My kid made this for me… it’s all the rage… Thank you AI.
Hooray… it’s the end of the winter term. I loved every one of my classes… EDUC 201 (Educational Theory and Practice), EDUC 376 (Numeracy Foundations in the Elementary Years), EDUC 421 (Assessment and Motivation), and EDUC 656 (Instructional Leadership). I loved the folks who were in the classes and I loved the subject matter of each class. I think what challenged me the most was the schedule. I had two 4-hour teacher education classes back-to-back on Mondays and 3-hours night classes on Tuesdays and Thursdays. I was also balancing meetings, service work, and research. With my schedule, It sounded like a strong start on Mondays and coast for the rest of the week. I would not disagree with that as a description of my workflow, but because I had such a full Monday, I spent a good chunk of the weekend working or thinking about work. Rest was not an easy task, and if I did, I spent the whole week catching up. I am not complaining by any means, but I am grateful that that schedule is now over, my marks are submitted, and I have a few more tasks to complete the Winter 2025 term. I feel like I am reaching “the top” of my teaching career, much like I did in 2010 in teaching high school mathematics. The difference is this time is, I’m not 100% stressed out and rest is part of my way of being. I am learning how to write about my work at the university such that it appears “dreamy” and “productive”… I am not one to brag, but it’s the nature of my work to show value in what I am doing. In order to do that, I need to learn about my own value and believe it’s important. Anyway, I am digressing… I am super happy with the conclusion of the Winter 2025 term I have learned a lot with and from my students as well. I LOVE MY JOB and I love what I do. I wish I could just say that about my work, but I believe they want evidence of this “love” and a means to evaluate this feeling through some metrics to make a fair judgement. Nonetheless, I am so grateful to take a few days off this long weekend to REST and do things for myself because it makes me happy. I finally bought a small desk that a built last night to got in front of my window (it was on sale for $89), and I bought a leather chair from the Bay (which was also on sale for $64). Oh my gosh, am I happy. Cheap, but not cheap… and I’m blogging as we speak facing out of my window. I love the natural light shining on my face as I type, but I also like to people watch. There’s just enough distraction to keep me focused. It’s much like being in a coffee shop, without the barista. I did not write in my blog last week. I was cognitively paralyzed by the marking I had to do. Strangely, when I got to my marking, I loved every minute of it. As soon as I stepped away from the mindset of evaluating and grading to LEARNING (what am I learning and what did they learn), the marking process was a joy. So, I’m setting the stage… first, with a big blog ramble… and second, with my desk oriented in my room to promote creativity, joy, and writing.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 20th, 2025 | Comments Off on A New Beginning
Oh geez… it’s the end of the winter term. I have such mixed feelings about it. I loved my classes. I was teaching EDUC 421 (Assessment and Motivation), EDUC 376 (Numeracy Foundations in the Elementary Years), EDUC 201 (Education Theory and Practice), and EDUC 656 (Instructional Leadership). Honestly, I loved all of these courses for different reasons. Two of the courses are in the teacher education and my classes were focused on the Elementary Years Cohort. The other two classes were in the undergraduate and graduate programs respectively. I learned so much from each of those classes, but also I got to share what I love and love to learn with the students as well. What a gift!! I think that I am about 90% there with feeling good about my pedagogy and honing my craft in a way that is authentic to who I am. Looking back at my former teaching practice, many elements are similar upon reflecting on how I taught secondary mathematics near the end of my time in K-12 schools. But what’s different between my two practices in teaching is taking the intentional time to REST.
One of the things I was working on and developing in 2024 is taking Saturdays as “be a person” day. What I mean by that is, do what you want to do to move life forward without feeling any guilt or shame for not doing work on that day. Often, the work for educators is endless and its often in the mind with no off-switch. I practiced this way throughout my time in K-12 education. I worked around the clock. I remembered working at 2-3 am and I was a new mom, but had returned back to work with new prep. In the dark, I heard a thump, thump, thump. It was my kid coming down the stairs with her blanket and she just stared at me wondering… what the??? Then, she hopped on the couch behind me and went to sleep. Of course, I kept on working. All nighters was a “normal” thing for me to do. I can only imagine the quality of my work after an all-nighter. This story does not mention all of the times I went to work sick. A part of me is very thankful for the COVID-19 pandemic that insists that people to STAY HOME with any symptoms that resembled COVID-19. Strangely, it was a blessing.
Admittedly, I did do a couple of all-nighters this term. My schedule was somewhat brutal in the sense that I had 2 courses back-to-back on Mondays (i.e., 8-hours of instruction) and I had conditioned myself to take Saturdays (which often included part of Fridays and Sundays) off to rest and “be a person.” Even though I know the course content, it takes about a 1:1 ratio of time to prep. I like to make the learning relevant for the learners in my class. And as you know, no person and no class is the same from year to year. The intention to cater each class so that it creates a “scope and sequence” that is personalized for those ho are in the room. A full day of teaching on Mondays, then a night class on Tuesdays and another night class on Thursdays made my schedule for the week. To prepare for and teach on Mondays, everything else is parked. I parked so much stuff that I did not catch up on what I wanted to catch up on during the 5-weeks I did not have this class due to practicum, a long weekend, and weeklong break. I’m astounded. There is so much to do and so little time.
I’m not complaining. I loved these classes and I think it took me the whole 13-weeks to figure out my flow for the term. That is so weird, but it’s true. By the time it came to my last class on Thursday nights, I felt like I got my rhythm. Unfortunately, the term ended. What I do commend myself for is recognizing the need for rest. So, what I noticed is, I cannot do any work after I teach. So, no emails, marking, or meetings on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday nights. I just didn’t have the energy. I would make myself a yummy dinner at home, rest on my recliner, watch some TV, and go to bed (at a decent hour). I needed to do that for myself to regulate my time and work output. I also noticed that a 3-minute email the next morning would take 3-hours to write the night before. Moreover, I noticed that my brain could only hand certain things and information when it was ready and had “space” to think about those things. It made for more sound and reasonable take-action and decision making.
If anything, I wanted to not only do this balance between rest and work viable for me to stay sustainable and happy in my work, I wanted to model this way of being for my students, regardless of what program they are in. I also designed my classes so that they would respect student voice, rest, and activity. I think the “old me” wanted to keep ploughing ahead because I thought that was what was expected from me. Now, I understand, I can plough at my own pace. People can provide feedback, but I needed to be very clear about putting the students (and my wellness and wellbeing) at the centre of my practice. So, I took this weekend off. My last teaching day was last Thursday night. Assignments are due this week. I took the weekend to REST… despite the pile of work and timelines that are ahead of me. I didn’t even blog on the weekend. I did enjoy the company of a friend over breakfast and engaged in a few tasks for my home (i.e., recycling, laundry, food shopping, etc.), and I feel great!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, April 07th, 2025 | Comments Off on Valuing Rest
March 16, 2025 – Remembering My Mom in Different Ways
Last week I visited my mom’s resting place in the Lower Mainland. I’m not even sure if that’s what it is called. Her ashes are in an urn, in a glass enclosed shelf, in a building at the cemetery last week. I had visited Vancouver a few times over the last few months, but mostly those visits were related to work and I did not have the opportunity to go visit her. Last week was a weekend trip FOR ME and my brother had borrowed my dad’s car and we went out there to go visit her. I like to keep her updated on what’s happening and to say hello. It’s strange to go visit her. The photo of her that’s by her urn was taken before I was born. It’s not how I remember her as a child, but it’s a photo that she chose that she thought that best represented her. I remember when my mom was alive when she first invested in this resting place for her and my dad. She got name plates and everything. She wanted to take each of her children out to this site complemented with a lunch out at the golf course. By the time it got to my turn, I said… NO THIANK YOU… and that I would visit her when she was at the place, I had no desire to check out her resting place otherwise. So, there I was last week saying hello. A few thoughts shared and a few bows, all was good.
Now that I’m back home and lots of uncertainty with the economy, etc., I am very conscious about what I buy and how much I am spending. I have to pay utilities and property tax right now, and I have no idea what I have to pay for income tax, who knows what I will have to spend in the next few days, months, and years. The idea of going into a recession does not put my mind to ease by any means, but I will admit that I am more conscious about my spending habits and how much things cost as we anticipate rising costs and how much I used to spend. In the end, saving money and minimizing my spending is going to be key. I’ve cancelled a few memberships, and I wanted to cancel my cable package, but it seems like the company is no longer providing a basic cable package. I just need to find places to spend less, even though I am investing dollars in self-care. Strangely, I am just understanding it’s importance and the value in investing in those things like massages and therapy. Nonetheless, I am feeling very aware of money, with my mom whispering in my ear the importance of saving money. It was incredible how much money she was able to save. She was amazing at it. It almost reminds me of “extreme coupon,” the TV reality show.
As a kid, I remembered when we went shopping that my mom would by X-bread. This bread was found in a basket at the supermarket and it had a black X written on top of the price tag. Now as an adult, I know that the X-bread was day-old bread. Stale bread. And this bread was on sale for 50% off. I could never understand why she chose this bread. It almost seemed like she was insistent in buying this bread and I really did not like it. My dad would wake up every morning to have this bread. He would toast it, add peanut butter and honey to them, and he would eat it with a cup of Red Rose tea with milk and sugar. That was his morning ritual. I clearly remember him doing that and sipping from his tea cup. Til this day, I’m not a break-fan. It’s not my favourite even though I find myself toasting it as well, but to have an open-faced egg salad sandwich (of which was not my mom’s favourite). She was saving money. I know that now. So, when I bought this loaf of bread from the Superstore a couple of days ago, I thought of my mom. It was almost a compromise. I’m thinking about how much things cost and it was a fresh loaf of bread, but it cost $1.25. It this economy, it’s a steal. This loaf of bread will last us a long time. On the counter for a few days while it’s fresh, then it goes back into the fridge to have toast like my dad did.
Bread is still not my favourite, but I respect my mom who did what it took to make things happen. I have a huge regard for her and I realize now that I may not have acknowledged a lot that she has done. Admittedly, I never noticed until she had passed away 7-years ago. All of what she used to do for me, my siblings, and my dad are astounding. I had no idea. It’s moment like these when I am reminded that I want to write about my mom… maybe as an autoethnography or biography… not sure. As each day passes and I am “doing the work,” I am building up the courage to bring pen to paper. I will wait for this term to end and make a plan soon after. I had no idea how much of an impact my mom has made on me. I guess you don’t know until you know.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 16th, 2025 | Comments Off on Almost Like X-Bread
March 2, 2025 – What does it take to do a self-study
I have written to date 9 journal reflections for a self-study with two more on the horizon to “feel like” I am caught up. I might tackle them after this blog post but each journal reflection takes about 2-hours each to complete. Oof. It’s a bit much. I’m not sure why it takes that long, but it does. Although I thought I would talk more about the subject matter, I am finding that I am more focused on social dynamics, agency, and leadership. Maybe that’s what my learning is, but I did not realize that until I worked my way through these reflections. Moreover, I had to figure out “my flow” with the suggested template. I tried several times, but felt restricted or guided in my thinking. As a result, I had procrastinated or avoided doing these journal reflections.
Now that I have found my flow with the template, I did not anticipate how much time it would take to complete. I have invested about 16-hours so far and underestimated the task. I thought I could finished my journal reflections on Friday, they flowed into Saturday and now Sunday. I’m not sure if I can do it, but I would like to take a moment to reflect on the remaining journal reflections to feel “caught up.” I will have to continue contributing to these journal reflections as part of this self-study but I have not idea if I’m contributing what I need to. Each journal reflection is about 3-4 pages single spaced. Not a small feat, but in the next few weeks, I need to catch up on these journal reflections and other work to catch up on. This is the time!!!
It’s practicum, so I am not teaching a couple of classes on Monday. As a result, I have a workload pause so that I can catch up on these journal reflections and other work. So, I’m glad I took a moment to contribute to my blog post to see that light, rather than my aching forearms due to typing on my laptop. Life is good and really… I’m grateful to do the work that I do… and it’s ok to rest on the weekends too. It will be a short blog post for this week, but I am happy that I’ve landed in a place of gratitude.
PS. I love my cat too.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, March 02nd, 2025 | Comments Off on Reflecting Like a Pro
Here is a photo of a food pic that I have not yet posted onto social media. This blog post seems like a good place to share this image. I went out for dinner this weekend on “be a person day” and we went to a restaurant that serves green curry. Now that my gall bladder is out, I can return to this kind of food without fear of having a gall bladder attack. Damn. This dish was delicious and comforting. It was not too spicy, but rather tangy with bits of mango in random bites. I approached this beautiful meal by mixing it all up so that every grain of rice was covered in green curry. I ate the whole bowl and ended the meal with a dessert. Best of all, this place had diet coke. It was a meal that I really enjoyed and really wanted. Yes, the meal brought me lots of JOY. I LOVE eating a great meal. I was HAPPY to know that I can get a meal like this, but also pad Thai, if I was in the mood, in Prince George. I loved a place in Vancouver where their chicken green curry dish had eggplant in it. Green curry just hit the spot.
When i was in Vancouver, I went out to dinner with family. We went to a place that I wanted to go to. It’s family-style eating where you order a bunch of dishes to share. It was not a Chinese food place, but rather western, and I love the vibe and food of this place. To make a long story short, one person did not want me take pictures of the food. I normally do, but this person was trying to convince me, or shame me, into not taking food pics. I replied by saying I did not care about what other people in the restaurant thought of me. In the end, this person did not want me to take pictures. I complied and did not make a big deal out of this situation but what disappointed me was the fact that the person could not tell me that me taking photos embarrassed them. Nonetheless, the meal was good and I ended up paying for the meal. I enjoyed the experience and I wanted to express my gratitude for the evening. Anyway, what the evening taught me is, I like taking food pics because food is part of my identity.
I took a bunch of food pics of the congee, turnip cake, and tea from The Boss when I went to Burnaby/Metrotown and of the Chinese food I brought home from Vancouver to Prince George. I took pictures of the soup dumpling lunch and hot pot dinner with the teacher candidates in Burnaby (before and after the WestCAST conference) and I generally like taking pictures of food. You never know when you are going to use these images, just like the one above, but also I love sharing pictures of food I love and food that reminds me of my mom (which I also love). I was teased by my siblings by going to the same places when I come to Vancouver. Of course I do… I love going to the ocean and I love going to Chinese restaurants… and Thai too. Anyway, the food reminds me of my mom, but also I can’t get this food in Prince George (nor am I close to the ocean in Prince George). The food connects me to my ethnic identity, just as being by the ocean. Last year, I was focused on doing things that make me happy… but now, I will do things that LOVE. Food pics is one of those things. It’s who I am. 🙂
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 24th, 2025 | Comments Off on Food Pics Represents Identity
February 16, 2025 – A Photo from the CHY’s archives
I just finished writing my Professional Activity Report (PAR) for 2024 on Friday. It was due that day. Valentine’s Day. I am more convinced that maybe my One Word for 2025 is LOVE. Oy. Let’s not talk about that again. But, on the day of LOVE, I spent about 11 hours working on and finalizing my PAR. I did spend some time collecting information and updating my CV, but I definitely underestimated the time it would take to compose my PAR and send it to the Chair. Thank goodness, from what I noticed, that there was not a time that it needed to be submitted. I could be wrong, but at least I got it in on the day it was due and found it to be a fruitful exercise.
Despite the time it took to summarize what I have accomplished in 2024 in my work, I found it to be an awesome way to look back at my work in a critical and appreciative way. I did not realize how many professional development or professional learning activities I engaged in, which included beading for 4-months at the art gallery. I also did not realize how many conferences I attended and presentations I gave. I was somewhat astounded. I also joined another research group and I am leading another. I am grateful to my peers for collaborating with me on a chapter I led and co-wrote with another research team. I assisted another team with writing an NSERC grant and a participated in course evaluations. It’s been about 8-years since I embarked on that practice wholeheartedly. It’s not easy, and I have been un- and re-learning life again.
Why this photo from 2009 is so important to me is to recognize and understand that my practice has not changed over the last 30-years. Can you believe that? 30-years. I graduated from UBC with my teacher education in 1994. I look back at old photos and I am reminded that I love collaborative work, I love creating community in my classrooms that were centred around formative assessment, and I loved to try new ways to teach was new to me, non-traditional, or student-centred (i.e., the student does most of the work). I was a favourite teacher to some, and not so liked by others. Overall, I loved what I did and took photos of students then too… in class, during grad, or during prom. I had a connection with students and I enjoyed teaching.
Were there ups and downs in my K-12 job teaching secondary mathematics? Absolutely. Are there ups and downs with my current position? Absolutely. What I don’t want to lose is my love for LEARNING, building community, and having a connection. I may not be “the best” teacher where I am winning awards or ranking 5 out of 5 on course evaluations. I love to learn and part of that in my teaching practice is, I sometimes delve into crappy moments where I’m not great, not certain, or not on top of what I am doing. And, guess what? That’s ok. I left teaching for about 8-years to work on my dissertation and during that time I was an elected official, not teaching. Guess what? It was not where my heart is. I love to teach. I love to learn. And I hope, I can and am leading with that LOVE. Here are are again… LOVE. Surprise!! LOL.
My biggest fear is, I’m not perfect. I feared being “wrong.” Guess what? It’s all good.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 16th, 2025 | Comments Off on Overcoming My Biggest Fear
I know it is February 9th and it’s well past the new year of January 1st and Lunar New Year of January 29th. It’s not to say that being HAPPY and experiencing LOVE are not good things… they are!! I thought about AWESOME a few days ago, but really, I’m coming to terms with the word CLOSURE. I think that’s what I need. That #OneWord just popped into my mind before approaching my computer. I need closure. I have a pile of things to do and all partially done. That is the work context, but I can also apply that word for the personal. What I have learned in the past few years is, there is no separation between work and personal because it’s just me. That’s it. It’s all ME. So, it’s not for me to separate the two parts of my life or compartmentalize them from each other, but it’s only to provide some context to what I am referring to.
There was a time when “getting started” was a huge barrier for me… and another time when “knowing my potential” was another. Over the last year, it was to understand “my value,” which was derived from my #OneWord2024 of HAPPY. I was able to identify what made me happy, what things are important to me, and what my boundaries are. I learned a lot from last year, so I’m putting a lot of unnecessary pressure on me to find the next best word. As I look around, I think that the word CLOSURE makes a lot of sense to me. It has nothing to do with LOVE or HAPPY, but it has everything to do with LOVE and HAPPY. I have started many projects that need some closure, I have a lot of intentions that need some closure, and there are some crappy things that needs some closure too. Achieving closure equates to “letting go” of some things, “making space” for other things, thus self-love and happiness.
Let’s get things done!!
Even sitting here and writing this blog post, my mind wants to wander and do something else. I am being very intentional with writing this blog post and “getting it done.” I feel that when you get something start, GET IT DONE!! This idea of closure is resonating with me. It’s like that big homework assignment that needs to get done… I procrastinate (or put it in the “to do” pile)… and then something else is added to the pile. It becomes a burden. It feels like extra weight that needs to unloaded. I need my FREEDOM and have the FLEXIBILITY to do what I want. I have got the “get started” idea going… I have got the “your ideas are worth it” going… and I have many, many things on the go that need to get done!! And, there is no good or bad… just things that need CLOSURE. This feels great!! And, I feel that this alignment will help me in 2025. Look at that… I’m at the end of my blog post. Tah dah!! It’s done!! Brilliant. Closure.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, February 09th, 2025 | Comments Off on Still Pondering
Here I sit in my bedroom/office facing my laptop and desktop screens while my “new” cat, Simon, lies quietly on my bed while I work. This is not a easy transition “back to work.” I have throughly enjoyed my winter break and appreciate all that 2024 had to offer. Admittedly, the year started with me almost burning out in January. What a strange time to burnout, but there were due dates that had to be met and I was not fully sure if I was living the life the way I wanted to live it. It got to the point where 2024 started with struggle, stress, and survival. This way of life was not sustainable, but it was one that I had lived with for most of my life. For 2024, it had to be different.
The focus for 2024 was HAPPY, my one-word. To achieve that, I had to focus on what made me happy. Did I feel happy? Are the people I’m spending my time with make me happy? Was the work that I was achieving making me happy? Was how I living making me happy? My one-word 2024 was the first time I was focused on me and my wellness. I did not realize that at first. I knew that this word was different than the ones I’ve chosen in the past and it’s intentionality. Other words from previous years were more focused on ways to remedy deficiencies or something that would move my career forward, but it was never for me. Happy seemed self-indulgent.
Honestly, no regrets. I was focussed on “being slow” with my work, being accepting of my need to do (and complete) one thing at a time, and prioritizing sleep was not a bad thing. Some things I could not get to and other things I go to do, I never thought I could or would do. This year, I supported a few teacher candidates with their inquiry, conference presentation, and soon to be academic writing. That is super exciting to me. In the summer, I went to Montreal and splurged a bit with the hotel, visiting friends and family, and collaborating/presenting with colleagues. In the fall/winter, I purchased a new home for me (and the kid) and adopted Simon the super cute cat.
I am loving my new home and never thought I could do this for myself… and I have. I’ve joined a few research groups and I am learning lots. Most of all, I focused on my health, meaning, I asked questions, made appointments, and yes, got my gallbladder removed in December. It was a long (and painful) journey to get to that point and the rest of December was spent moving, recovering, and ending the term. I cannot even believe that so much was accomplished in such a short time. I love working in my new office/bedroom and I love that Simon naps behind me on my bed and keeps me company while I type on my computer. I could not be happier. 2024 ended STRONG.
I’ve been contemplating my #OneWord2025 as I have been attempting to get back to my routines (with no excuses) and enjoying and appreciating my new space and company. In my other WordPress blog site, I wrote that my one-word for 2025 would be JOY. I am so obsessed by how much I loved my one-word of HAPPY. So much had manifested from it. Many things I did not anticipate, but I am Happy with how the year ended. I did not want it to stop. But, whit I am realizing is, my #OneWord2025 should be something that scares me a little, and maybe a bit back on the self-indulgent vibe again. I think I am going to stick with my original one-word for 2025 which is LOVE. In many ways, I think JOY is a given if I’m doing what I love. Right?
So there you go… I have landed on my one-word for 2025 and I will be modifying my other blog post to reflect the same word. I am super excited about 2025. I have learned so much from 2024 and I will continue with that learning. Gosh… there is nothing I love more than listening to the silence, looking out the window and watching the snow fall and ice skaters in the distance, and returning back to my blog(s) and work to being the new year. I really enjoy teaching in terms of all the things I get to learn, the creativity involved in designing learning experiences, and the people I get to work with while teaching and learning. This profession in teaching has brought me to many places… and the work that I do (and LOVE). I am grateful.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, January 05th, 2025 | Comments Off on A New Way of Being
I have to admit, Friday, November 15th, the day of the full moon, a billon things were happening and of course, I was unable to be in two or three places at time. I had to make choices. First, I had a manuscript review to submit. I worked on it during the week but could not quite get to the report until the day. I needed the time to think about it to synthesize my thoughts. Second, the CATE chapter was due. We received copy edits almost a month ago and I took the time to go through the edits and got some help from a colleague to get to the FINAL DRAFT. I was so grateful to the copyeditor, my colleague, and the freedom to get that chapter done and submitted for publication. The CATE book should be published by the end of this year.
Writing that chapter with my colleagues for CATE was an awesome learning experience for me. That is one of the things I am learning, to understand higher education, you just have to jump in and do it. Experiential learning is at the heart of being an academic. You don’t know until you know. I am thankful for the mentorship and support CATE and my colleagues offered me. I learned a lot. Third, I had three meetings on Friday: BCTEN Fall Convening, Educational Robots university team regroup, and CETE workshop development. I am involved in each of these groups in different capacities and all of these meetings involve research. It’s great to be a part of different learning communities as we move forward together in each respective group to contribute to and enhance BC education. And, my writing counts too.
Unfortunately, with all of these meetings, I missed a couple of good presentations I would have liked to have attended offered at the university relating to Indigenization and race-relations in higher education. These topics are important to me, but I feel that it’s a good problem to have the challenge of deciding what to do with my time. I hope that these two presentations were recorded. I can only hope. Finally, My day concluded with going out with my friend and attending the first Indigenous Fashion Show. The event involved two elementary schools and local Indigenous artists. I loved the feelings of community and belonging. My friend knew a lot of people. I was getting a bit overwhelmed, but the event was OUTSTANDING. There were students, community members, school district folks, and many vendors. I was a door prize winner!! My friend and I had a tonne of fun!! What a wonderful way to end the day!!
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, November 17th, 2024 | Comments Off on The Full Moon
Oh boy… I do really try to contribute to my blog (on both WordPress sites) on a weekly basis. There are only a few times where I have not been able to in the last few months, but there are just some times when I am just not able to. I started this blog post last week and I was unable to get to it (amongst many other “things to do”) over the last week. And here we are again at the end of another weekend. I could have compelled myself to write two blog posts to make up the one I just missed, but I’m not going to. I’m just going to let it go and move forward. Last week, I could not make up the time and catch up… and that’s ok. I can only do what I can do… and that’s it.
Although this blog post might be extraordinarily short, I am grateful to take a moment to return to my reflections and the idea of the “imperfect leader.” My EDUC 606 class is reading Andy Hargreaves “Leading from the Middle” and in Chapter 2, he describes the IMPERFECT LEADER. Lots of what he had written resonates with me and knowing that aiming for perfection is unreasonable and unrealistic. Imperfect leaders learn from their mistakes and rely on community to lead (or co-lead). Moreover, to be an imperfect leader, you have be know thy self. Self-knowledge resonates with me deeply, in particular with Parker Palmer’s work in “The Courage to Teach.”
Teachers are leaders. Self-acceptance and knowing your strengths and stretches are key attributes to leadership. I can see how this could test one’s sense of self-efficacy and self-confidence to lead, but humility and vulnerability are also key attributes as well. LEARNING is central to “good” leadership. Learning is not perfect. In fact, learning happens when it’s messy, confusing, and mistake-oriented. You just have be be willing to make those mistakes and learn from them. That’s what matters, but also appreciating the mistake. What a gift!! Admittedly, I may not have thought that way in past, but as I am learning and understanding myself makes me a “good” leader.
Take a look at this image. What a beautiful metaphor. You have a vision. You execute. You do you best, but… it’s not perfect. I love sunny-side up eggs and buttered toast. As you may notice, when transferring the eggs from the pan to plate, it resulted in one of the eggs to flip upside down. Broken. I took a few attempts trying to flip it back up, but opted to just leave it alone. It’s fine the way it is. The breakfast was still delicious. Not perfect, but really, it was perfect. I have been vibing on this breakfast for the last week or two. It tasted just as I had hoped and nothing beat dipping the sour dough toast into the egg yolk. If anything, no added stress and pure satisfaction.
Written by Christine Ho Younghusband, October 27th, 2024 | Comments Off on Imperfect is PERFECT
