A Blog Post...Finally!

My last post, penned in June (just over six months ago), was written with joy and trepidation after having been hired into the pool of potential VPs, ready to wait for my chance when a spot came open. I'll be honest that at the time, I anticipated a good six months - if not a year - before that chance came. Imagine my surprise, then, when a few short weeks later I got the call that the time had come! The movement of one administrator in the district had created a domino effect, and the result was a position - for ME - at Abby Middle! I quite literally danced with joy at the news (much to the amusement of my fellow shoppers, as I was in the Sooke grocery store parking lot at the time).

Why then, you ask, have I not taken the time to chronicle my adventures as a new vice principal since then? Good question!

I sometimes feel like I've barely had time to breathe, let alone pause to write my thoughts in a coherent manner. I started my role as an administrator slowly in August, puttering away in my new office for the first two weeks, and then diving into the job more fully with new staff interviews, planning for new student orientation, and trying to get a handle on all that my new job entailed. I thought briefly, then, of writing a blog post outlining my thoughts on the position thus far - but weekends were spent dreaming about work and popping in to school, and no writing was done.

Then September hit. I thought it would be great to write a blog outlining the first month as a new VP. Ha! September bled into October, and November, and then December. I have a post that I began sometime in October, and it gives a brief glimpse into my thoughts at the time:

"The past two weeks have been fairly incredible in terms of student behaviour. [My principal] and I felt like pinballs, ricocheting from one incident to the other. Objectively we recognize that not every student in the school was hitting, swearing, ignoring teacher requests, and destroying school property. But boy, oh, boy - for a few days there, it sure felt like the whole of the 700 student population had decided to emulate the Lord of the Flies."

Really, that incredible feeling of ricocheting continued through to the Christmas holiday. Only now, on the last day of the holiday, have I pulled out my laptop and turned my thoughts toward school (okay, that's not entirely true; but this is the first day that I pulled out my laptop, anyway). I guess that's the biggest change I've noticed with taking on the "administrator" title: I never stop thinking about school. It's always there, either niggling away gently in the corner of my mind while I'm with my family or watching a movie or working in the yard; or banging away - front and centre - when I'm trying to sleep. I recognize that some of that persistent thought will dissipate once I'm more used to the job and the learning curve evens out some. However, I suspect it is something that is part of the role that will never fully go away. Like those administrators before me, I will need to come to a place of peace with that sense of constant responsibility.

I'm looking forward to the challenge; and I'm looking forward, too, to being able to look back in a year's time to see my growth. So I'd better keep writing, so I have something to look at!

The Next Step

For close to two years, this blog has been a means to record my thoughts and growth as I moved through the Master's of Educational Leadership program at CityU. This week was our graduation ceremony, and - since my thesis is finished - that stage of my learning journey is complete.

So, what's next? I feel that I'm in the perfect position. I love the job I'm in, which allows me to visit numerous schools, problem solve with a variety of staff, students, and parents, and have the opportunity to continually learn new things about supporting struggling students.

However, I'm also on the threshold of entering the world of school administration! This past week I was interviewed for the position of vice principal for middle school, and I just heard that I have been asked to join the "pool" of VPs waiting for the next opening. How exciting! I feel thrilled and nervous in equal measure; nervous not because I don't think I'm ready, but rather because I have so many dreams and such high expectations for myself, and I know that it will be extremely challenging to bring those to fruition.

Thus I sit at my desk, on a quiet morning in June, contemplating both the uncertainty and the exciting possibilities that await around the next bend. Whatever the path, I will continue this blog with a new purpose: to share my thoughts and growth as I move through the world of district level leadership, both in my current position as a helping teacher, and in the future as an administrator.

Welcome to my new journey!

Reflecting and Learning and Growth, Oh My!

This blog was begun as a means to record my journey through this Master's of Educational Leadership. Originally intended only as a medium for my Portfolio, it evolved as I became more comfortable with sharing my thoughts among a wider audience.

My CityU ID

Scrolling back to my initial posts, one can see how my understanding of blogging has changed. The format of my posts - initially there was no format! - has become easier to read and more focused. This was largely due to my husband, skilled at marketing, and much more aware of various social media formats. Technological growth can be seen in my dabbling with Twitter (I opened an account in January, 2017), and in my slow exploration of its possibilities. Other technological advances - personally speaking - included becoming comfortable sharing collaborative documents (both in Google and Office 365), functionally using OneNote, and learning to move (relatively) seamlessly between Google and Word formats.

While all of this technological learning has been beneficial in many ways, it is but the tip of the iceberg when I consider my learning and growth throughout the program. Each post of this blog has been a way to record my thoughts, opinions, and impressions as we moved through the various courses.

It was never a challenge to find something that resonated with me during each class, and I enjoyed using the blogging format to outline my thoughts and reflections on various topics. I'm thankful that I had the foresight to recognize that I would likely forget pertinent information as new classes were begun, and so kept this blog up to date. During each class I would make notes as to possible blog post ideas, and then would flesh out those ideas during the following week. My mind was generally jelly by the end of each Saturday's class, so this reflection afterward was an excellent way to both review the material and make connections to my worldview. Occasionally, as I became more confident in my posts, I would share the link for the blog on Twitter if I felt that the content would be interesting to a wider audience. Just the process of opening up my thoughts that way helped me to grow as a leader, and I plan to continue blogging once I become an administrator.

I'm thrilled to have this compilation of my thoughts as I progressed through this Master's program. Looking back reminds me how far I've come in my recognition of how I can work within my own strengths and "stretches" to be the kind of leader who inspires greatness in whichever school community I find myself. It is a tremendous challenge, but one that invigorates me and encourages me to always strive to be the best I can be. Onward!