Christine Ho Younghusband

You’re Awesome

What an awesome experience… I feel fortunate that I was able to present at this year’s BC Association of Mathematics Teachers (BCAMT) provincial professional development conference in Burnaby at Cariboo Hill Secondary on October 21, 2011.  It was my first year being on the BCAMT executive as a Secondary Representative and presenting at the conference.  I must admit that it’s really nice to have colleagues recognizing me, compliment me, and say hello.

The best part is… I’m still involved in secondary mathematics education.  I’m still involved in teaching.  I’m still involved in improving student achievement in secondary mathematics.  I met awesome people.  I had a wonderful time distributing SWAG at the beginning of the conference.  I loved greeting people at the BCAMT presentation stand and passing out Assessment for Learning books published by the BCAMT.  I was fascinated to be reunited with teachers from my UBC Education program in 1994, from previous workshops as an educational consultant, and from participants from my workshop I presented at last year’s conference.  A classmate of mine from the Doctor of Education program referred to me as the Assessment for Learning in Mathematics Education expert.  I was humbled.

I presented twice at the BCAMT conference.  The session was titled, “Assessment for Learning in the 21st Century.”  It is not to say that I am an expert at Assessment for Learning (AFL) and 21st century Learning, but what I like to present to practicing teachers is that it’s OK to take risks, it’s OK to have fun, and it’s OK to make math engaging for kids.  My BIG message focuses on AFL and how it’s not a huge shift from what we already do.  In fact, with AFL… we get to teach kids, understand their learning, and nourish some of the skills needed for the 21st Century.  What I talked about was AFL, 21st Century Skills, and the summative review game I facilitated with my Math 12 students called, Math 12 Olympiks.  The workshop was a success. 

How do I know?  Teachers would approach me after the workshop telling me stories of their experiences using AFL… asking me specific questions how to implement AFL in their classroom… and expressing their gratitude with comments like:  “Are you a maverick?”  “I really liked your enthusiasm and excitement.” …. and…  “You’re AWESOME.”

I still love the learning and teaching… as long as we are heading in the direction where we help kids learn, particularly mathematics, then what I do is worthwhile.  THANK YOU EVERYONE.

Campaign Signs

It’s been almost 3 days since my last blog post.  My deepest apologies.  I have been busy with campaigning and life.

As you can see, the YOUNGHUSBAND campaign signs are up.  There are 9 located in strategic locations in the District of Sechelt.  It took my student volunteer and I about 6 hours to find appropriate locations and post the signs.

Campaign signs were requests made by the public.  As I have been meeting people and letting them know that I am running for school trustee, some have been asking me where my signs were.  Good question.  This is the challenge out to you…

WHERE ARE THE 9 YOUNGHUSBAND CAMPAIGN SIGNS LOCATED IN SECHELT?

This is much like the where’s Waldo question.  I am also enjoying talking to people about the municipal elections and letting them know that I am running for School Trustee in the District of Sechelt.  I do not claim to be an expert politician, but I am an expert educator who has a deep desire to advocate for students and families striving for quality public education on the Sunshine Coast.

I love living in Sechelt.  The people are wonderful.  Living on the Sunshine Coast for the past 17 years has been awesome as a teacher at Chatelech, curler in Gibsons, and newbie cyclist with the West Sechelt Elementary Bike Club.  I love the relationships I have created as a mathematics educator, bike club mom, and community member.

People have been awesome so far in my campaign with their support, advice, and encouragement.  Campaigning has been an enlightening experience.  I am grateful for the helping hands and the kindness of others.  I am very thankful for my student volunteer who has been my right-hand girl and cheerleader.  To be able to continue to work with students is a privilege.  I am very fortunate.

For more information about Municipal Elections in the District of Sechelt, click on this link from the Naturally Sechelt website… http://www.sechelt.ca/CityHall/Elections.aspx

Arrows Pointing Right

For the past few weeks, I am realizing that the arrows are pointing right.  Awhile ago, I wrote in my blog about turning right or left.  A good friend of mine, or mentor some would say, gave me a heart to heart chat several months ago.  He said, if you choose to turn right, stay right, and don’t look back.  To turn left and stay the course, make the best of it, with no regrets.  Almost a year ago, I turned right.  I took a risk without a clear end in mind.  This can make anyone feel anxious and insecure.  Today, I feel optimistic, energized, and purposeful.  I am still involved in education.  I continue to be passionate about student learning and mathematics education.  I love to teach, learn, and lead.  I am humbled each day and truly enjoying this campaign trail I am about to embark on.  I’m excited to see what’s to come.  It seems like my dissertation topic, stories told to me by clients, parents, and community members, and taking the leap to run for school trustee to partake in municipal politics all seem to be pointing in the same direction… TO THE RIGHT.  As Steve Jobs said during his 2005 address at Stanford to the graduates, CONNECT THE DOTS… you cannot connect the dots looking into the future, only by looking back at the past.  The dots are connecting.  I amazed.  I’m looking forward.

Campaigning on a Budget

Today has been the first day of “actual” campaigning.  The last day for nominations for municipal elections was yesterday and today I attending a meeting at the school board office for trustee candidates to get pertinent information to help us in our campaign.  I am very grateful.

As soon as the meeting ended, one of the trustee candidates said hello and told me that she had hoped that I would have returned to teaching instead of running for school board.  She said that her daughter loved my math class and honestly, that is the best compliment.  Truly honoured.

In just a few short hours, the highway is littered with various campaign signs of different candidates.  Some signs were for mayor, some signs were for councilor, and others for school trustee.  I have not posted any political signs… yet.  I am campaigning on a budget.

Running for political office is a new experience for me.  I am learning lots about campaigning and being accountable.  I am thankful that I live in a small community, but I still have to make a concerted effort to make my campaign known to community members… VOTE FOR ME.

My campaign begins with SOCIAL NETWORKING and technology.  I am using Facebook, Google Sites, Twitter, and Blogger to promote my candidacy as school trustee.  Unfortunately, not everyone is connected to others by social networking so I launched an email campaign too.

What’s next to come?  Face-to-face connection with community members and door-to-door flyer drop off.  I have composed my own flyer to be printed out and distributed.  My next consideration is campaign signage.  As much as I would like to, it is a bit of an investment.  I’m still thinking about it.

This is when “future thinking” helps politicians with their campaign.  Contributions from community members help finance political campaigns.  Some candidates will self-finance their campaigns, but I’m not sure if I have the capacity to do so.  My job now is to make the best of the situation given the circumstances.  Hmmm… does this sound familiar?  It’s only 4-5 weeks of campaigning.

Well, I hope that my interest and passion for education comes through with my work, my conversations, and my social networking activities.  To represent and advocate for students and their learning as a school trustee would be an awesome opportunity.  We’ll see how things go.
https://sites.google.com/site/voteforyounghusband/

The Happiness Project

Here I sit at Wheatberries, a local coffee shop, drinking my latte and eating a delicious blueberry muffin.  Before heading off to my dental appointment, I’m hanging out at the coffee shop to organize, edit, and write.  What a beautiful sunny day to get out of the house and enjoy what my little community has to offer.  Before hunkering down and editing my dissertation proposal (again), I took out my little book I bought last weekend titled, The Happiness Project. 

I don’t know what inspired me to buy this book.  I don’t really need anything.  Life is great.  I had no true compulsions to splurge or seek therapy via shopping.  I was pretty content last weekend.  Who wouldn’t be?  It was Thanksgiving weekend.  I had an extraordinary opportunity to roam Metrotown, Granville Island, and South Granville by myself.  I was so impressed with myself that I had no desire to shop, I called my friend to share the good news.  She said, I finally arrived and she wished that she had felt the same way.

Oops, spoke too fast.  Before going to my sister’s for dinner, I strolled into Chapters.  I was looking at a set of random books and I drawn to The Happiness Project.  I picked up the book and felt “the tingles,” the good feelings… It was something I was meant to do.  So, I bought the book.  It’s a HEATHER’S PICK, meaning a guaranteed good read or your money back.  How could I go wrong?

I’m not an avid reader.  I will read a few pages here and there and I finally arrived to Chapter 1.  The book got me at “Getting Started.”  Gretchen Rubin writes about the MIDLIFE MALAISE… not midlife crisis.  I love it.  Much like her, I am not unhappy, but I could be much happier.  I have a great life.  I love my man, my kid, my dog, my family, my friends, etc.  I have my health and I’m living my dream.  I look forward to my Happiness Project.  My plan is to start where Gretchen did… BOOST ENERGY.

Took the Time to Listen

Wow.  What a day… I don’t know what to say or make of it… but I am astonished about how full-circle the day went.  I am so glad that I took the time to listen.  If I didn’t, assumptions would be made, bad feelings would be kept, and false beliefs would cloud the truth.  OK.  There is no “absolute truth,” but I did get a better sense of the bigger picture.  I am beginning to understand.

Initially, I was going to write about taking a deep breath in today’s blog.  The blog was going to be about my relationship with my daughter.  As it turns out, I am still going to write about our relationship from a different perspective… the point of view of forgiveness.

The day started like any other day… rushing around but nothing getting done.  Pressed for time but my daughter wants me to sign a form and write a cheque while her dad is ready to drive her to school.  Always our greatest hope is to arrive to school before the first bell.  We do, most times.

On their way out, I realized that my daughter’s planner was not signed.  She left the book at school.  I felt sick about not signing her planner.  She read for 20 minutes last night and I wanted her to be recognized for her good work.  I ceased the moment and rode my bike to the school to sign her planner.  Apparently, I was too late.  I signed it anyway and her teacher noted my efforts.

At the end of the school day, I continued my mommy accommodations by riding my daughter’s bike to school with the dog.  The dog wanted a walk and my daughter had to walk home from school.  She’s not a fan of walking, but loves biking.  Why not?  It’s all downhill to the school.  I put on her helmet, leashed the dog, and rode to school on her bike.  I arrived unscathed.

On the way home from school, my daughter likes to “confess” about how her day went.  I’m not sure what it’s like for other parents out there, but my daughter has her moments.  She got so frustrated at the conversation that she unleashed her bad feelings on me.  It almost seemed unrelated and it hurt my feelings.  A long story made short, it took me a few hours to recover from that episode.

As things started to wind down in our household, I asked my daughter to get ready for bed.  She erupted, “NO!  You’re not the boss of me.”  She was completely defiant.  What is this all about?  I just completely shut down.  I could not go through another cycle of hurt in one day.  I took step back and said, “You’re right.  I’m not the boss of you.”  I left it at that.

My response kind of freaked her out.  Personally, I was acting out of self-preservation.  For her, she started looking for forgiveness.  At first, I was reluctant.  I wanted her to know how I felt.  She listened.  In return, she started to tell me how she felt and cried.  Without too many details, but she really gets what is going on around her and finds huge injustices in her lived experiences.

Hmm… How does the saying go?  Apple, tree.  All I can say is… I love my kid.  I get why she is acting the way she is and I empathize with her struggles.  I don’t know how else to help her but to support her.  She is a little trooper.  I am just so happy that she was willing to share her feelings with me instead of keeping them all inside.  In the end, she was the one who was truly hurting.

Learning is Dialogical

A mentor of mine had introduced me to this mantra, “learning is dialogical.”  This mantra originates from the philosophical writings of Charles Taylor (1991) in The Malaise of Modernity.  It’s a small book transcribing Taylor’s presentation from the Massey Lectures on CBC.

Admittedly, reading Charles Taylor is not an easy read.  I was first introduced to Taylor during my Masters of Education program 10 years ago.  After the 11th read or so, The Malaise has become one of my favorite pieces of writing.  What resonates with me the most… LEARNING IS DIALOGICAL.

Early this evening, I managed to meet up with some of my Educ 809 alumni classmates on Google+.  The ABD meetings are meant to meet on campus, but somehow I managed to double or triple book myself on Wednesdays that I have not been able to go to commiserate with other ABD students.

All I can say is… THANK GOODNESS FOR TECHNOLOGY.  This is not to say that I am learning online… but I’m learning online.  I was reunited with some of my 809 buddies sharing and collaborating via computer.  I got the benefits of Educ 809 by “hanging out” on Google+.  I’m inspired.

It was amazing.  I thought it would have been another week of missing another ABD session.  Much like Weight Watchers, there is something about the weekly accountability and small celebrations that keep the participant motivated.  Thanks to Google+ and Circles, I missed nothing.

Learning via talking with others has always been my mantra as a secondary mathematics teacher.  It’s my mantra when facilitating professional development workshops.  And, dialogue is instrumental is my learning.  Thank you ABD buddies and Google+… my learning is back on track.

Why Not?

One day left to submit my name to be a possible candidate for school trustee representing the District of Sechelt in the upcoming municipal election.  I must admit, I’m over thinking it.

I want to make sure that I am running for a political position for the right reasons.  I am an educational consultant.  I tutor math.  I am writing a dissertation in educational leadership.  There is no doubt that I am 100% immersed in the field of education.  I had a fruitful career as a secondary school teacher on the Sunshine Coast and I love being a parent volunteer at my daughter’s school.  Bike club has been an awesome experience.  So, why not school trustee?

I am an educational leader in my own right.  I give professional development workshops to teachers, I help parents advocate for their child’s learning, and I am a secondary representative on the BC Association of Mathematics Teachers executive committee.  Ultimately, I hope to complete my research and have a message or lesson to give back to public education. 

If anything, running for school trustee will be a learning experience.  Even gathering the information package and filling out forms has been a learning experience.  I had no idea how politicians financed their campaigns… and now, I know.  I am the candidate, campaign manager, and financial agent.  This may be a huge undertaking, but why not learn it all?  Go big or go home.

Best of all, if elected as school trustee I can represent the students, the families, and the community.  What a privilege.  I would love to act as an advocate for public education and advocate for the consumers of public education.  This excites me.  THANK YOU everyone for your support. 

Come out to vote on November 19, 2011.  Elect Christine Younghusband for School Trustee.

Granville Island Turkey Trot Run

What an amazing day… running… in the rain… 10 km… in the Granville Island Turkey Trot Run 2011.  I had a tonne of fun.

Almost a 23 minute difference… something to note.  Although I may have shuffled for about 8 km and walked the rest, I shuffled.  Last year, I had major hip problems and walking was generally painful.  It may have seemed like a painful experience to shuffle through most of the race this year, it felt great not to hobble during the gobble.

Don’t get me wrong… I am currently lying on the couch after a hot bath… resting with some discomfort.  This is a lesson that I have not figured out yet… TRAINING MATTERS.  Other than that, I am so proud of myself to return to the Turkey Trot Run in better health.  Next year, my plan is to beat this year’s time by another twenty minutes, or so.  Hello training… Wish me luck.

Thanksgiving Dim Sum

Happy Thanksgiving Weekend Everyone!  What a glorious long weekend we are having in the Vancouver area.  One of the biggest treats for my little family is coming over to the Lower Mainland and visiting my parents.  We always have dim sum in Metrotown.  I love doing this.  It’s almost a ritual when we come over to visit from the Sunshine Coast.  We like the dim sum experience with my parents.  We get picked up from ferry at 9 am… we drive to Metrotown… we hop into the Chinese restaurant and order our favorites like ha-gow and su-mai… we gorge on dumplings and other dim sum goodies… and we roam the mall after dim sum.  Is this not the life?  Yes it is.

What a nice way to spend the day on Thanksgiving weekend.  We started the day with dim sum and my parents returned back to the condo soon after because my mom “volunteered” to make the turkey and ham for tonight’s Thanksgiving dinner at my sister’s.  She need the time to cook and so my little family spent the rest of the morning roaming the mall.  My daughter LOVES going to Claire’s (a jewelry store for girls), I like browsing through Lululemon, and my husband enjoyed the NEW Apple store right next to Lululemon.  We had a great morning.

Before parting ways, my little family enjoyed Starbucks beverages.  We sat outside of Metrotown mall at the water fountain.  I loved drinking my latte while watching my kid run around the fountain and making wishes with pennies she found on the ground.  Super cute.  I also enjoyed chatting with my husband sitting in the sun, away from the mall crowd.  Soon enough, we caught the SkyTrain but going in separate ways.  My husband and daughter went back to my parents’ condo to rest and hang out.  I ventured off towards downtown to pick up my running package at Granville Island.  The best part of this journey was getting directions from my parents as to what the best way was to catch transit to Granville Island.  Let me say, they were spot on.

Successfully arriving to Granville Island, I got lost.  I could not find where I was suppose to pick up my package.  Thank goodness for technology and a patient husband.  With one phone call and lengthy directions (because I could not orient myself correctly), I finally arrived.  I picked up my running package with time to spare.  What to do?  I went shopping… and bought nothing.  I DIDN’T NEED ANYTHING.  That was a nice surprise and it felt good.  So, I started walking up Granville Street towards my sister’s condo.  I treated myself with a Purdy’s ice cream bar (yummy), scoped out some shops, and ended my loitering experience at Starbucks and Chapters bookstore… chatting with my buddy on my Blackberry over a grande green tea iced tea.  Fun.

By the time I arrived at my sister’s condo, everyone was already there.  My parents, my little family, my sister’s little family, and my aunt were all present.  We had a great time connecting.  My nephew introduced me to some YouTube food thing (it was a bit extreme, but entertaining) and we watched the Food Network intermittently with the Golf Channel.  My parents love watching professional golf.  My mom and sister were preparing dinner, my brother in-law was serving drinks, and my daughter was playing ‘string games’ with my aunt.  My dad was just hanging out.  Bottom line, the dinner was delicious… turkey, ham, mashed potatoes, yams, broccoli, gravy, and pumpkin pie… no complaints coming from me.  I sat with the kids, away from the “adult table,” and loved it.

What a phenomenal Thanksgiving Day.  I will be ending the long weekend with a 10K run at Granville Island called the “Granville Island Turkey Trot.”  After today’s eat-fest, I would not be surprised if I would be “trotting” across the finish line like a “turkey.”  Update next blog.  Happy Turkey Everyone!