Christine Ho Younghusband

The Inaugural School Board Meeting

It’s truly official… December 6, 2011… I am now one of seven school trustees on the Board of Education with School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast).  There were photo opportunities, oath taking, and trustee elections for leadership positions.  Although I was nominated to be vice-chair, I was not elected in.  To accept the nomination, I had the opportunity to express my interest in leadership on the Board some time during my 3-year term.  I am grateful.  I am also thankful that I was defeated in the election process so that I can spend the first year of my term learning, building relations, and understanding what it means to be a school trustee, to navigate within the politics, and represent the residents in the District of Sechelt in an honest, authentic, and respectful way.  There is much to learn.  I hope to be able to sit on the education committee in the new year and I look forward to working with the ‘new’ senior management team and Board of Education.  As Trustee Younghusband, would like to thank all those who came out to witness the inaugural school board meeting.  It was a first for me.  I would like to give a special thanks to my 8-year old daughter who came out to support me.  We even took a photo with the secretary-treasurer when signing my oath.  From beginning to end, the inaugural event lasted no longer than 45 minutes.  Handshakes, congratulations, and goodbyes… it was a very pleasant evening.  Thank you to all those in SD46 who organized, prepared, and facilitated tonight’s meeting.  Your work is greatly appreciated.

Behind the Scenes

Should I still be campaigning?  Apparently, I should be.  I feel so fortunate to be elected by residents of the District of Sechelt to represent them as school trustee on the Board of Education of School District No. 46 (Sunshine Coast).  It’s been 2 weeks since the 2011 civic election and I am still being approached by many Sunshine Coast residents who share their enthusiasm and gratitude that I was elected for this position.  Many shared with me that they would have voted for me if they had lived in the Sechelt area.  That means a lot to me.  It says to me that people on the Sunshine Coast want someone on the Board who has experience, knowledge, and expertise in public education.  For a ‘newbie’ trustee candidate to obtain the most votes overall is a clear message sent by the community.

What’s happening now?  Trustee elections are being held on Tuesday, December 6, 2011.  This is known as the inaugural school board meeting.  This meeting is initially chaired by the Secretary-Treasurer.  The Secretary-Treasurer will announce the results of trustees election, confirm that all trustees completed the declaration and taken the oath of office as required by the School Act.  Afterwards, the Secretary-Treasurer calls for nominations for Board Chair.  If necessary, there is a vote by ballot.  The nominee with a clear majority will assume the role as Board Chair and takes over the meeting from then on.  Elections for vice-chair, BCPSEA rep, and BCSTA rep will be conducted in the same manner.  Our first ‘official’ Board Meeting is held on Tuesday, December 13, 2011.

Trustees on each Board of Education around the province of BC are seeking election amongst their Board for these positions.  From what I understand, trustees connect with other trustees to secure nominations and support.  Some Boards of Education traditionally nominate and elect the trustee with the most votes from the civic election to be the Board Chair.  I am not quite sure what happens on the Board of Education SD46.  I am not behind the scenes.  I have not been campaigning.

How does a person, like myself, learn more about being a school trustee?  I guess it’s to get involved in opportunities presented, meet influential and informative people, and learn as much as I can so that I can effectively advocate for student learning as one voice on the SD46 Board of Education.

Words of Encouragement

I am so glad to be home… lying in front of the fireplace in my pajamas… watching Diners, Drive-Ins & Dives on the Food Network.  Life is good.  I’ve just returned home from a couple of days in Vancouver.  It’s a 4-hour commute both ways (with a brief stop over at my parents’ condo to spend the night).  I travel by public transit, as mentioned in yesterday’s blog entry.  It’s a journey.

Yesterday, I was heading to SFU-Surrey to be part of the Masters of Education K-12 Educational Leadership Cohort as their site assistant.  This was the last weekend the cohort was meeting before the term ends.  I met this cohort once before on the first week of classes.  I helped the professor remotely.  I felt it would be appropriate to see the cohort at the end of the term.  They are fantastic.

Today, I was scheduled to attend the BC Association of Mathematics Teachers (BCAMT) Executive committee meeting.  It’s truly amazing to be a part of a group of like minded people who want to support BC teachers in mathematics education.  Another wonderful experience, but opted to return home tonight after the meeting instead of attending the X-mas party.  It was time to go home.

What does this have to do with words of encouragement?  It is not to say that I don’t appreciate the congratulatory compliments and conversations I had with students and colleagues.  Loved it.  It’s the subtle comments that meant more to me… Comment #1: “You can be a sessional.”  Comment #2: “Hope your writing is going well.”  Comment #3: “How’s your research on autodidactism going?”

All 3 comments mentioned above all had to do with my dissertation… all 3 comments above came from professors from SFU who are not my supervisors.  That’s what’s amazing to me.  I have great respect for all 3 professors and feel lucky to be connected with each them from opportunities from at the university and educational committee work I’m a part of.  Each comment meant a lot.  Thank you.

A Great Day to Travel

Remote blogging on Skytrain to Surrey Central… it’s a great day to travel.  First of all, it’s a sunny day.  Can’t go wrong when taking public transit from Sechelt to Surrey on a sunny day.  Second, good people en route makes the journey worthwhile.  My husband and I dropped off my daughter to school.  My husband drove me to downtown Sechelt to catch the bus.  He went to work and the vehicle is scheduled for new winter tires.  At the bus stop, I saw a friend walking to work.  We chatted for a bit and my favorite bus driver was there to pick me up to go to the ferry.  At the ferry, I bumped into a couple of parents/clients and enjoyed a yummy bowl of BC Ferries oatmeal. The ferry trip seemed to zip by and in the bus line met a Gibsons woman who shared her story with me on the way to Vancouver.  I was meant to meet her.  Off a The Bay, I maneuvered my way through to the SkyTrain station heading to SFU-Surrey Campus.  It is here where I will enjoy a curry chicken and rice lunch, work on my dissertation at the library, and say hello to the MEd cohort I’ve been working with remotely as their site assistant.  More wonderful people to meet and greet. Tomorrow, I have the opportunity to spend another day with this cohort or attend the BCAMT executive meeting where there are more fabulous people.  I am looking forward to today. I will also get the chance to see my parents tonight and Skype my little family tonight or tomorrow.  Finally, I get the chance to remote blog to share my gratitude with you.  Almost in Surrey now… gotta go… hello chicken curry.

External Validation

“Hey Chris… What a win.  Congratulations on becoming school trustee.”
“Hey Chris… I’m so glad there is someone on the Board knows what it’s like in the trenches.”
“Hey Chris… You are such a wonderful math teacher.  Thank you so much.”

It feels awesome to be recognized for my hard work and what I may have to offer.  Those statements above are examples of external validation.  On the one hand, external validation can be viewed as a compliment.  On the other hand, external validation can be viewed as a reward or reason for being.  The difference is, how the external validation is acquired.  What is the motivation?

When I decided to embark on political life in the field of education, my motivation to run was to find a way to advocate for student learning.  As school trustee, I am taking a different role in public education as a policy maker to help students on the Sunshine Coast to enjoy learning, understand their learning, and develop lifelong learning skills.  Winning the election, shaking hands, name recognition, or receiving of compliments is GRAVY.  My motivation is intrinsic and the external validation only reinforces my life’s decisions.  I will move forward with or without the gravy.

When I decided to pursue a doctoral degree in educational leadership 3 years ago, I think that my initial motivation was extrinsic.  I wanted to be recognized, noticed, or acknowledged as a public school educator.  All that I was looking for was the GRAVY and I lost sight of the meat and potatoes.  In the end, nothing gets done.  Nothing gets accomplished.  Gravy does not taste good without the meat and potatoes.  This is where my pedagogical journey exists.  How can I move forward?

TRANSFER in education is one of the most complex and difficult learning tasks to achieve.  Here I am.  It is time to transfer.  I finally get it.  My supervisor has been advising this right from the start of my dissertation process.  When motivated by external validation, I became more consumed by “doing it right” versus “just doing it.”  When doing it right was more important, I could not accept formative feedback thus paralyzed to submit work.  UGH.  Forget about it… my work for the past year was not only to disembed from the workplace but also to find myself.  Writing, moving forward…

Significance of the Study

Once again, here I am… thinking about the SIGNIFICANCE OF THE STUDY for my dissertation proposal.  I have written Chapters 1-3 over many times.  Although my topic is relevant and timely, I have been honing my writing skills, narrowing to scope of my research study, and refining my point of view that is somewhat objective and academic.  I am not proud to say that I still remain in the same place of the dissertation process.  It has been 2 years and I am STILL stuck on the SO WHAT?

I am frustrated to say the least and I continue to read articles, speak to colleagues, and make observations in hopes of finding some insight to the relevance of my study.  I must admit when looking at and revising the same document over and over again, my level of care starts to diminish.  I would love to get into the interview stage of my study, to listen to people’s pedagogical journeys, and make sense of the data to inform others of something new to consider.  But to do so, I have to be very clear with my research question, my literature review, and my methodology.

Chapter 1 (version BLAH) is almost complete.  The significance of the study is the heart of my dissertation and I have lost sight on ‘why bother.’  I don’t want to be a rain cloud on my academic situation.  I am very grateful to have so many SFU buddies from my cohort, Educ 809, and EGSA who are willing to gab, chat, and help out.  In the end, it’s me who has to commit and feel good about what I am writing about.  Even coming to my blog to express my frustrations has been cathartic.

I can write.  I can express my feelings.  I can think.  The question is… Can I write this dissertation?

SD46 School Trustee Orientation

Spirit… Body & Mind

Spirit… My spirit has been restored.  I feel so lucky to be able to advocate for student learning and continue to be a part of School District No.46 (Sunshine Coast) in a ‘new’ role of school trustee.  We have a diverse Board for 2011-2014.  We are a nice mix of incumbents and new trustees, with gender and cultural diversity, and diverse academic backgrounds.  I look forward to working with this newly elected Board of Education and the new Superintendent of Schools.

Body & Mind… My next step in moving forward with my pedagogical journey is with diet, exercise, and my dissertation.  I feel that my physical fitness will contribute to my mental fitness.  My mental fitness is challenged by my research and completion of my doctoral thesis.  I understand that this is my next hurdle in life.  Both body & mind are working in tandem.  Much like my spirit, I am looking inwards and understand why things are and how I can make it better.  To move beyond the ego means to accept, trust, and acknowledge.  This is my work.  I plan to succeed.  I deserve to succeed.  Carp diem.  Nameste.

One Year in Review

Today is the first day of a new year… it’s ONE YEAR IN REVIEW.  One year ago, on November 26th, was my last day of teaching in public schools.  After 16 years of service, I left the teaching profession with intentions of working on my doctoral thesis and gain some perspective on life, career, and public education.  It was certainly a year of transition.

All that I can say is, moving from A to B is not necessarily a straight line.  It’s a matter of trying things and taking risks.  If things don’t happen the way you intend them, then it was not meant to be.  If things do work out and exceed your expectations, then that was meant to be.  As much as there were UP moments, there were plenty of DOWN moments.  Leaving the teaching profession was not an easy decision.  I miss the kids.  With that said, I look behind me and I was able to accomplish a lot in one-year.

Here are my Top 10 highlights of things I got to do in the past 12-months:

1.  Walk my daughter to school and be with her on the first day of school.
2.  Started my own educational consulting company, websites, and blog.
3.  Presented at 10 teacher professional development workshops.
4.  Tutor students mathematics and science from Grades 8-12 and ABE.
5.  Attended Educ 809 at SFU with Dr. Michelle Nilson.  Loved it.
6.  Peer-reviewed and presented at the EGSA EWOB and the Seminar Series.
7.  Attended the SFU Teaching and Learning Instructional Skills Workshop.
8.  Watched Nel Noddings LIVE at SFU and her views on the Ethics of Care.
9.  Employed as a MEd Site Assistant at SFU working with Dr. Michele Schmidt.
10.  Elected as School Trustee representing the District of Sechelt with SD46.

This is not to mention that I had met a lot of wonderful people along the way.  I got to paddle in the 2011 Pulling Together, present at FNESC with my canoe family, and I will be completing my Certificate in Teaching at University with SFU TLE in the Spring of 2012.  These are only highlights.  I am not one to deny the rough times, but there were too many good things that happened.  This is my JOURNEY and it’s only the beginning.  I feel good and I am optimistic of what the future holds for me… hopefully, Dr. Christine Younghusband, EdD some time soon… LOOKING FORWARD.

FNESC 17th Annual Provincial Conference

FNESC is the First Nations Education Steering Committee.  Members from the SD46 Spirit Canoe Crew from Pulling Together 2010 and 2011 got together to present a workshop at the FNESC 2011 Provincial Conference on Aboriginal Education, themed “Students First.”  Our proposal to present was submitted a few months ago and was accepted.  The conference was held in the Westin Bayshore and it was a phenomenal conference.  Our presentation was titled “The Spirit Canoe.”  Our fearless leader had the vision and brought out the SD46 Spirit Canoe to the event.  We set up the workshop to model what we experience in Pulling together and all 5 of us shared our stories that related to the canoe, Dr.Brokenleg’s four directions, and benefits to student learning. Kerry brought the canoe, set the stage, and made the slide show.  Signy brought her 2010 and 2011 books she published, produced 2 large canoe pics, and told her story story well.  Ed brought his paddles, drum, and his many Vision Quest stories.  Ashley represented the RCMP well, organized escort vehicles for the canoe, and presented well.. And, I did my part of presenting, sharing my story, and helping out where I could.  Also, the rest of the SD46 Aboriginal Education team were present at the conference.  We all sat together, ate together, and celebrated together.  It was a wonderful professional development experience.  We met great people, saw familiar faces, ate well, awesome hospitality, and ultimately we were inspired.  Aside from us having 2 successful Spirit Canoe workshops, the opportunity to work with colleagues, and a chance to be a part of the FNESC conference, the most memorable part for me was to l to and be inspired by Dr. Cindy Blackstock from UofA. Here is one person making a difference in education amongst  room full of other individuals making a difference.  It was a powerful keynote address to say the least.  The Master of Ceremonies described Dr. Blacksock as a “dragon slayer.”  I would not disagree.  Thank you FNESC for a fantastic conference and thank you Spirit Canoe for the journey.  All my relations.  Much gratitude.