BCPSEA Symposium

Who would have thought that one day that I would be attending a BCPSEA (BC Public School Employers’ Association) Symposium and AGM.  Not me.  I was an active union member volunteering much of my time with the local teachers’ association advocating for teachers and quality public education.  14 months later, I am a newly elected school trustee and public school employer.

I thank the BCPSEA organizers, presenters, and Coast Coal Harbour Hotel for hosting an excellent professional development event.  The BCPSEA Symposium and AGM was an opportunity to learn about human resources and labour relations.  It was also an opportunity to network with other Boards of Education along with members of our Board and senior staff.  For instance, I met our newly hired Assistant Superintendent for the first time and feel optimistic for our students and school district. 

My mind is open and I am learning.  I have met other newly elected trustees who were in their past life public school teachers and union leaders, now adjusting to a new role as BCPSEA reps and employer.  I have attended many conferences and several AGM’s as a BCTF (BC Teachers’ Federation) member.  There are many similarities and some notable differences.  The obvious difference is point of view.  The not so obvious similarity is that we’re in it kids.

Quality public education is important to all stakeholders in public education regardless of what role or position.  This was evident to me throughout the whole symposium and AGM.  Thank you.

CUTL – Certificate of University Teaching and Learning

Life at university… it’s been more than 20 years ago when I had first entered university life at UBC.  I was a Science undergraduate in 1988 living on the second floor of Okanagan House at Vanier Residences.  I remember exploring campus, trying to find my classes, and hanging out at the clock tower with one of my study buddies drinking lattes.  Good times.

Here I am again… at SFU as an Education graduate student working on my doctoral dissertation in Educational Leadership.  I commute from the Sunshine Coast to SFU-Burnaby to reorient myself to the campus lifestyle.  Although I am a site assistant with one of the Master of Education cohorts at SFU-Surrey, I am also going to Burnaby campus to complete a 4 month program called CUTL – Certificate of University Teaching and Learning… an opportunity I could not refuse.  Right now, I am sitting on a bench in Saywell hall to blog, reflect, and eat lunch.  I just finished my third week of CUTL.

CUTL is composed of approximately two dozen graduate students from various faculties.  Many of them are TA’s or TM’s.  Today’s CUTL session was about “Student Assessment.”  The educational consultants presenting the lesson where extremely knowledgeable about the topic and were realistic about what could be accomplished in 3-hours.  I appreciated their willingness to go with the group and balancing what they had intended to cover.  I also liked that we were able to discuss in our groups what student assessment means to us as students, TA’s, and future instructors in addition to dialoguing about an area about student assessment that concerns us.  My group tackled “participation.”  It was an engaging and enlightening conversation.  We did not come up with profound solutions but what was certainly clear… our intentions must align with our learning outcomes and assessment methods.  If it doesn’t, we must ask ourselves why?

My awakening is… concerns about student assessment at the secondary level (i.e. assessment of learning vs. assessment for learning) are similar to the concerns found in higher education.

Reframing

Reframing is one “Tool for Living” Weight Watchers suggest to “change your mindset and get the positive results you want.”  For example, if you are looking to relax or relieve boredom, instead of having a snack go for a walk or take a bath.

I use reframing when I teach mathematics.  As a math educator, I often hear claims such as, “math is too hard” or “I don’t get it.”  I would attempt to improve the students’ sense of self-efficacy to do math by identifying what the student knows and how they can overcome their perceived challenge.

As good things do come in three’s, reframing can also be used in life.  Here is a picture of me and my dog, Sally.  Sally is a Tzi Tsu Bichon Frise.  She is 6 years old and the fourth member of ‘my little family.’  Sall-er-iffic is truly a delight.  Tonight, she is spending the night at the Sechelt Animal Hospital.  She is not well and I finally found the courage to bring her to the vet.  As it turns out, she is requiring much medical intervention to diagnose her current condition.  Although Sally had no words to tell us something was wrong, for more than a week she was telling us something was wrong.

REFRAME: Sally is in the hospital and in good hands.  She is pain-free tonight.  For those who know Sally, she is an awesome dog with a great disposition.  She will be home soon to “walk”… “roll-over”… “speak”… and eat “treats.”  It was strange to return home today with no Sally to greet me at the front door, hopping up and down with excitement, giving me gentle kisses on the back of my calf.

I miss you Sally.  You are people.  You are a part of ‘our little family.’  Get well soon Sall-er-iffic.

Not Enough Time

Oh my goodness… where does the time go?  Does that sound familiar?  It’s not to say that I feel over worked.  I’ve been pretty busy all day, but have been keeping a good pace.  What I do feel is under appreciated.  The day begins by… getting up, getting ready, making sure the kid is up and ready, making breakfast and lunch, dropping kid off at school… racing back home to clean the kitchen… leaving home to tutor, go to the library, and food shopping… returning home to tutor some more, make dinner, tutor, eat dinner, tutor… and here I am.  A brief moment of time for myself… time to rest, pay bills and balance the budget… and possibly get some of my own stuff done (after cleaning up after dinner and doing the laundry) such as reading and writing.  NOPE.  The train keeps moving…

I was squeezed out of my place of solace (in front of the fireplace) to blog (and rant) upstairs alone in my office.  I guess this is one way to get working in my office, but man… I’m beginning to realize that there is not enough time.  Regardless of how much I have accomplished today I feel somewhat disappointed.  I have so much more to get done today and all I feel is a bit of anger and frustration.  This is not a good head space to be when I should be spending time with family. SIGH.  Where is “My Happiness Project” book?  I need to reassess.  What’s important to me?  Lots of things are… like supporting my family, my studies, my career, my well-being.  Where does it stop?  I’ve been saying “no” a lot (i.e. curling), but maybe it’s not enough.  What’s strange is that I thought I was doing all of these things to benefit myself, but in return I think that I’m losing myself in the process.

LIFE BALANCE… from too much time to not enough time… and the pendulum swings.  Is it possible to have it all?  A huge part of me says YES, why not?  A small part of me says MANAGE YOUR TIME, you’re nuts.  OK.  I can take a hint.  One step at a time… and plow forwards.  Time is money.

Chinese New Year

Voila.  A mango pudding fish… a very nice ending to Chinese New Year’s dinner.  Well, my daughter had this yummy dessert and the rest of us had red bean soup.  Nonetheless, celebrating Chinese New Year with members of my family is always a special opportunity to reunite.

My dad is heading out to Australia and Hong Kong to revisit parts of his story as a student, gas engineer, and family member.  He will be visiting friends, family, and former colleagues.  His round trip will take 16 days to complete.  Before his departure, visiting with family over a delicious Chinese New Year’s dinner seemed fitting.

At the dinner was myself, my daughter, my husband, my sister and her husband, my two aunties from my dad’s side, my mom, and of course my dad.  We had Peking duck, lettuce wrap, prawns and scallops, sweet and sour beef tenderloin, barbeque chicken, tofu hot pot, fish and crab soup, and yes… dessert.  Gung Hay Fat Choy Everyone.  May the new year bring you hope, kindness, abundance, love, and prosperity.

Jumping

And so it begins… jumping.  Wheee…  Today was my second official school board meeting as Trustee Younghusband.  The trustee orientation meeting started at 330pm.  The in-camera meeting started at 6pm.  And, our public meeting started at 7pm.  It was 5 hours of meeting time with no time for dinner.  The upside, there was much dialogue and engagement.  Early in the orientation, I had a choice to make… remain quiet or speak from the heart.  I chose the latter.  I disclosed my feelings, being open and candid.  With the opening of the meeting describing the canoe as a metaphor for leadership, speaking up resonated with me to ensure that my heart was not heavy.  The goal is to propel the canoe smoothly and swiftly.  Communication, mutual respect, and trust matter.  So, I jumped.  Thank you Board of Education and senior administration for listening.  Moving forward.

Time Management

I am acutely aware of VALUES… my values.  I’m a little consumed by managing my budget and it perplexes me when I am willing to spend $5.00 on a latte, but spending $5.00 on 4L of milk seems rediculous.  Does this make any sense?  That is just one example of ‘over contemplation.’  Do you find yourself in this situation?  In the end, it’s about what I value.  Yet, it seems obvious what would make a sensible choice.

Time management is apparently mirroring my budget management style.  There seems to be some ‘obvious’ choices, yet I choose other ones instead.  The choices I make could be a reflection of my values.  Some may consider my actions more like avoidance tactics or a continuous distraction.  I would like to believe that I am able to multi-task, when in reality I am doing lots of individual things one at a time.  It is not to say that I am not interested in all that I am engaged in.  I am.  What needs to be done is be OK with all that I’m doing and get it done OR take things off my plate and just do one thing at a time.  Once again, there is an obvious choice, but I am choosing to do it all. 

The old adage of TIME = MONEY is so true.  I never truly understood that concept until this year.  Over the past year, I’ve been choosing between time and money.  For example, I took my car of the road to save money.  In return, it took me double or triple the time to commute (i.e. taking the bus or walking) and double or triple the effort to make things happen at home (i.e. food shopping or extracurricular activities).  But, if I spend a bit of money to buy car insurance and gas, then I ‘buy’ time to do other things.  What I am doing is exchanging money for more time or convenience. 

What I have learned is, we all have choices to make.  Just make sure that you can live by them.

What the Phooey?

Unbelievable.  You go through life contemplating trivial things… when in reality, you should be thankful for what you have and what’s to come.  I don’t want to sound preachy, but I’ve just learned some devastating news on Facebook.  It’s not to say that social networking is the end all be all, but sometimes it’s an effective way to find out what is happening ‘out there’ in other people’s lives.  Here I sit in front of my fireplace at home, scrolling through the news feed on Facebook while I wait for my next tutoring session.  A Facebook friend of mine wrote a ‘trivial’ status update about saying goodbye to a mutual friend and colleague.  I had no idea what happened and asked, “What happened?”  I went to my friend’s Facebook page an learned that a colleague died in a car accident over the winter holidays.  What the phooey?  How could this be?  This person was dynamic, fun-loving, and a HUGE advocate for public education.  Why her?  This tragic news shook me a little.  My problems are not problems.  In fact, what I contemplate seems trivial.  Kobo or iPad… Significance of the Study… 26 Points… What does all mean?  Here’s the lesson… DO IT NOW.  Spend less time contemplating and more time doing… appreciating… acknowledging.  There is no better time than the present.  How cliche… but, why not?  RIP Charlene.  It was a pleasure to meet you and an honour to know you.

Restart

I’ve been here before.  I feel like I’m Bill Murray in “Groundhog Day.”  Events are happening that I feel that I’ve done already.  I must not be learning.  What lesson am I suppose to learn?  I honestly woke up this morning thinking I’ve been here before.  It’s time to break the cycle.  So, what’s the lesson?

Well, my weight has been up and down.  My academic studies have been up and down.  My teaching career has been up and down.  Blah, blah, blah.  When I look at the big picture, I still have my heath, I’m in school, and I still teach kids.  Truly, I do not have much to complain about.  Things are good.

I mention in an earlier blog entry, I have to JUMP.  Just JUMP.  Trust.  And, jump.  What’s happening?  Nothing.  There is no jumping.  Where am I jumping?  Does it really matter?  As much as I loved teaching in public schools, I have a dream.  My vision is standing on stage facing a huge audience.  What am I talking about?  Not sure.  But, that’s my vision.

My deepest desire is to contribute to public education.  I could have kept with the status quo, but I was looking for more.  I started teaching in 1994.  In 2001, I completed my Master degree and got married; in 2003, I gave birth to my daughter; in 2004, I returned back to work; in 2008, I joined the Doctor of Education cohort; in 2009, I passed my comprehensive exam; in 2010, I left teaching; and in 2011, I ran for municipal election and won.  I’ve jumped in the past 10 years and it’s time to JUMP.

I’ve been here before.  Deja vu.  The question is, am I moving forwards or am I jumping back into a cycle?  Maybe I should not view this situation as an opportunity to JUMP, but an opportunity to RESTART.  It’s time to find that BIG button and press start.  What have I done so far?  First, I have organized my time to do certain things at certain times.  I’m commuting to SFU to attend the Certificate of Teaching and Learning (CUTL) program.  I have met with my sub-cohort study buddy and submitted my Spring 2012 Gantt Chart and Learning Contract to my supervisors.  And, I am about to revisit my “Significance of the Study” in Chapter 1 to move onto Chapter 2, again.  Jumping.

All Signs Say YES

OK…. Ugh.  I can take a hint.  Do you ever go through life experiencing or observing the same thing over and over again as if there is something you should know?  It’s like the MAGIC 8 BALL… “All signs say YES.”  That’s all that I can see… The same sign… over and over again.  What am I seeing?  My dissertation.  I know that this seems like an obvious sign since I’ve been working on my proposal since 2010.  However, recently it seems like every interaction I have relates to my research topic.  It spooks me out.  In fact, these signs relate to my last blog entry, “JUMP.”  Just do it.  JUMP Christine JUMP.  All signs say YES.  When life gives you subtle hints… recognize it… and, DO IT.  If you ignore or choose not acknowledge these hints, then more ‘subtle hints’ will be presented to you in different ways.  The “hints” will persist until you get it.  Or, if you don’t… you may just get sick, meaning physically ill.  Been there, done that.  Today, I think I will acknowledge these subtle hints.  Back to my Gantt Chart and Learning Contract for Spring 2012, setting reasonable and doable goals, expectations, and timelines so that I can be and feel successful.  Sounds good to me.  Gotta go.  I’ve got homework to do.  Self-directed learning is fun… ahh, my dissertation.  Jumping…