June+2015

June: a Summary
The school year wrapped up with a construction project on the go at Dakota Collegiate. Construction workers put in the concrete foundation and steel beams for the new wellness centre that will be part of the gym. Since the new space faces south and is right along the street it will change the way Dakota Collegiate looks yet again. With such obvious changes on the outside I wonder about how Dakota is also changing on the inside. June is a month of saying goodbye to staff members who are off to other adventures and hello to new hires who are starting in September. And in the middle of the changes to the building and the staff there are always changes to the ways and means of learning and teaching as well. For example, I wonder how many subjects used to be taught at Dakota that are not taught there any more. Two that come to mind quickly are Latin and Photography. You can still find the old dark room at Dakota if you know where to look. I wonder how many photos were developed at the school, and who were the staff members who advocated for a strong photography program? As for Latin, I have no idea who taught it or when it would have died out.

Schools (like everything) change over time. Some of that change is deliberate and planned, like the wellness centre. Sometimes change comes about due to the people in the mix who share their talents and expertise. As this school year wraps up and report cards are distributed I can't help but think ahead to the Autumn. I've been given a book to read: Go Blended by Liz Arney. Some of the deliberate and planned change/growth surrounding school culture, learning culture and technology has to do with understanding more about Dakota's approach to blended learning. I think we've been a blended learning school for several years already, and that the 1 to 1 initiative that started in 2010 is a decent enough place to start that story. As the 2014-15 school year closes it is good to see us being deliberate about trying to manage change in a way that will benefit our students, and that will help to foster their learning. The blended learning PLC will be an interesting group to be part of next year.

For me, the two biggest things that happened in June were that I received ethics clearance for my research from the University of Calgary and clearance from the Louis Riel School Division to begin my Doctoral research project at Dakota Collegiate! I'm so pleased to have the encouragement and support of our Principal, Jill Mathez, and Superintendent, Duane Brothers as I ramp up to begin research in the Autumn. Having these important clearances in place before I head off into the Summer is truly a great relief. When I reflect a bit on the process I've gone through to get to this point I realize I've come far since I started into my Ed.D. studies in 2013. Then again, I still feel like I have a mountain in front of me yet to climb. At least the ways and means for accomplishing the climb are coming into sharper focus as I continue to make my way. I suppose there are many construction projects underway at Dakota Collegiate. I am one, my colleagues are also constructing their lives and learning, and our students are doing likewise. The Dakota dark room is, ironically, now just a dark room. There are things we constructed in the past that are no longer used as we might have intended. Many things that I have learned along the way are still helpful now, but I have to apply them in the current context, and when I can't do so, then sometimes a bit of demolition and reconstruction is in order. Continual breaking, building, molding, forming, growing, learning...these are the processes that I enjoy trying to understand in my role as a teacher, and as a learner.