Writing a blog takes courage. I remember the hesitation and ‘queasy’ feeling I had the first time I hit the “publish” icon on my blog. But, we have an amazing group of school and district leaders who are putting themselves out there in new ways this fall. While, as school and district administrators we often write for a public audience, blogging does feel different from writing a school newsletter. The content might be similar, but it is more personal than a Principal’s Message on the front page of a newsletter.
We often talk about the many changes happening in education and how we, as leaders, need to model the change. We want students to take the risks, own their learning, be ready to make mistakes but to learn from them as well, and to create content for the digital world. We can help by modelling all of this.
On so many levels, what our leaders are doing in West Vancouver is very powerful. Our leaders are redefining how we communicate with teachers, students, parents, and the community. The fear? It is that technology will make our world less personal, but so far, the blogs by our principals and others are having the opposite effect; the writers seem more human, the stories more real, as they share stories about their schools in their own words.
So, what are they blogging about? Here is a sample:
Cathie Ratz, Principal at Irwin Park, recently blogged about (here) their use of appreciative inquiry and how they are using the book How Full is Your Bucket with students.
Michelle Labounty, Principal at Ridgeview Elementary, picked up on a theme we spent some time exploring last year in the district, and shared thoughts (here) around Parents as Partners.
Brad Lund, Principal at Caulfeild Elementary, is tracking the progress of the schools new iDEC (Inquiry based Digitally Enhanced Community) program in his blog. He recently shared (here) some of the initial responses to the new venture.
Steve Rauh, Principal at West Vancouver Secondary, is a ‘veteran’ blogger, having started his blog last year. He regularly writes posts as a way to shine a light on the different programs or areas in his school, and recently wrote about the Best Buddies organization (here).
Jennifer Pardee, Principal at Bowen Island Community School, focused on place-based education and the key role the local community plays as a primary resource for learning (here).
Val Brady, Principal at Hollyburn Elementary School, shared research from People for Education on the Top 6 Secrets to Student Success (here)
Our District Leaders are also blogging . . .
Gary Kern, Director of Technology and Innovation, shared some thoughts on what parents can do to help their children with digital literacy (here).
Lynne Tomlinson, Director of Learning Services, wrote this past week about the power of professional learning teams (here).
Jody Langlois, Director of Student Services, picked up on our opening day presentation and added her thoughts to the work of Dr. Stuart Shanker (here)
Barely a month has passed, and our school leaders are modeling the way to build community in digital space. You can access each of the blogs aggregated centrally (here) or through each school’s website.
cultureofyes.ca 
Wow! That is really great that all of the Principals would choose to blog. From the outside looking in, being an AO in West Vancouver looks like an incredibly busy job. There are meetings and administrative tasks that fill each day. Not to mention dealing with the expected and unexpected that fall under the guise of Principal. Trying to get into classrooms and hallways to see teachers and students in action seems to be so tough to do. Then throw balancing family into the mix. Quite impressive that all these individuals would choose to commit to blogging on top of all that they have to do. I plan to try soon, but more recreationally than professionally.
Thanks Dave – yes, it is a very time challenging job. Hopefully all of the new bloggers will see this as adding value to what they do, and hopefully replacing some other forms of communication. Blogs should mean less of a need for newsletter messages, and some of the engagement created in the blogs may replace other communications. It is also a great reflective opportunity, and albeit public, may replace some of the journalling or reflection they do on a regular basis in other formats.
Look forward to seeing you enter the blog world (even if just for recreation).
Congratulations to your administrators for helping to lead the reflective process for other educators in your district and around the province. When I first began to blog, I had trepidation not only about publicizing my thoughts and opinions for the public to see and respond to, but also whether or not anyone would bother to read my posts! Yet saying that, I now realize that blogging is not about who or who does not read your posts, it is about learning how to articulate your thoughts on issues that are important in your own learning situation and inviting different perspectives from others.
My one year anniversary for blogging is coming up in just a couple of weeks. Blogging has allowed me to look back on some of my thoughts on different educational topics and determine whether my thoughts have been modified or further clarified over the last year by my PLN. I hope that this has made and will continue to make me a better Principal, and I hope that it works just as well for your admin group!
Hi Cale – I have been paraphrasing David Eaves, when I describe what I get out of my blog – it is a place to go for an intellectual workout. It is like going to the gym – I challenge myself, I push my mind, and continue to try to stay intellectually fit.
From the outside Cale – your blog has had huge influence beyond what could have happened without it – I think of the impact of your school improvement process had on some in our district.
Happy blogiversary.
[…] Chris Kennedy’s post yesterday and seeing how principals are jumping out into the blogging world despite their own fears, I […]
Perfect example of what I call a “narrative champion”. Well done Chris.
http://ideasandthoughts.org/2011/02/04/becoming-narrative-champions/
Thanks Dean – great reference and frame to see our work in.
[…] when Chris Kennedy (SO from B.C.) shared his experiences with online blogging and the impact that it was having within his school […]
Although I wrote a monthly from the desk of the superintendent last year about the happenings in the division, I’m finding that my blog is much more personal. It provides me the opportunity to share my professional thoughts, more often and to a wider audience. The style of writing is much different too and that is something that I certainly appreciate. Good luck in your continued blogging.
[…] He also highlights all the principals in his district embracing the idea of blogging with links to theirs. You can read more at his blog here. […]
[…] have previously written posts on Principals as Blog Leaders (here), highlighting the blogs from our district leaders and leaders in each of our schools. I have […]
[…] Chris Kennedy echos this in his post Principals as Blog Leaders: […]