With all that is happening “out there” in BC Education, I was to express my deepest gratitude to the delegates of the 2015 BC School Trustees’ Association (BCSTA) AGM. I am honoured to be elected as one of 7 board directors to serve member boards of BCSTA and students of British Columbia. We are faced with another difficult year in BC public education with the recent BC supreme court ruling regarding class size and composition, the implementation of Bill 11 and possibly erosion of local board autonomy as it approaches its third read in the legislature, and the continuance of building relationships with our education partner groups with hopes of providing a quality public education system within our communities. Whether if you look at the current situation in BC education as problematic or opportunistic, we are at the face of change. We must be prepared for these changes, not only as as a defender of public education but also a contributor. The best thing to keep in mind during this time of transformation is our purpose. How are we best serving the students in the BC public education? Regardless of what role you have in BC education… teacher, student, parent, administrator, community member, or school trustee… everything that we do must have student learning and our students’ best interests in mind. Each of us play an integral role in BC education and it takes ALL OF US to work together to “make things happen” for our students in our communities. Thank you once again. I look forward to working with the 2015/16 BCSTA Board of Directors.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 27th, 2015 | 1 Comment »
Elect Christine Younghusband for BCSTA Director 2015/16
My name is Christine Younghusband and I am proud to announce that I am running for re-election on the 2015/16 BC School Trustees’ Association (BCSTA) Board of Directors for the position of Director. I am a mom, educator, doctoral student, and school trustee. I have 20 years experience in the field of education. I am passionate about and will continue to advocate for quality public education in BC.
Education is a right. Quality public education is a must. We are faced with another challenging year in BC Public Education. The organization has endured many challenges and changes, locally and provincially, and frustrated and disheartened given some recent events. Yet, locally elected boards of education continue to “stand up” and be the pillar of leadership and local advocacy in our communities.
Doing more with less cannot be BC Public Education’s tagline anymore. The extended labour dispute with teachers, $40/day, and the absence of trustee oversight on the BCPSEA Board put extraordinary stress on boards, communities, and families. I am thankful for reaching a bargained 5-year collective agreement with our teachers and having two trustees at the table, but the false hope of “business as usual” escapes boards with recent announcements regarding adult education, the admin savings plan, and Bill 11.
More so than ever, Boards of Education need to stand together as a collective provincial voice to advocate for BC public education. We face more political unrest and financial uncertainty. We need to speak our truth, be clear with our voice, and take leadership to advocate for our students in our communities who attend public schools and for the public good. There is no surplus in BC public education, yet there is a vision for transformation in the BCEd Plan. We need to move forward that best serves for our students, our communities, and BC public education.
If re-elected as BCSTA Director, I will to listen to you… member boards of BCSTA… and have your voice at the table to “stand up” for BC public education. I am seeking your support at the upcoming BCSTA AGM. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me at 604-741-3876 (cell) or trusteeyounghusband@gmail.com.
You can also find me on Facebook, Twitter, or LinkedIN. Thank you for your consideration and I look forward to seeing you soon at the AGM in April.
ELECT CHRISTINE YOUNGHUSBAND FOR BCSTA DIRECTOR
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 07th, 2015 | Comments Off on BCSTA Director Re-Election
When I left teaching in public schools, it was not an easy decision. There were many factors that led me to my decision and I have no regrets. As much as I loved teaching, I had to step away and take a new direction. In doing so, I struggled with the idea of losing connections with people. I was taking a new trajectory and creating a new norm. Taking a new path would result in meeting new people, but also potentially people leaving your life. This truth was disheartening.
Since leaving my teaching practice, I have met many incredible people and engaged in many learning opportunities I would not have had I stayed in the classroom. For this, I am thankful. For the first couple of years, it was difficult for me to move forward knowing that some of my friends, colleagues, or family members may not follow me on my journey. With each unfollow and unfriend, it would be easy to self-doubt my decision. With no announcement or goodbyes… they were just gone.
Five years later, what I have learned is that people will come and go regardless of my actions. Some may be attracted or aligned to what I am doing… that’s AWESOME!!! Some will continue to support me, unconditionally… and I thank you. For others, our paths will separate because we’re no longer aligned. We are moving in different directions and one of us chooses to leave. That’s OK. Our paths may reconnect once again, or not. I accept this phenomena. No more resisting. I am letting go.
As people come and go, I am thankful for the lessons that are learned. I am grateful for your mentoring and help. I am confident that our paths were meant to meet. I am passionate about what I am doing and I am taking steps towards my goal. Thank you to everyone who has contributed to my dreams and direction. #celebration
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 25th, 2015 | Comments Off on Come and Go
Moments of inspiration. I spent one sunny afternoon walking on the beach looking for a quiet moment to ground myself. To my surprise, I found this rock. When I look at this rock and it reminds me of my professor and mentor and one of his simplistic drawings about academic research. He drew a circle with a narrow rectangle within it. He said the circle represents all that might be related to your research topic. This narrow rectangle represents your dissertation. On one side of your dissertation represents future research. The other side represents bullsh*t. Your job is to find the middle. Thank you Dr. Geoff Madoc-Jones. I will never forget you and your belief in me. I’ve always appreciated your encouragement, knowledge, and courage. You were one of a kind. This is rock is a friendly reminder of you, your kindness, and your wise words. Yes, I can see the middle. Missing you and your presence. #gratitude
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 24th, 2015 | 1 Comment »
PowHERhouse Women’s Mixer & Fundraiser Event with Dianne Whalen held on March 13, 2015 at the Gibsons Public Market
“I never think about why I can’t go.” – Dianne Whalen, 500 Days in the Wild
Oh dang… I missed my opportunity for a shameless selfie with Dianne Whalen. Although, I did get the opportunity to speak with her at the end of the PowHERhouse event, complimented with two hugs. What can I say? Dianne is an inspiration. She is wholehearted, positively optimistic, and genuine. I was so enamoured by her story at the 2014 Sunshine Coast Festival of the Written Arts. I was equally entranced by Dianne at the PowHERhouse Women’s Mixer & Fundraiser on March 13, 2015. Her mission is to spend “500 Days in the Wild“… that is, walking, biking, and/or canoeing across Canada… and documenting her journey. I love her deep belief in herself, her matter of fact points of view, and her fearlessness to embark on this mission to realize her vision. “Fake it until you make it.” I love that attitude.
I would also like to thank Charlene Sanjenko from PowHERhouse for initiating and orchestrating this Women’s Mixer & Fundraiser event. It was a full house… Wall-to-wall women… Standing room only. Nothing I like more than the ongoing chatter of women. There is teaching, learning, and leading when that happens. Thank you to all of the women who attended the event and to the women entrepreneurs and local businesses for donating prizes to the silent auction. I won a few prizes. Yay me. It was so awesome to connect with so many women at the Gibsons Public Market. Furthermore, it was an excellent opportunity to hang out at the Community Resource Centre‘s table to share the Executive Summary of The Progress Plan and promote the Self-Employed Women’s Network with Cheryl McNicol and Liz Banks.
Women connecting with other women on the Sunshine Coast and listening to Dianne Whalen for inspiration, it equates to an evening of awesomeness. “Think about what yo can do, not what you can’t.” Makes sense to me. #thankyouDianne
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 15th, 2015 | Comments Off on Dianne Whalen
When life sends you messages, they are likely to come in three. Hello? Messages received. It dawned on me yesterday that sometimes ‘counterintuitive action’ is required. What do I mean by that? Well, here’s the first message. When my energy level is low and I’m feeling tired, don’t take a nap or go to bed. To re-energize, I should go for a walk, do yoga, or go curling. Read my last blog entry, “Late night walks.”
The second message is, when I find myself to be super busy, slow down and take a break. Don’t push through it. To speed up, I’ve got to slow down or else I will burnout.
The third message struck my like a brick. Someone asked me how I was doing yesterday. I responded by saying, “I’ve got to get stuff off my plate so that I can get to what I really want to do.” Another person later that day asked me if I can say NO. I said, “yes, I say no many times… to me.” This was a wake up call. In the business of helping and serving others, I need to help and serve myself. Sounds selfish, but you can’t give others what you don’t have. I have to make myself a priority.
I may have heard these messages before or have been told many times in one form or another. Some may have called them “distractions” while others may have said “non-negotiables.” What I would say is, “you cannot tell a drunk he/she is a drunk.” Rough language, I know… but it’s a metaphor. In essence, you cannot tell a person that he/she has a problem and expect enlightenment. It is up to the person to realize the problem and enact change… if he/she wants to change. That is my point.
Sometimes action is counterintuitive… and that’s OK. My first step today was both vinyasa yoga and walking on the beach. All three messages satisfied: getting physically active, slowing down the pace, and focussing on me. #feelinggood
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 14th, 2015 | Comments Off on Counterintuitive Action
It’s almost 1 am and I’m just back from a late night walk. I could go to bed or blog… Meh. Why not blog? And yes, let’s blog about “late night walking.” Seems appropriate. As I have a tonne things to do, I need to remind myself what brings me joy… and just do it. Blogging brings me joy. Switching from Blogger to WordPress changed my blogging momentum. Reminder to self: when I feel inspired, blog. Tonight, I’m inspired. What struck me tonight was “my why” for walking. Yes, walking looks like walking regardless of reason, but the why matters to me.
I must admit, I am not motivated to walk to “lose weight.” In fact, if I wanted to walk to burn calories you would likely find me in front of the TV with a bag of chips. A very sad sight. Another reason to walk is to “walk the dog.” Seems like the right thing to do, but I dislike walking the dog for reasons of walking the dog. It’s totally unreasonable, right? If I had to walk the dog, you’d likely find me heading to bed with hopes that my husband would walk the dog. It’s a rock solid plan. Kind of a crappy deal, but the dog manages to guilt my husband into walking.
Tonight, I went walking to refuel myself. It was a big day today and I needed a way to destress, refocus, and rejuvenate. Why not a late night walk? Let me tell you… I feel great!!! During a late night walk, it’s dark and no one is around. It’s just me. You would likely find me walking (or dancing) in the middle of the street listening to my tunes. Such a beautiful night tonight. The air was fresh, the fog is rolling in, and look… a tree with blossoms. I am able to connect with nature, quiet my mind, and find peace. Best of all, I am exercising and walking the dog. #winwinwin
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 11th, 2015 | 1 Comment »
What an incredible experience. 20 slides. 5 minutes. Present to a crowd of strangers what IGNITEs you. I had the pleasure of presenting MY STORY at #igniteyourstory on February 11th at the Coquitlam Cactus Club. Thank you to the ad hoc like or shall I say random Twitter DM invitation from my friend and teacher colleague @rosepillay1 from #CISVA. It’s these opportunities that make teaching and learning fun.
Try to challenge any teacher with 20 slides and 5 minutes to say something that could be transformational and meaningful. That night, I presented side-by-side many of my #PLN buddies (and some heroes) in addition to some new faces to the scene… talking about WHAT WE ARE LEARNING. We had the option of speaking about work or not. I chose to present about my recent candidacy in the 2014 municipal elections.
My presentation was about RUNNING FOR MAYOR. It was an excellent opportunity to examine the experience and what did I learn. My message was… “why not?” I had good intentions. I am inspired by good governance. And, I wanted to make a difference in my community. To step forward required courage, a clear vision, and values I could stand in. Certainly the experience was a challenge particularly when I am (relatively) young, female, visible minority, and a new candidate. Furthermore, my campaign budget equated to no more than 10% of my mayoralty candidate counterparts who were the mayor and former mayor. I was not set up to win.
What I learned is the following: if I was planning to run again in the next 4 years, I would definitely do things a bit differently; I was a viable candidate and able to contend with two experienced politicians and hold my ground; and, I was meant to serve for another 4 years as school trustee with SD46 and continue my work with BCSTA. In the end, RUNNING FOR MAYOR re-ignited my passion in education.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 13th, 2015 | Comments Off on #igniteyourstory
I had the unique opportunity of attending the January 29, 2015 Focus on Learning forum “Rising to the Global Challenge” at the Wosk Centre in Vancouver with uber-educators, politicians in education, and representatives from the business sector. There was not much information available to the public and attendees regarding the event except for key speakers and time of arrival. The lack of information up until the event created an online vibe of uncertainty, mistrust, and skepticism.
I did not expect to attend the BCED Forum in person, but I feel fortunate to be one of three representatives from the BCSTA (BC School Trustees’ Association) with the BCSTA President Teresa Rezansoff and BCSTA CEO Mike Roberts. That being said, it was good to see other school trustees present at the event in addition to teachers and students. BTW: the students were exceptional at the forum.
Overall, the event was well orchestrated. First of all, invited attendees were given assigned seating. I sat between representatives who were from IBM and SeaSpan. What was so interesting, these two people were as excited and curious about the event and invested in education as I was. This was reassuring. Each of us had no idea how the day would unfold and what we would walk away with.
The event entailed 5 keynote speakers: Andreas Schleicher, Yong Zhou, Stuart Shanker, David Albury, and Marc Kielburger. Each presenter had approximately 20 minutes to speak to express their point of view on teaching and learning, which was then complimented with questions or comments from the forum facilitated by Tony Mackay. All those in the Wosk Centre had an equal voice and opportunity to speak and be heard. Speakers ranged from teachers, students, superintendents, and business people. The conversation was rich, diverse, and insightful.
What I love about education is, everyone has an opinion about education. Some points of view are based on research, others on experiences, and some a combination of both. This event was thought provoking and engaging. There was definitely passion in the room and it was apparent that we all wanted the same thing for our students. The big question is, how do we get there? The forum was a engaging and an excellent opportunity to hear the voices of others.
We also had the opportunity to speak to our neighbours. I must admit, the IBM and SeaSpan representatives sitting beside me shifted my point of view. What I learned is, people in industry want we want. We want to educate our students so that they can thrive in the 21st century. I was moved when the person from SeaSpan person said that he didn’t want to see specific job training in schools because this would narrow their learning experience and understanding.
The big idea of the conversation was, these students will change their job every 7 years. Maybe he/she might start in the industry as a welder, but maybe they would want to shift into business management or engineering. I love that!!! Why not learn Calculus, Welding, Fine Arts, and French? One is not exclusive from the other. Why not promote learning as an opportunity to innovate, create, and think critically? The courses or programs only provide the context.
Ultimately, I would love to find ways to have students love learning. Learning must be meaningful, purposeful, and challenging. With this love, anything is possible. This message was made clear by the student participants, particularly students having a voice in their learning, structuring their learning, and personally investing in their learning. I really appreciated the student voice and candidness. It’s really about them that gives us our purpose in education. They inspired me.
What I learned from from the IBM representative is that we have to be open to change and cease opportunities. He was a former educator as well. After a full career in education, he transferred his skills to industry. In fact, he is an exemplar of what we want from our students… to be lifelong learners… to be adaptable and malleable… to accept new challenges with an open mind and open heart.
At lunch, I had the privilege to speak with teachers from the BCTF, parents from BCCPAC, Metis representative, and an Assistant Superintendent about what we were learning at the event and what we want to see in education. What an exceptional opportunity to dialogue with other stakeholders an informal way about education, what we dream for our students, and how can we get there.
The BCED Focus on Learning Forum was an innovate way to relaunch the good intentions of the BCED Plan that was dialogical, cooperative, and participatory. If you would like to see the Forum, go to http://new.livestream.com/bced/bcedforum
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 13th, 2015 | Comments Off on Focus on Learning
www.christineyounghusband.com WEBSITE is live!!! February 6, 2015
I am not even sure how this is possible… but I think that I have fallen in love with my new website. Oh my gosh… I never thought it would be possible to make this website and fall in love with it. I struggled with the idea of merging the multiple facets of my life in the field of education into one website. Yes, I can see how it would be possible because all of these areas connect with me but I could not imagine how it would be done. I wear multiple hats in BC Education… mom, teacher, school trustee, student, curriculum developer, and advocate. How would I bring 3 websites, a blog, and all other social media together onto one site? Thank you Leah Goard for challenging me to do so… thank you Carolyn Clarke for the awesome photos (of self)… and thank you Tzaddi Gordon for your technical support and design. The website is not perfect. It is a work in progress. I have already changed a few things since it’s launch yesterday. Never doubt the impossible. It is possible. www.christineyounghusband.com
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 07th, 2015 | 1 Comment »
