That was super fun… and unexpected. I am so glad to be asked to guest blog for McGraw-Hill Education for the Art of Teaching section. I wrote about a collaborative and competitive summative review game I used to play with my Math 12 students (in preparation for the provincial exams) and other math courses as we approached the end of the school year. It was a great way to learn more about what students know and understand but also learn about what I have done well and what I need to do to bridge any math-gaps. I wanted to provide some photos (from the CYH Archives) to depict how fun and how awesome this learning experience was for students… and for me. What a great way to build a learning community and celebrate mathematics. This is definitely one of my career highlights as a secondary mathematics teacher. Learning math is FUN.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 09th, 2018 | Comments Off on Making Math Fun
This is one of my favourite images… a tree growing from another tree. A friendly reminder that we have to keep growing and growth can come from anything and anywhere. Growth is not always a straight line. Yesterday, I spent time updating my LinkedIN page and resume. I attended a few alumni workshops held at SFU and wanted to apply what I had learned. Updating took some time and it’s still in progress. My friend took a look at what I had written and said…
“Your path is so untraditional, for someone like me and yet we have so much in common.”
I take this as a compliment. I am thankful that my friend could see this. Sometimes it’s not all about going the traditional route from A to B. I could have “climbed the ladder” to move through or up the system, but opted to take my own route… a personalized route that filled my heart and mind. I left teaching to pursue doctoral studies. In the meantime, I started a business as sole proprietor and called myself an educational consultant. Is this how it works? I was soon find out. At the time, I didn’t know what I wanted but I loved the freedom and flexibility to create and learn. I had to go beyond the status quo.
Much like my dissertation, I want to get under the problem. Sometimes “problems” in education seem cyclic thus difficult to see its starting point. To make a long story short, I had to take a different route to see what I wanted to and needed to see. Leaving K-12 helped me to complete my dissertation and make the recommendations to practice and research I did, so that we could create system change in the context of professional learning and subject matter acquisition. I know that I would not have accomplished this had I stayed in the system as a teacher. I was able to see and understand the system, as a whole, in a deeper and broader way as a school trustee. For this, I am grateful.
The other part of my friend’s comment… “yet we have so much in common”… raises my spirit. On the one hand, it surprises me and on the other hand, it pleases me. I am surprised because I did not move up the rungs of the education system to understand what my friend understands about the system… what’s working… what’s not working… and what needs improvement. I will say that I have not done some of the super awesome things my friend has done or the super awful things my friend had to do… vice versa in terms of research and politics… but happy to know that the BIG IDEAS are the same.
It’s time for new growth. I love being the learner. My goal is to follow the path of learning. I think about returning back to the system often. I love teaching at the university and I would love to teach high school mathematics again… particularly in BC’s New Curriculum. But I wonder about the kind of freedom that exists in the system. I also wonder about what I have to contribute. I think that I have a lot to contribute but it has to be aligned to the direction of the school district. I would love to see some of my recommendations from my dissertation to come to practice, but I am also excited about doing more research to bring meaningful information back to practice. Right now, I am writing a book. It’s fun.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 08th, 2018 | Comments Off on Keep Growing
School District No.46 (Sunshine Coast) was one of two school districts out of 60 to first have a student trustee and policy that supports having a student trustee as part of the Board of Education. Although the student trustee does not vote or participate in closed meetings, the student trustee represents the voice of students and the District Student Leadership Team (DSLT). The DSLT is composed of two student representatives from each of the 4 secondary schools: Pender Harbour Secondary, Chatelech Secondary, Elphinstone Secondary, and Alternative Schools. The student trustee has the opportunity to have his or her voice at the table, share ideas from the DSLT, and ask questions.
Pearl Deasey from Chatelech Secondary is our fifth student trustee. A student trustee is elected by the DSLT annually. Soon after her election, Pearl presented with former Board Chair Betty Baxter, Superintendent Patrick Bocking, and Early Learning Coordinator Kirsten Deasey at the 2017 BC School Trustees Association (BCSTA) Academy. She spoke about her experience as a student trustee and fielded questions on her role on the board and how other school districts could adopt a similar model of student leadership.
To connect with students, members of this year’s DSLT decided to moderate a closed Facebook Page for students to access and share their thoughts with the DSLT. Other DSLT initiatives include the district-wide talent show and North vs. South hockey game. Both events are well attended and very successful. The DSLT also facilitates a student leadership forum where several secondary students from each school meet with the DSLT, senior management, and school trustees to discuss important topics identified by the DSLT.
Student leadership is not isolated to the DSLT, student trustee, or student forums. Schools offer leadership classes, extra curricular sports and clubs, WEday experiences, student councils, and exchange opportunities. The Board of Education is proud of our students and student leadership in our school district. Student can and do make a difference. Next month, the Board of Education will be moving three motions regarding student leadership, supported by our student trustee and DSLT, at the BCSTA Annual General Meeting.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 03rd, 2018 | Comments Off on Student Leadership
Today has been an amazing day. I have no words to describe my gratitude for those who are in my life. Look at these flowers… GORGEOUS… and unsolicited. It comes from people I care deeply about and I feel that they care deeply about me. I am blessed. The day continues with moments of inspiration from those I was working with. From their learning experiences, I was inspired to write an article to question what I see. In the meantime, I am connecting to those on Twitter and found the courage to ask for help via email. This nice part is, my tribe are always willing to help. They support me in so many ways. I feel very lucky. I struggled with Finding My Tribe. At one time, I believed finding my tribe meant belonging to a group, but surrendered knowing that members of my tribe come from many groups, they share a similar mindset of disruption, and they lift me up. After today, I am redefining TRIBE as wholehearted kinship. There is deep trust, respect, and love. Feelings are reciprocated. There is no second guessing or self-doubt, only clarity.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 29th, 2018 | Comments Off on Redefining Tribe
Here we go… there are a few days left of the nomination period and I have decided to run in the upcoming municipal election in October and run in the BC Association of School Trustees Association (BCSTA) for the position of president in April. Left on a cliffhanger from my previous blog entry, Gaining Perspective, I was undecided for quite some time. I loved the encouraging words from colleagues throughout the year, but I had to make this decision for the right reasons and my decision to run was not taken lightly.
Last year, I stepped down from the BCSTA Board of Directors and did not run. When I look back at my blog entry, Trajectory, it was not an easy decision then. I took the year off from the BCSTA Board of Directors and took other things off my plate so that I could finish my dissertation and deliberate what would be next for me. I needed to create some space for me to complete my doctoral work and make space for what’s next. I am proud to have completed my dissertation. I successfully defended my research on August 17, 2017 (while teaching EDUC 454 that term) and walked across the stage at convocation on Friday, October 6, 2017 (after I taught my morning class of EDUC 471) at SFU. I ended the fall term by starting the new year with a trip to Honolulu, HI to present my dissertation and two other studies at the Hawaii International Conference on Education. It was a memorable experience and excellent capstone to my academic achievements.
After Hawaii, the spring term started slow. I was not teaching at the university and I had not established full-time employment as an academic. I had considered returning to K-12 but did not feel that it was the right fit for me. That said, I am very thankful to continue my research and academic writing as an affiliate scholar at the Centre for the Study of Educational Leadership and Policy (CSELP) as part of my post-doctoral experience. I am currently working with a school district looking at communicating student learning and effective reporting practices, I am working on being published with my research partner Dr. Daniel Laitsch, and I am also working on some independent writing. With this work, I am reminded of my 5 core values: (1) integrity and truth; (2) self-respect and pride in my work; (3) having a positive impact on society and others; (4) using creativity, imagination, and being innovative; and (5) autonomy, independence, and freedom. I am aligned.
I believe in serendipity where things happen for a reason. Last month, my mom passed away. I believe that it was suppose to be a “light term” for better or worse so that I could spend time with my mom in her final days. I had the luxury of being by her side almost full-time along with my brother, sister, and dad. I have no words to express my gratitude that I was able to spend this time with her, to take care of her, and to love her. I miss her deeply. I have no regrets of not running for BCSTA last year. Everything happened as it was suppose to be. Now that I have turned the page on my dissertation and looking forward to what’s next, I am following my intuition, my heart, and my passion in BC public education. I am an educator, researcher, and school trustee. I am an advocate of BC public education and believe that boards of education are integral to the success of students in BC public schools. I am announcing that I am running for BCSTA president.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 24th, 2018 | Comments Off on Running for President
One thing that I love about teaching and learning is the immediate gratification of success. I just had a wonderful experience this morning. I helped a student with their math via SnapChat. This student was sending “streaks” via SnapChat and I happened to be one of the recipients. I replied, “looks like fun.” It was a picture of a math book. The student replies, “idek and test is Thursday.” Classic frustration and disengagement. Our conversation moved from distress to sending a picture of a question, taking a screenshot, and sending a picture back of the solution with steps… a short delay, another screenshot, and another picture of another solution. BINGO. Engagement. The student asks, “is it right?” I reply, “yup.” The student replies, “yippppeeee.” Immediate gratification experienced by ME and the student.
I love that. I miss that. The sheer joy of learning. This is why I love to teach mathematics in comparison to other subject areas like science or chemistry. There is an immediate gratification when you “get” something, solve a problem, or realize your math efficacy. It’s AMAZING. Yes, certainly, it works the other way as well. When things “get down” in math… things get DOWN. Sometimes it feels like a hole (or vortex to others) that almost feels impossible to get out of. We get stuck there and form another type of math efficacy that sounds like “I will never do math again.” Albeit a dramatization, but it’s not too far off the truth. But there is nothing more satisfying than hearing a student say, “hey, I can do this”… “that wasn’t so hard”… “I can do better next time” after you helped them out.
Another social media experience to CELEBRATE MATH involved a school principal from my school district sending me a photo of a TTOC doing math OUTSIDE with grade 1/2 students with sticks and chalk. I love that!!! Social engagement, experiential learning, and being outside to learn with your classmates are AWESOME. Furthermore, this teacher is taking a risk, doing something different, and figuring out what will help students learn math. I love how doing math on the playground also makes learning VISIBLE… to self and classmates as they are learning, but also makes it visible to the rest of the school when students have an opportunity to look and learn during recess and lunchtime. This is AMAZING (again). Celebrate learning via social media. I love how I got this information from Twitter with a tweet and a tag. Of course I’m retweeting, commenting, and replying to this tweet. It doesn’t take that much to get me excited about teaching, learning, and MATH, and in both cases, via social media. Happy learning.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 13th, 2018 | Comments Off on Feels Good
Wow. It does not take much to trigger me. “Is it me?” A classic question that NO ONE wants to answer. I appreciate that someone is willing to speak to someone face-to-face and inquire if the problem is him or her. Unfortunately, you’re NEVER going to hear the answer that would reflect the truth. So why ask? Is there another way to ask the question? NO ONE is going to say the problem is YOU. That’s just a fact. How can we get around this issue in an educational system that desires and hopes for vulnerability? As you can see, one question provokes me to ask many other questions. It makes me curious.
I just spoke with a student who was faced with this situation. “Is it me?” This student could not confirm or deny that the problem was the teacher. Why would this student do so anyway? Horrifying. If the roles were reversed, we would never say that the problem in our classroom is the student. We would say it’s his/her behaviour, actions, or mindset… SOMETHING THAT YOU CAN CHANGE. It’s a strange phenomenon in education that I question. How can we have a more vulnerable education system that encourages more formative feedback amongst stakeholders to leverage learning when all those involved are somewhat defensive, politically paranoid, or easily hurt? We end up “functioning” in a edu-vacuum where not much is said except for pleasantries and workplace politeness.
Formative feedback is NOT PERSONAL. It should reflect your performance and competencies. Not only should it reflect these attributes, but also should provide you with what to strive for and how to get there. In fact, receiving formative feedback is in your best interest… to be come a better YOU… and those who are providing feedback provide an expertise and want YOU to be a better you. They have your best interest in mind. Formative feedback is about helping each other and the information shared benefits both the evaluator and recipient. It goes beyond collective efficacy… formative feedback is more like COLLECTIVE WINNING. The mantra would be, “we’re in this together.”
But no… “Is it me?” sets people apart… to an US vs. THEM scenario. The power differential is in full play and of course, the subordinate in this relationship would naturally concede and say… “no, no, no… it’s me.” Unbelievable… and in the end, NOTHING CHANGES. There is no opportunity for “real” formative feedback and an opportunity to get better, be better, or make the situation better. All that this scenario perpetuates is the status quo… and if it’s not good??? It remains NOT GOOD. Is this an educational model that we can tolerate? Apparently, the answer is yes. This is disheartening. Education is ALL ABOUT RELATIONSHIPS. It’s fragile and resilient at the same time. We need to be asking the right questions. We are the creators of what we see. So, what do you see?
We are constantly immersed in the formative. From the viewpoint of the teacher, are your students engaged, empowered, and passionate about what they are learning? Or are your students disengaged, on their phones, and indifferent? Maybe they are somewhere in between… but guess what? You are creating that behaviour. This is the challenge of teaching. It’s complex and dynamic. There is never THE SAME at any one moment in time… nor should we strive for that. We are not hoping for robot-like students who are homogenous in their thinking or doing. We want to nourish their competencies, strengths, and interests. How do we create a love for learning for all stakeholders? Wouldn’t it be great to develop passionate learners instead of compliant consumers? This is my hope.
The worst part about this question, “Is it me?,” is asking the same question to self. “Is it me?” Self-assessment and self-reflection are integral to the teaching/learning/leading process and when we question self inappropriately or inaccurately because we are functioning in a vacuous silo, then this is when it goes wrong and ugly. How can someone take ownership of something when they don’t know if it’s them or not? It’s a poor assumption. Similarly, one cannot take ownership for something when no one is talking formatively or if one is confronted with “Is it YOU?” No one is winning. Nothing and no one gets “better.” And yes, the status quo persists. Are we really learning in education?
Let’s end this edu-rant with a bit of research. According to John Hattie’s (2016) updated results… factors with the greatest effect size on student learning include feedback (0.73), teacher clarity (0.75), and teacher credibility (0.90). Teacher credibility ranked NUMBER ONE. Do not underestimate the power of the teacher and your influence on student learning. Student looks up to the teacher. It’s important to be a role model but also provide feedback and clarity. It can’t be “Is it me?” anymore. This message goes to all levels in education. We are in this together. It has to be, “It is WE.” Think formative.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 12th, 2018 | Comments Off on Is it me?
This may sound cliche but when you realize that your time on earth is limited, it would be in your best interest to do what you love. I had the gift of being away from my life for 20-days and experienced the JOY OF TRANSFORMATION. Admittedly, I’ve changed too. I witnessed people change before my eyes, recalibrating what was important to them and intuitively knowing why. I experienced a type of advocacy and agency that I have never seen before. Clear conviction. I feel lucky to have this opportunity and now I am taking a moment to reflect on what happened and think about what’s important to me.
Before the 20-days, I was participating in a couple of career education workshops at SFU to figure out my next trajectory in life. It’s too easy to look back and consider what I have done before. As much as I have fond memories of teaching secondary mathematics and continue to teach secondary mathematics one-on-one as part of my educational consulting business, I know that I am meant to do something else and my experiences as a math educator will inform and influence me on what I need to do next. I know that my love is in education, even though several times during the 20-days I’ve been asked if I’m in health care or in the medical field. As mentioned, I’m not that kind of doctor.
What I do know for sure is, I love teaching… I love learning… and I love leading. Hence, this is the underpinning of my business. But so what? Most people in education feel the same way. What separates me from other educators and what am I meant to do next? I do know that whatever I choose to do next, I need to be teaching, learning, and leading. I will make no compromise to that. What I also know for sure is, I love data analysis. I love making sense from numbers, I love creating a narrative. That is soooooo fun for me. I just completed the “School Trustee Study” with my research partner (and former senior supervisor) Dr. Dan Laitsch. I just loved playing around with the numbers and making meaning from what we found from the data. I loved the collaboration, critical thinking, and shared expertise. I felt like we accomplished something that is worthwhile.
At the last SFU workshop, I identified 5 core values: (1) integrity and truth; (2) self-respect and pride in my work; (3) having a positive impact on society and others; (4) using creativity, imagination, and being innovative; and (5) autonomy, independence, and freedom. There were many other items to choose from and rank, but this turned out to be my top 5. What amazes me from this list is… I AM COMPLETELY ALIGNED. These 5 core values resonate with me and aligns to what I am doing now… with my business, research, and school trusteeship. This realization is invigorating… knowing that I am doing what I want to be doing. I am on the right trajectory. So, how can I go further?
I am so stoked that I am teaching EDUC454 for a second time this summer. I love that I can take what I have learned from last summer to make this course even better. It’s a time for me to return to my love of teaching and learning, but also find innovative and creative ways to engage and empower adult learners / pre-service teachers. I am driven by my research and the power of experiential learning and reflective practice. I feel honoured to have the opportunity to work with pre-service teachers to influence and encourage them to do what’s right in the K-12 classroom and develop their pedagogy.
I am also thinking about how to expand my business. I am getting new tutoring clientele, I am engaged in research as an affiliate scholar with the Centre for the Study of Educational Leadership and Policy at SFU, and it looks like I will write a book or two as promised in my TEDxWestVancouverED talk. I definitely have one in mind… and another one… and another one. It’s a matter of getting started. I need new material to glean from. I recently guest blogged for McGraw-Hill Education on the “Art of Teaching,” to be published in April. I continue to write about my practice as a secondary mathematics teacher, just like I did for Gillian Judson’s blog ImaginED. It’s been almost 8 years since I left the K-12 classroom and it’s time to write and talk about something else.
Finally, school trusteeship is something to consider. If you look back at previous blog entries, I learned so much from my trusteeship as an educator, parent, and educational leader. Governance plays a huge role in public education and it’s the responsibility of school trustees and boards of education to understand their role, work together with senior management teams, and do what’s best for student learning. I am passionate about this role in education. What we do matters… at all levels in education. Trustees have the responsibility of representing community values, bringing expertise to the table as oversight, and politicizing in a way that leverages learning FOR ALL. This term ends October 2018 and many are deciding whether if they will run or not in the next municipal election. That decision, for me, might come up in my next blog entry. TBA.
Although the “endpoint” is not clear or precise, I am on the right path. It’s reassuring that I am heading towards a vision. I am passionate about education and “finding my place” is important to me… as it should be for all those who are involved in education. Your role matters. Your expertise matters. You competencies matter. And, the right fit matters. We are always changing, so “fit” will also change over time. Be true to yourself and do what’s best for you and the people you serve. There are many opportunities in education where you can make a difference in student learning. You have to find it, then do it well.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 09th, 2018 | 1 Comment »
Do you ever have one of those days where you just can’t sleep? Could it be because I had a triple grande non-fat latte during dinner? Could it be because I hear jazz music playing in the background? Or, could it be because there’s a lot on my mind? It’s all of the above. So, why not blog? Am I right? Blogging is a way for me to reflect and sense-make.
The last 20-days have been a whirlwind. It was something I never expected and yet, I would not trade this “life-experience” for anything. Short of 20 days ago, I posted on Facebook “Do you ever wonder that everything you’ve done was meant to prepare you for something else?” Some of my Facebook friends replied by saying “no, not really” to “I never wonder… I’ve always known this.” I had always believed that everything happens for a reason and every decision we make leads to a destination. You realize this when you look back at life and everything you have experienced forms a STRAIGHT LINE. Strange… because it surely does not feel that way when you are looking forward. I had always believed that moving forward was done with intention, but what I did not realize is, the destination you arrive to may look nothing like what you’ve imagined or hoped for.
Gosh… for months I’ve been so focussed on “what’s next?” My thinking was career oriented and I was placing expectations on myself that may or may not be aligned to my purpose and passion. I struggled with “the should’s” and never considered what was really important to me. I took what was really important to me for granted and now I must ask myself what I am willing to sacrifice or compromise to hold on to what I value most. What I have learned in the last 20-days is, everything can be taken off of my plate. My world does not implode or turn its back on me. It’s just on hold. In the last 20-days, I gained clarity on my values and what’s important to me. They turned upside down.
I have also learned more about what I can and cannot do. It’s strange when folks in the medical field spontaneously ask me if I’m in the medical field. I’ll take it as a compliment. I guess I have the disposition for it but also I like to learn and help people. I think that’s in my nature. I had no idea that my doctorate, first aid training, and trusteeship would blend themselves together in a serendipitous way that is purposeful and meaningful in a completely different context. It’s disappointing to tell these medical practitioners that I am an educator… and I didn’t tell them that I disliked Biology 101 (I’m a physical scientist!!!). I learned more about systems and that my passion and purpose are in education.
I can see what I want to pursue and what values I need to adhere to. It’s my work now to CREATE (my one-word for 2018) what that will be, what will that look like, and how I will get there. This has been an incredible 20-days. Challenging, emotional, and transformational. I am not the same person and I don’t plan to be. I have an edu-mission and I will take steps to move forward to get there. Everything we do prepares us for what’s to come… or at least CREATE a readiness for it. I will not compromise or forgo my values and what’s important to me to get to a destination that I don’t want. It’s time to put things back on my plate and assess if it’s worthwhile doing or not to get to my desired destination. I do have a vision. I hope that I am able to live out my dreams once again. I feel so lucky that I was able to before and have the opportunity to do it one more time.
I am grateful for those who are in my life. I am grateful for those who love and respect me. I am grateful for those who support me and help me rise. I am also grateful for those who help me learn and guide me through “life experiences” to become the person I am today. I have learned more about myself in the last 20-days and I have learned more about others. Thank you for reading my blog entry… if you made it this far. It’s 4:44am and I think I can catch a few ZZZs before the sun rises. Thank you for this late night distraction. My blog entry may be somewhat vague or broad stroked, but it was intended. No specifics tonight/today but what I can say is, I would do it all over again.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 27th, 2018 | 2 Comments »
It’s hard to define what will be a turning point. For the longest time, I thought it would be my dissertation that would be a “significant” turning point… and it was, but not in the way that I had expected. Well, I didn’t know what to expect. Once I was able to LET GO of my expectations, I was able to think and write about my research in a wholehearted way. I loved that I could answer my research question and I loved that the results and my recommendations were not what I had expected. That’s exciting to me. Best of all, the recommendations are doable and research based. I guess the turning point for me with my dissertation is that I realized that I can write and do research. I also learned that I LOVE data analysis. I like it more than I should. I love finding patterns to make meaning.
What didn’t happen with my PhD was walking into a job. I’m not even sure what job that would be, but I thought that getting my PhD would open some doors to job opportunities. Don’t get me wrong. I have opened some doors with my degree. I am doing post-doctoral research that is closely connected to practice. This excites me. Although I did not walk away with a professorship… yet… I have much to do to get there, like publishing some papers and figuring out what’s possible to connect research and practice with policy. I am very interested in this… but there is no “job title” per se that would best capture this. Once again, I am set off on a trajectory towards something that does not have a known destination. This is not “cool” with A-types, so I’ve learned from my sister. Boxes are not being checked off. Quotas are not being met. I am pursing a VISION… a concept.
As I write, not being an A-type was verified by a workshop I took at SFU. It was an evening session downtown Vancouver where we used reflection, checklists (ironically), and visioning to figure out which direction we should take with our career. The workshop started off by asking… “What was the WORSE job you’ve ever done?” We had to imagine it… either go back in time or make something up that we would not like to do. This was an interesting start to the 3-hour workshop, but what I disliked was very clear to me. I hated being a receptionist. We had to write down what we disliked about this job in terms of place, people, type of work, etc. and why, and then we had to share these thoughts with two other people in the room. Afterwards, we reflected on the activity.
It was brilliant. I never done a career exploration activity that started with what I hate to do. Normally, we would focus on strengths, dispositions, or interests. Although this would be helpful and I did so last week at another SFU workshop on campus, imaging a job we disliked CLEARLY identifies aspects of work I do not prefer and rather not do. I had an epiphany and realized that I was striving for a job that was very similar to the attributes of being a receptionist. A HUGE AWAKENING. I had no idea. I was trapped in a way of thinking I could not see my way out of. It is not in my alignment. Now I know… I am NOT an A-TYPE. The workshop proceeded with us figuring out our 5 core values and areas of interest/perceived strength. This was telling as well. I felt good about the 5 core values I identified and realized that I am on the right track… and never knew. So crazy!!!
Finally, this workshop concludes with us imagining what our DREAM JOB is. Wow. The facilitator walked us through this process. I was so glad to do this because I had fulfilled my lifelong vision not too long ago. As mentioned in previous blogs, I have fulfilled my dreams that I thought would not be possible. My INBETWEENIDNESS is because I have no VISION to strive for. During this final exercise, I could see myself moving through my work day and loving every minute of it. All of my core values were in place and I was fulfilling my purpose and passion. What a great place to be. Of course, I’m not going to describe my new vision. I’d hate to spoil it or be disappointed. What I know for sure is, I have a NEW vision, which is my NEW goal and I am super excited to pursue it.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 18th, 2018 | Comments Off on Turning Point
One thing that I love about teaching and learning is the immediate gratification of success. I just had a wonderful experience this morning. I helped a student with their math via SnapChat. This student was sending “streaks” via SnapChat and I happened to be one of the recipients. I replied, “looks like fun.” It was a picture of a math book. The student replies, “idek and test is Thursday.” Classic frustration and disengagement. Our conversation moved from distress to sending a picture of a question, taking a screenshot, and sending a picture back of the solution with steps… a short delay, another screenshot, and another picture of another solution. BINGO. Engagement. The student asks, “is it right?” I reply, “yup.” The student replies, “yippppeeee.” Immediate gratification experienced by ME and the student.
Another social media experience to CELEBRATE MATH involved a school principal from my school district sending me a photo of a TTOC doing math OUTSIDE with grade 1/2 students with sticks and chalk. I love that!!! Social engagement, experiential learning, and being outside to learn with your classmates are AWESOME. Furthermore, this teacher is taking a risk, doing something different, and figuring out what will help students learn math. I love how doing math on the playground also makes learning VISIBLE… to self and classmates as they are learning, but also makes it visible to the rest of the school when students have an opportunity to look and learn during recess and lunchtime. This is AMAZING (again). Celebrate learning via social media. I love how I got this information from Twitter with a tweet and a tag. Of course I’m retweeting, commenting, and replying to this tweet. It doesn’t take that much to get me excited about teaching, learning, and MATH, and in both cases, via social media. Happy learning.
Wow. It does not take much to trigger me. “Is it me?” A classic question that NO ONE wants to answer. I appreciate that someone is willing to speak to someone face-to-face and inquire if the problem is him or her. Unfortunately, you’re NEVER going to hear the answer that would reflect the truth. So why ask? Is there another way to ask the question? NO ONE is going to say the problem is YOU. That’s just a fact. How can we get around this issue in an educational system that desires and hopes for vulnerability? As you can see, one question provokes me to ask many other questions. It makes me curious.
It’s hard to define what will be a turning point. For the longest time, I thought it would be my dissertation that would be a “significant” turning point… and it was, but not in the way that I had expected. Well, I didn’t know what to expect. Once I was able to LET GO of my expectations, I was able to think and write about my research in a wholehearted way. I loved that I could answer my research question and I loved that the results and my recommendations were not what I had expected. That’s exciting to me. Best of all, the recommendations are doable and research based. I guess the turning point for me with my dissertation is that I realized that I can write and do research. I also learned that I LOVE data analysis. I like it more than I should. I love finding patterns to make meaning.