Learning and the Brain

After a very long week finishing Bill 33 consultations for Semester 2, hosting a parent information meeting, helping coach the Senior Boys Basketball team in the playoffs, supervising a school dance and initiating the course programming for next year's timetable, it is finally time for me to reflect on an opportunity from the week before.  I had the chance to go with friend/colleague Bert Wiens (@bewiens) to the annual Learning and the Brain conference at the Fairmont Hotel atop Nob Hill in scenic San Francisco.  

The Fairmont Hotel

The conference opened on Thursday morning with an optional pre-conference, and I attended a workshop on Teaching Wisdom, led by Dr. Kevin Washburn. The session was thought-provoking and discussed the idea of teaching "Creative Thinking" rather than content.  Below is a video that was shown to prompt conversation.  Dr. Washburn talked about the need for educators to teach the "basics" in order to give students the skills needed, and then the freedom to develop their own technique and the choices to develop their creativity.  He touched on the importance of self-direction in learners and moved into the concept of helping students develop "wisdom".  He listed eight capacities commonly seen in "wise" people: Self-regulation, Valuing, Morality, Compassion, Humility, Altruism, Emotional Regulation and Dealing with Uncertainty.  It was an interesting dialogue that made me think about what more our schools should be doing to help build these skills, recognizing that each of them requires time to develop. 

Thursday afternoon then kicked off the main conference, with the focus of keynote speakers being the brain science behind educating happy, healthy, moral and self-regulated learners.  Many of the speakers were Neuro-scientists, Psychologists and Medical professionals and admittedly, several of the sessions left me wanting more.  I found some of the presenters a little dry and too technical regarding the biology of the brain and the chemical rationale for certain behaviors.  There were, however, some excellent links to understanding why certain teaching strategies are more effective in connecting with the adolescent brain.  The two most dynamic and engaging speakers were Dr. David Walsh and Dr. Yong Zhao.

Dr. Walsh is a renowned Parenting and Education professor from Minnesota who has been seen on television talking about how self-regulated children have a better chance of success in school (he reproduced the famous Marshmallow test-see below).  I saw three sessions led by Dr. Walsh and was impressed by each one.  In The Brain Goes to School, Dr. Walsh talked about GABA as a brain relaxer that needs to be released in order for someone to be ready to learn.  He explained that GABA will be present  when people feel comfortable and connected to others, and be absent or low when the brain is on alert for threat or danger.  He also talked about dopamine and the appropriate level of challenge.  Tasks that are too easy or too difficult will result in the brain not getting the release of dopamine it needs for appropriate engagement.  Dr. Walsh also mentioned the importance of sleep, the value of exercise and some tips for how to effectively use praise.  His humorous storytelling ability and the connections to working with adolescents made the session extremely valuable.

His second session, Why Do They Act That Way?, looked at the delayed development of the Prefrontal cortex.  Dr. Walsh noted that by about 12 years of age, the brain is close to full-size, but the development of the brain and the links between neurons continues until the mid-to-late 20's.  Much of this explains the risk-taking and emotionally-charged behaviour seen in many adolescents.  Dr. Walsh commented that adults use the prefrontal cortex to read emotions, while adolescents use the amygdala, which often results in over-emotional reactions. 

In his third session, Say Yes to No, Dr. Walsh talked about the challenge of teaching self-control to children when today's culture promotes concepts like MORE, FAST, EASY and FUN.  As indicated in the video below, he stressed the importance in setting boundaries and having clear expectations for children which helps them develop the ability to say no to themselves.  He also mentioned that ability to self-regulate is a greater predictor of success, happiness and popularity than is IQ.  Dr. Walsh provided great insights into the challenges and purposes of parenting and teaching adolescents.

Dr. Zhao also gave an extremely humorous and engaging presentation on What Defines a High Quality Education?  A professor at the University of Oregon, Dr. Zhao hails from a small farming community in China and he spoke about the high PISA rankings that China (specifically Shanghai) has scored while the United States languishes at a significantly lower ranking.  He asked some very pointed questions about the infatuation the American media has with these results and thinks that too much value is being placed on them.  He spoke candidly about the differences between the Chinese and American education systems, noting that higher tests scores do not necessarily mean a better education.  Dr. Zhao indicated that Americans have long been concerned about being "poor test-takers", often finishing below Russia, then Japan, now Finland and China in International rankings.  He then compared the system in the United States to that in China and stated that he felt Americans embraced creative thought, cultivated entrepreneurship, and promoted self-confidence and risk-taking.  His experience in the Chinese system found that students were given less opportunity to develop self-confidence, they were told to respect and not question authority and they were asked to conform, thus reducing the development of innovative and creative thoughts and ideas.  He stated that despite the high success rates on PISA tests, the Chinese were calling for education reform, attempting to change the mindset to "Invent a job, not Find a job".  He raised some very important questions, and reminded us all to ask the question, "What makes a successful education?" 

Aside from the experience of the conference, I was blown away by the city of San Francisco.  I had not been as an adult and with the weather ideal (16-18 degrees and sunny every day... quite a welcomed change from what I had become used to in Vancouver), we took any opportunity we had to tour the city.  The Golden Gate Bridge, Fisherman's Wharf, Ghirardelli Square, the Embarcadero, Union Square, Alcatraz, the cable cars and so many others sights to see.  It was easy to see why so many people from around the world rave about the scenery.  Living in Vancouver, I usually find myself returning home from travel commenting on how there is no place in the world more beautiful than the Lower Mainland of British Columbia.  San Francisco is the first place I have been where the comparison between Vancouver and another locale caused me to pause for a moment.

The Cable Cars

The Golden Gate Bridge

It was a welcomed respite from the hectic schedule I have been keeping at work.  It allowed me to think and reflect and it reaffirmed much of what we are already doing with our education practices in British Columbia.  As we continue to look for new and better ways of going about our work, I am confident that we can change the perception that some students have that school is a place like this....

Alcatraz!

Frustrated and tired...

As a preface to this post, I need to remember the time of year and acknowledge that I may be fatigued, as may several of the people with whom I have spoken.  Our school has just completed semester break and the week of exams, supervision, marking, and preparation for semester 2 start-up has left many people (myself included) exhausted.  When this is coupled with the continuing labour dispute and negative press that surrounds education in British Columbia, many of the best in the business are frustrated and feeling a lack of appreciation of their efforts.

During the week, I had the opportunity to engage in several conversations with teachers about how they are doing and what they are looking forward to next semester.  While many are excitedly preparing for new courses and a new group of students, some are frustrated by a series of issues being faced by our educators.  I also watched a Dan Rather Reports episode called "Finnish First", a report on how the American system is lagging behind the education system in Finland, and it caused me to reflect on how educators in this province may be feeling.

Linda Darling-Hammond, Professor in the Stanford University School of Education, was quoted several times throughout the piece (below is just one excerpt), and she talked about how the Finnish system doesn't put great value in standardized testing (an issue in BC, but an even greater issue in the United States), has a shorter school day for students, and supports the teaching of the arts, noting that success in those areas transfers well to core courses like Math and Science.  What really caught my attention, though, was her comment that Finland's educators are happy to be teachers.  She describes them as feeling appreciated, appropriately paid, well-trained and selectively chosen, not having massive debt and being given plenty of time to train and continue professional development.  This is an important factor in any profession.  Do the employees feel valued and appreciated?  I know that B.C.'s teachers love what they do, but I worry about how supported they are feeling.  I am not suggesting that Finland's system is infinitely superior to Canada's (I am sure Finland has its own set of problems in school and in society), but I am confident that much of the reason for Finland's success in education has to do with a qualified and satisfied teacher workforce.

Reflecting again upon the conversations I had this week, I am drawn to two discussions with two of our very best, most dedicated teachers.  Both of them care passionately about kids, work exceedingly hard to prepare students for their futures and are constantly rethinking their practice, looking for new and better ways of doing things.  In both cases, the students in these teachers' classes enjoy being there and recognize that they are being challenged, well-prepared, and given an opportunity to develop skills that will serve them well.  Both teachers are considered firm and fair evaluators who support their students, but insist on a level of work and engagement that will result in the students learning.  These teachers are also very strong leaders within our school community, and help affect whatever change our school attempts to make regarding assessment practices, embracing technology or sharing ideas around new teaching strategies. 

While the reputation of each of the teachers is very strong, they are presently feeling frustrated for a variety of reasons, among them the fact that many students are wanting to withdraw from their courses to take the same class on-line.  The reason for the students making this request is simple and clearly articulated; they admit that they would likely learn more in the class offered in the school with either of these teachers, but feel that "it will be easier to get a better mark if I take it on-line".  Please note that this post is neither an indictment of the on-line learning programs around the province, nor is it an attack on the BC Ed plan, much of which, as articulated in an earlier post, I agree with and think we are already doing.  What concerns me, however, is the inconsistency within it.  We continue to speak about improving our assessment practices, trying to move away from numbers to more descriptive feedback about what students are learning.  But with universities, parents and students still clamoring for numerical data, we do not appear ready for the societal shift that needs to accompany this change.  Conflicting messages about needing certain marks versus learning for learning's sake still bombard students, who often choose the path of least resistance, opting for what they feel is an easier route to their desired goal.  As the BC Ed plan promotes more Personalized Learning and the use of technology to assist students educational pursuits, this conflict may increase.  We must remember that the system we have now has evolved over many years, and while not perfect, has many excellent qualities and practices that should not be abandoned as we search for new and innovative methodologies to add to both teaching and learning.

So what is my point?  Primarily, that we are doing an excellent job educating our students in British Columbia (see chart below that has Canada ranked 3rd in the world on 2009 PISA testing, and note that BC is considered one of the best educated provinces in our country), despite the challenges being faced (including a widely diverse population and what many consider to be funding shortfalls within education).  Can we improve?  Of course we can, and we will, but only if our very best teachers feel their efforts are appreciated, recognized and appropriately supported.  The discussions around the BC Education Plan need to be carefully considered and the relationship between the government and the important stakeholder group of teachers needs to be repaired. To create a new plan, force it upon teachers who are feeling unappreciated and underpaid and then have the group face reports describing them as greedy, dishonest and unprofessional (a common practice in negotiations, I understand) is not likely to result in the positive outcomes described in the BC Ed plan. It may, in fact, chase away some of the best and brightest in the profession--the ones we need most to continue to improve our already excellent system.

Life-changing Learning

The first week back after a break is always a challenge.  Finding the rhythm, returning to busy-ness, early mornings, late evenings, the stress of trying to balance home and work...  This week has been difficult, and I am tired (despite it being only 4 days long).  After enjoying this morning's Canucks versus Bruins hockey game (a high-emotion game, to be sure!), I can not stop thinking about a fantastic class I had the chance to observe on Wednesday.

Allow me to give a brief history to what led to the lesson.  Shortly before the Winter Break, I was approached by a young teacher at our school who was inquiring about taking a two-week leave of absence.  She had recently been presented with an opportunity to travel to Rwanda and do some volunteer teaching of English in the Agahozo-Shalom Youth Village (ASYV) just outside of Kigali. As a fairly young teacher, she was unclear on whether or not she could get the time away from her job in Richmond, and what the cost would be.  While worried about the consequences, she was enthusiastic about what she could learn from this opportunity.

After speaking with me, she contacted her teachers union and the teaching personnel office to request a leave.  It was granted, and she was given permission to venture to Rwanda for two weeks, starting December 30th.  She has been there now for one week, and has been blogging about the experience as a means of journaling and sharing (her blog is appropriately titled Hand in Hand: As You Teach You Learn).  What she describes is both eye-opening and inspiring (for her and the readers).

The village was originally founded by Anne Heyman to aid teenaged orphans from the Rwandan Genocide of 1994.  The model for the village is based on the Yemen Orde Youth Village, which was established in Israel to help orphans from the Holocaust.  The village was built to accommodate 500 orphaned students aged 15-21 with a focus on caring for, protecting, helping and nurturing these children who have survived some incredible hardships.  The intent is for graduates to be ready to continue their educational pursuits and lead balanced lives with a commitment to making their community, country and the world a better place.

On Wednesday afternoon,  one of the classes Ms. Davis team-teaches with another staff member at Burnett had the pleasure of connecting with their teacher via Skype.  I watched as students got to interact with their teacher, ask her questions about the experience, and learn about Rwanda, the genocide and the efforts to support the survivors, all in real time!  The students were genuinely interested and engaged, learning about Rwanda, social responsibility, and technology.  When the Ministry of Education talks about the BC Education Plan, here is an example of high learner-engagement working on 21st Century Skills, empowered by technology.

The experience Ms. Davis is getting is indeed life-changing, and I laud her for taking the risk (both financial and otherwise).  But I am equally impressed with how this experience is impacting students at Burnett.  When I reflect on the education I had when growing up, I have nothing but positive memories.  I had the chance to be influenced by strong professional instructors (see blog post, World Teacher Day), and enjoyed time making friends and memories, playing sports and learning some requisite skills that have served me well in life.  But nowhere in my experience was there a focus on the world like students are exposed to today.  Many schools around BC have social awareness volunteer programs, with opportunities for students to travel to less fortunate parts of the world and build schools, homes, playgrounds etc.  Even for students unable to travel on these expeditions, there is a much more broad awareness of social issues and a desire to help than there was in my school years.  Much of this is due to the technology tools that can "bring-to-life" the experiences of others in far away locales, but it is also a credit to the students and educators who are making it a priority.

Congratulations and thank you goes out to Ms. Stephanie Davis and the organization she is working with.  You are making a difference in the lives of the people in Rwanda, but your impact is far greater than that.  You are setting an example for many others, and by sharing your experience with them using technology tools like blogging and Skype, the good work you are doing will cause others, here in Richmond and around the world, to be more active in helping those in need.  We are all impressed with your willingness to take risks, help, and teach others.  This is 21st Century Learning at its finest!

One Year Later

I swore I would not do this, but here goes anyway...  A blog about my one year anniversary of Blogging and Tweeting as well as a New Year's resolution.

During the Winter Holidays of 2010, I was introduced to Blogging and Twitter by a colleague and friend of mine (@terryainge and Pacer Post).  He was relatively new to it also, but was describing the benefits, saying that Twitter was the best Professional Development tool he had come across, since it helped him stay informed and connected at any time of day.  He described Blogging as a means of formulating and articulating more clearly some of his philosophical beliefs about education.  I had some time over the break a year ago to play around and attempt to learn what benefits the two social media tools could provide me, and admit to becoming hooked almost immediately.

Just over one year has passed since my introduction and I still do not use Twitter like I could, only rarely finding the time to "Tweet" about an article I have read or a link to somebody else's blog.  I do, however, use it as a "voyeur", and it helps me stay informed with the most recent articles, thoughts and discussions on many topics within education.  I have yet to participate in an #edchat or other Twitter discussion hashtag, but have been an interested on-looker and can certainly see the value.  I have spread the word about the use of Twitter for the purposes of Professional Development with our staff, and have managed to get a few teachers to join in.  A commitment I am making to myself for the upcoming year is to get more actively engaged with all that Twitter can provide, becoming more willing to participate in the discussions, share my beliefs and challenge the thinking of myself and others.

While I have not yet taken full advantage of all that Twitter has to offer, Blogging has been much more meaningful for me.  On December 21, 2010, I posted my first entry, about the Seniors Brunch, an act of social responsibility our school has been engaged in for the past 12 years.  I found the process of writing about it very valuable since I was forced to synthesize more clearly all that I saw as important in the things we do at school.  I have long had some general ideas about what is important, and some vague answers to the question, "Why do we do what we do?"  Blogging has forced me to think more deeply about what is important, and made me take the vague philosophies I have, and make them more specific, and in some ways, more measurable (though measuring all that is important in schools is a hot-button topic for a future post).  Writing for an audience is very good for forcing people to put more thought and specifics to what may have been vague ideas, and some staff at our school are now using blogs with their students for those very reasons.

Shortly after writing that first post, I took the time to reflect on all that my good friend, Lorne Bodin, has taught me over the years we have known each other.  His fight with cancer, his passing in early January, and my family's attempts to support his family, still occupy my thoughts daily.  Blogging about him was a form of therapy, and it served as a great communication tool for sharing information about his Celebration of Life and the Photos from the event.

Since that time, I have returned to blogging about the goings-on within our school and community, writing with great pride about the amazingly talented staff and students who continue to overcome obstacles to produce and be responsible for impressive feats of socially-responsible behaviour, academic achievement and extra-curricular excellence.  Admittedly, much of what I write about is little more than school newsletter material, but I find even that serves a valuable purpose.  As the Principal of a school, it is important that I am aware of the things occurring in our building, and if I am hoping to influence some change and/or improvements in how we go about our business, then one of the most effective methods for encouraging this growth is to celebrate the positive examples already happening.  While some see Blogging as a tool for challenging thinking and posing questions (which it is), I fully intend to continue using my blog as an on-line journal, celebrating the accomplishments of our school, in hopes of expanding the pockets of excellence that I see.

As I grow more comfortable with my role and the use of the tools, however, I hope to be able to push the limits of my social media use, encouraging deeper thought and spurring on greater connections and conversations within my workplace.  Therein lies my New Year's Resolution.  I resolve to take my involvement with Twitter and Blogging to a deeper level, encouraging even greater thought and reflection and to challenge my thinking and the thinking of those with whom I interact, in hopes of promoting my professional growth and the continued improvement of the school where I work.  While there is some inherent risk in this, I believe it is a risk worth taking.  Some of the questions I may ask, or the philosophies I may share, could result in failure, but to quote Sir Winston Churchill (found in a blog by Jeff Delp, a fantastic administrator/blogger from Arizona whom I follow), and words for all of us to remember when working with our students and children,

"Success is not final, failure is not fatal;  It is the courage to continue that counts"

I look forward to continuing the journey, and hope that those who take the time to read what I put out there find some value in it also.

Enjoy the rest of your holidays, and may 2012 bring health and happiness to you and your family.

Great things...

The last few weeks of school before a holiday are always crazy.  Students and teachers are frantically trying to tidy up lose ends, and all members of the school community are slightly frazzled and looking forward to a break.  This year was just like every other, and I, for one, am very pleased to now be enjoying some "down-time", and reconnecting with my wife and children.

As busy as the past few weeks have been, however, I would be remiss if I did not take a moment to thank and congratulate all of the people who have made them enjoyable, despite the frenetic pace.  There have been several spectacular events recently, among them:

The canned food drive organized by our Student Council.

As in every year, the month of December is full of socially-responsible efforts (including our school-wide Conference Day and Seniors Brunch), and the Student Council once again championed a canned food drive.  Every C block class for four weeks, students were asked to bring in donations that would be packaged up and sent to the Richmond Food Bank to aid people less fortunate.  Once again, Burnett students gave in record numbers, this time collecting over 16,000 items which were taken to the food bank.  Way to go Breakers!

The Winter Music Concert featuring the talents of the Burnett Music Department.

The annual concert brought in standing-room-only crowds of friends and family who were entertained by the Beginner's Band, Jazz Band and Concert Band under the direction of Burnett Music teacher, Ms. Sue Freeman.  The show was superb and left all members of the audience proud of the work done by these musicians, and the music performed helped people get into the festive mood.

Santa's Breakfast, also organized by our Student Council, was yet another December event where the entire school came together from 8 AM to 9 AM on the last day of school to share some Christmas and Holiday spirit and be entertained by the Jazz Band, Glee Club and make more donations to the Food Bank.  Staff and students were treated to a delicious breakfast put on by the Student Council.  The event set a great tone for the last day of school, and got people excited about the holidays!

The Edge Project, featuring the talents of the Burnett Drama Department, was hosted by the Green Thumb Theatre company and performed at the Roundhouse Community Center.  This high-quality, professionally-produced show, featured material written and performed entirely by students.  There were four schools from around the Lower Mainland (Burnett, Alpha, Seycove and Tupper), each performing five different scenes about teenage life.  It was an important, thought-provoking show, and speaking with the students after the show, one could see how justifiably proud of themselves they were.

I also had the pleasure of observing some amazing classes, as students performed in a mock-trial in Law 12, played some wildly engaging games of Jeopardy in a couple of Socials Studies 9 and 10 classes, and all Junior PE students performed their own creative dance projects for huge audiences in the gym on the last day of school.  In each of the classes I observed, I saw students completely engaged, being creative, courageous and respectful of one another.  Everything I saw reflects very positively on our staff and students, and our entire community should be proud of what is going on in our school.

Another fantastic month, where I got to see amazingly talented people working hard to produce stunning events.  I continue to be impressed by the courage and attitudes of the young people we have the pleasure of working with.  When I look back on my teenage years, I know that I was not as socially-aware as students today, nor did I have the confidence to perform on stage in front of my peers.  Kudos to all those involved, and I wish you all a happy holiday season and best of luck for the new year.  See you in 2012!

Conference Day and Seniors Brunch

Last Tuesday, Burnett Secondary had the first of it's two annual "Conference Days".  These are days when the school shuts down normal operation and focuses on the topics of Social Responsibility (the December day) and Career Awareness (in February).  The Social Responsibility day has become a highlight of the year for many staff and students, as well as members of our community.  Among the activities planned for the day are:  Guest speakers like Jeff Torres, who spoke about overcoming obstacles and making a positive impact, Jonathan Livingstone, representing Youth Unlimited, who talked about making tough choices, Marion Cassirer, who spoke about her survival story during the holocaust, John Banovitch from MADD, who presented about Drinking and Driving, and Matt Hill and Steph Tait-Run for One Planet, who presented about environmental sustainability.  The day also included lessons delivered to homeroom classes on topics such as Suicide Awareness (Chimo), Stress Management and Healthy Relationships (Planet Ahead), Bullying, Racism, Safe Driving, and Grade 12's spent time updating their Graduation Transitions documents. 

Unquestionably, however, the highlight of the day is the Seniors brunch.  This is the 12th annual event (my first-ever blog post was reflecting on last year's event) where we invite over 120 seniors from neighboring care homes and community centres to our school and offer them some lunch, as well as entertainment (the Jazz Band and Glee club perform) and some good-natured companionship. Writing about her experience in helping coordinate the brunch is Leadership 11/12 student, Jei So.

  Our Leadership teacher once said, “99% of the work for all successful events goes into planning them” and for Senior’s Brunch, we followed her thesis and made this event both successful and memorable.  To be frank, this was not a simple task that my classmates and I could complete in just one class because there were so many things to organize!  All the jobs sure did sound easy, but once we started to work… boy!  Was there a day where we didn’t have a problem?  The day our instructor, Ms Cain, brought up this event, our class was organized into different committees.  For example, we had the invitations committee, food committee, table decorations committee, MCs and so on.  I was part of the invitations group, so I remember making a total number of 180 invitation cards for each of the seniors and actually going to the different senior centres to drop them off!  That by itself was not an easy task because I think we had only 3 days to make all the cards and get them delivered. However, we got a lot of help from everyone (even from people that weren’t in our leadership class!) so thankfully we managed to get it all done in time!  Speaking of helpers, we had A LOT of people that volunteered their own time to help us out and support us! Honestly, I don’t think this event could have been pulled off if people didn’t help.

   On the day of Senior’s Brunch, I could tell that everyone was nervous but excited!  It was such a beautiful moment when the seniors got out of their buses and walked towards the school with smiles on their faces.  Some even dressed up just for this event!  As we greeted them inside the school, we got to have a little chat with them and get to know them a bit!  It was a truly touching moment because for some of them, we learned that this was the only event they went to and actually looked forward to (this pressured us but at the same time, it made us have the determination and passion to do the best we could).  As an MC, although I was very nervous, I felt comfortable talking in front of the seniors mostly because I knew that they were warm-hearted and understanding.  During the event, we had JN Burnett’s Jazz band come in and play wonderful Christmas music while the seniors ate their sandwiches and soup!  This was my first time hearing our Jazz Band play and I never knew how amazing they were!  It almost felt like I was listening to a recorded Christmas album!  In addition, we got our school’s Glee Club to perform.  The performance by itself gave everyone smiles.  We could tell that the seniors absolutely loved their performances because some of them were singing along, feeling the beat of the song, and moving their bodies!  So, thank you Jazz Band and Glee club!  As the event was going to conclude, we decided to add in an “open mic” session where anyone could come up on stage to tell a story, a joke, sing, make a comment, and basically just share their thoughts with each other.  Fortunately, we had numerous seniors that came up mostly to thank us.  That was an extremely precious moment for everyone that participated in Seniors brunch, mainly because their comments made us feel good!  

   The best part of this event was that we truly got to experience the joy of giving back to our community and it really did feel absolutely amazing.  I was so thankful that our leadership class got this opportunity.  One thing that I cannot get out of my mind is when almost 2/3 of the seniors got up to form a conga line with the students, including Santa and the elves!  In conclusion, even though it took us a lot of hard work to make this event successful, it was fun and everyone had a marvellous time.  In addition, it brought people closer together and created opportunities for people to meet new people!  For example, I got to work with some different staff members at the school and I really got to know them better!  

   PS- Senior’s Brunch definitely goes into my list of why I love the month of December the most! I will be looking forward to next year’s Seniors Brunch!

 

To all of the staff and students who participated in the day, the Conference Day planning committee (Mrs. Musani, Ms. Takada, Mr, Anderson, Mr. Lee, Mr. McDonnell and Mrs. Ten-Pow), Ms. Freeman and the Jazz band, the student-run Glee club, and of course, Ms. Cain, Mr. Ghaug and the Leadership class who worked so hard putting together the Seniors brunch, THANK-YOU!  It was yet another magical day for our students and our guests.  It is always great when we can slow down, help others, and become more aware of how to make the world a better place.

Recent reading

This past summer, as part of my preparation to assume a new role (Principal of J.N. Burnett Secondary School), I decided to expand my reading repertoire.  For several years, I have never given myself enough time or felt it important enough to delve deeply into literature that could help me improve my practice, or even become more aware of different ways to do or think about things.  I will admit to having been little more than a magazine reader (Sports Illustrated, most often), with the occasional biography or sports-related story (Andre Agassi's Open, Randy Pausch's The Last Lecture and Mitch Albom's Tuesdays with Morrie as examples) thrown in during infrequent family vacations.  Thanks to my recent involvement with Twitter, I have been inspired to read several excellent books by accomplished authors, many of whom discuss valuable ideas around education and working with young people.  Among the most thought-provoking that I have read over the past few months include:

The Element by Sir Ken Robinson

Outliers by Malcolm Gladwell

Drive by Dan Pink

Childhood Under Siege by Joel Bakan

and most recently, Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother by Amy Chua

Each provided me much to consider.  I found myself nodding in agreement with most of what Dan Pink articulated, since I have long felt as an athlete I never had "Drive" for an extrinsic reward, but rather because I enjoyed seeing improvements from hard work and I wanted to continue making those gains.  I struggled with some of what Sir Ken Robinson suggested, perhaps because his stories all profiled extreme examples of high achievers, and society is comprised of people with widely diverse work ethics, backgrounds, experiences and attributes.  He never discussed 'how-to' achieve the "Element" and I feel that the 'way-of-the-world' will make it hard for many to find theirs.  Malcolm Gladwell's book dove-tailed nicely with Robinson's, better exploring the reasons why "Outliers" were successful (10,000 hours, opportunity, luck, culture etc).  Gladwell also wrote specifically about education and attempted to explain the Asian affinity for Mathematics.  His examples made some sense, and caused me to think about what happens in schools like the one I work in.  I was impressed by the research poured into Joel Bakan's "Childhood Under Siege", but surprised by the American angle it held, especially since he lives next door to my parents in Vancouver.  Also, while I appreciated much of what he wrote, I felt the conspiracy theories he discussed resulted in too paranoid an outlook, despite his concluding statement that he was optimistic because of his faith in our youth. 

The work most thought-provoking for me, however, was Amy Chua's "Battle Hymn of the Tiger Mother" (which I just read this weekend).  Full of sweeping over-generalizations about "Chinese" and "Western" parenting styles, despite being somewhat self-deprecating and humorous, the book can be seen as inflammatory.  All of that aside, what the author made me consider are the dangers and benefits of two opposing styles of working with young people.  Chua is a demanding perfectionist who can be described as micro-managing her children's lives.  She recognizes this and attributes it to her Chinese heritage.  She also wrestles with her idea that this a better way to raise children than the more "Western" traditions of play, freedom, self-discovery.  As even Chua notes, there are countless parents, regardless of cultural background, who fit into either style (more often defined as 'traditional' or 'progressive') and I have seen both types within the same cultures in my own school community. She claims to favour her style, stating that "Western" parenting is the "path-of-least-resistance" and does not teach the values of perseverance and the confidence that comes from hard work.  Her strategies have led to great successes for her children, but at times have sabotaged her relationships with them.  Despite those drawbacks, much of what she does echoes what is profiled in Gladwell's "Outliers" (hours of opportunity, cultural traditions, work ethics etc.) and while she subscribes to reward techniques that are not always aligned with Pink's theories in "Drive", she argues, somewhat compellingly, that her hard-driving style is helping develop a self-confidence in her children that will serve them well, wherever life takes them (though she seems to be attempting to make the choices for them on where their lives will go).

I highly recommend each of these books for anyone interested in expanding their thinking and reconsidering what parents and schools must do to better equip children for the future.  The common thread running through each one (with the possible exception of "Childhood Under Siege"), whether you agree with the author's position or not, is that confidence plays a huge role in learning, discovering passions and feeling successful.  The question raised for me following all of this reading is, "how do we help instill that confidence in our learners?"  I do not have all the answers, but with the BC Education Plan we need to keep in mind that sometimes the pendulum of change can swing too far, and we can lose sight of the many great things we have done in education in this province as we search for something new.  We need to create learning environments that develop a sense of confidence where we blend some of the traditional "Chinese" elements of work ethic, discipline and  perseverance (as celebrated by Amy Chua), while still encouraging more progressive "Western" ideals of self-discovery, social interaction and pursuing passions.  I am not suggesting that one style is better than another (though I consider Chua's efforts far too extreme for most parents and children), but there needs to be an awareness of the benefits and shortcomings of each, and, as Chua herself admits as her story continues, a willingness to incorporate aspects of each style when working with children.  Doing so will lead us to improve upon an already exceptionally strong education system.