– Originally posted August 28th, 2007 –

If you come to a fork in the road, take it. – Yogi Berra

Transitions

I’ve taken a job at a high school and I am looking forward to the new challenge! After seven years of teaching Grade 8’s and two years of teaching Grade 9’s, I will now be teaching Grade 10’s. The new position also provides me with the opportunity to make connections with students in every grade (9-12). The job has two key components:

1. Coordinate the Graduation Transitions Program at the school.

2. Teach Planning 10.

My immediate challenge is that the Government’s Graduation Transitions Program is not what it was last year. I must make it clear to Teachers, Students, and Parents, what the changes are from the Graduation Portfolio Program (that the Government initiated, then pulled out of at the 11th hour). The politics and opinions behind this change could be the subject of a very long post, but this is all I will say here: Some people will welcome this change, some are saddened by it, and it is my job to make the most of it, as well as to make the transition easier, and more meaningful to those involved in the new process.

My biggest challenge is in presenting the new information to Grade 11’s and 12’s since the program is introduced in Planning 10, which they have already finished. I am fortunate that teachers meet these students monthly for advisory time, and so there will be an opportunity to share/present information to them. The first session is next week, and so my planning has already begun.

One highlight that I was delighted to discover was that I will be sharing a computer lab for my Planning 10 course… soon I will be exploring the possibilities…

Transformations

I was amazed at how many resources I threw away and gave away as I packed up 9 years of teaching resources. I think that I would have kept twice as much if I had moved a year ago, but I have changed so much in this past year. Even if I were to return to Middle School in the future, my experiences with the world of web2.0 have opened my eyes to ways that I should and would teach, with our without the use of technology. I’m not belittling what I have done in the past, simply noting that my priorities and interests have shifted, and so my approach has changed too.

The caterpillar is a beautiful animal too,
but a butterfly cannot be the caterpillar again
after it has been transformed.

On another topic, I wonder how this blog will change? I know that it will be somewhat different as a result of my new position, but will it be a transformation into something new, or will it just veer slightly, while heading in the same general direction? I guess I will know in a couple months!

Transgressions

I’m really gong to miss my last school. It has been a big part of my life for so long, and I am leaving a wonderful staff, that I will miss dearly. My wife, Ann, has taught at the school for 6 years, and it has been wonderful having the opportunity to work, socialize and commute with her. She is moving on to a new school as well and her dynamic personality, leadership, encouragement, guidance, student advocacy and social committee duties will be missed by one and all. My teaching partner, Armaghan, was fantastic to work with and I am not sure if I will ever work with someone who compliments me (and puts up with meWink) as well as she did. We would have 45 second meetings in which entire day schedules would be flipped upside-down to accommodate each other’s needs. We have similar expectations and share the same respect for students. We both focus on our student’s potential, and their abilities to work and lead. We usually noticed the same issues with students that had challenges, and we shared the view that students should almost always be present at parent meetings- (After all, whose education are we talking about?) We made a great team, and I will miss working with her dearly!

Years ago I read a book called Good to Great: Why Some Companies Make the Leap… and Others Don’t. In that book Lee Iacocca was considered a Level 4 leader, with the optimum leader being a Level 5 leader. He only warranted a ‘4’ since he lead by command and did not develop the team around him. Ford faltered after he left, whereas under a Level 5 leader, a company usually performs better after the leader has left, because he/she has built leadership capacity while being there. Although I cannot say that I necessarily built capacity for the Student Leadership Program, what I did do was help to create the structure such that other school leaders besides myself could share their interest and expertise in the program. Armaghan has been involved in the leadership program for a few years now, and I am sure that under her guidance the program will blossom! I will still be involved with the program to some extent since my Grade 5 Leadership Retreats will be funded by Staff Development and so I am excited to see that program potentially expand to other Middle Schools in the coming year. It also allows me the opportunity to continue to work with Armaghan, and my old school a little longer.

But now is not a time for too many transgressions. I look forward to meeting new friends, and creating positive relationships at my new school. It is time to focus on what lies ahead! I have a lot to do in order to make my new position great and, as Yogi Berra once said, “If you don’t know where you are going, chances are you’ll end up somewhere else.”

Originally posted: August 28th, 2007

Reflection upon re-reading and re-posting:

I have to laugh at the quote at the end of this post:

“If you don’t know where you are going, chances are you’ll end up somewhere else.”

Well, it seems that even if you DO know where you are going, you still end up somewhere else! In December of ’07 I had a long chat with my wife about ‘where I was going’ and predicted a 4-year path before (perhaps) getting into administration. Less than 2 months later I was promoted to Vice Principal of a Middle School (with 9 days notice). I came to another fork in the road… and I took it! So many other things seemed to have popped up for me too: Alan November inviting me to speak at BLC08, becoming my own web-host, and getting a blog post printed in a Grade 8 Language Arts textbook. I could never have seen this coming!

One comment on “Transitions, Transformations, and Transgressions

  1. I too have been fortunate to have encountered forks in the road (and so far have made good choices). Looking back though I can identify the steps I’ve taken that have prepared me for the forks I’ve followed.

    There’s a line I like in Randy Bachman’s song “The Road”:

    “If you don’t know where you’re going
    Any road will take you there.”

    Good line to discuss with students.

Comments are closed.