Here we go! If it is the day after Labour Day, we are going back to school. There is a lot of serious work to do, and we are still dealing with a pandemic. But here is a video I shared with staff as we try to readjust to yet another set of routines.
I know. Stick to school and leave comedy to the professionals. If you want even more, here is a previous video (actually filmed a couple years ago pre-COVID) about how sad I was with everyone gone in the summer (it doubles now as a pretty good COVID reality video).
To all the students, staff and parents going back to school today – take time for some joy and have a great year!
When you do a lot of speaking and writing, at some point your own words will come back to bite you.
I have often used a sports coach analogy when speaking about the superintendency. The argument being that like sports coaches, no matter how good they are, superintendents very often have a shelf life. And at some point change is necessary and it is far easier to change the coach than the players. It is an argument that is often made more generally around school administrators as well – that there is a term – somewhere about 5 years which is the right length of service for any school.
It is always interesting to see data around the superintendency out of the United States where in many urban districts the position can turn over every few years. While I do not have Canadian data, I suspect the tenure of the average superintendents is much longer. We seem to have less of the “sports coach” mentality north of the border. Perhaps disappointing those on both sides of the argument, the research out of the Brown Center on Educational Policy suggests neither long-term superintendency nor the hiring of a new superintendent have a link to improved student achievement.
I am writing this post as we are bringing the 2016-17 school-year to an end. This marks my 10th year in West Vancouver, here in the position of Superintendent that I was appointed to more than seven-and-a-half years ago, and have held for six-and-a-half years. Along the way I have become the longest-serving Superintendent in Metro Vancouver and one of the longest-serving in the province.
And I have changed my tune. I am far less absolute about the sports coach analogy. Maybe this is a case of you don’t know what you don’t know. I do find a need to ensure we are continuing to have a culture that embraces fresh ideas but there are other ways to do that than just changing the Principal or Superintendent. I know for us some things that have helped keep ideas current and the challenging of the status quo constant have included: hiring of a mix of internal and external candidates for leadership position, using outside experts to provoke our thinking in our district, continuing to visit schools and districts with unique programs and ideas, and staying very focused on the overarching goals of the Board’s Strategic Plan and our own objectives within this larger context.
There is a definite danger in complacency that we need to continually challenge over time. When a new principal arrives at a school or a new Superintendent in a district, there is a burst of energy. Whether the predecessor was highly regarded or the community was glad to see a change, the change brings curiosity, which in turn often leads to engagement and excitement. Of course change is not the only way to bring about this energy. I often hear from staff at the school and district levels that they can “wait out” any leader as they just come and go. When the culture of leadership changes, so does this attitude. I think of several schools of ours where principals have been in the school for five or more years – no longer is there talk about “outlasting” them – some of the cynicism is gone and people are getting down to work together.
In the beginning one of my greatest positives I offered was that I was from outside and came with ideas about different ways of doing things. Now, 10 years in, I bring the assurances that come from people knowing who I am, what I believe and how I think we can move forward together. It is also incredibly rewarding to not only start initiatives, but to see them through. Longevity helps ensure we are committed to short-term and long-term results.
I am a little nervous in writing this, that some will read it that I am about to leave or perhaps I will never leave. I have no plans either way, but my thinking has evolved. I have come to realize there are more ways to ensure a district stays fresh than reshuffling the leadership deck chairs.
Finally, on the topic of year-end, here is a video celebrating the 2016-17 school year in West Vancouver:
Welcome to my final blog post of 2013 – My “Top 3″ lists for the year. This has become a tradition with previous Top 3 lists for 2012 (here), 2011 (here) and 2010 (here). I know we are abandoning ranking and sorting in our education system, so this is more about highlighting some of the blogs, videos and ideas that have engaged me over the last 12 months. As always with these kind of lists hopefully it will start some discussion and debate as well.
Top 3 “Culture of Yes” Blog Posts which have Generated the most Traffic this Year:
Top 3 TEDx Videos from WestVancouverED (that I bet you haven’t seen):
I earlier wrote a post here that highlighted some of my West Vancouver colleagues, so these are some of my favourite from the non-West Vancouver staff
1. Katy Hutchinson — an extremely powerful personal story of restorative justice
2. David Helfand — a new approach to university leadership
3. Dean Shareski — he has a wonderful perspective and a great way to connect with people
Top 3 Fun and Interesting Educational Videos:
1. What Came First — the chicken or the egg?
2. Canada and the United States — Bizarre Borders
3. What Does Your Body Do in 30 Seconds?
Thanks to everyone who continues to engage with me on my blog and push my learning. Some of my greatest professional joy is writing, reading, engaging and learning through my blog and with all of you. I look forward to continuing to grow and learn together in 2014.
Over the last five years, opening a conversation with a provocative video has been a common approach in discussions regarding the need to evolve our K-12 education system. The Did You Know? approach — in which we show a five-minute video and use it at a springboard for conversation — often soaks up the first 15 or 20 minutes of a meeting. There are a lot of wonderful videos — Justin Tarte recently compiled a great list of twenty-seven of these videos — great for staff workshops, parent meetings, or any other sessions as a conversation starter on education.
I find myself using the video approach less often these days. The videos still do make a strong case for change, but most people get this now and want the specifics on what we can do. In April, I plan to open several meetings with a new video that tackles the issue of reform from what we have learned about our brain.
From our board office staff meetings, meeting with all administrators, to several PAC meetings I am scheduled to attend, I will be using Born to Learn, which is described as ” the first animation in a fascinating series aimed to provide easy-access to the exciting new discoveries constantly being made about how humans learn!”
The video comes from the 21st Century Learning initiative, resident to John Abbott, and it is often referenced around the personalized learning discussion in BC.
After showing the video, I will be looking at the following points for discussion:
What stands out?
What are the key messages for parents of young children and early childhood educators?
How does the “earthquake in the brain” manifest itself in our schools? How do we respond? How could we respond differently/better?
How do we honour risk-taking from the upper intermediate grades through graduation? How do we stifle it?
How should what we have learned about the brain (from this video and other research) change our structures/approaches with students in early learning? in their teenage years?
I am interested in what others think of the video, and how it might be used it in their contexts.
Of course, these 15-minute conversation teasers — where we use a video to spur on discussion, may help to shift thinking, but are most valuable when followed up with concrete action. I know many people I work with will say, “Great, we know this.” So, why don’t we do a better job to match what we do to what we know?
The video is clearly part of a larger initiative and is linked to a new website Born to Learn (it is going live on March 28th — after this post’s publication date). Whatever the “New” looks like in education and schooling, it needs to be absolutely in sync with the latest developments in evolving our understanding of brain research and how we learn.
I love year-in-review lists, so I’ve come up with one of my own — the “Top 3” in a variety of categories. A great way to spur on discussion and debate. I look forward to your own additions.
Top 3 “Culture of Yes” Blog Posts – these posts have generated the most traffic this year:
Top 3 Education-related Videos from B.C. (that I bet you haven’t seen)
1. Digital Immersion Class Video – from Riverside Secondary in Port Coquitlam
2. Barry McDonald – Boy Smarts from TEDxUBC (Barry is a Langley teacher)
3. The North Delta Secondary Focus Group Initiative
Top 3 Education-related Videos from Outside B.C. (not featuring Sir Ken)
1. RSA Animate – Drive: The surprising truth about what motivates us
2. Project-Based Learning Explained
3. Alfie Kohn vs Dwight Schrute (thanks to Larry Ferlazzo for pointing me to this one)
The best thing I did professionally this year was start this blog. Thanks to all of you who engage with me here on a regular basis. I look forward to more discussions to come — there will never be a shortage of topics.
cultureofyes.ca 