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A Changing Vibe to Snow Days

Posted in SD45, Social Media, tagged on January 30, 2024| Leave a Comment »

The first text came about 6:15 AM.  It was from a now retired former school superintendent from a local district.  It was short and to the point.

You have gotten soft. It is not even snowing anymore.

He was half-joking.  But it definitely speaks to some changing expectations as earlier this  month, our district, along with many others locally had two snow days.

When I started as superintendent 14 years ago. There was an unspoken code with colleagues.  We don’t call snow days.  Snow days are a sign of weakness.  Maybe I am overstating it a bit, but I think I went seven years without calling a snow day.  Now, it feels like I call at least one every year.

I have written before about snow days.  I last wrote about them in January of 2020, A Social Media Snowstorm.  Here is part of what I said:

Of course, the truth of it is that making snow day decisions sucks.  You can be sure that half the people think you make the wrong decision.  I get lots of emails about how decisions get made – and it is a bit of art and science.  The goal is to keep schools open whenever possible.  Snow days are a huge inconvenience, and often force parents to take unplanned time off of work, and have huge ripple effects beyond just our schools.  That said, we have to be sure it is safe for our staff, who often travel from long distances to get to work, and safe for our students and families who need to walk or drive to school to be able to attend.

The timing of this post is really important.  It is just a couple of months before our entire school system was thrown into flux with COVID – when opening, closing, or doing a bit of both at the same time became the norm.   And now, after the COVID experience, things have changed around calling snow days.  The community seems to have shifted and the “line” of the snow day has moved.  Without the empirical evidence to support this claim, I feel like snow days are easier to call, and more readily accepted than they were before COVID.  Here is what I think has happened:

  • The growth in digital tools mean many classes (particularly in high school) can stay connected via virtual classrooms and learning is moved virtually but they sense of “falling behind” is less than it used to be.
  • More families have some increased flexibility with one parent working remotely, or having the ability in an emergency to work remotely thus limiting the childcare crunch caused by a snow day.

It is hard to quantify this, but on an “about once a year” basis allowing kids a day to play in the snow and enjoy weather which in our part of the world is still very rare, is a fun break and supports well-being – something that has got ever increased attention.

Now, I don’t want to trivialize this at all.  I get that massive imposition of many families of a snow day.  I also know it means some people who intersect with the school system will lose work / pay for the day.  It is just worth noting, that I think the community values have changed.

Again, a very small sample size.  We had two snow days in mid-January.  I was expecting a barrage of complaints for not opening, especially on the second day.  They didn’t come.  I heard from other local districts that had snow days – the response was similar.  The only really negative feedback I got that week was a criticism for not having a third snow day because of the lingering ice and snow on the sidewalks and some side streets.  If this was 2019 and we called a second snow day, my inbox would have been full of angry emails.

Of course community values can swing back.  But it will be interesting to see if the tolerance for snow days will be on the list of lasting impacts of the COVID pandemic.

 

 

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My One Word for 2024 – Accelerate

Posted in Change, SD45, tagged , , on January 9, 2024| 3 Comments »

I heard the phrase, “superintendent as accelerator”, a few months ago and it really stuck with me.  It is a dynamic and forward-looking theme that is about motivating to lead with a sense of urgency, embracing innovation, and driving positive change throughout all my work.  Just what I am looking for in 2024.  It is my year to accelerate.  

This is the 9th year of my “One Word” Tradition. You can see the full list at the end of this post with all the links.  Before I get into 2024, let me talk about 2023 – and my word “coached”.  I know we often just put the best version out on the internet of what we want people to see, but honestly, I didn’t do well meeting the goals captured by my 2023 word for the year.  Coached was built around a commitment to being coached.  I joined a professional network, where I participated in regular coaching calls, set goals, read (a lot), listened to motivational talks from a variety of industries and generally tried to embrace being professionally coached.  And it started well.  But I just didn’t follow through all year in a committed way.  I think I need the accountability of a personal coach rather than just being part of a group, and I needed to be more clear about what specifically I wanted to be “coached” on.  So, it wasn’t what I might have hoped – but still some good learning.

And onto 2024.  And accelerate.  I think all the energy around generative AI has definitely contributed to my choice of words for this year.  I also like the implied urgency that comes with the word. 

To describe it in more detail, I like accelerate for this year because:

It is about pace – It is not just waiting around for innovation and improvement within the school district. It signals a proactive approach to achieving goals.  I think about our work around numeracy and transitions in our district and how we want to accelerate them in 2024.

It is about pushing boundaries – Back to the generative AI topic among others, accelerating is about embracing innovative strategies to enhance the learning experience for our students and the professional development of staff.

It is about adaptability – In our rapidly changing landscape of education, “accelerate” underscores the importance of adaptability and flexibility. It encourages us to respond swiftly to emerging challenges and opportunities.

It is about technology – Accelerate aligns with the adoption of innovative technologies and teaching practices. It encourages us to explore cutting-edge approaches that can modernize the educational experience for both students and staff.

It is about focus – We have a clear strategic plan, and a framework to enhance student learning that are guiding documents for our work.  Accelerating is about setting ambitious but achievable targets and mobilizing resources effectively to meet those objectives.

It is about student learning – The ultimate goal of acceleration is improved student success. As the world changes quickly around us, we  focus on initiatives that accelerate learning experiences, ensuring that students are achieving their full potential.

I am excited about using accelerate as a theme for my work in the year ahead.

What is your word for 2024?

And here are my previous words linked to the posts:

2016 – Hungry

2017 – Hope

2018 – Relevance

2019 – Delight

2020 – Hustle

2021 – Optimism

2022 – Focus

2023- Coached

All the best for the year ahead!

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A West Vancouver Schools Holiday Tradition

Posted in SD45, tagged , , , , on December 21, 2023| 4 Comments »

Our District Leadership Team has a tradition, now 10 years strong, the week before the holidays – Our “Great Cookie Delivery” or “Cookiepalooza”. It is our attempt at a personal way to express gratitude and build and live the culture we are so proud of in the school district. And it is a lot of fun!

I love the size of the school district we work in –  about 7500 students, just over 1000 staff and a geography that lets you get around to all the schools in a day.

So, that is what we do.  We load up our cars at 6 AM with cookies, with the goal of delivering to every staff member by the end of the day.  We do most (probably 80-90%) in person and the rest are left in staff rooms.  

And of course, we do it in costumes.  As someone who dislikes Halloween for the costumes, for me this is probably the most difficult part.

But traditions are fun – and here is a look at our holiday tradition over the last decade:

This year – we wished everyone a Merry Swift-Mas.

In 2022, we were a team of holiday bakers.

In 2021, the lumberjacks were delivering cookies across the district.

In 2020, it was a COVID-era Santa-hat wearing Stormtrooper delivery.

In 2019, there were the not quite 12 drummers drumming.

In 2018, it was gingerbread people delivering the gingerbread.

In 2017, it was a Hawaiian holiday themed cookie delivery.

In 2016, the elves were left to delivery cookies across the district.

In 2015, we were wearing our Christmas jammies to delivery the cookies.

In 2014, we were all about the ugly Christmas sweaters.

 In 2013, it started with  Santa and his helpers  delivering the cookies.

Our team changes.  Time moves on.  But traditions keep us connected.

Hopefully with colleagues at work, or with friends and family you too have some wonderful holiday traditions.

Wishing everyone a wonderful break! 

I will have one more post – my “Top 3” that will come out before the end of the year.

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World Teachers Day 2023

Posted in Change, SD45, tagged , , , on October 5, 2023| 1 Comment »

Happy World Teachers Day!

I really like the theme this year – the teachers we need for the education we want. This commitment is absolutely true in West Vancouver as we work to support learners.

No fresh content from me this week, but I want to take this World Teachers’ Day to share some of my favourite posts I have made on this day throughout the years.  One of the rewarding parts of being able to write here on this blog is celebrating teachers from my life, and our profession more broadly.  Teachers make such a difference, but they often do so quietly.  

In 2011, I wrote about Mrs. Caffrey.  I had her for grades 2,3 and 4.  I arrived in her class unable to read and without any confidence, and left her class three years later, a completely different student.

One of the key role of teachers is that of mentors for other teachers.  In 2012, I highlighted some of mine in The Good Fortune of Mentors.  I have been thinking recently about the different roles that teachers play in their schools and their professions at different times in their career.  One of the key things experienced teachers do is support those newer to the profession.  

How Many Can You Name? was the challenge in my 2016 post.  And this challenge is a good game to play.  Get out a piece of paper, or open a new “Note” on your phone and start naming your K-12 teachers.  It is usually easier with those from elementary school than high school as it was typically 1 each year.  I think you will be surprised with just how many teachers you can still name – and maybe, as you are thinking of them, it would be a good time to look them up and say thank you.  

And last year, in 2022, I wrote a post  Teachers reflecting on the state of the profession.  In re-reading it, I still feel this all strongly today.  We need to treat teachers well.  Teaching is a profession that we want to attract the very best, and how the community treats the people currently in the system will play a large part in if they stay, and if the best of the coming generations choose teaching.

And while not published on World Teachers’ Day, at the end of the 2022 school year I wrote a post on 26 teachers who have had a major impact on me in 26 Years, 26 Teachers, 26 Lessons that celebrates much of what we are celebrating today about our profession.

As we recognize World Teachers’ Day 2023 – all the best to all those in West Vancouver and beyond – thank you for all you do to equip students with the knowledge and skills they need to navigate the challenges of life, fostering personal growth and critical thinking.

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Expanding Our Mandate in Schools – West Vancouver Schools’ Animal Kingdom Academy

Posted in SD45, tagged , on April 1, 2023| 7 Comments »

Much has been made about the expanded mandate for the school system. In British Columbia, this mandate now includes early learning and our system is continually reinventing itself. K-12 is no longer a stand alone system – we are a human learning system. As many see it, we are really now a system that spans people’s entire lives.

West Vancouver has already been a leader in expanding our reach.  We know we have a great brand and one of the world’s top systems, so we want to continually look to go to new places.  We were first with full day kindergarten, a leader in international programs, a power player in the academies world (you have heard about our robotics haven’t you?) and today I am pleased to announce our next expansion.

Beginning in the fall of 2023 each of our schools will no longer just service the humans in our community but we are launching  Animal Kingdom Academy  programs attached to every one of our schools in the district.  We have been leaders in human education, and we can do the same for your pets.  We have been leaders in digital literacy and physical literacy and we are always looking at what is next.  We know animalia literacy will be crucial to be productive citizens in our world.

Beginning today, you can enroll your pets for school starting in September.  All pets are welcome.  We are building our expertise to support dogs, cats, birds, fish, and small mammals, and each pet will have an individualized program to support their specific needs.  In future years, we plan to expand our offerings to pets in the broader community. 

International Head Frankowski with 2 students  registering.

Of course with the challenges already in funding in the education system, there will be questions on how this new program will be funded.  The core funding for the program will be through the government’s pet tax on all pets in the community.  There are a variety of other ways that we will get supplemental funding for the Animal Kingdom Academy including bake sales (think regular human bake sales with cupcakes but for your pets), onsite petting zoo – we know people will pay top dollar to snuggle your pets, and door-to-door sales of pet goodies (if you think kids selling cookies at your door works well, you should see cute dogs coming to your door to sell pet treats).

We know we have the expertise to do pet education differently.  

And of course it is not just the pets that will benefit.  This will also completely change how we educate our students in K-12.  All of our students will learn about pet care and responsibility.  We see this initiative as key to supporting the mental health of our students and their needs around learning empathy and compassion.  

The courses our students take will also now be different.  At each grade approximately

Principal Finch is all in at Sentinel.

40% of the curriculum will be dedicated to pet learning.  There will be lessons related to pet care, such as learning about different types of pets and their needs, how to train pets, how to groom pets, and how to recognize and respond to pet behaviors. As part of their annual culminating project, students will become bark-itechts – learning to design and build their pet’s dream house.

Students will also get to take better advantage of our natural surroundings, as students and their pet fish will be part of an integration program where they learn to improve their swimming side-by-side in the ocean.  And of course every morning will begin with the “feline flow” – a chance for our pet cats to lead the entire school in morning stretches.  

Principal Evans with a brand new student.

Some of the courses that pets will take during the day include:  athletic agility training, aquatic fitness, behavioural modification training, relaxation and wellness massage, and dance choreography and performance.  Of course different animals will have different starting places in these courses.  Fish will have a head start in the water-based courses, and dogs and cats may have an early advantage with some of the agility training.  This issue of varied starting places is no different in school when some students have a head start over others in certain areas.   We would anticipate our pet test scores to be top tier, just like our human test scores.  All pets will take the P-SAT (Pet Scholastic Aptitude Test) each spring and rankings will be published by school.

Principal Ratz expects waiting lists at Westcot.

This new learning direction will lead to some changes on each of our campuses.  Half of all school grounds will be dedicated for animal use.  Knowing the high number of dogs that will likely be attending, artificial turf areas will be installed in various hallways to accommodate the needed potty areas.  Desks in most classrooms will be replaced with large cushions and been bag chairs so they can be used by human or pet students.  School cafeterias in the high schools will sell wet and dry pet food and water fountains built for

1st registrant on Bowen Island.

pets to hydrate themselves will be installed in all schools.  

While this program will be great for raising the achievement of pets in our community, we know it will also be a way to further attract students to our school district.  Just as programs for other human members of families in schools can help make schools community gathering places, the Animal Kingdom Academy Programs can also do the same.  

It is going to be Pawsome!  

Director Nelson will be exploring a dog soccer academy program.

You will have noticed that there are some limitations to this program.  In our initial

Principal Campbell is excited for the outdoor learning.

offering for 2023, we are limiting enrolment to typical domestic animals (cats, dogs, fish, birds, guinea pigs etc.).  As I write this we have a team of structural engineers inspecting each of our schools for the maximum weight the 2nd storey of our buildings can hold.  We want to be inclusive and not discriminate, so hope to welcome cows, pigs, horses and other larger animals to our program in 2024.  And what will this mean for our students?  Starting in 2024 we will also have the first student rodeo academy program in North America!

Today’s announcement is the latest in the long line of innovative actions from our school district.  Here is the list of those from recent years:

In 2012 I launched my FLOG.

In 2013 I made the announcement of Quadrennial Round Schooling.

In 2014 we formalized our System of Student Power Rankings.

In 2015 we created our Rock, Paper, Scissors Academy.

In 2016 we introduced the Drone Homework Delivery System.

In 2017 we introduced the Donald J. Trump Elementary School of Winning.

In 2018 we announced the construction of Soak City Elementary.

In 2019 we went back to the 80’s with the launch of the Belvedere Learning Academy.

In 2020 we embraced the latest in learning styles with our PBL (Pajama-Based Learning) Program.  

In 2021 we announced we were going out of this world with our Galaxy High Program.

And just last year in 2022, we announced New Nicknames for All of Our Schools. 

Ripley will be part of  the IB Program at West Bay.

Principal Hayes registers Gryff for the fall term.

We know you have come to count on West Vancouver Schools to

continue to innovate.  And today’s announcement raises the bar again. Hopefully your April 1st is as good as ours!

 

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AprilMayJune

Posted in Change, SD45, tagged , , , , , , on March 27, 2023| Leave a Comment »

Welcome to the fastest, busiest and craziest month of the school year – AprilMayJune. Yes, you read that correctly. AprilMayJune is the wildest month of the school year.

We return from spring break this week, and others will be back next week, and when you do it is an all-out sprint to the finish line in June. I have written before about the rhythm of a school year, but there is something about the day after spring break until the end of June that is both continually exhausting and exhilarating.

I am sure almost all professions have a rhythm to them, but school is undeniably cyclical.  Until we abandon the agrarian schooling model almost all of us are on, that is not going to change.

So, just what is it that creates this unique post-spring break feeling?  

I think it starts with weather.  It just feels different.  We are still in winter going into the spring break.  This year, we had a snow day just a couple weeks before spring break, and now we come back to school, and flowers are out, daylight savings time has started, and the morning frost (at least for those of us on the west coast in Canada) is a memory.  

But it is much more than just the weather.  At the beginning of March, we feel like we have so much time left in the year.  And when we return – June looks very close.  In the classroom, the pace picks up.  Teachers realize that they are often a little behind on the content they hope to cover, so it is time to step on the accelerator.  For those of us in the Board Office, it is full on living in two school years – we are thinking about how this year ends, but spending as much or more time looking at calendars, budgets, and staffing for next year.  It is a time of year that takes some significant administrative effort.  

And of course it is the season of field trips for students, and track meets, school musicals and very quickly awards nights and graduations.  It is the event season, and staff and students have school commitments outside the school day on the calendar regularly.

And it just all runs together.  It is a full sprint.  There is a June 30th finish line.  And yes, some will work after this date, but many don’t.  Students and staff will be off for the summer not to return for 8 or 9 weeks.   

The “there is lots of time” feelings of February are replaced by the “uh oh we got to get moving” feelings  of AprilMayJune.  It is a 91 day month where the days feel long but collectively the time feels much shorter than any other month in the school year.

So, colleagues reading this, my apologies for all the calendar invitations you are receiving for events in 2024, it is only my AprilMayJune anxiety kicking in. Let’s get going!

I tell my family Canada Day, July 1st, is my favourite holiday.  Not for the celebrations or parties, but it means stress can come down, and sleep can go up!

For all of you returning this week or next to school – students, staff and parents – embrace AprilMayJune – it is the most enjoyable month of the year. 

Oh, and if you do get stressed, consider my Play the Trap blog post from a few years ago as a good companion piece to this one.

Happy Spring!

 

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The School District Triangle of Success

Posted in Change, SD45, tagged , , , , on February 27, 2023| 6 Comments »

So, you want to be a high functioning school district?

Don’t we all.

As I look around at districts I admire for their consistent strong leadership I almost always find a district where the team of the Board Chair, Superintendent and Secretary Treasurer have an excellent working relationship.  While I see this in my life every day, it is also backed up by the literature.  In particular, there is a lot of research linking the success of school districts to the superintendent and board relationship. As Elizabeth Zagata references:

Superintendents and school boards play a pivotal role in the success of any school district. Research shows that districts with effective governance and a positive relationship between the school board and the superintendent consistently have better student outcomes. Indeed, the dynamic of that relationship can either hinder or help a district achieve its mission.

While not as often referenced in the literature, and while the superintendent is the sole employee of the Board, I would include the essential nature of the relationship with the secretary-treasurer (the CFO in a school district) to this conversation expanding it from a two-way to a three-way partnership.  It is the Board Chair who leads a Board in setting a strategic plan.  Then, it is a superintendent who leads a staff in bringing this plan to life and a secretary-treasurer who ensures resources are aligned to make it all happen.

My context is very unique.  I was appointed superintendent in the fall of 2009 and our current secretary-treasurer moved into that position in 2011.  And our current Board Chair joined the Board also in 2011, and assumed the Chair position in 2014.  We are in our ninth years together in these roles.  This continuity is very helpful.  Now, I am sure if we didn’t communicate well with each other, have a clear common vision or engaged in ongoing power struggles, the time together would be of little importance, but fortunately we haven’t had these challenges.

So, what are some of the things I think we do well?

We have clearly defined roles.  We don’t shy away from the conversations about responsibility but we are rarely stepping over each other.  For us, it starts with policy.  The Carver Model of board governance we have held for my time in the district keeps us honest in ensuring everyone is clear in their responsibility.

We have a shared vision.  In some districts, the secretary-treasurer is not a part of the education conversations; not in our district.  She is invested in the educational vision.  And it all starts with our Board’s Strategic Plan that we review and set (or update) during the first several months of the term.  The Board sets the high level direction and the superintendent builds strategies and structures to meet these goals.

There are no surprises.  We talk regularly.  In many cases, it is the superintendent with the board chair and the superintendent with the secretary-treasurer, and there is always efforts made so each of us shares all the information we have with each other.  We never walk into a meeting and are surprised with information any of the rest of us have or share.

We support each other.  It is crazy what I have seen in other districts.  In some places, the board chair sees their job to challenge the superintendent and secretary-treasurer, often in public rather than work with them.  And some superintendents withhold information from board chairs, and use it as power in their relationship.  And secretary-treasurers see their work as the “Culture of No” in slowing or stopping the educational goals of the Board and superintendent.  It is not hard, know what each other are tasked with and help each other be successful.

A simple question guides us.  Our Board Chair will often say, “Is this good for students?” and this drives our work.  When the answer is yes, this moves me to operationalize it and our secretary-treasurer to determine the financial implications.

I am lucky.  I have worked with four excellent board chairs and two strong secretary-treasurers.  And for the last 9 years, having the three of us in these same positions has been good for our school district community.  Continuity helps build trust, and trust helps make things happen.

The most important thing a board does is hire the right superintendent, and the most important thing a superintendent does is hire the right secretary-treasurer.  And the most important thing the three of them do is build a powerful team.

I have written previously on board governance and they may be useful prompts for others:

Board Governance – Small Things Can Make a Big Difference

How the Board and Superintendent Support Each Other

Doing Small Things to Improve Board Governance

The Impact of Boards on How Superintendents Spend Their Time

 

 

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Teachers Who Aren’t Like Me

Posted in Change, SD45, tagged , , , , on October 25, 2022| 1 Comment »

This post is a duplicate of the column in the October 2022 AASA School Administrator Magazine (link to magazine) and is based on a previous blog post published this past June.  

I MAY BE the most stereotypical teacher ever. My parents were teachers. Their parents were teachers. I met my wife at work, where we both were teachers.

I was born in Canada. My parents were born in Canada as well. I am superintendent in the school district my grandfather taught in during the 1930s and ’40s.

My back story is that despite some early learning challenges, I was a good student and performed well in school. After zooming through university studies as a geography and history major, I was back at my former junior high school as a teacher at age 22.

Now 26 years later and 12 years into my superintendency, education is the only career I have known.

Wider Backgrounds

I think I was (and still am) a pretty good teacher. But I also know we need to continue to do better to attract teachers to the profession who have a different story than I do. For too long, too many teachers’ stories were similar to mine. The teaching profession was largely made up of people who were successful at school, typically spoke English as their first language, were from long-established families in our country and often went straight into teaching as a career without other real work experiences.

We are trying to do better in our school district. Just as we have diversity among our learners, we need diversity in the adults who work with them. Having teachers who come to teaching after careers in construction or accounting or professional sports gives new perspectives to students and reminds them that for most, their work life will be made up of many different jobs.

Having teachers who struggled in school gives added voice to those in our classes who are struggling now. School does not come easy for everyone, and adolescence is hard, so having teachers with non-linear life experiences helps.

We also want our teaching force, just like our student population, to be culturally diverse, speaking different languages at home and demonstrating that our schools are reflective of our communities. We need to do better to recruit populations that have been traditionally underrepresented in the teaching profession.

With 75 percent or more of our teachers being female, we need to find ways to ensure men see the profession as valuable.

An Odd Notion

I know this is not really controversial, but it is hard. Changing the makeup of the adults who work in our schools is not only about who we hire, but also about who chooses to apply and who is encouraged to go into teaching. And it goes all the way back to what we show young students about the profession, that representation matters.

As we have recently started another school year and look ahead, this is a topic I think a lot about. It is a weird notion, but we need to do better to hire and retain staff who are not much like me.

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COVID’s Lasting Impact on School Sports

Posted in Health, SD45, tagged , , , on October 12, 2022| 3 Comments »

This blog post also appears in the Fall Newsletter for the Canadian Interscholastic Athletic Administrators Association 

As we return to school this fall, we are applying the many lessons learned from the last three years.  There is a worry that we will simply snap back to pre-COVID times without implementing what we have learned throughout the pandemic.  In our district, we are holding onto many of our COVID adjustments, from keeping some meetings online, to building in flexible time for students and staff schedules, to focusing more on well-being.

This same reflection should be happening in all our jurisdictions as we look at school sports. 

It also just seems like the right time to reassess what we did pre-COVID, by asking ourselves questions like: are we offering the right sports to meet the current needs of our students?  Are our leagues achieving what we want? Are we happy with the mix of practice and competition, and are we satisfied with the level of competition with our school sports?  Over the last three years, almost every sport was impacted for at least two of those years, and instead of racing back to ‘the way things were’, it seems like the ideal time to be revising and evolving our vision for school sports.

As COVID eliminated school sports to varying degrees, we were reminded of just how important these activities were for social connectedness, and how for young people, and their coaches and families, school sports are crucial to social, emotional, and physical well-being. I would regularly hear from parents that school sports are the glue that connects their children to school. The importance of school sports is not just a gut-feel that many of us have, a 2021 University of Wisconsin study, found that athletes who were able to continue to play sports during the pandemic were less likely to report anxiety and depression symptoms than those who didn’t have the opportunity to participate.

Beyond reinforcing the value and importance of school sports, these are some opportunities, lessons, and takeaways:

  • Livestreaming sporting events in schools for health and safety reasons, while not new, engaged more students and families, and efforts should be made to continue once health and safety rules are relaxed.
  • In 2020-21, when most jurisdictions did not allow inter-school competition, many sports saw increased participation for what amounted to yearlong practicing. These are students we should be looking to keep engaged in school sports now that we are returning to traditional league structures.
  • There was a reset on competition. School sports doubled-down on their values of being about student growth, development and wellbeing, and further distanced themselves from the for-profit, win-at-all-costs programming we see from some community sports vendors.  Building on the reset of competition, we also witnessed increased levels of participation, more students involved in each sport, no cuts, and a reemphasis on well-being and school community.
  • As the rigid edges of hyper-competitive athletics were softened during COVID, we noticed and observed a more inclusive and accepting school athletic community.
  • As we build our school sports back to pre COVID levels, students and families are showing a greater appreciation for the opportunity to play and for their coaches, that make school sports possible.
  • Teachers and other volunteers found more sustainable routines during COVID.  I often heard coaches say they found balance.  As we work to reengage these key people, we might need to adjust the expectations in order to encourage them back.

What lessons about school sports did you learn during COVID, and how are you applying these lessons to meet the needs of our students, families and schools?

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Teachers

Posted in Parenting, SD45, tagged , , on October 5, 2022| 2 Comments »

One of the best parts of my job is that I regularly hear from parents about the amazing difference individual teachers have made for their children. And all of us likely have stories about teachers that have had a significant impact in our lives. I know if it wasn’t for teachers like Mrs. Caffrey (I wrote about her HERE a few years ago) my life would be very different.

As we celebrate World Teachers’ Day today, it is a chance to reflect on the state of the profession.

Each community has its own unique circumstances.

Let me start by bragging.

West Vancouver Schools are regarded as some of the top schools in the country, known for our innovative programming, and the teachers are seen as the top in their field. Whether it is on standards assessments, or with graduation rates, or on levels of satisfaction with the school experiences, our students’ results are exceptionally impressive.

And I am in awe of how our students, supported by their teachers, are leading in areas from the climate crisis, to SOGI, to Truth and Reconciliation. Our schools are proof that citizenship and academic success are connected.

And I look at the programs that our teachers are leading its clear we are on top of ensuring relevance in all we do. From innovative business and entrepreneurship programs to a range of work experience options exposing students to new careers to the hundreds of students engaged in robotics, our staff are regularly modernizing the school experience.

But . . .

In West Vancouver, the challenge of housing affordability makes it almost impossible for teachers to live in the community. Less than 10% of our staff actually live here. So, now as competition for staff increases, and teachers can work closer to home, more than ever we need to ensure we offer a professional, rewarding, and enriching experience for staff. These teachers travel through one or more jurisdictions in which they could get a job to work with us in West Vancouver.

The reality is that if teachers choose to work closer to home, it will be challenging to replace them with someone of the same quality. This is the state of our job market.

We are doing everything we can to continue to recruit and retain the very best. It is all about culture, and we do everything we can to build and create amazing places for teachers to work, learn and grow.

Just as we have become much more focused on our students’ mental health, the same is true for our staff. And I am trying to support teachers in creating boundaries on their work, so they don’t have situations where they receive an email from a student or parent at 10 PM and a reply is expected that same night. And we are trying offer as much professional support so our teachers can remain at the front of the teaching profession.

And how can the community help?

Treat teachers well. It can sound simple, or even trite, but it matters. While none of us are perfect, and can make mistakes, all teachers I have had the chance to work with are incredibly professional. Working through scenarios, I am in awe of how teachers balance the needs of individual learners, with also what is best for the community of learners in the classroom.

When I ask teachers why they stay, they almost all speak to the great satisfaction they get from the work, and regularly highlight the support they receive from colleagues, their administrators and parents.

However, I am hearing from our schools and seeing more news stories around parents confronting teachers and staff in schools. We seem to be moving too quickly to a place of outrage, and rapidly bypassing that essential step of seeking first to understand.

I know, this is not about teaching, it has been even more pronounced in health care, and horrible treatment many doctors and other health professionals have received over the last few years. The diminishing trust for our public institutions is disappointing and alarming. I also think some of the media from the United States covering school board meetings and other events has normalized behaviour that should not be seen as OK.

And before this behaviour seeps more into our system, I think we should have this conversation.

We can do better.

Teaching is a human enterprise. It is wildly frustrating because it is impossible to bottle and replicate what makes a “great teacher.” Its strength is also its humanness. Teachers build communities, that help our students navigate the experiences they have and will have in the larger world.

I often get asked if I could do it over would I go into teaching, or would I recommend others to pursue teaching. ABSOLUTELY! It is hard, complicated work. And it is also rich, rewarding, and powerful work. We need our absolute best to see teaching as a professional option for them.

I encourage you to share stories with your children of the teachers that made a difference for you, and what it was about them that made such an impact.

And by no means do I want to shirk our responsibilities. Please continue to hold us to account. But if we want our very best to join the teaching profession and perhaps most importantly, remain in the profession, we need to treat them professionally.

I feel blessed to work in a community that values education so strongly. I am confident students are receiving this country’s best education preparing them as active citizens and supporting life beyond our schools in our communities, universities, trades programs and the work world.

To all the wonderful teachers in the various roles across West Vancouver, and those beyond, Happy World Teachers Day!

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