It’s hard to believe that it’s been a whole year since I embarked on my quest to publish “One post a day in the month of May”. So as I turned the page on the calendar in the kitchen this morning, I couldn’t help but reflect on last year’s challenge and the benefits that came with daily writing and posting.  During the month of May 2015, I found myself more observant, more reflective and more purposeful in what I was reading knowing that before midnight one of those encounters was going to be the inspiration for my daily post.

So, here we go again….

Day 1:

Yesterday as I was clicking through the channels, I happened upon the 2005 movie, “The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe and I was immediately transported back to 1997 when I was teaching Grade 5 at M.B.McEachren.  Back in those days, full class novel studies seemed to be our best thinking in terms of literacy instruction and I would venture to guess that my unit on The Lion, The Witch and The Wardrobe was by far one of my most favourite ways to engage my students.  We fumbled our way through making Turkish Delight, created dioramas with hinged wardrobe doors and with this particular group of students, we tackled Literature Circles, in the name of differentiation.

I can clearly recall rearranging our desks in a circle and engaging in a deep conversation about the emerging themes in the book, the parallels to Christianity as demonstrated by the characters in the book and the author’s intent in having the mice gnaw away at the ropes binding Aslan. It was one of the teaching moments when you feel as if you are in the “zone”.   No time to think about what was going to happen in the next period, an upcoming parent meeting or items for the division meeting agenda.  I was totally proud of the conversation that my students were having and naively connecting it somehow to my teaching.  They were saying all the “right” things and making their way through the prescribed discussion topics.

Then, it happened…. Michael (with complete sincerity) boldly stated that the White Witch embodied the redeeming qualities of a heroine and we were giving her a “bad rap”.  Now, to add to the background story, Michael typically challenged most of what was asked of him.  He was the last one to submit his work, he found a variety of creative reasons for doing an alternate activity and his parents frequently assisted with providing inventive excuses for lost and misplaced assignments.

As he shared his statement, the rest of the students stopped and waited for my response.  I will admit that initially I assumed that Michael was looking for a reaction ~ and for a split second he received it.  But as we all continued to dig deeper and ask him to explain his thinking, it became clear that his perception of the White Witch and her role in enticing Edmund could indeed be connected with the qualities of a heroine.  Her role was pivotal in Edmund’s decision and ultimate redemption.

It was at moment that I realized the power of creating the conditions in a classroom for not only welcoming but for encouraging opposing views.  I could no longer go back to the boring classroom environment where all students were working towards the one “right” answer.

I certainly didn’t know or use the term “cognitive dissonance” in 1997, but thanks to Michael, I’ve looked for opportunities to engage both students and educators in discussions wherein discord has led to a deeper and more meaningful understanding for the last 20 years.

As an educator, can you recall a defining moment in your career?

Come write with me….

And with the final turn of the Robertson screwdriver, the last remnant of our time at GENTLE was removed from the wall and bestowed to its rightful owner ~ the person responsible for the generation of the idea of this incredible concept of newcomer reception for our Syrian families. It was a copy of the first newspaper article written about the Center, which featured the smiling faces of our first family.  Little did we know that smiles would soon become one of the most memorable symbols of our work over the next four months!

In looking back over the past four months, one could not possibly select a single event to fully capture the work that was completed as we welcomed over 460 students and met their amazing family members. It was indeed a complex, beautifully crafted tapestry of people, emotion, furniture, multi-coloured wrist bands, late nights, Google Docs, tears and smiles.  Smiles on the faces of the families as we shared that their children would be attending school in safe, welcoming and loving environments. I can vividly recall one father who tentatively registered his sons, none of whom had had the opportunity to attend school in Syria as each one of the boys was cognitively delayed. The look on the face of the father as we explained that all of his sons would be welcomed and well taken care of in our congregated classes was priceless.  The dad then went and brought one of his sons for us to meet. Smiles ~ on all of our faces. Smiles on the face of one of the moms as she proudly shared the work that her daughters had completed, in English. Smiles on the faces of our community partners as together we created a procedure in which children could be attending GENTLE even before families were given a home.  Smiles on the faces of the children as they arrived at GENTLE and were greeted daily by the most incredible, passionate, dedicated group of educators and caring adults.  Smiles on their faces as they shared their stories in their first language and then attempted to learn their new language.  Smiles on the faces of the family members who accompanied their children and watched them interact with the teachers and their new classmates.  Smiles on the faces of the school team members who arrived at GENTLE to meet their new students and who did an incredible job of making each student feel like they were the most precious gift that that school was about to receive.  Smiles on the faces of the visitors (and we had quite a few) who immediately sensed that they had been invited into a world like no other.

And in amongst the smiles of everyone else, were the constant smiles on the faces of this team…. The core (or better yet, the beating heart) GENTLE team who weathered each challenge with professionalism, passion and sense of pride in knowing that what we were doing was the right thing for families.

As we close this chapter and look towards our next phase of support for our Syrian families, one can’t help but wipe away a tear or two in amongst all of the smiles.

I’m not sure about you, but on various occasions I find myself drawn to images of growth and beauty, where one would not necessary expect to see it. For me, the most memorable images are those which depict the desire to survive in the face of great adversity ~ such as beautiful flowers blossoming in the middle of a cement sidewalk or thriving in the side of a rock face.

This past week, I had the pleasure of travelling with a group of dedicated educators from TMA (Teacher Mentors Abroad) as we ventured to Santiago and Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic to visit several schools and see firsthand their work in terms of supporting student learning as we attempted to make informed and purposeful plans for this year’s July Conference.  For the past ten years, TMA has been partnering with Dominican educators in an effort to share best practices through a week long conference in July.   This trip was a chance for us to see how strategies were being implemented, meet the school staff and students and appreciate the conditions within which these educators thrive each day.   And not unlike the flower that flourishes within harsh conditions, these educators demonstrated heart, soul and a passion for educating their students and did so with minimal resources, cramped classrooms, no breaks within their day and extreme heat.  Although conditions varied from school to school, most classrooms held about 25-30 students, had limited floor space (except for the empty desks), one blackboard with a single piece of chalk and a single notebook and pencil per student.   And yet, from the eye of an educator, there was learning blossoming throughout the day.  We had the pleasure of visiting some senior classes and providing students with an opportunity to try their English with us ~ what a delightful experience. All in all students seemed thankful to be in school and to be a part of their learning environment.

Another observation that we noted was the incredible respect demonstrated between students, teachers and district staff.  Students were neatly dressed in uniforms (most of them loaned to the students by the government ), fed daily with juice and snacks and their teachers were all professionally dressed ~ which was so impactful, knowing that a teacher’s salary in the DR (more than half of them make less than $177 US a month) is so much less than other occupations and that many of the educators walk a very long distance to work each day through dusty, dirty streets.  I couldn’t help but wonder if something as complex as “respect” could begin to be addressed with something as simple as “professional dress” by all of our educators in Thames Valley.

At the end of our visit, we had the opportunity to meet with their District leader and share our observations and plans for moving forward with support.  And although our intended purpose was to provide feedback (which we did), I walked away with many “what ifs” in terms of education in our backyard.  We have no idea what it’s like to teach under such intense adversity and yet we tend to forget to be thankful for what we are afforded as educators in Thames Valley.

What adversity have you had to overcome?   How did it make you a stronger educator?

Come write with me…..

It has taken a month, but I’m finally ready to put pen to paper, or in this case fingertips to keyboard and begin to document our GENTLE journey.

As a result of the Canadian government’s response to the Syrian refugee crisis, two months ago, Denise Taylor Edwards and Melanie Ferdinand started a conversation with a “What if…..” scenario, as they anticipated a significant influx of newcomer Syrian families in Thames Valley.

What if….. we looked at a family wrap around welcome program?

What if…..we combined ESL and Social work services from our initial meeting with families?

What if….we expanded our current model of Secondary assessment and reception to include the whole family?

What if….we provided a space for school readiness activities, as well as literacy and numeracy assessments?

From those “What if” questions, GENTLE (Guided Entry to New Teaching and Learning Experiences) was launched and now our newcomer families are provided with a wrap-around reception plan which is responsive, caring and ever changing to meet the needs of both our ELLs and their families.  During the last two months, we haven’t looked backwards once, nor have we regretted our decision ~ if anything we are asking ourselves why it took so long to revamp and re-envision our way of welcoming newcomer families.

To try and isolate the reasons for GENTLE’s success is impossible.  But that is the only “impossibility” that is associated with this project.

In my career, I have not had the privilege of being involved in a project that has had such far reaching tentacles, both within our school board and within the community. Within the Board, there has not been a department or portfolio that hasn’t been involved in one way or another from Finance to Facility, from HR to transportation and from Graphic Arts to IT. Shout outs for backpack supplies were answered with over flowing boxes of resources within days.  We needed a bus and we had one the next day. We needed tables, chairs and easels and our Thames Valley family willingly shared.

This past week a teacher shared a story of a class who is in the midst of creating a video about how to dress for winter to share with our students at GENTLE.  Other classes have collected warm clothing. Our White Oaks students have not only opened their classrooms for us to visit, but they have brought their favourite books to our GENTLE learning environment and read with our students.

For the past 5 years, we have had a strong partnership with our community agencies through SWIS-London and as a result of that strong partnerships, our daily and sometimes hourly phone calls and emails (as together we support our Government Assisted Refugee families) usually begin with “Hello my friend…..together we need to problem solve this situation” and the results have been a combined response to the needs of the families.   Those supports have included evening registrations, on site parent information sessions, phone calls home to share the news of cancelled buses or changes in pick up times and check-ins for some students who may need some additional support in transitioning to their new school.

But not everyone has understood our government’s response, nor our Thames Valley response and hence we’ve had to answer a number of questions.  One of the recent questions asked of me was, “Do you think that they’ll ever do well here?”

Without missing a beat, my response was that I have no doubt that they will add measurable value to our school system and our community. Our newcomer families can show us a thing or two about resilience, perseverance, work ethic and incredible gratitude.

Nor do I have any doubt that the educators, volunteers and everyone else involved in this initiative will ever forget that they were responsible for the first impressions of school in Canada, in London and most importantly in Thames Valley, in an innovative, response and caring way.  Their commitment to GENTLE, which includes early morning and late evening calls to families, getting up early and riding the school bus with students, facilitating the registration of 22 families in a hotel room (complete with placing beds against the wall to create space for an interview table and chairs, and persevering through a fire alarm) is one that I’m so proud to be a part of.  Each individual from our admin assistant, to assessors, to classroom teachers, to volunteers, to ECEs, to Social Workers to SWIS to our interpreters knows exactly why we’re doing what we’re doing.  There is no lack of vision for this crew.  When a perceived obstacle presents itself, within a relatively short period of time, a solution is created and owned by all.  Impossible is never an option.

GENTLE has evolved from Denise and Melanie’s “What if….” scenario to our daily “What’ next….”

GENTLE’s journey is just starting. I look forward to sharing many more reflections throughout the upcoming weeks and months.

How appropriate that the page says, “Brave”!

Over the last several days I have enjoyed several posts  where writers have selected #oneword to capture their  goals, dreams and ambitions for the upcoming year  instead of writing an endless list of resolutions. Some of my favourite authors have shared meaningful words such as ENERGY, BLOG, REFLECTION, CREATIVITY, MINDFUL and PURPOSE. Along with their selected word, these inspirational bloggers also wrote about the rationale behind their selection and the steps that they are planning to take in order to breathe depth and life into their #oneword.

I’ve spent the last couple of days pondering what my #oneword might be.  I was immediately drawn to my favourite word ~ Serendipity, but then wondered if indeed I was prepared to spend the next year reflecting on and writing about my serendipitous interactions.  I decided to leave that word where it currently resides which is in my personal sphere of notoriety.

Then this morning, as the worship team at church opened the service, my #oneword (which happened to be the title of the song) became clear.  Sheryl serenaded the congregation with her incredible and powerful version of Natasha Bedingfield’s “Unwritten”.  As the lyrics accompanied her vocals on the screen, it became apparent that UNWRITTEN was going to be my #oneword for 2016.

When I think about the upcoming year, I love the idea of “pen in my hand, ending unplanned” and “breaking tradition and that sometimes my tries will be outside the lines”.

The pen in my hand will be my pledge to continue to write,  to share, to reflect, to highlight the work of others and to  inspire others to do the same. I would love to see us double  the number of educators in our system who are sharing  their stories. For a current list, check out Voices From the  Valley.

With no planned ending, the possibilities become endless as does the journey that a brand new year affords each of us. I pledge to enjoy the ride and embrace and welcome those who choose to be co-pilots.

I have never been a slave to the past, so I will continue to break tradition ~ as we look for better, more effective ways to engage all learners.

And finally, as for “my tries”, I wouldn’t be effectively doing my job, if I wasn’t pushing the envelope and exploring what lies beyond the “lines”.  We haven’t arrived yet in terms of completely understanding the complexity of learning and teaching ~ nor do I expect that we will within my lifetime.  But this year, I want to be a part of a team that is willing to write a few more chapters.

It may sound counterintuitive, but I look forward to writing about being “unwritten” in 2016.

What is your #oneword?

Come write with me….

Three books, each book containing twenty-five CDs, each CD containing twelve chapters equals five months of listening to Ken Follett’s Century Trilogy ~ Fall of Giants, Winter of the Worlds and Edge of Eternity.

Last August, as I started to listen to Chapter one of the first CD  of Fall of Giants, I had no idea how the plethora of Follett’s  characters, interwoven with each story line, would become such  an integral part of my world and how the final words of the final  chapter on the final CD in the final book (Edge of Eternity) would bring me to tears.  The tears being a combination of a sentimental ending, but also great sadness in the books being completed.

Not only is Follett a master story teller who brings past world events to life through the story lines of his characters, but the reader was able to transition into the dialects of each character ~ Russian, German, British, American, male and female with such ease, that at times I thought that there must have been a host of readers instead of just one.

As characters would reminisce about past events in their lives or refer to the adventures of their parents or grandparents, I could easily recall where I was when that part of the book was taking place ~ whether it was on a drive to the cottage, during a hike on the trails, driving into work or on those rare moments when the house was quiet and I could listen to the story as I completed a chore or two.  That is a testament to the quality of the writing and how transfixed I became listening day after day.

As I’ve shared before, history was never my forte, probably my least favourite topic of conversation and definitely a piece of the pie to avoid when playing Trivia Pursuit.  But after 5 months of relieving both world wars, the March on Washington, Hiroshima and both the creation and destruction of the Berlin Wall (to name but a few of the events within the trilogy) as told through the generational story lines lines of the Williams, the Dewers, the Fitzherberts and the Ulrichs, I have no doubt I could hold my own in any historical conversation.

I can’t help but wonder if it isn’t serendipitous that today of all days, on this, the last day of 2015, I finally finish this story.  It is customary to usher out the end of the year and ring in the new year by singing, “Auld Lang Syne”.  The meaning behind the song refers “to times gone by as we remember friends from the past and not let them be forgotten”.   It will be a long while before I forget the characters in this story ~ their struggles, their love stories and their victories.

Books have such incredible power.  They can transform you to places and times that you cannot physically visit and within a matter time (even if it takes 5 months) characters on a page can be transformed into virtual friends with whom you laugh, cry, fall in love with or despise for their dastardly deeds.

As the clock strikes midnight tonight and I join with family and friends to ring in the new year and look forward to what 2016 will bring, I will hope for another year filled with the treasures found within the pages of great literature.

What are you looking forward to in 2016?Come Write with me….

 It was the mid ‘70s and our basement office was adorned  with two large posters  ~ one was David Cassidy and  the  other was Pierre Elliott Trudeau.  Like most girls my  age, I was determined to be the one who would win the  heart of David Cassidy and be whisked away to be a  member of the Partridge Family.

The other poster  belonged to  my dad.  I don’t recall whether he purchased it himself  or it was a gift from someone who knew him well.  Needless to say, I grew up in a very Liberal household, where Pierre Elliott Trudeau held the same “superstar status” as teenage heart throbs.  So as one can imagine, the resurrection of the Liberal Party with the second generation of the Trudeau clan has been a cause for celebration for my dad and therefore I’m dedicating this post to him.

Last week, when Justin Trudeau was asked about his reason for selecting a gender equal cabinet, his response, “Because it’s 2015” was trending throughout social media within minutes.

There is such power in those three words and I wonder if we can use that same phrase and start a trending pattern of our own, in terms of learning and education.

Why should we incorporate the appropriate technological tools into our learning environments? Because it’s 2015

Why should we teach digital citizenship?  Because it’s 2015

Why should we replace weekly prescribed spelling lists with meaningful word study activities? Because it’s 2015

Why should we open our classroom doors and celebrate the opportunity to collaborate with other educators? Because it’s 2015

Why should we break down hierarchical levels within an organization and value the ideas of all invested members? Because it’s 2015

Why should we honour student voice and choice? Because it’s 2015

Why should we revision our idea of a traditional learning environment? Because it’s 2015

Why should we explore quality literature written in this century? Because it’s 2015

Why should we explore new ways to engage parents in contemporary assessment strategies, such as electronic portfolios? Because it’s 2015

Why should we provide our students with rich authentic tasks, which cannot be simply answered with a Google search?  Because it’s 2015

My list is by no means exhaustive…  I challenge you to add a question about education and learning which begs the answer “Because it’s 2015″

Come write with me…..

 “Have a good day” ~ I would venture to guess that on  several occasions all of us have been wished a “Good  day” by many of the people that we encounter as we go  through our everyday routines.  It is one of those social  graces that rolls off our tongues as quickly as the  automatic response of “Thanks”.   Sometimes, if we are  lucky, we make eye contact during this exchange.  But all too often the words are spoken without any deviation from our intended task ~ walking on route to a meeting, packaging groceries in the check-out line, etc ~ nor any intention of actually engaging in a conversation.

But all that changed the other day as I was purchasing a gift for a friend at a local specialty store.  The friendly clerk first apologized for the very short wait, sharing that she was excited about unloading a fresh stock of product.  As the monetary transaction was being finalized and the receipt was being discharged from the credit card machine, I was pleasantly taken aback as the sales clerk added two simple words to the automatic social phrase of “Have a good day” and cheerfully asked, “Did you have a good day?”  The addition of those two words was all it took for us to engage in a conversation and to have a lasting effect on me ~ enough to inspire this blog!  There was such power in the simple change from a statement to a question.

A question is the impetus to a culture of curiosity. I can’t help but wonder if more of our classrooms were filled with more open ended questions than statements, would our students be more engaged in spontaneous conversations.  Conversations that would lead them to wanting to know more, wanting to learn more.  Too often a statement is a done deal, whereas a well-positioned question has the ability for both parties (the giver and the receiver) to learn more from each other.

As you venture into another week, I challenge you (as  I’m going to challenge myself) to take the opportunity to  transform a statement into a question and see the  impact.

Come write with me…..

This past week I had the opportunity to visit both Surrey  and West Vancouver school districts as we explored  innovative learning environments and Fresh Grade ~ an  electronic portfolio with numerous possibilities for  supporting formative assessment practices. Our tour  included various schools and both school district offices  where system leaders proudly shared their current journey, their successes and their challenges with implementation, monitoring and scalability.

As we toured Fraser Heights Secondary school, we were extremely impressed with the robotics, the newly designed Learning Commons with 3-D printers, sound and editing equipment and Green Screen, the science department with classrooms surrounding a high-tech lab and various contemporary networking spaces throughout the school.  The absence of bells, the continuous feeds on the numerous LCD panels and the inspirational posters and messages throughout the building exuded “learning” at its finest.   The teachers who greeted us spoke passionately about the power of using Fresh Grade as a tool to support formative assessment, their students’ commitment to constant improvement and the power of working in teams.

Our visit to Cambridge Elementary school also included new technology, contemporary learning spaces, inspirational posters, articulate students who comfortably showed us the Fresh Grade application but more importantly the power of a strong, dedicated admin team. I was impressed with Kelli’s (the VP) conscious decision to be a teaching administrator.  In her own words ~ she can have the greatest impact on teacher practice by working alongside of her staff. Her principal partner knew the ins and outs of supporting technology, embracing the parent community and building team.

Although I have no doubt that these schools were selected for their contemporary design, strong leadership teams and leading edge technology there were definite take-aways that could be employed in any school.  The Fresh Grade platform is a well-designed tool for students and teachers to use for those important discussions about formative assessment. In using the tool, teachers need to know what to document and what questions the documentation raises about improved student learning ~ which ultimately leads to reflection of teacher practice.

 However, the power of this e-portfolio application is not  contingent on a new building or flashy technological  gadgets.  But it does require educators who want to go  deeper than just marking summative tasks and  providing letter grades or numeric values.  It requires  the conditions within a school community where parents  are involved and invited to comment on evidence of student learning throughout the school year, not just a designated reporting times. It requires rich discussions about the difference between work that looks good and work that speaks to a student’s learning journey. It requires a school staff who is willing to engage in learning discussions about what it will take to move student learning forward ~ which ultimately leads to a change in practice. And it requires a leadership team who knows how to support the education of parents in regards to this contemporary assessment format, how to support educators as they weave electronic documentation into their daily routines and how to support students as they select evidence of learning and contribute their reflections.

Have you used an electronic portfolio to document student learning?  If so, how has it impacted your practice?

Come write with me….

Parents are the first teachers in a child’s life.  They hold the key to a child’s past, present and future and know beyond a shadow of a doubt what their children like and dislike ~ baseball or soccer; astronauts or sailors; fantasy or non-fiction.  As educators we know that in order to truly impact a child’s educational journey we need to know them as people and as learners.  So it makes sense that we involve the people that know them the best in our quest to engage, motivate and inspire our students.  Today I had the privilege of participating in a Parent Engagement Forum at the Islamic Center where representatives from various portfolios within our board learned from the Muslim community what, together, we can do to meet the changing needs of today’s students.  As our society evolves with advances such as technology and various forms of communication, maintaining the teachings of the Muslim faith becomes increasingly challenging for many families. Now, more than ever, we need to ensure that the lines of communication between our parent community and our educators are not only maintained, but strengthened to encompass new learning and richer conversations.

The parents with whom I had the opportunity to talk to have an incredibly high regard for education and place great emphasis on achievement.  I was intrigued and impressed with stories of children continuing past secondary school and entering worlds of masters and doctoral degrees.  Parents proudly shared their child’s love of reading and asked questions about more challenging texts and strategies to use when encouraging their children to communicate their thinking.  Parents, who are also educators in our system, posed thought-provoking inquiries about our support of Canadian born English Language Learners and Newcomer English Language Learners. Our Settlement Workers in Schools were gathering resources and materials to share with colleagues in their agencies with the intent of using them with newcomer families in our schools.  The conversations were rich, focused and heart-felt. Many of them were leading into discussions about next steps, not only with our Muslim parent community but with other parent communities.

Engaging our parent community through conversations is the first step in creating a learning community where we combine all of the caring adults in a child’s life in order to work towards success ~ academically, socially, emotionally and spiritually.

I thought my role today was to help parents learn what they could do to support their child with reading and writing, when in fact, I was the one who walked away with new learning in terms of the value of a deeper appreciation for building stronger parent partnerships.

Congratulations and thank –you to the Muslim Educator’s Council for their leadership, vision and commitment to today’s Parent Engagement Forum.  Hopefully others will follow your lead!

As a parent, do you take an active role in your child’s education?  As an educator do you purposefully engage the parents of the children in your classroom?

Come write with me……