Christine Ho Younghusband

Nature School

I can still remember the day when environmental education was an agenda item for the SD46 Education Committee. I was a new trustee and newly appointed chair of the Education Committee in 2012. At one of my first Education Committee meetings, I remember being presented with a 2-inch thick study looking at the viability of environmental education in our school district. The study was completed more than 10 years ago and environmental education was still a topic of discussion.

On this committee, we were determined to forgo another study and move forward with a recommendation to consider implementing environmental education programs in our school district. We were a new board and we were in the midst of developing a new strategic plan for the upcoming term. Embedded in the plan was environmental education with hopes that elementary and secondary programs would soon develop. From governance to operations, the strategic plan provides guidance to SD46 staff on direction, decision making, and how to proceed forward.

Not really knowing the details of it but Principal Sally Thicke proposed to the Superintendent to introduce a Primary Nature School at Davis Bay Elementary. This school was close to being closed in the term previous but managed to stay open with less than 50 students. K-3 Nature School was one alternative to kickstart enrolment at Davis Bay but also provide an alternative learning opportunity to primary students to learn outside. We live on the Sunshine Coast. We should all be outside and Davis Bay is an ideal location as it is steps away from the ocean, beaches, and streams.

Before moving forward with the development of the program, the teaching staff were hired who were equally invested in the program as Sally. What an incredible team. Jenny teaches K-1 in the NEST and Linda teaches 2-3 in the HIVE. Three years later, the Primary Nature School expanded to include grade 4’s this year and grade 5’s in the upcoming school year. A new member of the team has been recently hired and this program is taking on a momentum that exceeds my expectations.

The program is predominantly situated outside, they are implementing the new curriculum, and incorporating e-portfolios as a way to engage students in their assessment and evaluation. This program is on the cutting edge and were sharing it with others. Hence, the photo taken above. The nature school team, now called NEST (Nature Education for Sustainable Todays and Tomorrows) presented at the Canadian School Board Association (CSBA) Congress 2015 in Saskatoon. Almost 40 attendees from across Canada attended this workshop to see how their board and school district/division can think ‘out-of-the-box’ or develop their own Nature Program to suit the learning needs of their students. I was not going to miss this presentation.

The Board of Education Chair Betty Baxter presented with the SD46 NEST team to describe to other school trustees how ideas can turn into action. I was so proud to see and listen to all 4 of these SD46 people describe their role in the development of NEST and how they support student learning. I must give thanks to some special people who made it happen for me to attend this workshop and CSBA Congress 2015. First, I would like to thank my brother who provided me with AirMiles with two airline carriers to fly to Saskatoon. Second, I would like to thank my friend for sharing her bed in her little hotel room for 6 nights. I was willing to sleep on the floor, but she was so generous to share her bed with me. I am truly grateful. And, I would like to thank my mom for subsidizing my meal costs, etc. for the trip. Of course, I would like to thank SD46 for supporting this team to travel, share, and celebrate the NEST program in Saskatoon along with my professional development.

Return to Blog

It’s been 5 years since I’ve embarked on a life of self-employment and academic studies. Unlike teaching in secondary schools or learning as a student in K-12 schools or university for that matter, I create my own deadlines, my own rules, and my own weekly routines. I am unaccustomed this. Think about it… from the age of 5 to 40… I have been comfortably subjected to a schedule created by somebody else. As a K-12 student, university student, or high school teacher, I would simply comply to the bell schedule or timeline. I was being pushed from behind to get the job done.

Now as an adult learner trying to complete her dissertation and self-employed as an independent educational consultant I am privileged (or burdened, pending on perspective) with the responsibility of having to create my own schedule. Admittedly, I relished in the idea of being unconstrained by someone else’s rules, at first. I felt empowered. I was the creator of my doing. What? I am the creator of my doing? Only in my 40’s do I realize that I was ill-equipped to manage my 9-5 work schedule.

Took me a few years to reach out for help to gain some perspective and strategies to prioritize. My focus was divergent. I wanted to do everything and anything. This is not a bad place to be when my objective is exploration and discovery. It was time time to refocus and converge my time and energy into what’s truly important to me. For me, it’s professional learning as it relates to student learning. Last year, I worked with Leah Goard along with the DDA group to harness my pedagogical journey. I learned a few lessons from Leah and the work she engages you in.

First, it takes a community. You can’t move forward by yourself. It’s impossible. Well, it is possible but others can leverage you into places where you never thought possible. I thank Leah and the DDA group for helping me to realize this. I love my PLN and learning community, my SFU supervisors and cohort, and the boards that I serve on. Learning is a collaborative effort. I appreciate the patience, kindness, and expertise people around me are willing to share to help me grow and thrive.

Second, your personal wellness equates to your professional wellness. I am not sure if those are the exact words Leah would use, but this is my take away. It is so true. If I’m confused and unhappy, then my business is confused and unhappy. So much of my work over the last few years have been rebuilding myself, understanding my self-efficacy, and engaging in opportunities of professional and personal growth. I am doing more each day that scares me to realize it’s all good. I love that!

Finally, Land and Launch. This took me quite some time to conceptually understand because this is where I am most reluctant to spend my time. As mentioned in a previous blog, Grounding Oneself, sometimes you have to invest the time in ‘landing’ so that you can take your next step in ‘launching.’ Next steps are suppose to be strategic, purposeful, and intentional. Landing and launching enables you to see where you are, consider where you need to go, and block the time.

I am saying YES to my edu-blog. For the past few months, my blogging has been sporadic at best. In saying that, I have not been overly obsessed about my website, marketing, or educational/business plan. I have Tzaddi, Carolyn, and Leah to thank for that. I have landed. I am making choices on what’s important to me, taking steps that moves me forward, and creating a schedule to enable this action.

In 2015, I stepped away from Leah Goard‘s work to COMPLETE some of my goals and move forward. I am making progress. “One step at a time” … a good friend would say to me. This is an act of patience, kindness, and expertise development for myself. What does it mean to be a writer, researcher, or public speaker? To understand it, I have to be it, live it, and do it. So, expect some more CYH Edu-Blogs. 🙂

Grounding Oneself

I am not sure how all of YOU take the time to ground yourself… but I am one of those people who cannot multitask. With so many things on the go, house cleaning takes a low priority. Sadly, the house begins to take on a life of its own. When I have to take time out out of my day to clean out of necessity, I am ‘not so nice’ person. Today was different… I “chose” to clean my house. Yes, true empowerment.

The school year has just ended, I was out of town for a week in Saskatoon at a conference, and returned home soon after to go camping with my family. Due to unexpected circumstances, we returned home a day early from camping. My daughter had to catch the first ferry the next morning to play in a beach volleyball tournament in Vancouver. Upon returning, a ‘camp explosion’ vomits onto my living room floor. I haven’t even unpacked yet from my Saskatoon trip and I am overwhelmed with sleeping bags, floatation devices, and camping gear.

I spent much of yesterday just putting that camping stuff away… and in the meantime, I started house cleaning. Joy? Not really. However, I liked getting the first floor of my home sorted and organized. Strangely, it was such a good feeling. As of midnight, I completed the first floor but not the second. So frustrating. I have a huge need for closure. As it turned out, my husband graciously took my daughter to volleyball. I was ‘off the hook’ and had the day to CLEAN… aka. ground myself.

So cathartic… vacuuming, folding laundry, and scrubbing down toilets. Who would have thought that house cleaning would be a grounding experience? Not me. I was being productive, with little on my mind, and appreciating the fruits of my labour. Oh man… so rewarding. With the house relatively tidy… with exception to the garage, my daughter’s room, and my husband’s media room… things are in order. COMPLETION. That’s my theme word for 2015. This is just another version of that.

Wowza. I feel closure and now I can address all of the other things I need to do. Being away for a couple of weeks, much of my work and academic studies have been accumulating. I’ve been getting anxious. It’s tough to relax when I want to get things done. With the house clean… aka. a barrier removed… things are getting done. I underestimate the benefits of house cleaning as a mechanism to moving forward. Laundry equates to inner peace. I feel grounded. #awesomeness

Chatelech 2015

Here is the speech I delivered to the Chatelech Secondary Graduating Class of 2015 on behalf of the School District No.46 (Sunshine Coast) Board of Education… #honoured.

Mayor Bruce Milne, Superintendent Bocking, Invited Guests, SD46 Staff and Students, Parents and FAMILY… and the Graduating Class of 2015…

Good evening…

My name is Christine Younghusband, School Trustee from the District of Sechelt.

I am proud to be here tonight to say a few words to Chatelech Secondary’s Graduating Class of 2015 on behalf of the SD46 Board of Education.

First of all I would like to say…. What a good-looking group graduates!!!

Congratulations to all of you on reaching THIS milestone in your life!!!

Wow… 13 years have come and gone. Who would have thought that we would be here today? So soon… and we’re celebrating your academic achievements.

It was not that long ago when you took your first steps… spoke your first word… or read your first book. Now… some of you can conjugate “avoir” in passé compose, play a musical instrument, factor trinomials, balance equations, write poetry, fix a vehicle, compete in high performance sport, bake a soufflé, or paint a portrait.

YOU are a diverse group of learners with a diverse group of interests, passion, and skill set. For this, we are proud of you. From K to 12, you have endured some good times and not so good times. Remember… every experience is a learning experience.

Educator and philosopher John Dewey suggested, “Education is a social process. Education is growth. Education is, not a preparation for life, education is life itself.”

I would agree with him… Treat every moment as a learning opportunity. There are NO mistakes. Do not dwell, regret, or second-guess. Live in the present & celebrate!

On behalf of the SD46 Board of Education, CONGRATULATIONS Class of 2015 and best wishes to all of you on your future endeavours… BE BOLD and BE BRAVE.

Thank you.

Opposite

Fear is a killer. If you cannot get passed your fear of anything… you’re screwed. You cannot realize your dreams. You cannot realize your potential. You cannot be the person you’re suppose to be. I call BS on the “I can’t do it” mantra. It’s crap. You can do it if you want to do it. Anything is possible. Well… within reason. For me, I will never be 6’2″ tall. I don’t like basketball. Thus, aspiring to be on the National Women’s Basketball team is unlikely. I’m OK with that. What I am talking about is JUMPING… take that cliche “leap of faith” and just do it. Although you cannot control the outcome, the worst that could happen is nothing. So if you do something, or not… at worst, it’s the same. So really? You have nothing to lose. BRILLIANT. The best part is, the outcome turns out to be exactly OPPOSITE of what I thought it would be. That’s messed up. Have no expectations… jump.

Readiness

I could never see it for myself until a couple of days ago. I’m still in a mild state of shock. I know that I have announced to “the world,” shall we say, that I am a doctoral candidate… but for the longest time, I never believed it. For example, it took me a whole year after the fact to share with others that I had completed my doctoral coursework and successfully passed my comprehensive exam. Furthermore, I struggled with the whole idea of my dissertation. I wanted to change the world… with one paper. I had so much “passion” (aka. edu-frustration) for my research problem that I could not get past the problem. This, in itself, is a problem. I had to step away from everything to regain perspective. In doing so, I had to change my purpose… my raison d’etre for pursuing a doctorate degree. I thought this cognitive shift would take a mere 5 months to accomplish. Nope. It has taken 5 years. Now, I understand that my dissertation is not my life’s work, but only the beginning of it. I wasn’t ready.

For years, I was not ready to pursue my research in a serious way, but I was not ready to walk away from my research either. I am passionate about mathematics education, professional learning, and educational leadership. Finally, I can grasp the idea that my dissertation is only a door that I have to open. There will be many more doors ahead. Everything that happened was meant to happen. My job right now is to answer my ONE research question… and not the 1000 other questions that are seemingly related. Right now, it’s about honing in my research skills and academia to learn what I am suppose to learn to get to my life’s work. This is the exciting part. I know that I am not motivated by the extrinsic goods. Albeit, good. It’s just not good enough. It’s the goods internal (MacIntyre, 1984) that I strive for. What’s my why? It was only 2 days ago, that I was able to see it, feel it, and believe it. Visualization is a powerful tool. My passion is provoked. I will no longer accept pretending, hiding, or being a passenger on this pedagogical journey. I am determined to complete. I am ready.

Discomfort

Cards Against Humanity. It’s an interesting game to say the least. The game challenges players to think out of the box, in a sort of horrid way sometimes. Some responses are so outrageous, it makes you laugh. Hence, this is the entertainment factor of the game. Strangely, I see the game as a metaphor. The black card says, “The next step I’m going to take is _________.” In my hand, I have 7 white cards. Some of cards are reasonable, while others are totally outrageous for two reasons. First, I’ve already been there, done that. Second, how could that even be possible? Why bother? Now, I am the point where I have to play one of these cards. It’s decision making time.

I feel that it is time for change, yet I hesitate. Which card shall I play? Much like Cards Against Humanity, there is no right or wrong answer. However, the card chosen is subject to judgement. In essence, there are 3 domains to choose from within these 7 cards: The status quo, return back, or DREAM BIG. For those who know me, I prefer the latter. DREAM BIG. Do the impossible. Challenge the status quo. However, in doing that, I will have to incur a bit of discomfort along the way. People may laugh. People may question. People may judge. In the end, I have to be OK with that.

With my current work, I am so grateful to do what I do. As eclectic as these activities are, I love every minute of them and proud to be a contributor in each group. Just last week, I worked with the BCAMT at Think Tank, connected with the BCSTA Education Committee, participated at “One Word, One Burger” hosted by CISVA, and co-moderated #BCEdChat on Twitter to discuss “Competencies and the 21st Century Learner.” I feel very fortunate to do what I do. However, what compliments this feeling of joy is the feeling of comfort. Why change? Things are great!!! Right?

There are two mindsets to address the situation: (1) maintain the status quo and maybe reinvent yourself; (2) acknowledge that the work may be done and situate yourself in a place of discomfort. The status quo is wonderful, but I’m not growing. I have been avoiding “the edge” shall we say, for many years thinking that all of the other stuff that I’ve hoped and dreamed for would be difficult to attain. I am living the dream. What’s next? I must look over the edge again and challenge myself to what I am meant to do and be. This is part of my new vision. To do so, I must subject myself to be in a place of discomfort. Live on the edge… as some would say.

No one likes to walk away from a place of comfort. Change is unpredictable. Discomfort is (obviously) uncomfortable. I held off a day to post this blog entry. Yet, over the last 24-hours, Caitlyn Jenner is on the cover of Vanity Fair, Truth & Reconciliation recommendations were announced, and I just found out that a former student of mine is no longer with us. What the hell? If it is not now, then when?

“If we are growing, we are always going to be outside our comfort zone.” – John Maxwell

Here, here!!!

Serendipitous 

Serendipity is the occurrence and development of events by chance in a happy or beneficial way. Yesterday was one of those days. From thinking too much to moving forward, I find myself in a state of listening, questioning, and reflecting. I am in deep introspection and wonder what my next steps will be in my pedagogical journey.

As mentioned in a previous blog entry, I was rudely awakened by the notion that I have already achieved my vision that I have been striving for over the last handful of years. When I had my vision, I truly didn’t expect to achieve it. Yet it happened exactly how I imagined it. Wow. On the one hand, I am pleasantly surprised. On the other hand, I am now burdened with the task of re-imagining what’s the next level.

I am reminded by Steve Jobs’ Stanford commencement speech in 2005. He speaks about not being able to connect the dots looking forward, you can only connect the dots looking backwards. What is serendipitous is that you can actually see the dots connecting in real time. It spooked me out. I talked to the right people at the right time. Truly, a fluke. We talked about the right things at the right time. Totally random. For the purpose of the blog, it does not matter about the exactness of what was said or with whom. What does matter is… I was listening. I was questioning. And, I was reflecting. Clarity was achieved. The dots connected perfectly, as they should.

Moving Forward

“The truth is, unless you let go, unless you forgive yourself, unless you forgive the situation, unless you realize that the situation is over, you cannot move forward.” – Steve Maraboli

It is seems so easy to keep things the way they are, to expend effort to keep things the same, and to maintain status quo at all costs. However, if you are not following your passion and purpose, then your spirit erodes and eventually dies. When the spirit dies, we are only kept alive by the doing of things and not the living of things. So, why not jump?

For last couple of weeks, I’ve been burdened by the heaviness of the status quo. I’ve been here before. It took many years spirit killing and a severe illness to jump back then. I was desperate to keep the status quo. It’s tough to move forward when you’re stuck. As a result, it took several years to regain my self-worth, my passion for education, and my drive to excel. This time I want to get ahead of the game and be proactive.

For the last 5 years, my pedagogical journey has been absolutely incredible. I am self-employed as an independent educational consultant. I am a school trustee, curriculum developer, doctoral student, and research assistant. This is just to name a few things that I have accomplished since leaving the practice. Do I ever miss teaching? Always. Am I learning? Always. I love what I have learned. I love the people I have met. I love the work that I do. So, what’s next? Certainly, I have a short term goal of completing my dissertation and research project. Then what? What I am certain of, I am not meant to tutor mathematics in my home for the rest of my life.

Everything that I currently do supports student learning in some way. I am passionate about making the learning experiences of others “better.” Maybe my passion and purpose are shifting? Maybe my focus is moving towards professional learning with the same intention in mind? Hmm… Lately, I’ve been asked (in many different ways)… What is your purpose? What is your passion? What is your plan? What is your goal? What do you do? What do you plan to do? What are you working towards?

What troubled me most about these questions were… I noticed (over and over again) and I had no clear and concise answer. There is no question that moving forward, taking chances, or making change can be a muddy process. In essence, I am building the plane in the air with great hopes of landing in a plane. I love everything that I do. No regrets. Yes, it may seem like I am doing 11 jobs, but love every one of them.

A rude realization, but also an indicator that it is time for the next chapter… I’ve just realized that the vision that I held onto for many years has already happened. With a couple of contacts ending, the school year ending, and hopefully my dissertation ending… this is an excellent time to reassess my purpose and passion, make new decisions, and create a new vision. Although there are many great things happening within the status quo, things can only get better by taking the next step.

Thinking Too Much

Classic. I am thinking about my thinking in today’s blog. Just the other day, I had this wonderful opportunity to take a moment for myself to sit alone and look out the window of my hotel room… in silence. There was no thinking, just being. I was oozing with gratitude and observed what was unfolding in front of me. People walking down the street, getting out of bed, or going about their daily life as if no one was watching them. It almost seemed timeless. This quiet state of being was soon interrupted by my thoughts. By thinking, I grew impatient. I started to judge. I stopped observing. In that moment, I thought it would be best to rush through my coffee, leave the hotel room, and get on with my day. On the one hand, thinking is functional. I need to think in my meetings, in my work, and in my studies. On the other hand, thinking is dysfunctional. I am not in the moment. I am focussed on the next step. I am not seizing the day. As a result, I am not “thinking” with my heart, only with my mind. My passion is minimized. My enthusiasm muted. My dreams unrealized. By operating in this mode of thinking, my decisions and actions may not best reflect what I truly want and desire. It protects me. This is unfortunate. I am a dreamer and believe anything is possible. Ironically, thinking closes my mind to possibilities. I become controlled. I cannot be the person I aspire to be. Yes, I am thinking too much. I need to balance my heart and mind. This will be tough for a Type A personality, like me. Thinking about my thinking does not make the situation any better, but reflecting on it brings it to my attention. Creativity, innovation, and exploration requires a bit of messiness and uncertainty. I am willing to accept this.