Oral Defence

Good grief. Look at those tan lines!!! That was one thing I did not plan out that well… and I expected that the room would have been a bit cooler with air conditioning. I was soooo warm that day. I could not wear my purple scarf, as you see below, to HIDE my freaking tan lines. I digress. Photo creds to my sister (top photo) and husband (bottom photo). Thank goodness someone was taking pictures. I missed a few selfie opportunities. DAMN. I did not realize it until well after my oral defence. I guess I had my mind on something else. Oh ya… my oral examination and degree completion.

What was sooooo exciting for me was who attended my oral defence. Two of my classmates, Carey and Marian, were there. They have been by my side right until this day. A former Chatelech student, Sabrina, was there. That was super nice and unexpected. My friend and former trustee colleague Wendy was there (and asked a killer “call to action” question at the end of my defence… thank you!). My friend and #bcedchat co-mod Kat was there with her friend (who are both in the EdD program now at SFU and Kat asked a follow up killer “call to action” question too… thank you!). My former instructor Fred was there (his brother was my external examiner). And, my sister, dad, and husband were there. Yes… they were representing the family.

As you can see in the photo above… it’s me, my tan lines, and my examining committee. From left to right it’s Dr. Bruce Beairsto (Chair), Dr. Robin Brayne (Member), Dr. Daniel Laitsch (Senior Supervisor), and Dr. Patrick Renihan (External Examiner). At the last minute my Internal Examiner, Dr. Michael Ling, was unable to attend the oral defence but sent in his comments and questions for the chair to read. That was super nice… Michael taught me in the summer of my Master of Education program at SFU in 2000. Wow. That’s awhile ago… sheesh. Anyway, an awesome examining committee and it was important for me to set the tone for the oral examination. I did not want to be TOO serious because that would make me TOO nervous. I was me… and it you know me… it was light, succinct, and FUN.

I practiced my oral presentation the night before… alone… in my hotel room. My husband insisted that I get a hotel room for a couple of nights… to prepare and to celebrate. I was reluctant at first but it was the best thing I did in preparation for my defence. I rehearsed my oral presentation until I had it memorized and under 20 minutes. That was a lot of ME listening to ME. I had notes to refer to, if needed, but the goal was to have it memorized. I did not get my oral presentation memorized and under 20 minutes until the next morning at 8am. I got it to 18.5 minutes… with very little pausing or breathing. My exam was at 9:30am and I had to get a Starbucks.

Ha, ha. You can see my Starbucks (triple grande non-fat latte) on the table. I like that. I made it to the University and found parking, no problem. I had a tonne of stuff to carry but managed to get my latte and make it to my room with plenty of time to set up. Thank goodness for Carey and Kat for helping me set up the tech and my sister and Irene (from SFU) to set up the tables. One by one, members of the examining committee came in and sat down… and we were ready to go at 9:29 am. So, we started early. With a quick introduction by the chair regarding process and outcomes, I delved into my oral presentation. It was going pretty well. A few stumbles here and there, but I referred to my notes. When I started to read, I stumbled more… and stopped that ASAP so that I can meet my time limit. The chair informed me after my presentation that I finished it under 18.5 minutes. BOOM. A great start to the exam…

I stood for my oral presentation… and sat down for questions. I distributed handouts for the audience and had my note pad in front of me, just in case I needed it. I wished that I had recorded the oral examination to hear their comments again. They were all good… but sometimes when you are in a certain headspace, you can’t receive all of the messages that were given to you. That’s why I am so glad to have Michael Ling’s notes as a keepsake. It’s about as close to a record to the event that I have. Post-presentation, the candidate fields two rounds of questions from the examining committee. It was sooooo strange… great questions… few I had anticipated… but I answered them all to the best of my ability. I was totally authentic. I gave answers that reflected my research but also my professional experience. IT WAS AMAZING.

I loved my questions… and I believe they liked my answers. I did not hesitate on any of the questions… and it really felt like more of a conversation about my research rather than an examination. I LOVED IT. It took many days and hours to prepare for the oral examination… an UNDERESTIMATION (again) on what it took to get it “just right” but I’m so glad that I figured that out and invested the time. You never feel quite prepared but I absolutely enjoyed the question period. It got me thinking… conceptual framework, what does it feel like to be an NMSST, what brought me to my research, possible policy changes, type of mentoring, recommendations I would make, being a knowledge contributor, learning communities and vulnerability, etc.

I know that I’ve worked hard for this. I found solace in my dissertation when I completed it. During my oral examination, I found validation. As my senior supervisor said to me at the end of my defence was… it’s my job to “speak truth to power.” I loved that. This was supported by the rest of the examining committee who said that I had an important message to share (how was I going to do this) and it is likely to start as a grassroots movement with one person at a time (to create a momentum for policy change). I LOVED THIS SOOOO MUCH. My work has been a 20+ pedagogical journey, which has underwent doctoral research and the rigour of a defence with colleagues. I heard and received their support, encouragement, and calls to action.

The revisions were relatively minor… but they were not joking about verb tenses. I was getting annoyed changing them. I can only imagine being them having to read it. I had to change a few sections based on the external’s feedback, which was also discussed during the oral examination. I had to change a few terms and voila. COMPLETION. I’ve submitted my final, final, final draft to my Senior Supervisor for him to approve. Once approved, it will go into the library (which is a process I’m about to embark on). This is it. I’m done. I am “Dr. Christine Younghusband, EdD,” graduating in the Faculty of Education in Educational Leadership. Feels great!!!