Looking Back at 2016

Wow. Where has the year gone? I must admit that time does fly by much faster the older you get. Hmm… I must be getting old. Huh. Let’s not talk about that. What I do want to talk about is 2016. Why not? It’s new year’s eve, it’s snowing, and my kid is at a sleepover. Hello? This is perfect timing. Let’s reflect and look back at 2016.

What can I say about 2016? It was very busy and there can always be room for improvement. My one-word for 2016 was ALIGNMENT. For the last 6 years I’ve been on a pedagogical journey. On the one hand, I am learning more about myself, my learning, and my profession from completing my dissertation, which is currently in the hands of my committee. On the other hand, I am on an edu-quest.

In recent years, I’ve engaged in BC education in various ways. I participated in research, curriculum development, sessional instruction, conference presentations, committee work, workshop facilitation, #bcedchat co-moderating, math tutoring, and school trusteeship. My quest was becoming divergent. For years I believed that my dissertation would resolve my discontent, but after my findings… not so much.

As I approach the end of 2016… I have been working towards alignment. I know that I love teaching, there are some incredible people out there making a difference in education and creating change, and governance plays an important role in education reform and its operations. I am deeply driven by student learning and student voice. I believe in process and democracy. I am motivated to create a system that best serves students and student learning such that we are all learners in the system.

I cannot do this alone. As I try to create alignment within myself, everyone in education seems to be going in different directions. This could be because we all have diverse interests and varying levels of expertise to contribute, but do we have common purpose? I wonder about how someone effects the system like a ripple in a pond. What ripple do I create? What do I want to create in the future? How do you create a ripple that persists? We all making a difference, but to what end?

I will ponder these questions in 2017. I have much gratitude for 2016. It was a bit chaotic at times but I am grateful for the wonderful people I’ve met and the learning experiences I had the great fortune to be a part of. I feel more aligned and look forward to 2017. I’ve learned so much and I am awed and humbled by all those out there making a difference in education. Thank you and Happy New Year!!!