Self-errific

Selfie by KID

Selfie by ME

Who takes a better Selfie?  Me?  Or my kid?  My daughter would say it’s HER…  I would have to agree.  She just seems to be able to capture the moment without over thinking about how she looks and what people might think of her.  That’s what I love about my kid.  She is confident and lives in the moment.  We had a terrific “girls day out” in Vancouver to kick start the spring break.  Love spending time with my little girl even though she’s the same height as me, yet 1/4 my age.  Let’s not talk about that. #loveyoutobits

BLOG REVISED:  I am taking a moment during spring break to slow down and hang out with my kid.  Observing her for the last few days has been spectacular.  I am reposting this blog entry with this addition.  There is no question in my mind that my kid teaches me something new everyday.  It’s humbling and I am grateful.  A couple of opportunities I had the chance to watch my kid from afar I would like to share.  Albeit stalker-like, sometimes I have to spy on her a bit as a parent to see my kid as her authentic self.  My first observation was in Vancouver at Starbucks.  I was in line to go to the washroom and my kid at the table alone with my latte playing games on my phone.  She was so cute.  All I could think of was, “I can get used to this lifestyle.”  She was surrounded by many people coming and going from the coffee shop, yet she felt confident and secure.  I loved that.  My second observation was from tonight’s curling game.  For childcare reasons, my kid had to hang out with me and come curling at Ladies Night.  She had a choice of watching or playing the game.  She opted to play to pass the time away.  SHE WAS AMAZING.  With so few times being on the ice this season and little experience gained a few years ago… she did great!!!  I loved watching her slide out from the hack to deliver the rock.  I also loved watching her sweep the rock.  She was using techniques that I’m reluctant to use.  I was so impressed.  Best of all, her team defeated my team by 9 points.  I’m so proud of my kid.  #bestspringbreakever

Witnessing

March 10, 2014 at Gibsons Elementary School

I love the work I do as a school trustee.  It’s a position in education that is so different from teaching in the classroom.  Once again, I was asked, “Do you miss it?”  It’s a curiosity that I can empathize with because I am still involved in public education but not in the classroom.  I think I will re-frame the do you miss teaching question with what’s it like not to teach.  If I was still teaching mathematics, I would not have been able to witness and be asked to witness the welcoming pole ceremony at Gibsons Elementary School with carver and friend Wesley Nahinu.  If I was teaching, I would not have likely known about this event.  I would have been teaching quadratic equations instead.  Yes, I do miss teaching and making a difference as a mathematics teacher.  I also feel honoured and warm hearted to be a part of these historical and unique learning experiences as a school trustee.  It is truly amazing.  I love supporting student learning and success.  I am making a difference. #innerknowing

Inspired Action

Build momentum. Lose momentum. Gain momentum. Lose momentum. Find momentum. No momentum. Yup, that pretty much summarizes my dissertation journey so far. It’s absolutely frustrating… for others. I can understand that. For me, I am not frustrated. I have been annoyed. I have been confused. I have been uncertain. A classic condition of an ABD student… Cognitive paralysis. Some people enter the program ready, others do not. I am of the latter. Now, it’s time to LEAN IN. I had much “work” to do on myself before moving forward with my academic writing. I needed to feel good about what I am writing about and there was not enough encouragement, validation, or extrinsic reward to expediate my sense of readiness. In math education, if the learner is not ready, he/she is not ready. I am no different as a doctoral student. Now, it’s become quiet. INSPIRED ACTION. It’s time to write. I am ready. I am aligned. #callingtheshot #EdDcandidate

Call the Shot

Just returned back from the Roaming Ladies Bonspiel at the Royal City Curling Club.  Three teams from the Gibsons Curling Club participated in this funspiel.  Guaranteed 4 games, my team… the PINKERIFFICs… won 3 games and lost one.  Not bad for a veteran curler just returning to the sport after a 3 year hiatus and curling part-time on Tuesday nights.  Last time I skipped a game was in 2011 at the Hope Ladies Spiel.  Same team… and we won 1st in the C-event.  Yup.  Love curling.  It’s not the bonspieling, team dynamics, or awesome prizes that I adore so much.  It’s the life lessons I learn from curling.  This weekend I learned to LET GO… be ALIGNED… and have CLARITY.  The last end of the 4th game and we were up by two points with the hammer.  The house is a mess and it’s my turn to throw.  My third says, they need 3 to win.  The opponent was already sitting two to tie.  I responded, we need 1 to win.  So, I called the shot.  Within 30 seconds… “the weight’s up”… “line’s good”… “corner the rock”… “SWEEP!!!”  The shot turned out exactly as planned and our shooter taps our rock in for shot on the button.  Perfectly placed.  And, we won the game.  Best feeling ever… not the win per se, but making the shot… with complete confidence… a quiet determination… a belief that you can do it… and a vision satisfied.  TRUST… in yourself, your sweepers, your vice-skip, and the ice.  Feels good to call the shot and know you’re going to make it. #rockon

Finding My Verve

Just returned back from the BCSTA Education Committee Meeting and Provincial Council last weekend.  It was an incredible Education Committee meeting, I must say.  Over the course of two days, we worked on our orientation package, reviewed our bylaws, and selected concurrent sessions for the BCSTA AGM.  We also had the opportunity to meet the new BCSTA Education Director, Gaila Erickson.  First impressions, she is fabulous with an awesome CV.  I look forward to working with her on the Education Committee.  After the Education Committee Meeting, I attended provincial council as an observer.  Over the course of these two days, it occurred to me that my expertise, passion, and strengths as a school trustee is EDUCATION.  This is how I contribute and advocate for quality public education.  I thoroughly enjoy my work locally as the SD46 Education Committee Chair and provincially as an active member of the BCSTA Education Committee.  Furthermore, I represent the BCSTA on the Standing Committee on Provincial Curriculum and I am excited about working and learning with Gaila Erickson.  This is difficult to walk away from.  At this point in time, it is pretty clear to me how I will be moving forward with my advocacy role as school trustee within my school district and BCSTA.  Thank you SD46, South Coast Branch, and BCSTA for the extraordinary learning and leadership experiences I have indulged in so far over the last two years.  Doors are opening and I’m jumping through. #qualitypubliceducation #advocacy #strengths

#bcedchat Curling Team

#bcedchat on Tweetdeck

If you haven’t noticed already from my Twitter feed or FB posts, I am a HUGE curling fan and athlete.  Well… I will use the term “athlete” lightly.  Anyway, a great curling team is not about having the BEST players on the team.  The success of any curling team is how the team gels.  It’s when each player on the team is doing their best to execute, communicate, and collaborate with their teammates to achieve a common goal.  A great curling team requires leadership, reciprocity, trust, and respect.  For me, the #bcedchat co-moderator team reminds me of a great curling team.  Although we differ in expertise, role, and perspective in education… we gel as a team.  What I enjoy about the #bcedchat co-mod team is our ability to work together.  Let me introduce the team… @MsVictoriaOlson is the skip.  She is the visionary and leader.  @brynmw is the third.  He is all-around player who co-founded #bcedchat with Victoria.  His optimism and kindness keeps our team together.  @jeremyinscho is the second.  He’s a bullet, always willing to ask the tough questions.  And, I’m the lead, @ChristineYH, the most recent addition to the #bcedchat team, aside from @TomSchimmer, our upcoming guest co-moderator.  My role on the team is supportive.  When the four of us get together on Sunday nights at 7pm PST via Twitter and F2F on Google Hangout, magic happens.  Despite our pedagogical differences, years of experience, and personality quirks, we make a great curling team.  We create, facilitate, and participate in #bcedchat as a team.  Our voices are authentic.  #bcedchat is an evening of professional learning, laughter, and friendship.  I love the mutual respect, expertise, and educational leadership on #bcedchat.  I am truly grateful.  Thank you #bcedchat co-mod team… you make me happy… and thank you to all those who participate in #bcedchat.  We would not be here without you!!! #learning #leadership #myPLN #gratitude

Feeling Reassured

BTW: I am easily provoked.  “Do you miss teaching?”  Of course I do.  I loved teaching math.  It was fun… challenging… and I loved the kids.  Look at this picture… 7 out of 8 in this photo are girls… in Math 12… AWESOME!!!  I loved making math exciting.  I loved the student aha’s.  I loved boosting their sense of efficacy to learn math.  Who wouldn’t miss this?  If anything, I miss the students… but that’s why I left.  We all have a purpose.  I was compelled to do more.  How can I make a difference in student learning?  30 students x 7 classes per year wasn’t enough.  Although it was not an easy decision to leave public schools, many factors guided me to make a trajectory shift in my career.  Self-doubt, insecurities, and false beliefs have held me back for a few years.  Who else is doing what I’m doing?  Who understands my purpose?  Who really cares?  What I have learned is, I have to know… I have to care… and, I do.  I felt reassured when I bumped into a former math student at the coffee shop.  She asked me if I was still teaching at the high school and I told her that I left a few years ago to work on my doctoral thesis.  I also mentioned that it was taking me a LONG TIME and I was scared about what I was writing about.  Classic ABD.  The next day I saw her again at the coffee shop.  She said to me that she thought about what I was studying and believed it was worthwhile to do.  THANK YOU!!!  I needed to hear that. #hug #love #reassuring #mathisfun

Visually Cued

Let’s talk about math… It has become evident to me that mathematics is visually cued.  If you don’t recognize it, you can’t do it.  If the “x” is situated on the “wrong side” of the equation, if the graph is scaled by 2’s or 10’s, or if the triangle looks like it has a 45 degree angle instead of 60 can unintentionally throw off the learner from taking the next step.  As a result, the learner gets STUCK and math confidence plummets.  To restore the learner’s sense of efficacy would require the learner to ask a question and get help.  If left stuck for too long, the learner would soon adopt false beliefs of “math is hard”… “I’m not good at math”… and “math sucks.”  These are all horrible outcomes.  My job is to create a safe learning environment, listen to the learner’s struggle, and find doable strategies to remedy the perceived math obstacle.  No one learns exactly the same, hence how to resolve the learner’s issue is never the same.  Just because some learners are visually cued in one way, it may not trigger others to do the same math.  Understanding mathematics requires different entry points and flexibility to gain the knowledge, but also multiple ways to demonstrate it as well.  I love it when my clients say, “Oh, that’s it… that’s way easier than I thought it would be.  Thanks!”  For example, using graph paper to learn transformations of quadratic functions visually cued this learner to take the next step.  Before that, this client was stuck.  What are you willing to try?

SD46 District PD Day

Dr. Jennifer Katz, University of Manitoba – 3 Block UDL

Love teacher professional development… Thank you SD46 Sunshine Coast Teachers’ Association District Professional Development Committee for inviting school trustees to this event.  It was so wonderful to learn with teachers, principals, and support staff about academic and social inclusion from Dr. Jennifer Katz and her research.  Her keynote was truth telling, compelling, and inspiring.  I also enjoyed reconnecting with friends, familiar faces, and former colleagues.  What I loved the most was seeing a lot of new teachers in the crowd… some of them were my former math students.  Soooo cute… I am proud to know that many Chatelech Secondary Alumni returned back to the Sunshine Coast to teach.  It feels like a full circle.  I had great conversations, great food, and great opportunities to learn something new.  Thank you District PD Committee.  Well done!

Defining Moments

We all have defining moments in our lives whether if we recognize them or not.  These moments change the trajectory of our lives.  I would like to believe that these defining moments are meant to happen for the soul purpose of teaching us something about ourselves and our deepest desires.  For many years, I was a careerist.  I was 100% committed to my teaching career and loved every moment of it.  I was driven to learn new things and inspire my students to learn math.  Then I had my daughter.  It was not in my imagination that I would be a mom.  Her arrival was a defining moment.  My values shifted, my priorities reorganized, and my trajectory recalibrated.  I continue to be passionate about education, student success, and mathematics… but how I am engaged in that and making a difference has changed.  I am no longer a practicing secondary math teacher in public schools.  I am a doctoral student, school trustee, and self-employed educational consultant.  This flexibility of time allows me to chaperone my daughter’s upcoming Valentine’s dance or pick her up after school from homework club.  We all make decisions like this.  Life takes its turns and I accept them with no regrets. #beingbold #lovemykid