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Are We Becoming Innovation Complacent?

/ Dave Eberwein / 2 Comments

“It’s OK to be where you are right now.  It’s just not OK to stay there.”

This phrase resides above my desk.  I heard it a long time ago at a table of educators — it really resonated with me.  I have had it as a daily reminder every day since then.  It guides me in how I observe, what I ponder and why I plan:

  • We’re all at a particular place in our learning — and, it’s acceptable to be there for the moment.  After all, we all have a different history and experiences in life.
  • However, it’s not OK to remain in that spot — we need to keep moving forward.  Continual improvement needs to be our goal —  our reason for thinking, learning and improving in our practice.

We Need to Grow, Learn and — in some cases — even Reinvent Ourselves

For public education I believe this to be particularly true.  To remain a relevant societal enterprise we need to be constantly evolving — and that begins with the people who work in the system — every last one of us. Continue reading →

The Great BC Education Change

/ Dave Eberwein / 3 Comments

risk taking 3

Public schools have been around since the mid 1800’s in our province.   They have been a critical part of our societal fabric for a very long time.  We knew that a strong public education system was critical to the health and success of our province.  I found out some time ago with intrigue that Saanich was actually one of the first established school districts in the province. How cool is that?  We were a trend setter here on the peninsula!

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World Teachers’ Day – Thurs Oct 5

/ Dave Eberwein / Leave a comment

Maybe it’s because I’ve been in the education profession for almost 30 years, but I find myself thinking about some of my previous teachers quite regularly.  There are many teachers in my past who transformed my thinking and being — provided me with a window of opportunity for personal growth.  Here are some of the great teachers I’ve been thinking about recently:

  • Ms. Kincaid (Gr 2, Blythwood Elem, Toronto) – She was always so kind and gentle making everyone feel wanted and loved — easily one of the sweetest teachers I ever knew in school.
  • Ms. Bell (Gr 10 English, Central Memorial HS, Calgary) – My high school English teacher recognized when I was new to the school that I needed to make connections.  She was directing the school’s production of “Fiddler on the Roof” and told me that I was now part of the cast.  I joined and met my lifelong friend, Gord.
  • Mr. Polukoshko (Gr12 Biology, Central Memorial HS, Calgary) – Great subject teacher, but an even better person.  I came back to see him in my first year of university to get some help with some genetics.  He spent a lot of time with me making sure that I completely understood cell division.
  • Mr. Fred Hunt (Education, Univ of Calgary) – Great mentor to brand new teachers. Calm, patient, funny, but most of all he wondered about us, asking us questions about ourselves, our strengths and our challenges.
  • Dr. Michael Cavey (Zoology, Univ of Calgary) – Probably the best teacher of content I ever had, but he also deeply cared about his students.  I took every undergraduate course that he taught.  Awesome prof!

As I reflect on this list of some of my wonderful teachers and what they gave to me — I see gifts of personal safety, inclusion, support and mentor-ship.   They believed in me.

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