Navigating through the dark… it’s very tempting to go back to one’s comfort zone and maintain the status quo. Personally, I’m not a big fan of going through life on automatic pilot. I’ve done it before and I’m here again. For me, I feel like I’m just trying to catch up to my “things to do list” with little or no time to reflect, digest, or synthesize. This leads to some frustration, avoidance, and lack of inspiration. To move forward, I need to answer some tough questions. I am reminded by a blog entry I wrote last summer titled “Unfinished Conversations.” I’ve deleted that blog entry months ago. Apparently, I was not prepared to have these conversations. Now, I realize that these conversations were not ones I needed to have with others, but they were ones I needed to have with myself. By going through life avoiding… with little opportunity to critique, understand, or question… I think I will remain in the dark. Am I scared? Absolutely. Am I prepared to do the same thing over and over again? No, I am not. #change
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 31st, 2014 | Comments Off on Tough Questions
BTW: This is a random picture selected from my huge collection compiled since 1994 of my past life as a secondary mathematics teacher. Looking back, I believe that one of my strengths as a mathematics teacher was building relationships. I much enjoyed connecting with students, knowing what motivated them, and understanding their understanding of mathematics. Without trust, it would have been challenging to woo students into learning… or maybe even liking… mathematics. Leaving the teaching practice was not easy. Thank goodness for social media… and living in the same community… I have the great fortune of connecting and re-connecting with many of my former students. Instead of calling me “Ms. Ho” or “Mrs. Younghusband”… they call me “Christine.” That’s a nice shift. Furthermore, I get to learn about their journey into adulthood… and somehow, I was a part of that. I’m so proud of my students. Thank you for sharing your stories. #Chatelech
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 18th, 2014 | Comments Off on Former Students
Mother’s Day 2014… What can I say? It was more like a Mothers’ Day weekend. I am not complaining. First, my daughter presents me with a bouquet of flowers, a beautiful dragonfly glass, and Pandora charm on Thursday (BTW: she bought all of those gifts with HER money). On Friday, my little family had a super yummy Thai lunch with my twin brother who flew in from Toronto and my super cute parents. That evening, we connected up with my sister and her little family to celebrate Mothers’ Day, which we renamed the DOUBLE DUCK DINNER. We celebrated Mothers’ Day with TWO Peking ducks… duck wraps, lettuce wraps, and stirfry… complimented with a variety of other dishes. Go big or go home… we went BIG… and felt BIG… and enjoyed the FAMILY FOOD FEST. But hey, food builds commuity… it brings people together and makes us happy. The weekend ends with a BBQ dinner from Lucky’s on Saturday and Sunday leftovers. #HappyMothersDay
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 13th, 2014 | Comments Off on Mothers’ Day Reflection
I think about my dissertation and my personal hold ups… cognitive, emotional, and logistic… and I can take one of two roads. First, I could get down on myself and give up. Or, I could look at the situation as a learning opportunity. I choose the latter. Ironically, I resist the notion of “The Reflective Practitioner” in my research, but it is something I do everyday. As I reflect, I understand now that it is an integral part of my study and desire to learn more about as it relates to teaching and learning. When I think about my teaching practice, I wonder… “Why do I do what I do?” with respect to content delivery, assessment, and the learning environment… you name it, I’m asking. By asking, I am self-assessing the quality of my work. Is what I am doing benefiting student learning? Am I helping students or am I creating a barrier? If I am not supporting students with their learning, how can I do things differently? My next step is to modify it… try it… and assess again. This process resonates with Kolb’s experiential learning cycle… Learning while doing. My main objective is to foster the love of learning in others and myself. If I can’t do that, I need to dig deep and ask why.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 08th, 2014 | Comments Off on The Reflective Practitioner
On April 30th, SD46 held it’s first Student Forum at the Sechelt Learning Centre. This inaugural SD46 event was developed and facilitated by the SD46 District Student Leadership Team (DSLT). Topics such as extracurricular activities, social media, and student stress were discussed at 7 round tables. Each table consisted of one school trustee, DSLT representative, SD46 staff, and student representation from each secondary school. At my table, “Team Double Green,” we had myself, Student Trustee Maya Treuheit, Principal Carolyn Spence, and one student representative from Elphinstone, Alternative Schools, Chatelech, and Pender Harbour ranging from grades 8 to 12. We had an excellent discussion… coming up with great ideas such as an OPEN INVITATION to extracurricular activities, considering BYOD in schools, and creating a sensitivity to RACISM and racial slurs. Thank you students of SD46. I look forward to next year’s SD46 Student Forum. Your voice matters! #StuVoice #StuVoiceBC
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 04th, 2014 | Comments Off on SD46 Student Forum
The BC School Trustees gather in Vancouver at the BCSTA AGM. The event starts with a keynote, followed up by concurrent sessions, and concludes with our deliberations of motions at the AGM. I am so proud of SD46 at this AGM. First, our student trustee, Maya Treuheit, attended this event advocating for student voice and spoke at the microphone in favor of motion 18. Second, SD46 teachers Kirsten Deasey and Kathy Stoddart eloquently presented SPARK 10! as a concurrent session to delegates. Third, trustees Lori Pratt, Silas White, and Chair Betty Baxter moved 6 motions that ranged from the BCPSEA Board, UBCM, to the Auditor General. Fourth, Trustee White chaired the first part of the AGM along with Student Trustee Treuheit reading motions beside him. And, I was elected to the 2014-15 BCSTA Board as director. Well done SD46! The little district that could.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, May 01st, 2014 | Comments Off on BCSTA AGM 2014
A proud prize winner… yup, jam made locally. I answered a trivia question correctly and voila… FOOD. Thank you to all those who presented, planned, and organized the Centre for Civic Governance at Columbia Institute titled, “Food for Thought” in Vancouver. I was not sure what to expect, but walked away with so much. First, I learned a tonne the pre-conference session on public speaking. We were called to task with speech writing, video recording, and critique. It was intense, but worthwhile. This was followed up with several concurrent sessions. The ones I attended focused on food, schools, and student learning. The first session I attended had several speakers talking about bringing fresh food to students. Their passion to do was astounding, not to mention their journey to ‘make it happen’ for students. Inspirational. The second session I went to was led by three grade 12 students talking about their learning experiences with a project-based learning adventure in culinary tourism and the “Taste Trail.” Exceptional. I fully endorse and support student leadership and advocacy. My third session was to support my colleague SD46 Trustee Silas White and Principal Sally Thicke who presented on Davis Bay Elementary’s K-3 Primary Nature Program, from governance to implementation. An excellent presentation that derived much interest and dialogue. It’s nice to know that SD46 are on the leading edge with this environmental education initiative. Well received. Finally, I ended the conference with Indigenous Sovereignty. A change in rhythm but an excellent way to conclude the conference with my ultimate take-away… FOOD BUILDS COMMUNITY. #gratitude
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 20th, 2014 | 2 Comments »
With personalized learning as the ‘new direction’ of BC education, Ron Berger’s presentation on Expeditionary Learning at the BCSSA Spring Forum was inspirational and enlightening. The Spring Forum was an excellent opportunity to imagine what project-based learning is like and what it could be. It can be purposeful and service oriented. Berger started the keynote with building character through commitment, courage, compassion, and contribution… instilling virtues in student learning. Various examples of students demonstrating their learning were shown… ranging from field guides, music videos, to student-led conferences. What captured my attention was the Butterfly Critique… using formative assessment and multiple drafts to establish quality work. Learning was more about WE and less about ME. My biggest take-away is, project-based learning is structured by formative and summative assessment. #absolutely
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 20th, 2014 | 2 Comments »
What more can I say… awesome, awesome, awesome… YUP. #EdCamp35 was a ‘hat-trick’ of awesomeness and I loved it. This is my 4th or 5th #edcamp and this one in particular was magical. Food trucks, thought provoking discussions, and cross-pollenation of ideas made #EdCamp 35 memorable. For me, #EdCamp35 was #myPLN… sharing ideas in-person. I was star struck. I met so many people from #myPLN face-to-face. I am so grateful for Twitter and my virtual professional learning community. Meeting #myPLN face-to-face in Langley was an incredible experience. So what do I love about #edcamp? First, we have no title… you can be a student, superintendent, teacher, parent, support staff, principal/vice-principal, or school trustee… we are all invested in education… we are all equal. Second, we choose what we teach/learn with our two feet… no hard feelings if you walk out mid-session or join a session late… we personalize our learning. Third, we are teaching and learning… #edcamp is participant driven and most likely discussing ‘hot topics’ in BC education as teacher and/or learner. Best of all, I realized that the conversations ‘go deeper’ with #myPLN at #edcamp because I already have an online relationship with them. Learning becomes more authentic and meaningful. I owe much gratitude to #myPLN. They inspire and motivate me to learn more about education. Thank you to all those within #myPLN I met face-to-face and those who made reflective blogs of #Edcamp35 (see below). #highfive to all those who ‘showed up’ and embraced the #poetrychallenge. The poems were absolutely #Bryndges… (yup, it’s a hashtag). And a BIG THANK YOU to the organizers and supporters of #EdCamp35. #muchgratitude #myPLNrocks
