’s, Ministers and their departments. The focus of each meeting was not on the “ask” but rather on communicating the many opportunities Lethbridge has as an innovative and progressive community.  The diversity of the partners demonstrated the collaborative nature of the team. Meetings with the ministries were characterized by not only highlighting individual partner’s strengths but more importantly how collectively they work and support one another.  With government’s desire to enhance partnerships in municipalities, Team Lethbridge demonstrated that strength and ability to create synergy.

Lethbridge is economically strong and diverse and benefits from stable and robust funding. The development of positive relationships with our government increases the awareness of our contribution in enhancing the strength of our province.  The organizations represented are leaders in their fields and contribute to maintaining a healthy and sustainable community. For me, it is this community shared focus that is the greatest asset of Team Lethbridge. WE come together and work together, investing in our community to support long-term success for Lethbridge and the Province of Alberta.

Oct 21

Learner Engagement

When I first began my career in education, great teaching was often defined by a classroom where students sat quietly in rows. There was such an emphasis placed on classroom management as an effective teaching tool. And while I believe that classroom management is required for excellent teaching to occur, students sitting quietly in rows cannot be the only evidence.

Today’s classrooms are shifting from student compliance to commitment and from teacher driven to student focused. This transformation is being driven because of a concentrated effort to increase learner engagement. Author Daniel Pink suggests that people are typically motivated through purpose, mastery and autonomy. Students desire those same attributes in their classrooms today. The ability to offer students an education that is purposeful, seeks mastery and allows some sort of autonomy equals a high level of learner engagement.

Back in the late 70’s when I attended high school, I remember questioning the purpose of why I was learning some of the curriculum at that time. When I talk to students today, they ask the same question, “Why do we have to learn this?” Without purpose or a connection to their current life or future plans, learner engagement is negatively impacted. Students need to be confident that what they are doing in schools today matters! Creative thought and problem solving ability are greatly enhanced when students are engaged in meaningful learning.

When there is a sense of purpose there is a desire to improve. This is not just typical behavior for artists and athletes but for the general public. None of us wake up in the morning hoping to fail at something we truly believe in. Mastery at the school level requires educators to provide specific feedback to students. Students need to be clear as to where they are, where they need to get to and how they are going to get there in their educational journey. It further requires educators to work collaboratively with students to develop a growth mindset that promotes intrinsic motivation.

The last piece of the engagement puzzle requires students to have some autonomy in their own learning. Although curriculum is provincially mandated, students still need to have some choice in their schooling. The key is employing flexible learning groups, having teachers implementing differentiated instruction and allowing students choice in how they demonstrate their learning. Autonomy allows students to build on their own strengths.   

 Alberta is generally recognized as the best education system in the English speaking world. Yet, in the most recent accountability results, 1 in 4 students did not complete high school in three years. Quiet compliance in the classroom is no longer sufficient for students to develop the skills they need to be engaged citizens. We need to continue to shift our efforts to active learning that promotes high learner engagement. An emphasis on learner engagement will develop all students’ abilities to learn how to learn and experience success in schools and within our knowledge based society.

Please Note: This article published in the Lethbridge Herald on October 17, 2012.

Oct 14

Inclusion is about an attitude!

This past week my learning was further enhanced through two powerful events held in our school division. The first event was our Division-wide Professional Development Day. Dr. Julie Causton-Theoharis  an Assistant Professor at the School of Education at Syracuse University provided our opening keynote and held an additional two sessions highlighting inclusive education. Her  stories and information made you laugh and cry causing everyone’s personal beliefs on inclusion to be stretched.

The second event was organized in cooperation with the Chinook Austism Society and involved school visits and professional learning opportunities from Beyond The Crayon.  The (IN)spired workshops were led by Renee Laporte and her student of 13+ years, Nathan. Renee and Nathan have been working together since he began kindergarten and they are still together as he attends first year university. Our Director of Student Services, Ken Sampson provided an excellent overview in his blog post entitled, “Longing to Belong.” His thoughts should be read by all educators.

Inclusion has made some great progress in education in the last 30 years. But, we still have much to accomplish before we can say that we are truly an inclusive community. When I began teaching high school in 1985, streaming students was the most common practice and congregated programs or non-attendance at schools were the only options. I was fortunate to work with a man by the name of Bill Watson who had immense compassion for the students in his program. But sadly, I recognized them as his students and not mine too!

My learning has certainly changed over the years and I’ve often wrestled with where students need to be “placed” to be most successful. However, I’ve come to realize that if we continue to focus on inclusion as being a place instead of an attitude, we will never fully reach our full potential. When our attitudes shift to our children instead of those children, we will recognize:

  • The beauty of diversity
  • The belief in uniqueness
  • That every child brings strengths
  • That every child deserves our best…all the time

A change in our attitudes will cause a change in our practices. Our attitudes will drive a continuum of support for every child as opposed to a default position of segregation. Our attitudes will develop school environments that will change societal views. Our attitudes will bring more than tolerance. They will bring understanding and acceptance.  And eventually, we will get to a place described by this quote.

” When someone is truly included, no one will question their presence- only their absence.”- Renee Laporte

 

Oct 08

The Change Continuum?

There are those who thrive on change. Most of us however, prefer to default to our own comfort zone. The reality is change is inevitable. I would suggest that because we often think of change as an either/or action, we tend to fear it and in many instances avoid when possible. All this talk about transformation in education leaves many of us in the field a little uneasy. We assume that it will happen tomorrow and the world that we currently live in will cease to exist. While my personal feeling is that we require that type of leap of faith to get us to where we need to go, I’m also conscious that most of us are not prepared to jump in with both feet.

Change, especially in education doesn’t require either/or thinking. In fact, we need to start to believe that it is a natural journey or progression from where we are to where we want to be. It should not assume that we are currently doing is irrelevant. Quite the opposite! The change required is all about our professional duty to be the best that we can be! Assumed competence means being at the top of our game or at minimum, striving to get there all the time. The non-negotiable of the profession is the continual desire to get there! In her article, “Change is Hard, Here’s Why You Should Keep Trying“, Dr. Sherrie Bourg Carter, explains why change is hard and more importantly why change is required.   

Few leaders if any, are ever hired to maintain the status quo. Whether it be the educational or business world, the desire to improve will always be a high priority. Often the changes required when viewed from the 10,000 foot level seem to be so common sense. And because they appear to be so common sense, it is frustrating for leaders who want to make the grandiose change required to be patient. While a better understanding of the change process does not speed up the rate of change, it does provide a better perspective.

Taking a page out of the work from Anthony Mohammed and a recent workshop with Jerry Goebel, I would like to forward these stages of resistance to change. In doing so, I hope that all educators recognize where they are in the change process and begin moving toward the next step on their journey.

  1. Cognitive barrier- Lacks knowledge or understanding
  2. Emotive barrier- Lacks perspective and trust
  3. Technical barrier- Lacks skills
  4. Visceral barrier- Lacks motivation to change

From a leader’s perspective, I’m quite willing to work with those experiencing the first three resistors. There are always solutions to the first three barriers both from the leaders’ or participants’ actions. Divisions offer various  professional learning opportunities and the connected educator has the ability and autonomy to continually access development. However, when there is no willingness to change as in the final barrier, it is only surmountable with a exit strategy. Individuals who possess a visceral barrier are poisonous to an organization. Not only do they choose not to make necessary changes but they are also active recruiters for their way of thinking. Great work done by individual leaders or  staff members is often sabotaged by their actions.

If we continue to think of change as either/or rather than part of a journey, we will continually struggle to adapt. If we allow those who openly lack the motivation to change to rule the process we will NEVER adapt.  However, if we are prepared to join the journey, fully aware we will experience some strife in our efforts to get better, we WILL adapt. And when we adapt, our practices will continue to improve as we move along the change continuum.