My People

I had the amazing opportunity this past week to present an Ignite as part of the 39th annual BCPVPA short course at UBC. Short course is structured around the BCPVPA Leadership Standards of  instructional, relational and organizational leadership and moral stewardship. It's an inspiring week of learning, sharing and connecting with educational leaders from around BC.

Being invited back to present by Ian Landy was pretty special. Attending short course a year ago marked the beginning of a new journey for me. Reading over my post from last summer, "Are You Talking to ME?", it's clear that I was feeling both inspired and overwhelmed by the road ahead.

But most importantly, I was energized by the connections, the relationships, that I had formed over the course of the week. Although the sessions that I attended during short course last summer provided me with a wealth of valuable knowledge, it is the relationships that have sustained me through the challenges and successes of this past year.

You see, as much as the role of a school leader requires us to support our students, teachers and families, we must also establish strong networks of support for ourselves. As Langley vice principal Kim Anderson shared during her Ignite,

"We need to find our people, so that we can be their people."

I've learned a lot this year. I've learned policies and procedures, structures and guidelines, standards and practices...

But most importantly, I have learned to listen and lean on my people.

From endless advice, to notes of encouragement, to much needed hugs, I can't imagine having moved through this past year without the wisdom and generosity of my people.

So although I'm certain that the participants of this year's short course have learned a great deal that will serve them well as school leaders, I'm hoping that even more importantly, they were able to find some of their people. Because it is these people, these relationships, that will sustain and energize them on their journey ahead.