Welcome to the 10th “Top 3” List. When I started blogging, one of the things I started with was this year-end list. Everyone loves a year end list! And this was intended to be a little different. The categories change every year, some are education related, some are just silly. To those who have been here from the beginning, or those who have joined along the way – thanks for being part of this digital community. We do some serious work but do try to not take ourselves too seriously.
Previous Top 3 lists for: 2018 (here) 2017 (here) 2016 (here) 2015 (here) 2014 (here) 2013 (here) 2012 (here), 2011 (here) and 2010 (here).
Top 3 “Culture of Yes” Blog Posts which have generated the most traffic this year:
- It is Time to Ban Cell Phones in Schools?
- What do Superintendents do in the Summer?
- Reflecting on Competition
My post on cell phones really generated a lot of interest. My thanks to the AASA who asked me to update the post for their School Administrator Magazine (HERE). I often get asked how I come up with topics. I am lucky that I have a lot of people around me that make suggestions. The cell phone post was a result of me making a joke on Twitter around cell phones in schools, and then realizing sometimes there is a fair bit of truth when you try to make a joke.
Top 3 New Things I got to see when I was at work:
- Physical Literacy – This work is the real deal. I wrote my most recent post (HERE) on what I am seeing in our classrooms. This is not just doing PE better. Nor is it just getting kids to run around. This is far more accessible that PE in a gym and far more purposeful than just being active. And the work is having a huge impact in our district.
- FIT – Flexible Instructional Time. The revised curriculum created new opportunities. It started with thinking about careers differently. And led to 32 minutes each day in each of our high schools. This time gives students something they have continually asked for whenever we survey them – some flexible time as part of their formal school day where they have choice and voice – to complete assignments, collaborate with peers and receive extra help in a particular area. HERE is a post I wrote on this earlier this year. Even in just a few months, this has really helped shift culture in our high schools.
- New People in New Places – Good teams don’t rebuild they reload. That is how I feel about our leadership team in our district. And while I am now in my 10th year in my position, we have had the chance to continue to elevate and recruit some amazing people to our leadership team. This year saw new Directors of Instruction with Ian Kennedy and Sandra-Lynn Shortall both starting in their jobs. We also had a number of new school principals and vice-principals. Yes, we lost some great people, but new people bring new ideas and new energy and that helps keep our organization fresh. Since I am not going anywhere I like that I can continually be surrounded by people from various places who want to push us forward.
Top 3 Things I got to go do when I wasn’t at work:
- KFC in Kentucky – Yes, I am still a vegetarian. But getting to sit at a table with a life-sized replica of the Colonel at the Louisville Airport was kind of cool.
- Running in San Antonio – Our family runs (well actually races) every New Year’s Day. This past year we were in San
Antonio over the break. - Star Wars Ride-I know it kind of got mixed reviews, but the immersive experience of being in the Star Wars world at Disneyland was a lot of fun.
Top 3 Culture Building Traditions we have in West Vancouver Schools:
- Opening Day – We are lucky in a district with about 7500 students and about 1000 staff we can come together for special events. On the Thursday before Labour Day we have a district professional development day where we spend time for the first couple hours celebrating our district and being inspired for the year ahead. Speakers in the past have included Stephen Lewis, Sir Ken Robinson, Natalie Panek and Jennifer James. We try to link to a theme for the year – this past year it was physical literacy. In August of 2020 it will be diversity and inclusion.
- Christmas Party – I know the office Christmas Party is largely a relic. We have this fun tradition of a district-wide party in early December where we celebrate the season, raise money for a local charity and raffle off holiday baskets to staff. It is always a great way to get into the spirit of the season and a nice tradition that brings people together from across the district.
- Retirement Party – You can retire, but you never really leave the family. While everyone hosts events for their retirees each year, the West Vancouver one always invites back former staff to join. Some staff who have been retired for decades would never miss the annual event. It is these types of connections that help newer and younger staff see the lifelong bonds that can come from teaching and community.
Top 3 Concerts I got to see:
- Paul Simon – while I got to see him retire from touring in the fall of 2018, it was a real treat to see him do a couple shows in
California for environmental charities this summer, including his headliner act at Outside Lands Music Festival. Hoping he might re-appear again somewhere this summer. - Cher – I have never been a huge Cher fan, but her concert was incredible. You got all the hits, and the costumes, and the over-the-top sets and a couple very cool duets with Sunny.
- Judy Collins – Judy is 80. And she is still amazing. Send in the Clowns, Both Sides Now and Amazing Grace. Wow.
I am a big live music fan. I did also get to see “cooler” artists like Childish Gambino, Kasey Musgraves, Carrie Underwood and others but it is the storytellers and performers I grew up with while listening to the records with my parents that are still the best to see in concert. Music has a way of taking you back to the first time you heard the songs being played.
Top 3 Somewhat Odd Lessons I have for any new superintendent:
- If you asking people to give their time to come to workshop – no sandwiches. Everyone loves pizza or sushi.
- Never let yourself win any competition. I know we are competitive people but nobody wants the superintendent to win the Halloween costume contest.
- Always have a $5 bill in your pocket when you visit schools. There will often be a bake sale or something similar, and you have to make a purchase. And you can’t ask for change. Take this advice from someone who has bought several $20 brownies, rice krispie squares and chocolate chip cookies over his time.
Top 3 Quick Takes I have based on my school visits:
- Technology is really becoming invisible in classrooms. This has been a change in the works for a number of years, but when I am in school I don’t really notice it. It is there – there are students on laptops and other tools in use, but it is never the lead of the story in classrooms. Listening to students they are not using “virtual” or “digital” ahead of classroom, portfolio or folder – a sign that it is just become normal.
- Indigenous learning is expected across all grades and curriculum. The curiosity of students and parents to better understand our land and our history is incredible. We are lucky to have some wonderful leaders in our district and great partners in the Squamish Nation who are bringing this work alive in our schools.
- Students want flexibility – sort of. There is an ongoing tension between students desire for more flexibility in how they learn and when they learn, and the comfort they have from traditional structures. We see this with the FIT time at high schools. This is just a very modest change, and most have really embraced it. Why FIT has been particularly successful is that the adults have been so committed to the change.
Top 3 TED Talks that I Have Told You to Watch Before and I am Doing it Again:
- The difference between winning and succeeding
2. 3 Ways to Spark Learning
3. Every Kid Needs a Champion
Top 3 Trends Our Students Are Part of that We Need to Pay Attention to:
How is this for an eclectic mix – from the environment, to video games, to mental health . . .
- The Climate Crisis – While16-year-old Greta Thunburg became the symbol of the movement around the world, it is one that has legs in every community. Students are asking hard questions and this is only going to increase.
- E-Sports – I wrote about e-sports earlier this year (HERE). It is easy for adults to dismiss what is going on, but the stats are staggering and something we all should get us all to pay attention.
- Well being – Students are becoming more comfortable talking about their mental health, and describing what they need to be supported. And the adults are getting better with discussing their well being. From the courses we offer to when we offer them, to the flexibility for students – in our commitment to well being, many of our structures will be up for debate.
Top 3 Ways I pushed myself in 2019 (these were all my goals in last year’s Top 3):
- Start my doctorate – 12 months ago I was just getting going. Now I am half way through my course work and I am beginning to work on my major exploration: How do BC School Superintendents Spend Their Time?
- More real visits – It can be hard to make time for real visits. These are what really help you understand what is going on in classrooms. I enjoyed being in the water with our FAST students (lifeguards in training) this fall, and checking out our drama students at Sentinel and being part of several physical literacy lessons across our elementary and high schools. These visits give me great perspective on what is working in our classrooms.
- Focus on assessment – We are having this great conversation around assessment right now – from students, to staff to parents. Somewhere is all the excitement around report cards and letter grades over the last few years, this conversation moved to the background – it is now in the foreground again. It is actually much harder than a conversation around letter grades – it is far more grey. But it is a great focus for us to have.
Top 3 Things I am Going to do Less of Next Year:
- Social Media – My interest in definitely decreasing all the time. I check-in to my Facebook account once or twice a week. I have shrunk my Instagram community and still use Twitter for work, but not nearly as much as I used to. And I don’t think I am ready for a Tik Tok account.
- Coaching Youth Sports – When I am not working, I spend most of my time volunteering in the gym with kids. The modern sports parents are wearing me out. Their intent focus on their own child and their visions of stardom and lack of appreciation for volunteers is sad. Working with kids on teams still brings me great joy – but I am going to definitely be more choosy.
- Inviting People to Meetings – I get it, when I invite you to a meeting, you feel obligated to attend. I will do better about not having meetings for meetings sake. I already have a reputation for short meetings and celebrating meetings that end early, now I need to get better at finding other ways that meetings to move work forward.
Top 3 Things I want Santa to bring for our school district:
- West Van Place for Sport – We have been trying to build an artificial turf field and track in West Vancouver for close to a decade, but it took a huge step forward this year. We can actually see the finish line. It is truly a community effort with the School District, Municipality, Community Foundation all making sizable contributions. And through a matching funds program from the Municipality they have been joined by many local business partners including Onni and Park Royal. We are getting this done in 2020! Click HERE to learn more . . . we are still looking for someone who wants to make a donation to have their name on the marquee.
- A new Sentinel– I think a new Sentinel Secondary School has been on the wish list longer than the track. Sentinel is a great school ready for an upgrade. It is always challenging to know how much to invest in a school knowing it might be replaced in a few years. We can always hope Santa has a Sentinel project in his bag of goodies!
- A Provincial Teachers Contract – The support staff have settled both locally and provincially this past year. And our teachers have settled their issues that are bargained locally this year as well. Hopefully early in 2020, a provincial teachers settlement will be reached and we can continue to focus on students and learning without the distraction of labour challenges.
Thanks for making it right to the end. All the best for a wonderful 2020!
Chris
cultureofyes.ca 