It is lucky 13 for the annual year-end post at the Culture of Yes. For those new to this tradition, it is part Siskel & Ebert, and part Family Christmas Letter. Thanks for continuing along on this journey with me – now for well over 400 posts and over 350,000 words. Hopefully, whether inside or outside the education system, you are enjoying some relaxed holiday time.
To get caught up, here are the previous years Top 3 lists: 2021 (here) 2020 (here) 2019 (here) 2018 (here) 2017 (here) 2016 (here) 2015 (here) 2014 (here) 2013 (here) 2012 (here), 2011 (here) and 2010 (here).
Now, on with this year’s results:
Top 3 “Culture of Yes” Blog Posts which have generated the most traffic this year:
- New Nicknames Will Make Schools Cool Again
- NFTs and Schools – Could There be a Connection?
- 26 Years, 26 Teachers, 26 Lessons
Once again my April 1st post was my most read post of the year. I am glad to know so many people come to this site for my comedy. I wrote a lot about COVID lessons this year and how the system was emerging different, and also looking at which parts of the system were snapping back to a pre-COVID state. What a difference a few months makes about NFTs – they were all the rage in the spring, but the crypto world has seen a real downturn in recent months. I saw this week that a number of celebrities have lost hundreds of thousands of dollars in value for their Bored Apes purchases. Nice to see my 26 Years post get so many clicks, as it was one of my favourite ones to write. I had it in draft for over a year as I knew I wanted to write something about some of my education influences but just wasn’t sure what – and then the post came together at the end of the school year. And what was my least read new post this year? It was Metrics, Badges and Prizes – Motivation Lessons from Fitness.
Irwin Park Snapchatting Sharks
Top 3 Shifts in BC Education in 2022:
- Mandatory Indigenous-focused course in grades 10-12
- Shifts in secondary reporting
- The reallocation of time
We saw the biggest shift in BC curriculum in recent years with all students in grades 10-12 now being required to take an Indigenous-focussed course. There are always implementation challenges when something in changed or added to the school system machine, but this change has really exceeded expectations. I have been so impressed with how well educators and students have embraced this. In our district we are seeing students in grade 10 and 11 this year take their Language Arts (English) credit through the Indigenous focus. Students and teachers are being exposed to literature and thinking they have not worked with in the past. Full credit to the teachers who are taking this on and finding ways to connection to local Indigenous experts. I have written before about secondary reporting, as it has shifted in recent years. For many, the most obvious change will be seen beginning in the fall of 2023, when the grade 8 and 9 report card adopts proficiency scales and performance indicators – a shift schools have been preparing for over the last couple of years. And finally, time continues to be something, particularly in high school that is being looked at post-COVID. Almost all high schools have adopted some flexible learning time where students have control over what and where they learn. The era of being completely blocked in for all your time all week is over in most jurisdictions. Now come the refining of this so it is meaningful for all learners. Another topic that was big in 2022 and will be big in 2023.
Top 3 Education Topics We Should Talk More about in 2023:
- New technologies
- The science of reading
- Hybrid learning models
I wrote a post this year Technology is Not Done and I really think many in education have taken their eyes off of the potential transformative nature of upcoming technologies in the last couple of years. From gamification, to virtual reality to AI and so many other digital topics, there is so much that is now and will be soon impacting our schools. Yes, we have laptops in the hands of most students, and we can navigate Zoom, that is not enough. The science of reading is really symbolic of a larger issue I see, which is applying what we know to our practices around core skills. The literacy and numeracy thrusts of earlier this century should not be lost. And then, hybrid learning. We have all this experience of hybrid learning from COVID, so now what?
Top 3 Individuals Influencing the work in our district (that have never been mentioned in a year-end list before):
Dr. Watson, and her Open Parachute Program, is an example of one of the new ways that teachers are students are engaging with mental health curriculum. Ian Chisholm is from the Roy Group and has been working with all of our administrators this past year as we build our leadership skills. And Erin and Amber are not new to West Vancouver, but unique in Canada. Their work in our district with physical literacy is some of the finest in Canada. Their work with all our staff has made a huge impact on student learning.
Dr. Watson speaking to West Van staff on Opening Day
Top 3 buzzwords / phrases in education I am ready to retire:
- learning loss
- unpack
- kiddos
OK, I know this is a bit of a silly one, but this category has appeared several times over the last 12 years. It is fun to see words and phrases that made it in previous years. I didn’t take the easy COVID ones like pivot or new normal. I will try to use the three in a sentence – At our staff meeting next week, we are going to unpack the learning loss that our kiddos have experienced during COVID. Oh, and if we could do this with rigor and fidelity while working with our elbow partners that would be even better.
Top 3 Education Topics from 2022 that need long-term fixes:
- Staff shortages
- Mental Health and Well Being (Student, Staff and Parents)
- Connections to post secondary
These are not West Vancouver or British Columbia issues, they are global issues. There are staff shortages everywhere, and they seem destined to get worse. Some jurisdictions are considering what the future might be like without staff that are fully credentialed. One positive coming out of COVID was the increased attention to well being and mental health. It actually related to the first topic, as one of the keys to dealing with staff shortages is finding ways to support the well being of staff. And finally, the time does seem right to make better connections between K-12 and post-secondary. There has been a decline in post secondary admissions in recent years, and the timing seems right to rethink how we connect the two systems.
Top 3 Issues that I see in US media that I am keeping an eye on (and worried about):
- Book bans
- Limits on classroom discussions
- ‘Parents Rights’ push
I know there are some, largely isolated for now, examples of these topics in Canada, but we see them regularly in our news feeds with the constant volume of US media. The book banners are back, taking on many of the classics again. There are many lists that circulate, including this one from CBS News of the 50 most banned books in the United States. Also in the news a lot is discussion over what topics teachers can and can’t talk about. Here is an article from earlier this year indicating 1/4 of all teachers were in positions where they were being asked to limit discussions on certain topics. Finally, the parents rights push is one that gives parents greater control over what their children are taught. It is actually related to the other two issues, as all three are coming out of a conservative legislators in the United States. I am always hesitant to write about what is happening in the US, as I find some people are already believing we are in the same position. We have very different systems, but it is regularly on our televisions and in our social media feeds so it is worth following.
Top 3 podcasts I listen to every episode:
I have become a major podcast listener in recent years. I am into some very regular routines with them – and save certain ones for certain days when I am running or driving. The first two are both part of the Freakonomics family tree of podcasts. No Stupid Questions is a really easy listen and I like that People I Mostly Admire has on guests I don’t typically know, and Steve Levitt asks often difficult questions. I have listened to Jim Rome’s sports talk show for more than two decades. His Reinvention Podcast is geared to men of my age looking to take on new challenges. Other regular podcasts for me include Hidden Brain, Freakonomics Radio, This American Life and Re: Thinking with Adam Grant.
Top 3 artists for me according to Spotify this year:
- Paul Simon
- The Beatles
- James Taylor
My musical tastes are very predictable. If Paul Simon ever is not the top of the list, that will be the story. I am proof that the music you listen to growing up with your parents can become the soundtrack for your life.
Top 3 movies I saw this year:
- Top Gun: Maverick
- Black Panther: Wakanda Forever
- Glass Onion: A Knives Out Mystery
Three sequels on my list this year – and a very eclectic mix of films. I haven’t seen the first Top Gun movie (probably one of the few people to grow up in the 80s to miss it) and didn’t have high expectations for this one. But I loved it. Good story and great action – one of my favourite action movies ever. And Black Panther was also a surprise for me. Another great action movie with a great story. I have slowly become a Marvel fan. And Glass Onion is the last new movie I watched this year. Less of a surprise since I really liked the first Knives Out Movie, but a rare film that everyone in our family enjoyed.
Top 3 concerts I saw this year:
- The Chicks at The Gorge
- The Eagles at Rogers Arena
- Shawn Mendes at Rogers Arena
I was back to seeing concerts this year. Not as many as pre-COVID but it was great to see live music. It was my first time to the Gorge and we went as a family to see The Chicks. After Paul Simon, it is the artist I have seen more than any other – great concert in an amazing venue. It was my first time seeing the Eagles, and thanks to my colleague and fellow-concert goer Sean Nosek for giving me the push to get us to go. And Shawn Mendes is not someone I have on my playlist but a great performer is a great performer and he put on an amazing show. It was sad to hear just shortly after his show in Vancouver he stopped his tour for health reasons.
Top daily 3 streaks I still have going:
- 10,000 Steps
- Running 5 km a day
- Photo posting to Instagram
Friends know I love my streaks. And at times, they probably can border on the unhealthy. The three that I have going that I am consumed with every day are my steps, running and photo streak. The best (and worst) of these ones is that they are every single day. At the end of this year, I will have gone 9 straight years of taking at least 10,000 steps each day (according to FitBit). My running streak is a little shorter. I just passed 700 days of running at least 5 km outdoors each day. I usually get this done around 5 AM, but some weird circumstances this past year had me staying up until midnight to do the next day’s run and other similar and quite ridiculous plans. And while I am not much for social media anymore, I have just past 2,550 days (7 years) of posting a photo to Instagram. I am so glad I started this. It is such a great way to track our kids growing up. It started when our oldest was part-way through grade 8 and she is now at the midpoint of third year university.
Final Thoughts
The Culture of Yes had a bit of a Renaissance during the pandemic. I had a readership that was reminiscent of 2011 or 2012. While the numbers slid this year, my passion for this space remains strong. When someone tells me about a post I wrote a decade ago and how it influenced their thinking it brings great joy.
Blogs are this wonderful mix of permanence, and impermanence. It is easy to share you thinking with the world, but also easy to revise and improve it.
I think as we continue to wrestle with the future of education and the lessons of COVID, we need more voices both formal and informal to fuel discussions. It is less important if you agree with what I think, than if you take the time to reflect on the topic and add to the discussion.
To all my friends and colleagues in West Vancouver and beyond still reading hopefully you are having a good break.
All the best for a great 2023.
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