Keep the Important the Focus

This morning sipping my coffee and checking out my news feeds I came across the following article on Ruby Bridges, The six year old who defied a mob.  Reading this article and imagining what this little girl and her family had to endure just to attend school was a powerful reminder about why we do what we do as educators and how we need to keep our focus on the important and not get overwhelmed with the urgent.  Education can be a complex, messy, complicated endeavor, that often feels overwhelming as we are confronted with standardized tests scores, government curriculum redesigns, students and families with complex social, emotional and learning profiles.  Tack on a general feeling of negativity towards public education that sees teachers as highly paid baby sitters and it is easy to lose one's passion and purpose.

I have rewritten my thoughts on this article several times and deleted them as I truly have too much to say around it but for me it really instilled a renewed sense of defiance about what I value in education and why I became a teacher.  

This is the sort of article I would have printed out and used the basis of a lesson in my social studies class and really challenged my students to explore what it speaks to them about regarding society, education, our past, where we are at today and where we want to be in the future.  In that spirit I will just leave it here and allow you to read the article if you so choose and decided for yourself what it means to you.

The Wellness Teeter Totter

As we navigate these strange covid days there is more attention than ever being placed on mental health and the strain that working and living  through a pandemic is  placing on people.  As a result wellness is a daily topic of conversation in our schools, workplaces, the newsfeeds and social circles.  These conversations take many forms but are often centered around work-life balance and addressing individual's social, emotional and physical health. Personally these conversation hit home for me as personal and professional wellness has been at the centre of my decision-making since my university/railroad days when things weren't all that well or balanced.  What I have come to know over the years is that there is no "silver bullet" program or practice that ensures wellness.  The reality is wellness is like teeter totter with a wide variety of stressors that may unbalance us and require specific interventions and/or practices to bring the teeter totter back into balance.  

I would say in my late 20's I needed much more social and emotional support as a single guy navigating his way into adulthood and a career and at times felt could feel isolated and alone.  After graduating from University my decision to leave the railway and move back to Prince George and start my teaching career was the reset moment that I needed even though it meant walking away from a 6 figure job and moving into a basement suite with some buddies that was affectionately known as the "crack house" (because of the condition of the property, not because we were doing crack). Even though financially it looked like a bad move, surrounding myself with like-minded friends and moving away from social settings that had become negative influences on my life, was precisely the wellness decision I had to make.

Once I was married and had children my family provided the social and emotional stability and it was work-life balance support I needed as my wife and I both were professionals working full-time, going to school for our master's degrees, parenting two young boys and coaching.  Time management, efficiency and routines became very important for our family to ensure that our time together was high in quality to make up for the lack of quantity at times.  Balance was about placing importance on evening tobogganing, weekends at the cabin, days playing in the gym and holidays with family.   

As my boys moved into their teenage years life was extremely busy so ensuring we could quiet the "noise" and get respite from hectic schedules became paramount.  Summers, spring breaks and Christmas holidays become more important than ever as our weekends and evening were filled with activities.  As a result balance had to be viewed with a longer lens as the teeter totter rocked back and forth depending on the time of year and the season but never sat in equilibrium.  Looking back at those years would I say they were challenging, tiring, frustrating at times?  Absolutely, however, they were also some of the best and most rewarding times of my life.  

Of course my emphasis on wellness is always around my wife and boys, however, since I am not independently wealthy there can be no balance without work.  In fact, it is quite interesting to me how "work-life balance" has come to mean that any time a person is stressed, busy or feeling unhappy it must be the work part that needs to curtailed.  Now don't get me wrong, I like not working. I would say one of my great skills is not working.  However, I also believe that work can give you purpose and satisfaction and that sometimes it is a grind.  This doesn't mean one suffers through a job they hate but it does mean making informed choices around what you want out of your job or career and realizing that it is called work for a reason.  I haven't always know what I want to do, but I have been lucky in that I am pretty aware of what I don't want to do.  When I first got into school administration I found that I didn't like the discipline aspect and how my connection and relationships with students changed, so I quit and went back to the classroom, which turned out to be the best decision I could have made as it allowed me the opportunity to build a school based soccer program as well as be the lead teacher in the Canadian Sport School of Northern BC.  At the same time I was also reinvigorated by the social studies classroom experience and I through myself into curriculum development with a group of friends and colleagues founding the Pacific Slope Consortium that lead to course design, professional development and textbook writing.  And now after 17 years and in a different point in my life with many different experiences I find myself back in school administration in a position better suited to my love of curriculum development.  

Now as I head into my 50s and my kids are done high school and life is slowing down a little, personal health and fitness is more important than ever in keeping balance.  This became very clear a few years ago when I began experiencing a slight tingling in my arm and hand (read more here). Of course when I first felt some discomfort dealt with it like I had always done.  Ignore it, outwork it, endure it and this slight annoyance will go away.  Well much to my surprise that tingling was due to a disc in my neck that apparently had  been acting up for years (and mostly ignored by me) and within weeks I had gone from working out 5 days a week, playing soccer and ball hockey and training for a marathon to  laying in my bed a night hoping that fatigue would overtake me so I could just get a few minutes of sleep.  It was at this time that I realized that everything I planned for or imagined in my future relied on me being physically active.  Vacations, hobbies, social circles, leisure time, even work all relied on me being fit and active.  The thought that I may not be able to do simple things anymore like going for a walk, riding a bike or playing tennis was sobering to say the least.  Luckily, cervical discs are apparently a little like a faulty part on a car and once I finally got to the right doctor who could remove the disc and install some hardware the pain disappeared I was ready for road trips again.  Of course, my doctor was quick to point out that my other discs were also not in great shape and that if I kept treating my body like I was 18 he would be seeing me again very soon.  As a result, I now focus on avoiding the boom and bust cycle of the weekend warrior and make sure I am getting consistent daily activity that focuses on injury prevention as well as just fitness and fun.  

So as we are now coming to the end of 2020 and moving deep into the COVID second wave, wellness and balance are more important than ever to individuals and society as a whole.  It is tough to see so many people struggle with no real answers or solutions.  It is heartbreaking to see fear and worry turn to despair and depression with  negativity eating away at people.   For me the path forward  at this time is to prioritize family, health and work, in that order.  If those three things are taken care of on a daily basis then I am winning, the rest is out of my control.  I am thankful every day for what I have and never for once take it for granted and at the same time I know like my neck injury it can be lost so quickly that I will embrace what the day brings and try to keep the teeter totter from bucking me off.  This is what wellness is to me!

Papa's Got A Brand New Bag

 Sometimes what goes around comes around and 17 years after my first go I find myself back in the school administration game being in charge my district's Distance Education school.  Not sure what it says about me that I gave up possibly the best job in BC teaching senior social studies and the Northern BC Sports School to take on distance education in the middle of a pandemic but never the less here I am.  

In all honestly it has been a positive experience as it does feel like our students need alternatives at this time and to be right in the thick of it gives one a feeling of purpose.  Not to mention you definitely don't need to look for things to do during the day.    

  

Well This Blows!

So I was watching a movie the other day and there was this family.  They get on a plane heading off on vacation.  Friends will be joining them in a few days and they are looking forward to some sun, sand and relaxation.  Flights are smooth, connections on time and they land in their destination  24 hours later on March 13 3:30pm to the pleasant smell of warm salt air and the news that the world has just changed dramatically.  All north american sports leagues have shut down, international sporting events canceled, youth sports practices suspended, schools closing, the Prime Minister calling citizens abroad to return home.  Wait, that wasn't a movie that was the beginning of our spring break!  Seriously, WTF!

I guess we all should have seen it coming.  There were warning signs all over the world, China, Italy, Japan, but no one did.  And I mean no one!  Even the experts with all the information didn't see this coming as the international travel, mass gatherings, conferences, were all still taking place right up to that society changing 24 hours. You think I'm exaggerating check this timeline out.   https://nationalpost.com/news/how-the-covid-19-pandemic-changed-the-world-in-one-week-a-video-timeline

I guess a lot of it has to do with how insulated life here in North America is for most of us.  We just haven't been affected on a real personal level with many of the things that the rest of the world deals with.  Revolution, mass food shortages, sweeping disease are things in the news that we take note of, even empathize with, but then are thankful that we live where we live. Even global conflicts Canada has been involved in like our 13 years in Afghanistan just haven't affected the average citizen on a personal level.  We have just become very used to going about our daily business effectively avoiding or weathering the storms that affect so much of the rest of the world.  I mean Ebola was some scary shit to read about and sure we were hit by SARS but ultimately we seemed to deal with that without much disruption to society.  This coronavirus thing would surely be something we deal with and move along.

Well here we are on the last day of spring break 2020 and the nation is self-isolating, borders are closed, domestic travel is restricted and we are all holding our breath hoping we can slow this thing down.  Now don't get me wrong, we are not enduring hardship and sacrifice yet, just inconvenience  and boredom but we are seeing government interventions and policies put in place that up to two weeks ago would have been unheard of.  The goal they say is to flatten the curve.  We are not talking about avoiding or stopping the virus we are talking about slowing it down to give our health care system time to react and respond while a vaccine is worked on.  Let us all hope that the inconveniences we are currently faced with help us avoid the greater sacrifices that much of the world has already endured due to this virus.

Joeseph Chamberlain, a British politician, was quoted in a 1898 speech as saying "I think that you will all agree that we are living in most interesting times. I never remember myself a time in which our history was so full, in which day by day brought us new objects of interest, and, let me say also,new objects for anxiety." I for one would definitely trade in these interesting times for a boring day on the beach with my family and friends!

Time Flies

I haven't posted or checked this Blog in a long time.  Funny, it didn't seem quite as long as it was but wow, time does fly.  Pretty crazy that Connor is now deep into his last semester of grade 12, Graeme is ending year 3 of university and is looking at transferring to UofA for next year and we are just a couple weeks away from our last spring break with Connor.  The next stage of our life is fast approaching and while Marla and I are looking forward to the next steps in our lives and the boys' it is sometimes hard not to be a bit nostalgic and wonder how it all goes by so quick.  Been a good ride and I sure hope it just keeps rolling.

The not so social media

Well I have done it.  After being a pretty early adopter to most social media forms outside of facebook (never could buy in to facebook, see my post facebook-shmacebook) I have deleted all  of my social media accounts.  I have been thinking about it for quite a while but couldn't come to click the delete button.  I can see the potential in social media for good and I value the information sharing it  allows, however, I can no longer take the negativity and "noise" that comes along with it.  I realized that every time I was on social media I became annoyed and frustrated. Now, I wholeheartedly acknowledge that this may have to do a lot more with me than social media but whatever, my  point is I am not going to invest any more time into an artificial world that breeds fake compliments and swarming negativity. 

Of course, this may seem a bit ironic as I write this on my blog but for me there is an important difference between my online posting and the social media world.  Social media posts are for others to see and comment on, often trolling for disingenuous validation.  My online posting are a record for me and I don't assume anyone is actually reading them.  They are actually my attempt at getting things off my chest and being less social.  Hey I am not saying I am right I am just saying this is the way it is for me.  If you disagree please feel free to not leave a comment.

WOW!!

After almost a year of debilitating nerve pain radiating through my right shoulder, chest and arm I finally woke up this Wednesday feeling better.  The ironic part is I was coming out of surgery with a hole in my neck and a titanium hardware in my spine but seriously it was better.  Thanks to Dr. Mutat at Lion's Gate Hospital and an Anterior Cervical Discectomy with titanium inter-body cage and plate fixation I can finally see some light at the end of the tunnel after a trying year.

Last January I was gearing up for a summer marathon, was working out a couple times a day, playing soccer and ball hockey and feeling more like a 25 year old than a 45 year old.  Of course, just like an car the kilometers don't lie and eventually parts wear out.

February came and I began feeling some pain in my shoulder and arm I thought I had re-aggravated an old rotator cuff injury that I had not rehabbed properly.  Of course, when faced with nagging pain I adopted a strategy that had worked well for me over the previous 45 years... Ignore it and do more!  This strategy actually worked for a bit, I took a break from ball hockey and instead increased my weight lifting and running.   Spring Break in March was OK and the pain was just nagging shooting pains that came and went but it didn't keep me from running 11 out of the 14 days in Mexico.  Once we got home, the snow was gone and April was perfect for hitting it hard getting ready for a summer of play.

I work in a Sports School with High School athletes so I get a chance to work out every day and push the limits against some pretty fit kids.  Being a decent runner I take pride on being able to push the pace against the kids and show them the old dog could still bark.  By May  I was ripping off sub 4:30 kms routinely and was feeling strong.  Then on the May long weekend I had my over 30 soccer ice-breaker tournament.   Of course, me ever being the finesse player I am I took a very hard fall after being tackled on a break away.   I woke up the next morning and the pain was back in my shoulder and by the end of the month I was having trouble standing and that was that, my body demanded I shut things down.

Of course, shutting things down is difficult when I am in the middle of coaching soccer and working.  Soooo... while waiting for MRI appointments and pain meds to maybe kick in I decided a shotgun approach to therapy would be a good idea.  After all, if physical therapy was good, and acupuncture was good and chiropractic care was good why not just alternate between it all.  Well, can you believe it, things got really bad.  It was unbelievable how quickly I had gone from feeling like I was 25 to feeling like I was 75.  Constant, crippling nerve pain was unlike anything else I have ever dealt with before.  Physically and mentally it just takes such a toll on you.

Things started to move in a more positive direction in June when I went to play darts at the lake and realized I realized I could no longer through a dart and reach the board.  This loss of strength and function was alarming to say least and off I went back to the doctor. Well, I guess these new symptoms triggered some things with the doctors as within a couple weeks I had a referral to Doctor Mutat in Vancouver and an appointment in October.

Once I met with Doctor Mutat h explained that I had a herniated disc at C6/C7 and he could remove it and relieve the pain.  He actually said, I also have two "very unhappy discs as C4 and C5 as well" but they weren't bad enough to fix yet.  It was a 5 minute meeting in which he was very matter of fact and his confidence gave me hope but I still was very nervous about someone messing with my spine.  After all, my wife has made it very clear if I can't wipe my own bum all bets are off.

Along comes January 18th and my surgery date.  My pain is high and I am fighting a bit of growing anxiety.  You see I know these types are surgeries are done safely by the thousands but I am kind of a law of averages type of person so that 1 in 10,000 chance seems more inevitable the more times you hear nothing has happened.  Hey, I can't help it, it's how I am wired.

Well, here I am five days after surgery in my dog collar and the feeling of relief is unbelievable.  To only be dealing with "surgery" pain and not feel the incessant nerve pain is mentally refreshing.  To be able to lie in bed and get into a comfortable position is freeing.  After a year it finally feels like I am healing and not just in a painful holding pattern.  Going from playing team sports year round and playing with my boys on a daily basis to being able to do nothing but sit in a chair is a tough adjustment.  To think that I am the road to being able to play tennis or go skiing with my sons again is hard to explain

I am very  thankful that (so far) things have worked out and I am looking forward to getting through the rest portion of recovery and onto the rehab portion.  The doctors says I should be back to 95% and able to resume all activities, just not doing like I was 18 anymore.  Good thing I hear that 45 is the new 35!

Mexican Time

We have been down in Barra de Navidad for a little over a week with some friends and whenever we are in Mexico it reminds me of the need to wind down a bit more in my day to day life back home.  I know it is easier to fill your days with beach, beer, and tacos when you are not working but do we really need to run around like our hair is on fire when we are home.  Maybe it is our need to over schedule, maybe it is the drive to be efficient with our time, maybe it is the belief in the false reality of multi-tasking but we all need to just chill out a little more.  I blame email, of course, that is a whole other subject for another time but the reality is when down in Mexico we shop for and consume way more fresh food. We take more time over our morning coffee. We linger and laugh more around meals.  We read more, we walk more and as a result we sleep better.  A few years ago I decided that I would limit reading my work email to work hours and only then check in once or twice a day.  This was a good first step to building more Mexican time into my Canadian lifestyle but now I think I have to kick it up a notch.  They say little things make the big difference so I am going to put away phones and ipads after 8:00pm.  No online news, no mindless surfing, no flipboard, no solitaire. I am not ready, willing or able to cut back on some of my duties, responsibilities and activities yet so this is a logical next step.  My goal is to make more of the downtime I do have in a day instead of losing it to the internet. Time for a siesta, adios.

Celebrities that shape us

Well 2016 wasn't done yet and two more big figures from my youth have passed away.  Carrie Fisher (she will always and only be Princess Leia to me) and George Michael (who can ever forget those music videos from "faith).  Now I am not a big celebrity person but this year has gotten me thinking about those iconic figures from my childhood.  Here is a list of a few of the people who influenced me, both real and fictional.

Harrison Ford - I thought Han Solo was the coolest guy ever and then to top it off he comes along as Indiana Jones, DONE DEAL!

Tom Selleck - Anyone who knows me understands that what Magnum means to me.

Bobby Orr - Best ever (period)!

Bruce Springsteen - The 80's had two types of people. Those who loved the Boss and Losers.

Muhammed Ali - He had it all the swagger, the look, the mouth and the talent to back it all up. I remember being sad I wasn't born earlier so I could have seen him in his prime.

Archie and Jughead - Hey seriously I spent more time with them traveling in the backseat of the car than anyone else.

John Wayne - The Duke was at the top of the list for a long time.  Nothing said manhood to a preteen like the characters he played.

Michael J. Fox - Nothing quite brings back the memories like Back to the Future.

Clint Eastwood - I went to the Outlaw Josey Wales with my Dad when it came out and I was hooked.  He was like John Wayne with an edge.

Not sure what is says about me that so many of these people appealed to me for the fictional characters they played.  Maybe because it was a simpler time with less access and media that it allowed me to see only the good and none of their flaws.  Tougher to have heroes these days I think.

My Canada

I was going through some photos and I came across this photo album I put together as a sample for my Social Studies 11 class.  I challenged them to go through their photos and put together a collection of photos that represents what Canada is to them.

Here is My Canada album

https://goo.gl/photos/1QtLNnL6vQQiB5UA6

My challenge to anyone who reads this is put together yours and leave a link in the comments.

2016 Drop the Mike!

Wow what a year!  Prince, Gordie Howe, and of course Ali, all legends of my childhood moved into memory.  The curse of the Cubs has been broken, Cleveland's championship drought is over and Tiger returns to golf still searching for his game he lost in the backseat of a car behind the IHOP.  In Canada we elected the charismatic, handsome son of a political legend speaking about the "sunny way" only to watch our neighbour choose to go with the king of the comb over right out of tabloids and celebrity reality tv who speaks about walls and grabbing female private parts.  It would be an understatement to say 2016 has been an unpredictable ride.

I am not sure how to feel about 2016 on a personal level.  For our family it was a great year in so many ways.  The boys are doing great in school and their activities.  Graeme's team won the BCSPL league championship and he has decided to attend UNBC and signed with the Timberwolves for next year making his mother and me very happy that he will be at home.  Connor had a great year of soccer and basketball participating in multiple provincial championships and summer games.  Marla and I are both enjoying our jobs which is nice to say after 22 years we still find our profession challenging and rewarding.  Our down time, as usual, has been filled with summer at the lake, school holidays in Mexico and a lot of sports in between.  However, just like the larger world it seems like there has been a fair amount of unpredictability.  This has lead to a weird vibe for 2016 that has meant it has been difficult to let my mental guard down.  Not sure why this has been and it is something many of my friends have also expressed, just a feeling like everything around them has been a little off.  Maybe this is a function of a social media world in which it is hard to turn things off or maybe a function of moving through middle age.  As the year winds down we are getting ready to head off to Mexico with good friends, I look at my oldest son heading into his final semester of high school and my youngest loving life I am reminded 2016 was a good one and 2017 should even be better!

      

St. Patricio's Day Revisited

With the minus 20 degree weather at home settling in and a quick trip to Barra only a couple weeks away that means I have began to scroll through my pictures pining for Mexico.  Forgotten on my laptop was a bunch of video we took at last year's St. Patrick's Day fireworks in Melaque.  You can read my previous post St. Patrick's Day Mexican Style to find out more about the Mexican fascination for St. Patrick's day.  Since it had been a few years since our vacations have lined up with St. Patrick's day we were anxious to see if the craziness we experienced in 2011 was an aberration or the norm.  Suffice it to say low regulation high audience interaction firework displays appear to be the norm and are AWESOME! just not necessarily in "good way".

Preparations

As the crowd gathers for the evenings festivities the final touches are put on the giant tower of fire that will be the center piece of the evening.  As the evening progresses sections of the tower are lit spinning wheels spit sparks and flares on and into the crowd.  With that in mind check out the dinner tables that are positioned right beside the tower. This is not exactly a CSA approved event.

Anticipation

The crowd begins to swell as a start time is more of a suggestion than a target in Mexico.

Musical Interlude

As we wait random bands keep sweeping through the square each trying to drown out the last.  Some are accompanied by advertising, others by kids throwing firecrackers into the crowd and the really good ones by a couple of guys pouring a tasty pink drink from a 5 gallon water jug.

Light R Up

Finally, the time has come to get this party started.  I love the kids running into the sparks and picking up flares to throw into the crowd.

Fire in Sky

Once things get going it is really an impressive display.  This is a short clip but at the height of the display it went on like this for a good 20 or 30 minutes.  

Grand Finale

The culminating moment of the evening is the firing up of a wooden projectile that spells out "FINI" in flames and crashes back to earth.  In 2011, it lit a tree on fire and this year it took out a spectator.  It seems to be a source of pride to be able to be as close to it as possible as it lands. 

Like I said AWESOME but not necessarily good, a lot like Habanero sauce

VIVA MEXICO!

Here is all of the clips put together as one clip.

Eye of the Storm

So with the construction of the second floor of Casa Gracon ready to be completed in early November I thought it would be great to head off to Barra around Christmas.  After all it seems silly to have a beautiful place in paradise and only use it a couple weeks of the year.  Of course this thought striking me in September meant that our place was already booked through Christmas.  No problem, undeterred I set about convincing Marla that we should go the week before Christmas break and invite some friends for a kid free pre-holiday holiday.  Seriously, that just sounds good doesn't it!

Long Story Short, with varying degrees of convincing My wife and I, along with three other couples booked our flights and began dreaming of sun, sand and lots of margaritas.  Then came the text from my friend on the evening of October 22nd.

I must admit this raised my anxiety level a bit , however, after a bit of google searching, a glass of wine and an episode of Ray Donovan I went to bed secure in the knowledge that my "Ya, but what are the chances..."  approach would once again serve me well.  I mean have you seen the size of the Pacific Ocean and the miles and miles of coast line in Mexico.

Friday morning brought the renewed optimism that a good night sleep often does and I grabbed my iPad at breakfast secure in the knowledge that I would find out the storm had changed course and moved out to sea or had blown itself out.  Nice bowl of Corn Pops, a cup of coffee and ....

Now I am not sure if you can make it out but where the red shading meets the coastline, in the lower right corner, it say Barra de Navidad.  That is the village that our place is in and the red zone is referred to in the article that accompanied the picture as the "Destruction Zone".  Ya, not the words you want to hear when it refers to the location of your investment property!

I am not going to recap the entire event as it is all over the internet but suffice it to say I did a lot of storm tracking that day.  A interesting thing, however, I found myself a lot less concerned for our property and our investment than I was for the people, the town and the surrounding area.  After all, this was not our home and we were safe and secure thousands of miles away.  I found myself recounting conversations I had with locals during our last visit and how they seemed so happy that the tourists and development were returning to the area after Huricane Jova in 2011.  My overriding emotion was sadness for these people who have put so much work into rebuilding and were beginning to see progress only to be hit again.  I was afraid this may be a devastating blow for this village we love so much.

Over the next few days as we watched events unfold and witnessed the clean up and incredible spirit of the Mexican people we were truly thankful the damage was far less than was expected and it reminded us why we love the place so much.  The people are amazing!  They welcome you in, share what they have and pitch in when needed.  The speed of the cleanup and how quickly people returned to their daily lives was truly amazing.

The following link has some video and pictures of the Hurricane and the immediate aftermath.  There are some great shots of the storm and even better one's of shops cleaning up and open for the business the very next day.

Hurricane Patricia Hits Barra

As for our own situation, we were very lucky that our place was under construction and the workers took time to secure our property and board up windows.  This despite the fact that their own houses were under threat.  Construction, resumed a couple days after the storm and we feel truly fortunate to be able to go ahead with our holiday and spend a bit of the holiday season in this amazing place with very special people.  

Looking Back

As you will notice from the post dates, should you really be that bored, you will notice my contributions to this blog have pretty much dried up over the past couple years.  However, recently I was preparing to make a post about the Hurricane Patricia (Stay tuned it is coming shortly.  Hard to believe I may make two posts in a month but get ready it is happening.)  and I began checking my previous posts looking for a photo.  Now while blogs may be slightly less cool than facebook these days and about as good an indicator of your age as your clarisworks files (yes, I went there Norm) it is quite enlightening to take a minute and retrace your thoughts through your blog.

This blog came about when "Blogs" were still just hitting mainstream culture and being introduced as "cutting edge" technology in education.  Since Blogs came about in 1999 and I came online in 2004 that 5 years put me on the leading edge in education.  You have to remember that this is a system that is still trying to figure out in 2015 how to provide reliable wireless connections in schools so a blog in 2004 defiantly made a person an innovator.

When I started this blog my only purpose was to play with the technology and model it as I was working as the Technology Coordinator for my school district (told you having a blog carried weight back in the day).  As a result this space become a place for random thoughts, a lazy way to send holiday greetings, and a place to vent about something insignificant that caught my eye.  As a result it is quite (OK, maybe not quite but at least slightly) interesting to me to see where my mind was at over the years and what actually motivated me enough to put a little bit of effort into sharing my thoughts.  Not sure what they say about me but here are few of the posts that caught my eye as interesting.

Priorities - This was the first post I made.  The picture link has long been broken but the sentiment is stronger today than ever.  Nothing makes you feel bulletproof like your family and eleven years later I still caught myself asking myself daily "Man, how the hell did I ever get so lucky"? 

What are we doing in Education - This post is still interesting to me as it is now 9 years later and the BC Education system is now all over 21st Century learning however, as I mentioned above,  I still can't get a reliable wireless connection in my school.  Seriously people we just need to figure this out!  It is 2015 and I can get a better wireless signal in a Greyhound bus than I can in a BC Secondary school.   

Oh Ya, we're in good hands now - This is the post that caught my intention and made me write about this.  2006 and we had just elected Stephen Harper.  Now anyone who knows me will tell you I don't like to be a person who says I told you so but ....  The sad part is it took 9 years for Canada to get rid of him.

On to the sea - This was the first post I made from Mexico (more on this to come in my Hurricane Patricia post).  It was also my first spring break, warm weather vacation in my life. Six years to Mexico, three to Arizona, one property in Mesa and one in Barra de Navidad and I would say it made an impression on me.

The office memo that ate the world - It is crazy to me that we still haven't figured out a way to deal with email.  Instead of dealing with our communication issues we have simple abandoned email in favour of technologies such as text messaging, Twitter, Instagram and Snapchat so instead of having to read or worse compose an eloquent, thoughtful written passage we can communicate through winky faces, steaming piles of poo and selfies of scrunched up faces.  

Facebook Shmacebook - Still proud a proud holdout!

Boston Bound - Well, I never did make it to Boston.  The year I went to register the Boston Marathon filled up in 8 hours, the previous record was 4 months, ya no shit what is up with that.  The next year life just got really busy as my kids, and a result me, got way more into soccer and priorities shifted.  After that my qualifying time was no longer valid.  The great part is this is still on my bucket list and gives me a goal for the future.  I will run Boston before I  am 50, that's right you  read it here!

Raising Men - As my one son is in grade 11 and the other has started high school in grade 8 I can begin to see glimpses of the men they are becoming and I still think the thoughts I expressed in this post were some of my most important.

Unloading -  While this post came in 2010 it is the last one I will share here as it marked a point in my slowing down as a blogger and becoming a little more selfish with my time and thoughts.  This post came at a time of mental exhaustion with feeling like everything was an uphill battle and that unless you were willing to wade in unwanted changes would wash over you.  I am proud of the things I was involved in at this time but it teach me that if you don't take time to turn off the outside noise no one is going to do it for you.  

  

Merry Christmas!

Here is wishing you a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year 

(Not so) Random Thoughts

It has been a while since I have posted (again) as it seems like putting down something coherent and well thought out just takes a little to much time and effort these days.  However, I do have a few things that have been bouncing around my head that I will share even if they come across as a little scattered and incomplete thoughts.  Besides let's be honest that is the type of thinking I do best  anyway.

First, being an educator the last year or so I have been bombarded by the latest educational trend... Professional Learning Communities, no wait that was 2005.  I mean, 21st Century Learning.  This latest trend in education is all about using technology to solve problems, access information, collaborate and think critically about the world around us.  So how can this be a bad thing?  Well that is my issue, I am on board with all of these concepts, in fact, I was on board before the 21st Century when I started my Master's program in Educational Technology in 1994.  The issue I have is how all of a sudden the 21st Century Learning movement has become a tag line to every educational conversation with educators announcing on Twitter (in 140 characters or less) how we must understand the world is changing and we need to produce thinkers who focus on process and not content.  Recently, I read a blog posting from a colleague I very much respect, that explained how different the world is for students now from when we were in school and how we need to prepare them for jobs that don't even exist today.  Again, all good points, however, what I take issue with is the idea that all of this is something new to education and that the system is broken and failing (this always seems to be an undercurrent to the 21st Century conversations).  My grandmother is 101 years old in January and I would argue has lived through the world's greatest era of change.  I am pretty sure that in her life she felt felt the need to adapt to new jobs, industries and technology.  She also would have needed great problem solving skills and an adaptable understanding of the world around her to deal with things like flight, the automobile, radio, television, online banking, and the list goes on.  I know for a fact that when I was a student my teachers focused on critical thinking and problem solving.  Yes, there was some content memorization involved and some rote learning activities but there was also a balance of skill building and content related topics that would broaden my learning and let me apply new skills.  I never felt that I had a teacher (even the bad ones) that were trying to turn me into a mindless factory worker which is sometimes how our 20th Century education system seems to be portrayed.  If we really wanted to focus on 21st Century learning we would return to a skill-based curriculum that was not void of content but allowed opportunities for students to be learn, build and apply skills and knowledge.  Perhaps a renewed focus on the quality of interactions and thoughtful responses in a world that is reduced to text messages and 6 second vine videos is really the skillset that will help our students further themselves over the next 50 years. 

I could go on but then this post would start to be a little too focused for one titled Random Thoughts.  The next thing that is bugging me is the whole "let our kids play" movement.  Again, this is difficult for me because I am a firm believer that we over schedule, over protect, over coach, over teach, over supervise kids.  I absolutely believe in the value and importance of unstructured play and the need for kids to get out, explore nature, skin their knees, fall down and pick themselves back up.  However, what I have a huge issue with is the idealized way adults seem to view their childhoods.  I will tell you I had a great childhood and I did all of the things a typical kid growing up in Canada would do.  Summers were spent camping and enjoying various lakes and family get togethers, winters I played hockey and skied and life was very good.  I did well in school, had good friends, was a decent athlete,  a typical well rounded Canadian teenager.  Despite all of that I will say my kids have it better than I did and are better in every respect than I was as a child.  They have more opportunities in sports and academics than I ever had, they work harder and are more dedicated and focussed than I was.  Sure they don't roam around the neighbourhood going from friend's house to friend's house or playing street hockey at the elementary school until dark without parents even knowing where they are but let me tell you as good as unstructured, unsupervised play can be there was a lot of bad things going on in the neighbourhood basements and playgrounds as well.  I just don't believe in the "lots of stuff happened when we were young and we turned out OK" argument. When I was a child people also smoked when they were pregnant and didn't wear seatbelts but we don't glamorize those things as the good old days. Having kids set goals and work hard to make them become a reality is not the problem.  The problem is when the goals are not the kids' and are instead the dreams of the parents. This return to the good old days and kids needing to experience how their  parents grew up seems a lot more about the parents' experience and reliving their childhood through their kids just as much as filling their day with activities does.

Interest vs Action

Living in the world of education I am never at a loss for jargon.  Seriously, where else are you forced to sit in meetings in 2014 to listen to how we are going to begin working on a 21st century learning agenda by highlighting things that are banned and/or blocked (ya, those Google apps and iPads are probably just fads anyways) or were introduced in  the early 1990's.  Yes, the blog or wiki will surely  transform our system and the who can argue with the power of teachers tweeting out their homework assignments to the kids they just spent over an hour with.  Ahhh... I digress, what I have really been thinking about this weekend is the use of words like engagement and empowerment in education.

Recently I was reading a post where a teacher was discussing how we should not be working to engage our students but empower them.  Basically the argument was that engagement is a teacher centered experience while empowering students means that they will take ownership and carve their own path through a topic or course.  This is also a theme of much of the 21st Century thinking in that we need to allow, even demand, students set their own learning goals and be more involved in the assessment process choosing topics, demonstrations and the content they want to focus one to build real world skills.

My issue comes when we have rooms full of adults who think that kids should learn for the love of learning and that if they are just given choice and ownership they will be highly motivated and willing and able to engage in real world problems and complex projects.  The reality is school is filled with a broad spectrum of topics and content, some of which kids may be interested and much of which is really secondary to their more immediate concerns like acne, the cute girl who lives down the street,  the basketball tryout after school, their driver's test, how they are getting to work after school and this is only for the kids who are not facing any number of socio-economic and/or family crisis's. 

The fact is adults and kids most often want to sit back and consume information long before they want to "do" anything with it, even when they are highly interested in a topic.  For example take a common adult learning topic such as a photography course.  These course will be filled with highly motivated interested adults who are willing to pay for a course and usually make a fairly large investment in equipment as well.  The course will be well attended and people will hang on every bit on information they receive.  About two weeks into the course you will most likely be asked to put some of your knowledge into practice and you will be asked to go out on the weekend and take some pictures and present to the class.  This is where things will take a turn.  You will have a few people in the class who do a fantastic job and exceed all expectations, then you will have a few more who do  a pretty good job and make sure that everything that was asked is completed and competent and all the requirements met, a few others will explain they have the pictures but did not get around to getting them ready to present and the rest will mumble under their breath about how they are very busy people, they had family come visit, work is crazy, their cat got sick and can you believe it they went to go take pictures but something went wrong and their camera died.  Seriously people are very interested and invested in their hobbies but most, left to their own devices, actually produce very little.  It is not that they are learning or don't want to learn but actually "doing" things is very difficult.  Check out the number of incomplete projects that you have around your house some time.

So if highly motivated, competent adults can't follow through why do we think kids who are taking "required" courses will be able to.   Learning is hard and often requires students to engage with content they are not interested in and build on skills they struggle with and are difficult to master.  Of course it would be great if the students could see the bigger picture and understand that these courses are essential parts of their journey to becoming a well adjusted, literate citizen.  I am sure most adults understand the importance of exercise, healthy eating habits and meaningful social relationships but lifestyles simply don't reflect this because, just like learning something new, it would take effort and require some sort of action.  I would say if we had to grade most adults against a wellness standard we would see a lot of "approaching exceptions".   This is not to say people, adults and children, don't gain some knowledge it just means that the jump from "thinking about things" and being interested in a topic to creating your own knowledge and the application of skills is a big own, one that often takes years.  Yet we are asking students to take that leap every day and often several times a day.  "Oh but what to they get out in the real world" people like to say.  Well I don't think there is any other time in a persons life they are asked to focus on so many new and different concepts and then apply and demonstrate their understanding, while being monitored and judged at every step of the way. 

The reality is the apprenticeship system is the best education system in the world because it has the highest level of accountability and follow through.  Why do you think people join group fitness classes, sometimes we need others to kick us in the ass to keep us going.  Preferably that person is an expert in the area so they know what path we should be pushed or pulled down and what pitfalls to avoid.  Wow, sound kind of like the role of a teacher.  I am not a passive facilitator in a students educational journey.  I am a content expert, a sage on the stage, a surrogate parent, a guide on the side, a counselor, a nag, a motivational speaker, a curriculum designer, a cheerleader, I am a Teacher!  Students should be able to expect all of this when they come to school. 

Yes we need more choice for students, yes we need more flexibility in our curriculum, yes we need to reach out to a broader cross section of learners.  However, this means having more opportunities to work with kids and a lot of the 21st Century learning agenda and student "empowerment" movement is driven by reducing costs around the number of schools and teachers the province needs to pay for. It is curriculum redesign on the cheap.   If you think this is going to be the answer check in with a few people who have taken distance education courses and ask them how the experience was learning on their own with minimal direct instruction.  Or better yet, ask yourself when the last time you really produced a meaningful expression of your learning and understanding around a topic just because you know it is "good for you".


 

Sucked In!

Thanks to my friend Glen I have been sucked into the chain "getting to know you" world.  I have decided to skip the 11 random facts about myself so that I remain the mysterious enigma that I am.  I am also skipping the 11 questions for others as I already know more than I want to about the people around me and I am trying to embrace a more "ignorance is bliss" lifestyle.  I will, however, answer Glen's 11 questions since to not would be rude.

1. If you morphed into an all-round Olympic athlete, what would be your Winter Sport and your Summer Sport?  Tough one as I would pretty much compete in anything if it meant I could attend the Olympics, heck I would even be the equipment guy.  However, if I could I would choose slopestyle snowboarding for winter and archery for the summer because these are the first events of their respective Olympics and it would mean I could just hangout and take it the experience for two weeks (with a gold medal hanging around my neck of course).
2. What was the most interesting book or written work you read in 2013 (and was it paper or digital)? A tough one as I read some good books in 2013.  I think the most interesting book I read was the Sports Gene by David Epstein.  It is the rebuttal to books like the Talent Code and Talent is Overrated and discusses athletic achievement from the genetic standpoint.  After doing a lot of reading on the 10,000 hours path to success it was interesting to read some of the counter arguments.
3. What is a major change you would make to the BC Education system?  I would give teachers a new contract with a decent raise.  Yes, I know it is not in fashion to say it is about the money but teaching is my job and I am tired of losing ground as part as my earning power and standard off living go.  On top of that I actually think the public education system is not in need of a major overhaul.  We do a fantastic job of getting educating a very diverse group of learners.  Yes, the system does not meet the needs of everyone but often those individuals have needs beyond what an educational system was designed to address.  The best thing we can do for our youth is put them with caring, knowledgeable adults and when this happens the system works.  Sadly, this seems to be more and more difficult as labour uncertainly, earning power, and public perception is pushing teaching to a second rate job from a noble profession.
4. What is a work of art (any genre or form) that inspires or challenges you?  I am still a sucker for poetry, even though I don't read as much as I used to or should.
   
5. Considering the wealth of oil in northern Alberta that we seem anxious to liquidate in a single generation, are you in favour of the Enbridge Northern Gateway pipeline?  Well, very current events of you to ask.  I am not in favour of Enbridge in the sense that I of course want to see our environment protected and our waterways and wildlife remain for generations to enjoy.  However, the more practical part of me sees northern communities dying and I am tired of people having to move south to large urban centers for opportunities and services.  Something needs to happen for the the north to remain viable as a place to live and to bring people back and rebuild our towns.  If it is not going to Enbridge we need to have a plan for something else.
6. What is a food experience that you wish on your children (or nieces/nephews)?  food experience?  Not sure what this means, I hope they always have enough.....
7. If your house was burning, but insurance would cover the obvious expensive items and your family & pets were safe, what meaningful artifact would you rescue from your home?  I would choose my hard drive with my photos.  Real simple and not too deep but I have spent lot's of time documenting my life with my wife and kids and I would want to keep those memories not as much for myself but to share with my kids as they get older.
8. If you had to pick a different career than the one you're in, what would it be?  I am really not sure about this one.  Like anyone I often think the grass may be greener in another career but nothing I can think of would fit my lifestyle and personality as much as teaching so unless I was able to be a professional athlete I have no clue what I would be doing.
9. If you were to ever publish a book, what would you like it to be about? Probably a children's book of some sort where I could rhyme, use photos and include sappy motivational messages that I am a sucker for.
10. What was a great event or experience in your work life from 2013 (e.g. teacher experience for many of you)?  I had a lot of good moments in 2013 but most likely one of the best was getting a little more diversity in my job.  Teaching soccer, working at the Sport School and still keeping a hand in social studies has a really nice way to keep things fresh without changing gears entirely.
11. What was a great family moment from 2013?  Lots of great family moments but I would say the hot days at the lake this summer was the highlight.  Nothing beats having family and friends around with lots of sun and water to play in.

Well there you go my first task of 2014 done!

Another Year Down....

As I sit on the couch drinking coffee and taking in the carnage of Christmas surrounding me it is hard to believe 2013 is coming to a close. It seems like just yesterday that we were enjoying this same scene wondering what 2013 would hold in store. As I reflect on the year, a truly great year I must say, I realize, as most of you reading this will already know, we did a lot of the same things in 2013 that we did in 2012... and 2011 .... So instead of a year end review I have decided to share with you a couple things I have learned in 2013.

First, time is the most valuable thing we own.  It is believable to me how fast time seems to be moving at this stage in our lives.  It seems like just a winter or two ago that Marla and I were loading up the boys in the sleds to pull them around West Lake.  Then all of a sudden Graeme is turning 15 in a couple of weeks and Connor is tying his tie to go to Christmas dinner (ya, don't ask about the tie thing at least it is not a cape and fuzzy pants, been there done that).  Time together with family and friends is so precious and there always seems to be something competing for this finite resource.  I have realized this year that unless you are willing to make time, say no to a few things, turn off the outside noise and be present in the moment no one is going to do it for you and before you realize it those moments will be gone. It seems simply and really boils down to time in has to be greater than time out. 


Second, work is work, play is play and play is always better!  Both Marla and I have had a great year at work.  We both enjoy our jobs, work with people we value, have a good mix of stimulation, fun and reward and are lucky to have much more good than bad in our work days.  However, with that all said work is still something you do so you can enjoy the play (even if your play often looks like work).  Work comes with rules, regulations, procedures, commitments both mental and physical.  Play is passion, compromise, liberating and empowering.  Too often the work part of your life takes over and reduces your willingness or ability to play.  Play is what feeds us and we need to nurture it, even if that play looks a lot like lying in the sun having a nap.

With New Years staring me in the face I don't really believe in resolutions but I am going to try and keep these two things firmly in mind as I make my way through 2014.  Graeme will be heading back to Kelowna in a few weeks, Connor is quickly approaching the end of Elementary School and we are too quickly moving through this stage of our lives so I am going to try and slow things down and make sure we enjoy it all.

 

Heroes

 

Yesterday the world lost a great man, maybe even one of the last truly great men left.  Nelson Mandela died at the age of 95 leaving a legacy of hope, justice and forgiveness behind.  I became aware of Nelson Mandela in the 1980's when the issue of Apartheid in South Africa was the popular issue for world activists much like Free Tibet is today.  Songs like Sun City, Biko, and Free Nelson Mandela along with movies such as Cry Freedom brought the issue of racial segregation to the middle class suburban masses of Canada and the United States.  It was through the story of Nelson Mandela that as a teenager I became interested in history and the stories the world held beyond the typical cold war rhetoric I had grown up with.  For me Nelson Mandela became a man to look up to, someone embodied strength, determination, compassion, sacrifice, caring and the willingness to sacrifice himself for his ideals.  Since my teenage years Nelson Mandela has always been there as a symbol that not all sacrifices go unrewarded, sometimes right does win and individuals do matter. For me Nelson Mandela was the living embodiment of histories greatest figures like Martin Luther King Jr and Ghandi.

The world is messier now than it was then.  We like to focus on the failings of people and we live in a world where people's personal lives and every misstep are often exposed to the world.  Professional athletes are regularly in the news for being arrested, our politician caught in scandal, our heroes constantly being brought back down to earth.  Mandela and his fight against Apartheid reminds us of a simpler time when there was a right and wrong stance and it was OK to pick sides, even if the people you were siding with weren't perfect.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/world/nelson-mandela-dead-at-95-1.2417872
Mandela's Release from Prison Speech
Who's is Nelson Mandela
Mandela, The Man and His Country