Christine Ho Younghusband

De-Railed

I am so grateful to have people in the field who I trust and confide in to share my thoughts and beliefs about education with. I am also very fortunate to have people around me who will tell me about their thoughts and feelings about education. It is extremely difficult to reflect on one’s practice, beliefs, or philosophy on education without practical experience and the formative feedback of others.

I find it strange to reflect on what I say and do without the perspective of someone else. Who is my toughest critic? I am. As much as I appreciate the luxury of engaging in a reflective practice, I need the kindness and honesty of others to provide some perspective on how things really went. Admittedly, I would tend to over dramatize or exaggerate what happened and dwell on the negative over the positive. It’s strange to reflect on what I say and do without the perspective of someone else.

Let me be clear… I do not want to define myself based on other people’s opinions. That would be a life of trying to please others. I feel honoured when someone is willing to listen but also share their thoughts on the situation without judgement. I hope that I can do the same for others. Lately, I’ve been reminiscing about “my story” of leaving teaching in public schools in pursuit of other edu-adventures, which included completing my dissertation and spending time with my daughter.

I am fascinated how we are guided by our own stories and beliefs. On the one hand, I believe that we are able to do anything. On the other hand, I believe that we create our own limitations. This is the struggle. We can move forward but also move back. I am struck with curiosity when I was compelled to share my story. It happened twice and now three times with this blog. Why does it matter? Have I not let go of these old thoughts and beliefs? Or am I just working through the last bits to move on?

The first time I started sharing my story, once again, I felt ashamed. I did not intend to share my story. I did not want to taint the image that this person had of me. Soon after the conversation I wanted to take back my words, but caught myself and wondered why should I. The second time I found myself sharing my story and asked for feedback. The person responded to my story by saying that I was DE-RAILED.

I never thought that I was de-railed… but in hindsight, I guess was. I remember telling a colleague of mine that if I ever felt that I was teaching just for the money, then it was time to leave. Unfortunately it was a slow erosion of my purpose and passion. I had to leave. The strangest part was that I had my best classes, meaning… all was going great that year… except for me. I was tired of changing job assignments for year to year and advocating for students to the extent of losing my job.

Something had to give. I was a mom (and felt I was missing out on my child’s learning experiences), I was a doctoral student (and struggled with the reading and writing), and I was a teacher (and department head working full-time). It was crazy juggling all three balls in the air, I had to walk away from one. I was burning out and on my 40th birthday I made the decision that I could not do this anymore. My cup was empty. I was not physically or mentally well. I lost my way. I had to quit my job.

So what? Why am I even blogging about this… again? Well… good things come in three. Second, I feel immense gratitude for those whom I have met in the last 6 years who restored my love for education. I am ALIGNED. I know my purpose and passion. I have a deeper understanding of BC education that I would never had understood before and I have a PLN that I am like-minded and connected to. I feel like I am part of a learning community (on Twitter and beyond) where my cup is filled.

I love professional learning. My dissertation is almost complete. And, I love the teaching and learning process in the context of mathematics education, assessment & evaluation, and curriculum development. I love how I am curious and engaged. I want to learn more. I am also convinced of the difference school boards make on student learning with governance, policies, and strategic planning. I love how I am involved in BC public education as a school trustee. Furthermore, I am happy to be connected to my child’s learning experiences in and out of school and humbled by the teaching/learning process as a sessional instructor and workshop facilitator.

Yes. I was de-railed. I’ve explored. I ventured out and tried new things to figure out my new trajectory. All things that happened were meant to happen and all things that I have learned are preparing me for what’s next. All I can say is THANK YOU. Thank you to all those who supported me, lifted me, and seen me for who I am and what I have to offer. Thank you to all those who left me, questioned me, or doubted me. You too have influenced how I have proceeded in my pedagogical journey and by leaving, you have created space for others to enter into my life. For that, I am grateful.

Student Agency

What a great way to conclude the 2017 Trustee School Visits in School District No.46 (Sunshine Coast). Instead of reviewing a list of school goals and sitting through PowerPoint presentations describing these goals, the SD46 Board of Education created a new practice 5-years ago to visit schools within the school district to see the school goals in action. This year’s school visits concluded with the alternative schools. There are various locations on the Sunshine Coast and we visited 3 sites. I was impressed with the program/facility changes, innovation, and student engagement.

The Phoenix Program Building now houses the SPIDER online learning and the newly developing adult continuing education program. The Sunshine Building in Sechelt accommodates programs such as FLEX and pre-culinary arts program to provide unique learning environments that are safe, collaborative, and caring to foster student learning. The photo above was taken from the Heritage Building in Gibsons. Much like the Sechelt site, these middle school aged students took great pride in their learning and were not shy about it. They did not hesitate sharing their learning experiences and success. I got the low-down on how these rings were made.

I was wowed by the alternative school students’ excitement and love for learning. I loved the collaborative approach by the SD46 alternative school staff to provide learning opportunities that were personalized, creative, and meaningful. These students had choice. These students had voice. I was so proud of their sense of efficacy to engage in their learning and learning with others. This was student agency at its finest. They were in control of their learning. I walked away from the alternative schools thinking that this is what we want for all of our students in our school district.

Thank you SD46 staff and students for welcoming school trustees into your schools and classrooms this school year… including the maintenance building. I appreciated all of the student leaders and student-led tour guides. I am grateful for the teachers who shared their teaching/learning space and teaching/learning experiences with respect to BC’s Redesigned Curriculum, FreshGrade e-portfolios, and school goals. I love witnessing the shift in pedagogies, student engagement, and student agency. We are moving in the right direction. I look forward to next year’s school visits.

Say What You Mean

I have great admiration of those who have the courage to stand on stage to talk to a crowd about what they are passionate about. This was my third TEDxLangleyED and it never disappoints. It was a great opportunity to see old friends, meet my PLN face-to-face, and listen an exceptional group of speakers. This year’s TEDxLangleyEd was carefully orchestrated. The first set of speakers inspired me to be myself. The second set of speakers made me think deeply about teaching and learning. And the third set of speakers rounded out the conversation of what’s truly important.

Back to back professional learning opportunities… first with Sir Ken Robinson then TEDxLangleyED… I appreciate these professional learning opportunities to ponder and reflect about my professional learning and my professional growth. I go to these events because I am genuinely interested in education and teaching & learning. Yet, I think about my dissertation and professional learning and wonder how my research can contribute to the field but also how it reflects on me to understand myself.

I had a interesting conversation with a university student today about mathematics, mathematics education, and mathematics inquiry. In talking to this person, I found myself looking at myself, my practice, my research, and my professional learning. I left the conversation uneasy. On the one hand, I was not sure if I answered the student’s questions adequately. On the other hand, I wanted to take some of what I said back. Interesting… Why would I want to take anything that I said back?

What I like about those who speak at TED events is that they say what they mean. There is nothing to hide. They speak from the heart… and it’s about something that’s important to them, which automatically resonates with the audience. I think that’s what makes TED talks so effective. The presenters care deeply about what they are speaking about. I have always been intrigued by those who find their JAM. In one blog, I claimed that I found my jam and my jam is teaching and learning.

The context of my jam depends on what I am doing. It looks different from when I am tutoring, being a school trustee, or facilitating workshops for teachers. I love teaching mathematics, but after my conversation today with the university student, my love continues to be about teaching and learning and high school mathematics is the vehicle for me to learn and understand more about it. I am also intrigued by policy and how that influences the teaching and learning environment, but also I am interested in teachers as learners and how that effects student learning.

I am not apologetic for what I said during my conversation today and I have no regrets. I said what I know and understand, but also I come with much curiosity about teaching and learning. I am so excited to learn that there are MATH-NERDS out there who want to make a difference in mathematics education and student engagement. It brings me great hope for the next generation of innovative mathematicians who wish to educate and reignite the MATH-SPIRIT. I am always refining my jam. Teaching mathematics has taught me much about teaching and learning and I look forward to what I will learn next. Thank you TEDxLangleyED for another great event.

System Change

I cannot believe I almost missed this event. Sir Ken Robinson at Christian Academy in Abbotsford. #weareallbced #learnrevabby. Welcome to the Learning Revolution!!! THANK YOU TWITTER, @RosePillay1 and @MegUnger for the notifications and encouragement. I bought my ticket a few months ago and forgot all about it. That morning I cancelled my appointments and caught the ferry to fill my edu-cup.

Sir Ken Robinson is best known for his TED Talk Do Schools Kill Creativity? I’ve watched other TED Talks by How to Escape Education’s Death Valley and Bring on the Learning Revolution. Thank you to @BrianKoning and everyone from his learning community for making this professional learning event happen for BC educators. I was completely inspired and happy to walk away feeling validated and affirmed.

The BIG IDEA behind Sir Ken Robinson’s presentation was that “the system creates the problem.” The system creates constraints therefore the system creates problems. Yet, he also said that we all have the power to change the conditions of teaching and learning. Yeeeeessssss… I totally agree. Looking Back at 2016, I thought about a pebble in the pond and the ripple effect. Now I understand that it’s our circle of influence. We can all create a system change within our circle of influence.

You can change how you assess and evaluate students in your classroom. You can redesign the school timetable to incorporate cross-curricular, competency-based, personalized learning. You can change policies and practices so that student learning is at the heart of schools and school systems. I am convinced that we can all change the system to foster student learning and success… if we really, really want to. I loved that BC’s Curriculum was mentioned a few times during the presentation and held with high regard by Sir Ken Robinson that we’re heading in the RIGHT direction.

Sir Ken Robinson outlines 3 principles: Conformity, linearity, and compliance. 1. We are not the same. Schools need to honour and celebrate diversity. 2. We do not have a linear narrative. It’s messy and unpredictable. Learning is organic. 3. We need to focus on the relationship between the student and teacher. Standardized testing is a $16 billion business with no real improvement. The photo above was taken in 2015 showing parents hanging off the walls passing cheat sheets to their children.

The event concludes with Sir Ken Robinson participating in Q&A. Loved it. The best question posed was about BC’s Curriculum and focus on competencies. The person asked if letter grades were still necessary. His answer was NO. Yeeeesssss!!! I totally agree. I also agree with his comments of still needing ongoing assessment and standards. We need to rethink about what this could look like… and WHY.

Let’s shift our culture… let’s change the system. Oh wait, it’s already happening in BC.

Deep Sadness

Yes… another stock photo from the “YH Archives.” I’m sure that my former students (who are adults now) will enjoy and appreciate this immensely. You’re welcome!!!

Of course it’s January 11th and I’m posting a blog on DEEP SADNESS. This is ironic when my one-word for 2017 is JOY. When I left teaching in public schools six years ago, I would cry spontaneously looking at old photos of my former students. Admittedly, it was a strange to me. I did not expect to cry while scrolling through my Facebook photos or my photo library. But, I did… and for quite some time.

Since leaving the classroom, I’ve been on a pedagogical journey to find my purpose. I’ve continued to work with students privately but also facilitate teacher professional development workshops. I was also involved with curriculum development, sessional instruction, and school trusteeship. I am clearer than ever about my purpose and passion, and now I’m in the midst of figuring out how to best implement it.

I am heartened by what I am hearing from those around me. My husband makes jokes about me saving the world and why does my passion have to be my work and not a hobby. My friend the other day inferred that I am clear about my purpose, thus it is easy to move forward because I know my why (but this took years to figure out). And, the people I work with remind me that what I do is meaningful.

Yet today… I felt like I was going to cry again (almost did). I feel great pain when we are not serving students in the best way that best serves student learning. I hear plenty of messages, the good and not so good, as a school trustee, teacher educator, and math tutor. All I can say is, the chapter is changing. My dissertation is almost complete and deep sadness is a sign. It’s time. It’s time to serve and empower.

Guest Blogging

An honour and privileged to guest blog for Dr. Gillian Judson, PhD from SFU IERG program. “Math Embedded – A Tribute to Susan Point” was one of my proudest moments in my public school teaching career where I had to opportunity to integrate indigenous education, art education, and mathematics education into one project. It was a unique opportunity that I had the great fortune to seize. I only had that one school year to teach two classes of Math 8 at 150 hours and this was the product of that peculiar circumstance. I took my interest as a learner, my expertise as a senior mathematics teacher, and my passion for student learning into the context of education reform and curriculum implementation to create change.

Thank you Gillian (Twitter handle: @perfinker) for this blogging opportunity. #indigenouseducation #secondarymath #imaginationeducation #SFU To Read my blog entry, go to this link below and I hope that you too will be inspired to create, integrate, and innovate. http://www.educationthatinspires.ca/2017/01/09/integrating-indigenous-worldviews-into-secondary-math-teaching/ 

ENTP or ESTJ

Started the new year spending a bit of time on myself… getting to know myself… and reacquainting myself to what I have already known. Yup. It was “check my personality type” kind of day. I engaged in numerous survey questionnaires online to see how data banks would describe my strengths, personality type, and colour. I’ve taken the Discover Your Strengths questionnaire a few times over the last 10 years. My results have changed over time. At this point in time, my strengths are strategic, futuristic, arrangement, belief, and command. My colour… depending on test… is yellow/red, orange, and red. And, my Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI) type is ENTP.

The first time I was introduced to MBTI was during my master degree program in 1999. My instructor Dr. Carolyn Mamchur was passionate about MBTI and got everyone in our cohort to complete the survey questionnaire. The course was about teaching and learning styles. She connected the course content to Myers-Briggs. This made a lot of sense to me. When I was teaching, I would see a colleague of mine sitting on the couch with her students crying over a paper. I thought I was broken. I never cried. I thought something was wrong with me. Nope. We were different teachers. I was an ESTJ. My colleague must have been an ENFJ. She was good. I was not her. Understanding my preferences helped me to understand my practice.

I’ve held onto MBTI to help me understand myself and others. Since leaving teaching, my focus and values shifted. My goal was to complete my dissertation and learn more about BC education. When I was teaching, I valued structure, security, and predictability. As a writer, researcher, and edu-explorer… I value innovation, creativity, and flexibility. It took some time to shift my preferences. I’m about 50-50 with intuition (N) and sensing (S) and 60-40 perceiving (P) to judging (J). I need to be creative but practical as a workshop facilitator and I need to go with the flow being self-employed. What hasn’t changed is my extroversion (E) and my thinking (T) preferences. Yup. I love being around people and I’m always using my noggin. Expressing my feelings (F) and being introverted (I) are not my strengths.

According to MTBI, we do change preferences over time… much like my top five strengths did in Discovering Your Strengths. This could be a sign of growth, but also could be a means to an end. When I was in the classroom, I needed to be organized, structured, and predictable. Now, I am a researcher, writer, curriculum developer, and school trustee. Yes, I still value and need structure, process, and goals… but I also need to be a problem solver, creator, and innovator. I’m on the fence with N/S and P/J with my Myers-Briggs that I’m sure that the other will be a preference once again if the circumstances require it to be. It’s nice to know that I am evolving and I love how these tests can give me some indication as to why things are the way they are.

Looking Back at 2016

Wow. Where has the year gone? I must admit that time does fly by much faster the older you get. Hmm… I must be getting old. Huh. Let’s not talk about that. What I do want to talk about is 2016. Why not? It’s new year’s eve, it’s snowing, and my kid is at a sleepover. Hello? This is perfect timing. Let’s reflect and look back at 2016.

What can I say about 2016? It was very busy and there can always be room for improvement. My one-word for 2016 was ALIGNMENT. For the last 6 years I’ve been on a pedagogical journey. On the one hand, I am learning more about myself, my learning, and my profession from completing my dissertation, which is currently in the hands of my committee. On the other hand, I am on an edu-quest.

In recent years, I’ve engaged in BC education in various ways. I participated in research, curriculum development, sessional instruction, conference presentations, committee work, workshop facilitation, #bcedchat co-moderating, math tutoring, and school trusteeship. My quest was becoming divergent. For years I believed that my dissertation would resolve my discontent, but after my findings… not so much.

As I approach the end of 2016… I have been working towards alignment. I know that I love teaching, there are some incredible people out there making a difference in education and creating change, and governance plays an important role in education reform and its operations. I am deeply driven by student learning and student voice. I believe in process and democracy. I am motivated to create a system that best serves students and student learning such that we are all learners in the system.

I cannot do this alone. As I try to create alignment within myself, everyone in education seems to be going in different directions. This could be because we all have diverse interests and varying levels of expertise to contribute, but do we have common purpose? I wonder about how someone effects the system like a ripple in a pond. What ripple do I create? What do I want to create in the future? How do you create a ripple that persists? We all making a difference, but to what end?

I will ponder these questions in 2017. I have much gratitude for 2016. It was a bit chaotic at times but I am grateful for the wonderful people I’ve met and the learning experiences I had the great fortune to be a part of. I feel more aligned and look forward to 2017. I’ve learned so much and I am awed and humbled by all those out there making a difference in education. Thank you and Happy New Year!!!

One Word 2017

It’s approaching that time again. ONE WORD. I have done this for a few years. “Completion” was my one-word in 2015 and “alignment” in 2016. I suspect that those words will always be in the back of my mind but it’s time to get away from the rainbow spin and select a word that will resonate with 2017. The one-word that first came to mind was ABUNDANCE. I hesitate with this word because I don’t want to have an “abundance” of any “bad things” (whatever that means). I’m more focussed on the “good things” like opportunities, income, and professional/personal growth.

I would also like to focus on my passion (like teaching), do things that bring me JOY (like curling), and complete my dissertation and successfully defend (that would be super nice). I would also like to maintain a gratitude journal as well as get back on the health-train where I make myself a priority. I believe that you cannot take care of others if you are not taking care of yourself. As my friend had once said to me, it’s like emergency air masks that drop from the airplane. The air mask must go on yourself first before you can help others. You can’t help others if you’re dead. Makes sense.

So if I look at myself authentically and wholeheartedly… I may not have been following my own mantra. I have been so curious as to what life in education could look like outside of the Math 8-12 classroom that I lost sight of myself and my role in creating my own success and happiness. That said, I loved all of the things I have experienced and learned since leaving the classroom. I have met so many wonderful people who are like-minded and equally passionate about education and student learning. I am very grateful and heartened to meet and know these people.

However, I’ve been feeling like it’s time to turn the page in my story and start a new chapter. I know that my dissertation and oral defence will finish this year, in 2017, as well as the school trustee study I’m co-writing with Dr. Dan Laitsch. Those will be done. I am not teaching at the universities this term so that I can commit my time and energy to complete my doctoral work. It is also an opportunity to focus on my professional learning to become a better sessional instructor but also become a better researcher and writer. Moreover, it’s time to focus on me and my well-being.

As I am writing, reflecting, and contemplating at the same time to determine my 2017 one-word, which in essence is my form of making a new year’s resolution in a conceptual way, I am more drawn to the word JOY rather than ABUNDANCE. As much as I want abundance in my life, JOY enables me to self-assess and make decisions on what is worthwhile doing or not. If it does not bring me joy, then it needs reconsideration or revision. “The only way to do great work is to love what you do” – Steve Jobs. I am ready for this. I look forward to the new year and my one-word.

Student Stocking

Welcome back to the Sunshine Coast. This is our first Christmas holidays in many years that we have decided to stay home for the holidays. My kid is totally stoked about staying home and waking up in her own bed on Christmas Day. I completely understand this. I feel the same way. I love the idea of staying home and “laying low” to gather my thoughts and get my house back in order. I’m often zooming in and out of the Coast and it’s nice to slow down and stay home. Many others are coming home too. As you can see, there is no snow in Sechelt (and hopefully no rain too).

Soooo it’s time for student stalking. What do I mean by this? To be seasonal, I should have said “student stocking” but let’s call a spade a spade. Teaching in small town not only do you become a local celebrity but you start to know a lot of people in your community. It’s been 6 years since I left teaching but I do see many of my former students in town or online. I love seeing how they are doing. From what I gather, many of my students are thriving in their careers, becoming parents, or travelling the world. It’s so much fun to see how their lives are unfolding and evolving.

In my week of slowing down, house cleaning, and Christmas shopping… I have had the great fortune of seeing, bumping into, and chatting with former Math 11/12 students. I don’t mean to be student stalking but many of them are coming home to visit family or have already moved back to the Coast to start their careers and raise their families. Lately, I feel bombarded by former students this holiday season. I am flooded with memories and good feelings. I can remember each student as they were in high school like it just happened yesterday. That is too fun and too trippy.

I’ve been wanting to write the journal for a few days because I was noticing so many former students returning home and roaming around the Sechelt area. For example, this morning I bumped into a former student at the grocery store. She’s home for the holidays. She is also a teacher and has been teaching for 8 years in the Lower Mainland. Many of my former students became teachers. That aside, she told my daughter that I was her most favourite math teacher who got her through high school mathematics. Thank you!!! That was super nice to hear… and I wasn’t fishing for it.

Bumping into this student and so many others… I realize that my work as a teacher (along with sooooo many other teachers) had a long lasting effect on students. I don’t think that I would have acknowledge this when I was teaching as I do now away from teaching. I am totally humbled and honoured. I’ve always wondered where one would have the greatest effect on student learning. In the last 6 years, I have taken on various roles in education to figure this out. I’ve been a workshop facilitator, tutor, sessional instructor, researcher, curriculum developer, school trustee, and mom.

Admittedly, I have not done every role in education but what I do know is, we all have a part in a student’s future and the trajectory he or she takes. I don’t want to underestimate that. We are gifted with a great responsibility as educators and I am deeply invested. Another thing I know for sure is success in education relies heavily on relationships and sharing a common goal. Relationships grow and develop over time. Trust and respect are the underpinnings to a successful relationship. Finally, I realize my effect on student learning as a teacher. It makes me proud. TY.