An Exercise of…

As a friend had kindly reminded me… “this will be an exercise of letting go.” Let me tell you… it sure was. This year my name tag at the BCSTA AGM does not bear the “candidate” ribbon. I said in a previous blog titled “Trajectory” that I was not running for the 2017/18 Board of Directors. At the time, I was not willing to run for director. I had been the director for three years and I was ready to learn more. However, I was not sure if I was prepared to take on the roles of Vice-President or President for various reasons.

One of the reasons is my family. I could not bear being more away from my daughter any more than I am. You’d think that she would need me less now that she’s 13-years old, but really… she needs more. I want to be there for her as she transitions into teenager-dom. Another reason is my dissertation. I think that if I was finished my dissertation a month ago that my decision would have been different. I am in the middle of editing my dissertation and preparing to defend in the summer. That’s about 2-3 months away. I want to focus my attention on completing my dissertation and not campaigning. Third reason… it’s nice to leave on a high. I loved my three years on the Board of Directors. I had the opportunity to get to know boards of education from around the province, meet with various education partner groups, and connect up with staff from the Ministry of Education. Not only did I have a voice at the table, but I also had the opportunity to grasp a broader point of view of BC public education.

I am proud to have served on the Board of Directors for 3-years. We were a diverse team and we had much to contribute. Admittedly, not all times were easy. It was a labour of love for quite some time. But our board made many changes and I am proud that I was somehow a part of that. Furthermore, I loved my time serving on the Education Committee and Legislative Committee as a Board Liaison, but also loved being the Branch Liaison to VISTA, Metro, and Northwest Branch. And, I really enjoyed working with the staff of BCSTA. What a hard working crew… and THANK YOU for all that you do. It’s AGM and today I had my last board of directors meeting and tomorrow will be my last VISTA Branch meeting and Legislative Committee meeting. Although I’m experiencing a lot of “lasts” this weekend, I am very grateful for the kind words people have shared with me and their support of my work on the Board.

Saturday will be election day and a new BCSTA Board of Directors will be decided. This will be up to the membership to decide who they want to represent them at the provincial level. As we approached the nomination period tonight, I was tempted to put my name forward. Luckily with the support of my friends (via text), I followed though on my initial decision. Now is not the right time for me. I feel that. I know that. And as tough as it is letting go, I am overwhelmed by a sense of relief that I made the best decision for me and my family. We’ll see what tomorrow brings. I never say never but I will take the opportunity to enjoy my time at AGM without the worry of campaigning, speech writing, and Q&A. The membership will be faced with tough decisions. I hope they make the best decision that is best for BCSTA and students.