Over the years, school boards have been accused of implementing too many initiatives simultaneously to the detriment of doing any of them well or with any lasting impact.

All of that changed this year, when Ministry funding was used to provide each school with various levels of staffing allocations for the role of Classroom Literacy Support Teachers. Each of these individuals were provided with intense training on Phonemic Awareness and Phonics (the first two building blocks in teaching students how to decode words) as well as diagnostic screeners. They came together each month to share their journeys in each of their schools and learn from each other.

In tandem with the implementation of this role was our Board’s dedication to providing professional learning to all grade 1,2 and 3 classroom teachers in Phonics instruction. Suddenly there was intentional alignment. Sound walls, blending, segmenting, digraphs, grapheme and much more became common language throughout each of our 16 primary classes. I watched in awe as our educators became excited about learning something new (based in research and on a topic that was near and dear to their hearts) and collectively implementing it with their students. Listening to educators articulate the steps that they need to take to support Early Literacy was monumental. There have been too many examples of educators coming and sharing student writing and connecting it to this work to highlight. They leave my office and I quietly give thanks for them and for this initiative.

In conjunction with targeted support for some learners and excellent classroom practice for all was our monthly Early Literacy Team meetings, wherein we tapped into the brilliance and depth of knowledge that our Speech and Language Pathologist brought to each conversation. We came together with data about students, narratives about how they were attacking those skills and questions about how to better support them. I loved each of those meetings as my knowledge base about how students learn to read grew and our dedication to each other and our students was evident. We collectively celebrated as those spreadsheets of red/yellow and some green transformed into row upon row of green. And if there was some remaining red/yellow, together we developed a plan, with confidence.

I can honestly say that I can name those few grade 1 and grade 2 learners that we continue to discuss, with conviction about what we have done and what’s next for them.  We will be able to move forward with more cognitive testing, if required, earlier.  As we now have so much data on these learners.

An unintended outcome of all this work has been the conversations that are now happening with our Junior/Intermediate educators. They see the passion of their primary colleagues and want in on the learning. Like all schools, we have students at the Junior/Intermediate level who will benefit greatly from some intentional word work ~ in conjunction with the other components of a well executed structured literacy program.

We are very thankful for the work of Kara van der Hoff and her teammates at Chippewa PS for leading the charge with this work. A number of our educators have attended their afterschool programs and come back excited. We have had them present to the rest of their division.  Igniting that passion for learning can never be underestimated. I am a firm believer that all educators want to do what is best for their students ~ sometimes we just need to provide that roadmap and this initiative is not only a roadmap it’s a wonderful, exciting itinerary to the world of reading.

After seeing this message on Twitter regarding 60 Minutes’ final note, I started to wonder about the impact of ChatGPT on education.  Recently we had an incident where a student decided to use ChatGPT and submit an assignment instead of crafting the essay with his own words.  The classroom teacher was quite upset, and the student ended up in my office for a “chat” ~ no pun intended.  I’ll admit that there was a part of me that was somewhat impressed with his ingenuity.  In knowing this student and how he navigates life at school, we all know that the likelihood of him being invested in writing an essay about homework is very limited.

I’m not sure that the educator was pleased with my response as instead of reprimanding the student,  I took this opportunity to share my interest about ChatGPT and wondered if instead of rewriting the essay, the student could critique the essay that was generated and list the differences between his thoughts on the topic and the one that he tried to submit.

As always, we need to know our students, their interests and their challenges when selecting assignments.  For a student who rarely completes tasks in class, it is highly unlikely that they are going to have an opinion about homework.  For them, it is a foreign concept.  However, this student has a great interest in technology and hence their method of completing the assignment.

Punishing them for using ChatGPT, can not be our response.  As educators we’re going to have to acknowledge its existence and find ways to help students effectively use it as a tool to supplement their learning, not replace it.

Will ChatGPT ever replace educators??? What a scary thought.  Education is so much more than filling students’ minds with facts and details. Good educators are intuitive. They know when it’s time to tackle new topics, different strategies to engage a wide range of learners and they know when today may not be the best day to write an essay. Instead, maybe today is good day to have a conversation (to build ideas/vocabulary, so that when students dive into their writing tasks, they have lots of information).

Teaching is just as much a science as it is an Art ~ and more importantly an Art form that requires flexibility, a growth mindset, determination, perseverance and patience.

We know that students learn best from educators who care deeply for them.  I’m not sure that AI can possess all of those qualities.

I asked Chat GPT “Will Chat GPT replace human content and knowledge?”  and this was the response that was generated.

Chat GPT and similar language models have the potential to provide valuable assistance in various domains, including generating content and answering questions. However, it is unlikely that they will completely replace human content and knowledge.

While Chat GPT can generate text based on patterns it has learned from its training data, it lacks true understanding and consciousness. It operates based on statistical patterns and does not possess human-like intuition, emotions, or real-world experiences. This limitation makes it prone to errors, biases, and misunderstandings, which can be significant drawbacks in certain situations.

Human content and knowledge are built on a foundation of critical thinking, creativity, empathy, and contextual understanding. Humans can grasp complex nuances, adapt to new situations, and bring personal insights and expertise to their work. They possess the ability to reason, interpret, and synthesize information from various sources, which is crucial for tasks that require judgment, analysis, and decision-making.

That being said, Chat GPT and similar AI models can be valuable tools to enhance human productivity, automate repetitive tasks, and provide information and assistance. They can help streamline certain processes, generate ideas, and offer suggestions. However, human involvement and oversight are still necessary to ensure accuracy, ethics, and quality in content creation and knowledge dissemination.

In summary, while Chat GPT has its merits, it is unlikely to completely replace human content and knowledge due to its limitations and the unique abilities humans possess. The ideal scenario is a collaborative approach where humans and AI work together to leverage the strengths of both.

I wonder if I need to adjust my tag line from “Come write with me” to “The preceding blog was created with 100% human content”.

“ Blogging definitely gives those who take the opportunity to do so a voice.  We’ve seen those voices tail off over the past while.  I find that so sad since there were always innovative voices that pushed things. Sadly, we don’t have those voices anymore.” Doug Peterson

Thanks to Doug Peterson who took the time to craft a comment for one of my recent posts. He makes a valid point in terms of the decrease in the number of voices (at least in the world of education) who are populating social media. I recall when I started blogging almost 13 years ago as an alternate way to communicate with the Wilfrid Jury school community. We were finding that monthly newsletters were one-way communication and by the time we listed upcoming events and special lunches, it became too cumbersome.

We felt that a blog would provide us with a platform to delve deeper into some important topics and create space for two-way conversation. Over the years, within my various portfolios (both school and system principal) I have seen waves of interest in blogging. I recall about 10 years ago being invited to provide our Director and Senior Team with a workshop on blogging with the intent that once a month, each member of the team would craft an entry. Voices from the Valley had a strong start, but then faded. Within my portfolio, our Literacy Team also started a blog, with many outstanding entries. That team of educators was and continues to this day to be prolific writers with incredible talent and yet these days few of them make their thoughts/ideas/wonderings public via posts.

As educators, we know the power of modeled writing, we know the power of an authentic audience and we know the power of productive struggle (which hits me every time I stare at a new blank document). Those three conditions for inspiring students to write can be met with blogging.

As the waves of interest in blogging recede, are they being replaced with our 142 characters of comments on Twitter or the selection of the non-descript “like” button? Or are individuals fearful of reprisal from organizations if they dare to speak their mind. I have heard that individuals have been asked to delete Twitter posts, if they are deemed controversial. Is that trepidation also silencing more length keyboard creations?

Here is hoping that more educators take the plunge, hit the publish button and share their innovative ideas, their wonderings and even their disappointments.

Would love to hear your stories.

Come write with me…..

Some Superheroes don capes, some use elaborate disguises and some use infinity stones to alter time and space. They travel throughout the Galaxy with Gods and Goddesses as well amongst humans on Earth. They have taken an oath to protect others ~ most of the time at the expense of their own safety. Although their collective skills/strategies to defend good over evil are diverse, their main objective is the same.

They possess a heightened sense of intuition which allows them to predict danger and react accordingly. Individually, each superhero has proven themselves capable of “saving the day.”  And yet when the danger seems the most insurmountable, comic book creators have designed scenarios where it takes a team of Superheroes to conquer the ultimate villain.

This past Friday, we held a Superhero Day where staff and students came to school dressed as their favourite superhero.  Colourful comic book characters walked the hallways and played on the school yard. Staff, as per usual, got into the spirit of the day, as multi-coloured caps flowed up and down the staircases and into classes.

I could not help but wonder about the similarities between the Superheroes who save the world and a staff of dedicated educators:

• We may not have Wonder Woman’s iconic Lasso of truth, but educators know how to get students (who may be reluctant) to take ownership for their poor choices and tell the truth.
• We may not have Superman’s X-ray vision, but educators know how to find those all too often seemingly lost items in the classroom, in the bottom of backpacks and on the school yard.
• We may not have Flash’s super speed, but educators know how to get to an injured child on the playground in the blink of an eye.
• We may not have Captain America’s vibranium shield, but educators will use anything at their disposal to defend and protect their students.
• We may not have Dr. Strange’s ability to see into the future, but educators possess the ability to alter, shape and define a student’s future with their commitment to ensuring that see the very best in each student.

And just like in the Comics, educators know that they have the greatest impact when they work as a team.

Here’s to our team of Super Educators.

We always refer to our Sir Arthur Currie staff as our school family, which is a simple word that encompasses complex meanings.  “Welcome to the SAC Family” and “We’re thrilled that you selected Sir Arthur Currie as your school family” are phrases that we regularly use to welcome members. On various occasions throughout the school year, we’ll make an announcement that says, “Please meet in the front foyer for a family photo on the staircase”.  There is intentionality in using that word as we know that most of us spend more time with our school family than we do with our own family throughout the week, and we want to create the conditions where we treat each other like family.

Following a Google search, I landed upon this definition, which captures those familial ties which may not necessary be bound by blood, adoption, or marriage.

“Family means having someone to love you unconditionally in spite of you and your shortcomings. Family is loving and supporting one another even when it’s not easy to do so. It’s being the best person you could be so that you may inspire your loved ones. Family doesn’t see color, race, creed not culture it sees heart.”

Just like any family, we have our share of personalities, idiosyncrasies, strengths, pet peeves and mountains of sheer glee and valleys of frustration. But at the end of the day, we have learned (as a family who has grown from an initial 20 individuals to 100 in a few short years) that we all have a common goal.  We all want what is best for our students and ultimately for each other. We know that how we speak about each other, how we support and inspire each other and how we navigate those disagreements of philosophy are always on display. Our students and by proxy our broader community are looking to us to demonstrate what family means.

The concept of our staff as a family isn’t a new one and it’s one that I’ve probably touched on in past posts, but the other day I had a lovely visit from one of our families and our conversation was one of the amazing “Aha” moments in connection to the theme of family and it just happen to coincide with something happening within my own family.   My daughter, her husband and their daughter have been living in the east end of London for the past couple of years. It is about a 40 -45 minute drive depending on traffic. They both work west of London and childcare is also west of London. Last week they celebrated purchasing a lovely home west of London, in Strathroy, which brings them 10 minutes to her in-laws, 15 minutes to our front door (which is also her place of work) and 5 minutes to his place of work.  With my work family, we were talking about the power of being surrounded by family and what an incredible gift it is.

In my past school communities, most of the homes surrounding the school and within the catchment area were well established. For many of our families, they had attended the school as a child themselves and now they were registering their own children. The school was a part of the community, but not necessarily the heart of the community.

However, Sir Arthur Currie is situated in a brand new subdivision and so many of our families are either new to the area from the GTA or new to Canada, which brings an incredibly rich diversity.

During my conversation with this family, they shared that they had left their home country in order to expose their children to the Canadian school system. But in doing so, it meant that they needed to leave all of their family.

So, to them, our school was not just a place to send their children each day, our school was an extension of their family, and they were so appreciative of how we loved and nurtured their children. It was one of those moments when you stop and realize the importance of the work that we are blessed to do each and every day.  Families trust us with their most valued possession. They trust that we will take care of their children, that we will love their children (which means holding them accountable for actions/words and creating many moments of celebration) and that we will do our best to prepare them to be contributing members of society.

To those families who think of us as family, please know how seriously we take that responsibility and how honoured we are.

Thank you!

For any Ontario educator who is active on social media, you know the power of catching the attention of Stephen Hurley and Doug Peterson.  Doug’s #FollowFriday hashtag has connected hundreds of educators and created a strong network of learners who support, inspire, and elevate each other. It’s always a thrill when you’re included in these prestigious Friday tweets.

Each Wednesday, Stephen and Doug host the “This Week in Ontario Edublogs” podcast, where they select four blog posts to discuss, dissect and debate.  It’s always an honour to be selected as one of the four bloggers and I love anticipating which post they are going to highlight and to listen to the podcast as they pose questions, generate speculations, and make connections to their own lives as educators.

I always want to interject and provide clarity or explore their wonderings to a deeper level.

Today’s episode started, as it always does, with an intentional music selection. It was not a surprise that Gordon Lightfoot was the showcased artist. As the verses of Peaceful Waters faded Doug and Stephen entered into their introductory discussion, wherein both Doug and I learned (courtesy of Stephen) that Gordon Lightfoot is one of the few artists who sings his consonants.  That’s what I love about listening to educators, those nuggets of knowledge are constantly being mined.

Their conversation about my 4-Part Series, May the 4^th Be With You brought smiles as they were able to uncover the heart of that series.  It truly was a “love letter” to the power of the Arts for our students, our staff, and our broader community.

As they were identifying the challenges of having music in a portable (which was an unfavourable decision on our part, but it was based on excessive population expansion), I wanted to assure them, that we’re thrilled that the music program and our talented Music Specialty educator will be returning to our dedicated Music Room this fall.  No more lugging instruments inside for performances.

As they were discussing the connection between Brian Wilson’s receipt of the Award of Distinction and his mom’s receipt of the same award.   I wanted to share that the same year that his mom won, both myself and our incredible Teacher Librarian, Danielle Cadieux were also recipients.  It seems so serendipitous that we are all now connected at Sir Arthur Currie.

To their question about Brian’s attendance at our EdCamps, he had not yet joined our team.

As for their question about my retirement and the connection to me being “on fire” with my blogging ~ Yes to the retirement, but not directly connected to the volume of my posts. I’ve been invested in my A Post a Day for the Month of May for about 8 years.  I’m hoping in retirement that I’ll have more time to flex my writing muscles.

I want to extend a huge thank you to Doug and Stephen for their promotion, support, and encouragement to all of us who brave the keyboard and hit the publish button.

There’s so much to learn from each other.

Come write with me…

Each day in the life of a school principal is filled with a variety of experiences.  Some seem monumental and some seem minuscule. There are days where I get to roam from class to class, encouraging students to do their best and watching in awe as educators deliver engaging lessons.  There are days when the barrage of emails, paperwork and deadlines keep me close to the office with an occasional opportunity to come out for a quick tour.  There are days when I spend time with families discussing support plans, registration procedures and how to help their child be more successful at school. There are days when I get to spend time with colleagues discussing School Improvement, Operational Plans and Board initiatives. There are days when one student may require the bulk of my time.

Today was one of those days that I was out of the office far more than I was in it.  But when I did pop back there was a white board with a post it note (scribed by the teacher) attached.  It was from one of our students that I spend a great deal of time supporting.  He struggles with significantly big emotions and although he is near the end of grade 1, has yet to master letter sounds as a result of his level of dysregulation.  I was THRILLED with the amount of sound work that he had completed and immediately popped down to his classroom to share my pride in him.  I offered him a sticker and he chose the one that said BRILLIANT.  Without missing a beat, he said, “Brilliant is just like Mrs. Bruyns ~ they start with the same sound”.   I reached out my arms as he fell into them, knowing that I was bursting with such joy.  I was so incredibly proud of him.

Sometimes those minuscule moments are monumental.  Embrace each one of them!

Would love to hear about your monumental/minuscule moments.

Come write with me….

One of my favourite places to start my day is our Library Learning Commons as the throngs of students use that time to return books that they’ve completed, browse the inspiring space, enjoy a game of Connect 4, create something with Lego, try their hand at a Rubik’s cube and finally select their next “must read”.    I am constantly in awe of Danielle Cadieux, our LLC educator who automatically knows which books to recommend to which students (keeping in mind we have close to 900 students). She encourages them to dive deep into beloved series, explore novels that will provoke their thinking and to challenge themselves with books that may surprise and entertain them.

Today as two girls were signing out books, I commented how I loved the Nancy Drew series when I was younger. Much to my chagrin, Danielle shared that there was a movement to ban them. Yikes! Really???

So tonight, my social media scroll led me to a number of sites listing Banned or Challenged books. On this Edmonton Public Library site, there were 65 Picture books listed.  Some of them I recall from my own childhood, and some were favourites in our home during story time when my own children were young.

I am a firm believer in sharing authentic, thought-provoking literature with children. Books are the perfect vehicle to tackle, discuss and better understand controversial topics. In looking at all 65 titles, there were a few that I could see, in some people’s eyes, could be construed as controversial ~ those sharing stories of same sex partners or perceived violence. But for the most part I was floored when I read the reasons for the “challenge” and shocked at the list.

My kids (both in my home and in my school) loved Thomas’ Snowsuit and yet it was banned by school boards in Niagara ON in 1988 for challenging the authority of a teacher and principal. As I reflect on the reality of school life these days, the least of our worries is students refusing to put on their snowsuits.

I love the fact that Robert Munsch refused to change the ending of the Paper Bag Princess when the publisher was worried about it being anti-family and violent.

The Giving Tree is a classic and one that I have used many, many times over the years to share multi-layered lessons about life, kindness, paying it forward, etc. and yet it was banned in Colorado in 1988 for being sexist and criminalizing the forestry agency. I recall when I was teaching grade 5 years ago and Forestry was one of the units. At no point did we ever consider this text as a book that was criminalizing the forestry agency. Were we naïve or does this seem a little extreme?

If we continue to ban books, I cannot help but wonder what the long-term impact is going to be on our students and society. If we sanitize everything that we expose our students to, how will they learn to critically analyze what is appropriate and what is not? Banning books which have violence in them, does not decrease incidents of violence. For those who are uncomfortable with same sex marriages, banning books with same sex partners will not decrease the number of same sex partnerships.

If anything, we have learned that when we say something is “not available,” suddenly it generates more interest and subsequently more individuals find ways to read it.

The next Nancy Drew book needs to be entitled, “The Mystery of the 99 Banned Books”.

As I shared a few posts ago, life at Sir Arthur Currie on May 4^th was full throttle busy ~ just how we like it. There was a steady stream of community members joining us for our 9:30 am performance, our 11:45 am performance and then again for our 6:00 pm evening performance. Students were excited about performing, excited about wearing their new T-shirts and scurrying from the music portable to the gym with instruments, music stands and sheet music in hand. We also had a number of nervous and excited staff members who were ready for the debut of the Choir-oytes. And as it the case with anything out of the ordinary, our custodial team was on high alert that day as chairs needed to be set up and then shifted. Programs re-located and a barrage of other requests. Oh, and of course it was Hot Lunch Day as well. However, within the midst of the hustle and bustle one of our most cherished custodial team members was absent. He was absent because he had a prior engagement. As one of this year’s recipients for the TVDSB Award of Distinction, Brian Wilson (our evening Charge, our Daytime Charge, and all-around amazing Crew Member) joined a few select other TVDSB employees who were celebrated for their accomplishments.

As some of you may recall, last year around this time, one of my May posts highlighted how Brian came to the rescue of a student and through care and compassion ensured that this student’s dignity was maintained in what could have been a very embarrassing moment. In the months following that act of kindness more and more staff members commented on how Brian had gone above and beyond to “save the day” or to surprise and entertain.    This past November, when we thought that the props to the Remembrance Day assembly had gone missing, it was Brian to the rescue as he literally dove into the garbage dumpster to retrieve them.  This past December as preparations were occurring for our Winter Wonderland celebration, a chance conversation with Michelle Rees gave birth to the idea of Brian surprising the audience, with a visit from the custodial (mop and bucket) in the middle of the production leading to a rendition of Fur Elise on the piano. And of course, the crowd erupted with laughter, followed by cheers. Both our staff and students adore Brian. He is quick to support in whatever way needed. He is delightful when dealing with students, who just need another caring adult in their life.

Although we loved that Brian was receiving this well-deserved recognition, we were saddened that the ceremony coincided with our Pop of Spring concert. The students were anticipating his contribution to this spring’s show 😊

A number of us wanted to be at the ceremony as his name was called and they read excerpts from his nomination package, but thankfully his mom, Toni Wilson (also a recipient of this prestigious award) took lots of photos for us to enjoy.

Going forward, I cannot help but imagine that there will never be another May 4^th like the one that I just experienced.

Following a quick Google search for a pithy ending to this 4-part post, I landed on this:

May the fourth be with you: 7 life lessons from Star Wars

• Be open to new possibilities (like singing in a staff choir)
• Hope springs eternal
• Loyalty matters most (Brian’s loyalty to our Crew made it easy to craft his nomination package)
• Just be yourself (it’s OK to cry when children sing meaningful songs)
• It’s never too late to change (or to revisit playing the clarinet after 40 years)
• Focus creates a sense of perspective (blogging creates the conditions to examine all kinds of perspectives)
• Different traits can make the best bedfellows (our Currie Chorus is composed of students with varying narratives and yet together they unite as a harmonized masterpiece)

They are few things in this world that sound more angelic than a well rehearsed, fine tuned and polished children’s choir. Add a dash of memorable and inspiring lyrics and you’re bound to reach both the hearts and the minds of the audience ~ or in this case 3 different audiences.

In addition to the 4 instrumental band selections, 2 staff choir songs and an opportunity for students to showcase solo performances (piano, drums, and guitar), Michelle Rees inspired close to 100 Junior/Intermediate students to perform during our Pop of Spring concert.

This year, as a school board and as a school community we have focused on the Essential Conditions for Learning. As I listened to the song selections and became entranced with the performances, it struck me that the intentional selection of songs, the building of a community of musicians along with the expectations that students could learn how to harmonize as well as memorize the words were embodied in each layer of the triangle.

In looking at the faces of the choir members, each of them has a narrative as a member of our school community.  Some of them have struggled with regulation on the school yard ~ and yet if you didn’t know them you couldn’t identify them in the choir.  Some of the them have struggled with self image and anxiety ~ and yet you couldn’t identify them in the choir.  Some of them love to shine in all aspects of school life ~ and yet you couldn’t identify them in the choir because everyone was shining throughout each selection.

What Michelle was able to create, through her relationships with each choir member, through establishing a safe place for practicing, through song lyrics which our students could enjoy, embrace and connect with and through a sense of laughter, joy and calm wherein everyone was always regulated was a place where students thrived and learned.  They learned how to harmonize, how to read and memorize music and how to perform ~ for themselves, for each other, for our younger students, for their peers (which we know can be intimidating at times) and finally for family and friends.

Over the years, I’ve enjoyed many a concert ~ both as an educator as well as a parent of 3 children, who for the beginning of their elementary school years had the amazing Kim Eyre as their music teacher.  As a school principal, you seem to always wear a few hats during performances.  You want to ensure that your music teacher has everything they need for a positive performance, you’re watching the audience and in conjunction with the staff, you’re ready to be on the move in a moment’s notice if someone in the audience needs support and you’re watching the performers.

As educators/parents/grandparents we all know those goosebumps moments, when the lights in the gym are dimmed, the conductor’s hands are raised, and the voices of children fill the room.

As the first chord of the piano (performed passionately and expertly by our own Alicia Usher) was played, I was prepared for the goosebumps moment, but what I was not prepared for was the stream of tears that accompanied one of the selections. As a huge fan of Country music, I was somewhat embarrassed that I did not recognize the Lady A song, “I Was Here”.  Although the melody was lovely, it was the lyrics that not only were a strong, inspiring message for our students; they struck a personal chord. As I embrace the final two months of my time at Sir Arthur Currie I am wondering if I have done something that matters….

“Maybe I’ll write like Twain wrote
Maybe I’ll paint like Van Gough
Cure the common cold
I don’t know but I’m ready to start ’cause I know in my heart

I wanna do something that matters
Say something different
Something that sets the whole world on it’s ear
I wanna do somethin’ better, with the time I’ve been given
And I wanna try to touch a few hearts in this life
And leave nothin’ less that something that says I was here

I will prove you wrong
If you think I’m all talk, your in for a shock
‘Cause this streams too strong, and before too long
Maybe I’ll compose symphonies
Maybe I’ll fight for world peace
‘Cause I know it’s my destiny to leave more that a trace of myself in this place”

Give yourself a smile and take a moment to enjoy our Currie Chorus’s version of this song.

https://drive.google.com/file/d/18tXO08g1NxT58RlGMQ-Jz1QE3V9BfrCh/view?usp=share_link

Are there songs that tug at your heart strings?

Come write with me…