Welcome to my final blog post of 2018. While perhaps not as iconic as the various year-end lists we read at this time of year, this is my 9th annual “Top 3” List. (My favourite list was always the Siskel and Ebert Top 10 Movie Lists. I am dating myself but their year-end show on Sneak Previews on PBS was the best!)
Previous Top 3 lists for: 2017 (here) 2016 (here) 2015 (here) 2014 (here) 2013 (here) 2012 (here), 2011 (here) and 2010 (here).
As per usual, I will try to take up topics you probably don’t see covered by other year-end “Best of” lists and my topics do change from year to year:
Top 3 “Culture of Yes” Blog Posts which have generated the most traffic this year:
Not sure how I should take it that I write dozens of posts on education, and my most popular one is an April Fools post and my second my popular one is on basketball. Maybe I should stick to comedy and sports.
Top 3 Places I saw Paul Simon perform:
- Queens, New York – outdoors for his final concert on his Farewell Tour
- Las Vegas, Nevada – a great weekend getaway (thought the enthusiasm of the crowd at the concert was a bit disappointing)
- Portland, Oregon – best memory was him forgetting a line and penalizing himself by playing 59th Street Bridge (he hates the song but the crowd loved it)
Top 3 Things I got to do when I wasn’t at work:
- Visit New York City – It was only for 3 days, but it was my first time. In addition to Paul (above) we got to Hamilton and a Yankees game.
- BC Summer Games – I got to go with my younger son and his teammates to Cowichan for the Games. It is like a mini-Olympics. And if nothing else, three nights sleeping on a school classroom floor is something you will remember.
- Chicago -80 basketball courts and about 800 teams competing in the Convention Centre at the NIKE Tournament of Champions. An absolutely incredible event.
Top 3 Things I got to do when I was at work:
- Visit classrooms – The past few months have been amazing for me. I have been in well over 50 classrooms and not just for the 2 minute walk-through but generally for some real sustained visits, often up to an hour. I wrote earlier about this HERE. It has given me great insight into the learning in our classes, the changing nature of how our teachers are approaching their classes and the visits have offered a reminder of just how much has changed in recent years – the classroom looks very different from a decade ago.
- Launch new programs – I love how our district is always on the cutting edge with developing programs to meet the changing
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needs of the world, and the passions of our students. A few new opportunities for students this year included an AP Environmental Science Program that takes place in an actual science research facility, a Computer Animation Program that partners with the faculty from Capilano University and gives students a first glance at post-secondary in this area and a Table Tennis Academy which I saw first hand last month and was so incredibly impressed by the quality of instruction and the inclusivity of the program. - Add great people to the team – The people are key to any organization. So much credit for the success of West Vancouver Schools needs to go to our Human Resources staff and school administrators for their excellent attraction and hiring of such outstanding teachers and support staff. I am fortunate to be in on the hiring of many of our management staff. I love it when we can add people to our team that make our group stronger, more diverse and I am surrounded by people who I know make me and our team better. We were able to do this again this past year, adding Trevor Kolkea a super talented principal from Coquitlam to our team, and recently luring Ian Kennedy back to West Vancouver. He will start as Director of Instruction in March. Having Alex Campbell and Jamie Ross as key members of our team and all the expertise they bring to our district was also a great opportunity for us.
Top 3 Somewhat Odd Ongoing Streaks I am proud of:
- 5 years of at least 10,000 steps a day according to my FitBit
- 300 days as a full vegetarian (the previous 18 months my meat intake was limited to fish)
- 9 years of at least 20 blog posts a year on Culture of Yes
Top 3 Quick Takes I have about students based on all of the visits:
- They don’t care about SOGI as “an issue”. While a small vocal group made a lot of news during the School Board elections this fall, it is something students don’t care about. They are so passed this an issue – the adults could learn something from the kids here.
- Cell phone use has not gone crazy. I keep hearing stories in the media about how students are on their cell phones all the time. I have spent hundreds of hours in classrooms this fall and can say it is not true. Each of our high schools has some sensible guidelines and routines around their use, and I saw students engaged in their lessons. It is the parents at school games, concerts and elsewhere who seem to have the much stronger addictions.
- They are excited but cautious about “changes” in education. We have engaged students around the new Career Education programs and they are genuinely excited that the system will be better built around their needs and their voices have been included in the design. That said, they see themselves as having “figured out” the current system, so they are nervous about changes to the system and how they might negatively affect them and their post-secondary goals.
Top 3 Celebrity Stories about people I work with:
- Martina Seo – A dynamic Foods Teachers from West Vancouver Secondary was a breakout star on the most recent season of Amazing Race Canada. For all of us who know Martina we would agree she is perfect for reality television.
- Sean Nosek – The guy in the office next to me published an absolutely amazing book this past year on Vancouver street artist Ken Foster. It is the “coolest coffee table book ever”.
- Bryn Hammett – I found out still story by luck. I was visiting Bryn’s Math 9/10 class (photo above) and he was doing a problem based on his recent trail race. He finished only 8 places behind Daniel and Henrik Sedin in the 25 km race in Whistler. Super impressive!
Top 3 TED Talks that I liked which my colleague Julia shared with me (love how she shares good stuff):
- Confessions of a recovering micromanager
2. Why You Should Treat the Tech You Use at work Like a Colleague
3. Why Being Respectful to Your Coworkers is good for business
Top 3 People I think really make the case for the transformation in B.C.’s education system:
- David Burns – I heard David (photo to the right below) speak three times in 2018 on how his institution (KPU) is working with the K-12 transformation and making changes themselves. It is all the more powerful when post-secondary schools are supporting the shifts K-12. And for West Vancouver readers – he is speaking at our PD Day in January!
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- Kris Magnusson – Kris, like David, has extra weight to his words since he is the Dean of Education at SFU. His longtime efforts around career education have really come to life in the grad program changes.
- Jan Unwin – Jan is the undisputed champion of the K-12 transformation in British Columbia. This is a title she inherited from Rod Allen, and over the last five years has been unwavering in her passion and commitment to helping be sure the ideas became reality.
Top 3 Courses / Programs I would take in West Vancouver Schools if I was a student:
- Environmental Sciences Academy – Doing real science with real scientists and it is held at at the Centre for Aquaculture and Environmental Research (CAER) and under the leadership of Tom Harding – so much good going for it!
- FAST (First Aid Swim Training) – All of the programs that students take to become a lifeguard are built into an every afternoon program in West Vancouver offered by Rockridge teacher Dave Dickinson. You get school credentialing and probably more importantly all the outside credentials as well.
- YELL (Young Entrepreneurship and Leadership Launchpad) – This is another great example of doing real world work. I have written about the program several times (like HERE) in the past, and the Jo-Anne McKee taught program continues to draw great speakers and mentors. I had the pleasure of sitting in this fall with Anthony Beyrouti speaking to the students about going from being a local North Shore high school student to running one of the fastest growing businesses in BC in a few short years.
Top 3 Ways I am going to push myself professionally in 2019:
- Start my doctorate – Classes start in January. This will be my first time really being a student since I finished my Master`s Degree in 1999. I am doing it with a few current and former colleagues which will make it all the better.
- More real visits – The class visits over the last few months, whether to observe, participate or teach have been so rewarding. I am looking to doing more in the new year.
- Focus on assessment – Somewhere between all the discussions about curriculum and reporting we have lost some of the attention on assessment. With curriculum fully in-place and reporting templates and structures confirmed, there will be more time to talk about the really important topic of assessment in the coming year.
Top 3 Things People Will be Talking About in B.C’s education system next year:
- University Admissions – This has been a hot topic this past year, and will continue into 2019. With the changes to K-12, how will post-secondary school change their admissions requirements. And it is not just in response to K-12, many institutions are talking about their beliefs that they need to find better ways to select students who have the best chance to be successful.
- What Needs to Change Next – I can`t go to a meeting without someone talking about another aspect of schooling that needs to change, now that other changes have been made. From exams, to reporting to calendars, there are numerous comments that for change X to be fully realized, Y and Z need to change as well.
- Bargaining – On the political side, teacher bargaining will likely occupy a fair bit of the mainstream education news for 2019.
As always, I really appreciate everyone who takes the time to read and engage with me through the blog. I love having a portfolio of my thinking – it often reminds me how much my thinking has changed over time and the process (and stress) of writing and publishing still brings me great joy. All the best for a wonderful 2019!
Chris
