Telling Your Story

Sasquatch Tour at Harrison Lake

Life as a politician and edu-junkie… I am enjoying my experiences and learning as I go.  Last week, I attended a professional development conference and networking opportunity at Harrison Hot Springs.  First of all, what a beautiful area.  I feel honoured and privileged to partake in this event.  I met many wonderful people and learning more about governance.  Second, what an appropriate venue.  The conference was hosted by the Columbia Institute, titled “The Future is Local.”  Fantastic theme.  The conference was designed for those elected into civic governance (i.e. school trustees, councillors, and mayors).  The political vibe was “progressive” that is “nurturing leadership for sustainable communities.”  It seemed like a good fit for me.  Although I did not take the opportunity to enjoy the hot springs or swimming pools at the hotel, I attended the pre-conference workshop and many other workshops and plenaries afterwards.  The pre-conference workshop focused on Aboriginal Education.  The boat tour of the lake with the Chehalis Nation known as the “Sasquatch Tour” which had high school students from Hope and Chilliwack and a small group of school trustees from the conference.  The facilitator sung traditional songs with his drum and told stories about his heritage, the history of the area, and his experiences.  We concluded our tour with a delicious barbequed salmon lunch.  It was amazing.  This pre-conference workshop set the stage for the weekend.  Each session and plenary were  stories of real-life experiences, leadership, and governance.  I was truly inspired.  Aside from the pre-conference, the plenary that I would like to mention was the one delivered by my colleague and fellow school trustee, Betty Baxter.  We are both newly elected to the SD46 Board of Education and we both love serving on the Board.  With that said, we are both public speakers.  Since being on the Board, we have attended several provincial conferences in the first few months of our term.  To make a long story short, we appreciate and learn from the content being presented, but we were somewhat critical of presentation.  When I found out that Betty was presenting at the civic governance conference… GAME ON.  We joked about it before and during the conference prior to her time to speak at the breakfast plenary.  All I can say is, BEST plenary I had ever witnessed as a school trustee (and educator).  Her presentation was honest, engaging, and powerful. It was the best 30 min of the conference.  I was moved.  Others cried.  You know that she did a great job when conference participants want to talk to her one-to-one for the rest of the day.  She was a STAR.  Content becomes personally relevant when connected to a personal story.  Thank you Betty for Telling Your Story.