Guiding Principles

I often wonder what life would have been like if I made different choices.  Certainly, I have made decisions that were somewhat tangental from the norm and others were status quo.  As much as I had imagined my life differently, I am convinced that I was suppose to take this path I’ve chosen to learn something about myself and my place in the world.  Some things that I have learned has given me great sadness and other things have brought me great joy.  What I’ve learned is, I have to listen to myself, be true to myself, and honour myself.  That may sound super ego centric, but for many years I wasn’t listening.  Today, I’ve realized that I have very clear guiding principles that dictate my behaviour, emotions, and actions.  There is no question that these principles will influence the decisions I will make.  I have to make sure I’m listening.  In the end, it needs to feel good.  Otherwise, I’ll end up being the loser… again.  Be true to yourself.

The Gift

Gifts are unexpected surprises.  You have no idea what’s inside.  Although you may expect one for Christmas or on your birthday, gifts come at different times and in different forms.  Recently, I was ‘hit on the head’ again (this is all metaphorical, of course).  This time, I was able to GET BACK UP within a short time period.  It took about a day or so.  I am pleased with my turnaround time.  What I realized with this occurrence is that sometimes gifts are disguised as ‘bad things.’  As mentioned in a previous blog, when a door closes, another one opens.  And so, it did.  Driving to paddle club this morning, I was going over recent events and different scenarios.  One thought led to another and I constructed a ‘new’ CONCEPTUAL FRAMEWORK for my research proposal.  It completely fits with my theoretical framework and I believe in it completely as a teacher practitioner, educational leader, and researcher.  It is absolutely brilliant.  Thank you for the gift. 

A Christmas Miracle

“Mama, you need a Christmas Miracle.”  That’s what my daughter said to me this morning.  My bubble broke, again.  It was like someone had told me that Santa was dead.  That might seem extreme, but it was strange for a 9-year old girl to see her mom cry.  I explained to her that something I deeply believed in was no longer true. Whereas my daughter still believes in Santa and that’s not a bad thing.  It makes her hopeful.  It sparks her imagination.  It invites her to believe that anything is possible.  Was it denial or naive optimism on my part?  Who knows.  After a few tears and moments of deep reflection, the breaking is in the making.  And, I am grateful.  As much as it brought me great sadness, I broke some emotional ties that moves me forward to realize my dreams.  A door has closed.  Another door is opening some time soon.

Jumping

Chinook Swim Club (Sechelt) – December 2012

On your marks… get set… GO!  Wait a minute… Do I have to jump?  What if I screw up?  What if I don’t win?  In this photo, my daughter has no fear in jumping.  In fact, she looks forward to it.  Everything else is noise.  It’s not about what other people think.  It’s more about the joy she derives from doing it.  According to Malcolm Gladwell (2000) in the Tipping Point, it takes about 10000 hours to become an expert at something.  The Beattles did it.  Practice makes perfect.  I have to JUMP.  The only way to achieve the goods internal to the practice (and external goods) is to engage in the practice (MacIntyre, 1984).  The more I learn about learning with my academic studies, the more I am convinced about JUMPING.  I have to jump.  Fear is my biggest barrier or biggest excuse.  How does this serve me?  It doesn’t.  Focus on the now… and jump… things will unfold in the exact way it’s suppose to.  Trust.  I’m jumping.  Wheeee….

First Year on the Board

SD46 School Trustee District Tour 2012

A year in review… it’s been one year since I’ve been elected to the SD46 Board of Education and I’m loving it.  First of all, it’s 7 people, with 7 points of view, and 7 voices talking about one thing… student learning.  Although I may not be making a difference with student learning in the classroom as a practicing math/science teacher (aka. 16 years of my past life in this school district), I am making a difference on the Board with governance, policy making, and leadership.  Serving on the Board has revived my love for teaching and learning.  I am deeply invested in SD46 as a teacher practitioner, parent, and school trustee.  This is such an awesome school district and it’s only getting better.  Thank you to those in the District of Sechelt for electing me in the 2011 Municipal Election.  My life has been completely transformed.  I work with amazing people, I love talking about education, and I enjoy learning more about SD46.  Feeling lucky.  Much gratitude.

Voice on the Coast

http://www.voiceonthecoast.com/  @voiceonthecoast  #wtfagm

Voice on the Coast is a non-profit organization founded in 2011 whose mantra is to find ways to make the Sunshine Coast a viable place to live for young adults and young families.  On November 26, 2012, Voice on the Coast hosted their inaugural AGM describing who they are, what’s their purpose, and how they would like to move forward.  YOU can become a member with core leadership, volunteerism, $10, or corporate sponsorship.  Be the VOICE on the Inside.  The AGM was short and sweet.  The steering committee soon became the elected/acclaimed board and WTF? (Where’s the Future) Party by UBC professor Paul Kershaw was the feature presentation.  More than 150 people attended this local event.  With social media… “you’re invited.”  The presentation was phenomenal.  Lots of data, lots of dialogue, lots of fun… Keep the beer flowing and so will the conversation.  Thank you Voice on the Coast, Paul Kershaw, and party attendees.  It was an awesome evening.

Political Luncheon

Adrian Dix, Leader of the BCNDP (November 25, 2012)

Always in a state of learning, I attended my first political luncheon at the Pender Harbour Legion with Adrian Dix, leader of the BCNDP, and Nicholas Simons, MLA of the Sunshine Coast.  It was an amazing experience and as you can tell, I had an amazing seat.  Upfront and personal watching both Adrian and Nicholas address a captive audience with their public speaking skills, passion, and conviction.  I loved listening to their personal stories that brought them to politics and their mutual respect for one another.  I must admit, it is much better watching them live, in person, than on TV.  It was an excellent opportunity to  meet Adrian and Nicholas face-to-face along with their spouses.  I connected with several local politicians, familiar faces, and friends.  Along with a book promotion and silent auction, this was a worthwhile fundraiser event.  Did I forget to mention that the salmon/chicken lunch was absolutely delicious.  Thank you volunteers for making this BCNDP event a success.

Can’t Please Everyone

Chocolate with Vanilla or Vanilla with Chocolate?

Yup.  It’s a box of cupcakes.  You have a choice.  However, deep down inside you wished you could have the chocolate cupcake with the chocolate icing.  Well, you can’t.  I guess you could with some serious intervention, but someone else would have to take the second cupcake.  In this situation, you can’t have both.  You could have none…. but you want to pick one.  Well, you can’t please everyone.  What a sucky message.  What I am realizing is… nothing is perfect, I have a preference, and I will not be ashamed of disclosing what I like in fear of what other people may think of me.  I’ve done that for too many years and I started to lose myself.  At one point in time, I didn’t know what I preferred.  I was too busy pleasing other people, worried about what others thought of me, and enacted in ways that was not authentic to me.  My preferences are not wrong.  Sometimes you just have to stand up for what you believe in and be OK with it.  Well, I’m OK with it.  Chocolate with vanilla please… Thank you.

Happy 2nd Anniversary

Principles of Mathematics 11 (2010)

This is a photo of one of my favorite Math 11 classes.  It is also a photo of my last day of work teaching in public schools.  This photo is bitter sweet.  On November 26, 2010 I resigned from a 16 year career teaching secondary mathematics, science, and chemistry.  I did not leave teaching because I didn’t like teaching.  I love it.  I left teaching because there was nowhere to go.  I was stuck.  How many times do I have to recreate my job to remain engaged?  Three.  Establish a continuing contract, work your way up, repost, and repeat.  This is a 5-year cycle.  After a few times, I got it.  What’s next?  Repeat the cycle?  No thank you.  What I love about education is teaching and learning.  However, pursuing a doctoral degree in education leadership was not enough.  I wanted more.  I had to walk away from my career and it has taken me 2 years to redefine myself.  Today, I feel GREAT!  I am an entrepreneur and have my own company where I consult, present, and tutor.  I am a municipal elected official as school trustee in the same school district where I taught.  I love this school district.  I am proud of the contributions I have made so far to public education as an educational leader and look forward to more.  And, I am learning.  That is the best part.  I am learning as a business owner, school trustee, and graduate student.  I feel nourished and restored.  Yes, it took me 2 years to get where I am today and it was worth it.  No regrets.  I continue to advocate for student learning, quality public education, and making mathematics fun for all.  Now that’s cool!

EdCamp Delta 2012

Delta Secondary School (My Twitter Acct is @ChristineYH)

On November 17th, I attended my first EdCamp in Delta.  EdCamp is a hat-trick of professional development I participated in last week.  What can I say about EdCamp?  I have been in the business of public education since 1994 as a high school teacher, parent, and school trustee.  I am also a doctoral student at SFU and I continue to love learning about “teaching and learning.”  EdCamp is probably one of the best, if not the best, professional learning events I have engaged in.  Conference participants could be teachers, students, trustees, principals, vice-principals, superintendents, support staff, teachers-on-call, or parents.  At the conference, no one had a title.  You were just you.  The conference begins with participants putting forward possible workshops or discussion groups they would like to see at the conference.  These ideas are posted and conference participants have 4 post-it-notes to VOTE on which 4 workshops they would like to attend.  Guess what?  All 4 that I voted for were offered and I was able to attend all 4 workshops/discussion groups.  That in itself was absolutely amazing.  It did take some time to organize the framework of the day, but it was an excellent opportunity for participants to network face-to-face or via Twitter.  I chose the latter.  The day begins and one workshop after the other I was engaged, stimulated, and inspired.  All 4 sessions I attended were absolutely amazing and personally relevant.  What was more amazing… the day started with approximately 250 attendees and the day ended with approximately 250 attendees.  That is something to acknowledge about EdCamp Delta 2012.  We are all learners.  We are all teachers.  We are all leaders.  At the conference, I learned about BYOD (bring your own device) schools, philosophized about connected leadership, enamoured by students facilitating a candid conversation about quality teaching and 21st Century Learning, and discussed with like-minded individuals about how to organize our own EdCamp.  The workshops I attended modeled 21st Century Learning with use of technology and face-to-face discussion.  At the conference, there were 28 workshops to choose from and I loved every workshop I voted for with my two feet.  The conference is free.  It is corporate free.  Lunch was donated.  It was paperless.  And, anyone is welcome.  All I can say is… I’M INSPIRED.

Look out… EdCamp Sechelt is coming… professional learning at it’s finest for all those interested in public education.