Principal Connections

Chromebooks are all the rage at the moment. I  have one. I like it. It does what I need it to do. It fits in my purse. At my school, many seem to feel that now that they have access to a free device, they are "21st century teachers". It's sad really, because like all other trends in education, pedagogy always seems to fall by the wayside. Our school board has invested huge financial resources in devices because certain people feel that if we want teachers to integrate technology, there can't be any road blocks to access. Each school was given a class set of Chromebooks for teachers to use. I think the thought process behind it was that as long as the Board was providing access to the technology, teachers would be more inclined to use it. Instead, I have had requests for certain software to be loaded onto the device so that marks can be done at home. Teachers want the Microsoft Office applications loaded, not understanding (and clearly missing the point entirely) that ...

This I decided that three of my portfolios would become totally paperless: managing the master calendar, field trips and excursions and staff meetings. With the whole of our system converting to GAFE I thought there was no reason why this couldn't work. I've also been pretty patient in the last few years that I've been at my school to really go gang busters with technology so I thought I'd seize the opportunity. So far, not too bad! The calendar has been shared with everyone and many have commented that they appreciate the access as it allows them to plan more than just a week at a time. I still prepare a weekly, informing staff of the comings and goings around the school, but as people get even better at keeping me in the loop, I see that as a thing of the past very soon. Using Google Calendar has allowed me to provide even more information: specific times and locations, notes about which staff is going out on a given day and when its provided, I can copy and paste a l...

I cannot believe how nearly impossible it has been to find 10 minutes. An entire month of school has come and gone and I haven't come up for air. There has been loss after loss after loss in my family, my grandmother most importantly,  that has completely taken the wind out of my sails. Yet, when I come to work one would never know. I have a new appreciation for the need to be resilient. There have been times when I have wanted to shut my office door and have a good cry but my grade 9s are so needy and emotional this year and I need to spend my time with them. It's been difficult trying to find time to process my own feelings so that I don't bring my personal baggage to school. My kids need me at 100% and the few days I haven't been quite there, I have left work feeling so guilty... Life at work has been further complicated by the work-to-rule job action taken by our CUPE members. It has been difficult to keep my own emotions and anti-union sentiments at bay when enga...