Back in 2015, Alberta Education, through a very collaborative process, established a policy on Teacher Growth, Supervision and Evaluation. It was very forward thinking by eliminating cyclical teacher evaluations and replacing those evaluations with a focus on growth. It is not that all evaluations were unnecessary (there are still four reasons to initiate an evaluation) …
Tag: Leadership
Jan 20
Continuing the learning!
Last week, I wrote a blog post entitled “Always be a learner!” It referenced some of my own learning, especially as a young administrator, but also talked about the importance of organization learning. I want to remain with the theme of personal learning but specifically look at (1) Learning from anyone and (2) The discomfort …
Jan 13
Always be a learner!
I started my administration career back in 1991. I was 29 years old, had just completed my master’s degree and I was brash as hell. I moved from a strictly high school setting to a K-12 environment and from a middle to upper class socially economic school to a community facing significant poverty issues. Success …
Jul 23
Fearless Leadership
Canada has one of the best education systems in the world. This is especially true when you consider that the majority of students are educated in public schools, the vast diversity within our classrooms and the highly inclusive environment we continually cultivate. Most countries marvel at the results we consistently get year in and year …
Jul 17
Kindness in leadership
Earlier this year, I attended the Central Alberta Teachers’ Convention on behalf of Nelson. I was pleasantly surprised when one of my former teachers, Laurie McIntosh (@lauriesmcintosh) stopped by the booth to say hello. I was then humbled when I dropped by her sessions, and she kindly recognized and affirmed me in for my actions …
Jan 03
Looking back to 2020
This week marks the third-year anniversary of my retirement as Superintendent of Schools. In some ways it seems like only yesterday that I called it quits, while at other times it seems like a lifetime ago. So, what have I done or better yet, what are some things I’ve learned in these past three years? …
Apr 11
High School Programming Now and into the Future
Last week, I had the pleasure of moderating a C21 Canada webinar entitled, “The A, B, Cs of High School Programming.” The webinar featured five Superintendents/Directors from across Canada. The two main questions that framed the discussion were: What pandemic opportunities have occurred in high school/secondary program models that encourage a deeper look at pedagogy? …
Feb 18
Schedule the important
A number of years ago I was introduced to a daily blog entitled “Leadership Freak.” The author, Dan Rockwell’s tag line is, “Empowering leaders 300 words at a time.” I’ve shared the link to many of my colleagues, as well as to former students of graduate classes who I taught. When time is tight, which …
Mar 03
Integrity in leadership
It is a sad statement of our times, but I truly believe that the level of integrity of our leaders is depleting at a record rate. Some (not all) politicians, national or provincial/state reek with integrity flaws But, it seems that the crisis has crept into many areas of leadership that had one time, had …
Jan 24
What is your weakness?
Last week over lunch at home with my wife (I can do that now that I’m retired), the discussion of weaknesses came up. She had been watching a talk show and one of the panelist stated that every interview should ask the following question: What are your weaknesses? I’m not convinced that asking that question …