Margaret Paxton
Reflections on Short Course II Experience
May 2019
Before writing about this past year of learning, I wanted to reflect back on our shared experience, at UBCO and in the community of Kelowna during the BCPVPA's Short Course II.
The Water Ceremony – Courage and Clarity
On our first day, we gathered on the shore of Lake Okanagan to take part in a Water Ceremony with Chief Roxanne Lindley. There was circling, smudging and offering of tobacco and water brought from many places around the province to share. This moving ceremony required presence, participation, and understanding the purpose and the place.
Building Connections as a Summit Family
After the ceremony, our Table Groups met in smaller circles, during which we shared our “Gifts of the Four Directions.” What emotional, spiritual, cultural and intellectual aspects of ourselves do we bring to share with others?
This:
· Took time
· Required deep listening
· Required us to be vulnerable – able to share our struggles, not just our successes
· Was not about what we do or have done, but about who we are and who we can become.
Learning from David, David and Amelia
Back on campus over the next few days, we learned from David Istance, Amelia Peterson and David Weiss. We wondered:
· How could the OECD Principles of Learning enhance our schools?
· How to help our students, teachers and other staff members flourish in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, chaotic and ambiguous)?
· How can we learn from other regions about how to create new kinds of schools with human-centred systems design?
Field Experiences
During our visits to local, innovative businesses, we learned from people creating their own occupations, niches in the world. It was as if they we saying:
“Here is something you didn’t even know you needed,
and it’s going to change your life for the better.”
We began thinking about how we could infuse our schools with this energy and entrepreneurial spirit.
As the week drew to a close, participants made connections, shared ideas and made plans for the next steps in their learning journey. We committed to connecting with our table groups and supporting one another through the school year.
My Year of Learning
I began my first staff meeting with the story of meeting those young entrepreneurs. I told my staff how inspired I had been to hear their stories, especially how school had influenced their development. I confessed that the word “entrepreneur” to me connotes a business focused on making a profit. I hoped that our students would be inspired to have the same imagination, creativity, growth mind-set and perseverance, but also a drive to make the world a better place. Our school’s inquiry has been around increasing student engagement and flexible learning spaces. I wondered, how we could now use those flexible learning spaces to accelerate learning and build learner stamina.
One of the things I have been practicing as a school leader is how to find each individual’s entry point – personalizing and differentiating support for my staff. One way I did this was by providing choice and “going with” teachers’ personal passions. Thus, we have a working wood shop, an atelier for math/science/art exploration, and a very versatile outdoor classroom space. We also created micro-environments within classrooms. They feel now more like family rooms.
We believe that we have seen an increased stamina for learning, and an increase in collaboration and cooperation, both for teachers and students. We’ve seen an increase in creativity and critical thinking – prototyping, working through many iterations, working with a growth mindset – not just “keep trying” but try different things. We’ve seen students inspiring each other.
The journey continues. There are always more bridges to build, more obstacles to roll out of the way. I am grateful to the colleagues and friends I met during Short Course II for inspiring me to “nudge with love,” both staff and students, and to be a “Possibility Broker,” a co-learner saying, “Yes!” to great ideas. The best part of being a Short Course II facilitator was the reassurance that I am part of a community of educators who are highly invested, thoughtful and reflective about the craft of leadership and the quality of education in their schools and districts.
