Inclusion Is Not A One Off-It’s How We Do Business

Posted: May 10, 2014 in Uncategorized
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Last week I saw media on CTV National News as well as in some national newspapers about how schools in Ontario are sending home students who have special needs. Well that’s not how we do business in Alberta!! I have asked permission to share this picture of a young man in one of Wild Rose School Division’s grade 8 classrooms. When the grade 8 class were going to be travelling for their annual mountain climb it was the students who said “we won’t go without Brendon” who is a boy in their class with significant mobility issues. A special chair was found and through hours of carrying and pulling, Brendon made it to the top of that mountain. Look at the joy on his face when he is finally there. Amazing! A huge shout out to the teachers,teacher’s aids, administrator’s, parents and students that made this happen.

Goodbye 2013……Hello 2014

Posted: December 28, 2013 in Uncategorized
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2013 WHAT A YEAR!  2014 BRING IT ON!!!!

Triskaidekaphobics (literally people who fear the number 13 and yes there’s a word for everything) likely spent the year under a blanket in their apartment with all the lights turned off.  They might argue that nothing good happened. They can keep that to themselves. Plenty of good stuff happened in 2013, and people who were scared of the number 13 are biased anyway.  Yes there was a reminder of the fragility of life as I lost one of the most important people in my life. As well my best buddy my dog Tabasco was killed which leaves a void in my home. But overall  2013 was an incredible year for me.  My children are becoming young adults and my husband has decided to take on an educational initiative which has been both a challenge and a celebration.  I ran in 2 elections (no acclamation for me) and won both of them (with the dedication and support of some great individuals and my community in general). The year has been one of significant work and stress as well as great joy but as one to always put one foot in front of the other I will write about what I will try to give myself and those around me in 2014.

My musings as the New Year begins…

  • I am definitely not the same person I was a year ago, a month ago, or a week ago.  I feel I am always growing.  Experiences don’t stop.  That’s life. Sometimes there are things in my life that are not meant to stay (thank God for that).  Sometimes the changes I don’t want are the changes I need to grow.  Growth and change may be painful sometimes, but nothing in my life has been as painful as staying stuck where I don’t belong.  The bottom line is that I can’t reach for anything new if I’m holding onto yesterday.  Sometimes I convince myself that holding on makes me strong, but more often it is letting go and starting anew in the present that has allowed me growth.  I now know if my life is going to mean anything, I have to live it myself. No that does not mean my family situation is changing-it just means I have to choose the path that feels right to ME, not the one that looks right to everyone else.  In honour of my late Dad who’s memoir was named ‘One Rung At A Time’ it seems appropriate that the analogy that comes to mind for me is that it’s always better to be at the bottom of the ladder I want to climb, than at the top of the one I don’t even want to be on.   I commit to at least try not to wait until I’m halfway up the wrong ladder to listen to my intuition. Yes Nancy that feeling in your gut means something.  It is a waste to always be questioning myself when I am the answer.   “I have a choice and I am here now because of the choices I’ve made in the past.”  Every morning I will try to ask myself what is really important, and then find the courage, wisdom and willpower to build my day around my answer.  In the end, it’s not what I say, but how I spend my time that counts.  If I want to do something, I’ll find a way; if I don’t, I’ll find an excuse.  I will try to identify what’s most important to me .  I will prune nonessential commitments (I am convinced vacuuming falls in the nonessential category and maybe even cooking….).  I will try to eliminate as much as I possibly can of everything else.  No wasted time, no fluff, no regrets.   They say the mark of a successful person is the ability to set aside the “somewhat important” things in order to accomplish the vital ones first.  I will try to be crystal clear about my priorities and then theoretically I can painlessly arrange them in the right order and discard the activities and commitments that do not support the ones at the top of my list.  As a Libra this decisiveness will be a challenge but I did say ‘try’.
  • I tend to  think and think and think and accordingly will think myself right out of happiness a thousand times over, and never once into it.  I know that worrying doesn’t take away tomorrow’s troubles, it takes away today’s peace and potential. So I have to try to stop over-thinking everything.   My biggest limitations are the ones I make up in my mind.  The biggest causes of any unhappiness are the false beliefs I refuse to let go of.  I know I am capable of far more than I  am presently thinking, imagining, doing or being.  I may not be where I want to be  yet, but when I really think about it, I am definitely not where I once was either.   I have to believe I can trust myself moving forward not because I’ve always made the right choices but because I’ve survived the bad ones, and taken small steps in the right direction.  I will focus on the right things and just do the best I can.  I can’t  be crippled by stress and self-loathing.  Everything is only as it is.  There’s no reason to let it destroy me.  I will breathe and let every moment be what it’s going to be.  What’s meant to be will come my way, what’s not will fall away.  My greatest gifts have definitely not always been wrapped as I expected.
  •  Expecting that everyone will appreciate what I  do for them often causes me grief.  I need to figure out who’s worth my attention and who’s just taking advantage of me.  Discerning this accurately is definitely one of my flaws.  Sometimes my time and energy is misspent on the wrong relationships or on too many activities that force me to neglect my good relationships.  I will not settle for those who treat me as ordinary.  That sounds a little grandiose but what I really mean is that I will not settle for being someone’s “option” when I have the potential to be someone’s “first choice.”  I am the sum of the people I spend the most time with.  I choose to be around people that will help me grow me into my ‘best self.’  The RIGHT people for me will love all the things about me that the WRONG people are intimidated by – that’s what I need to look out for.  Those ‘wrong’ people can be so destructive to my soul.  I too often let the fear of judgment numb and silence me.  My deepest thoughts and feelings often go unspoken, and thus barely understood.  I WILL NOT let people invalidate or minimize how I feel.  No one else lives in my body, or sees life through my eyes.  No one else has lived through my exact experiences and so no one else has the right to dictate or judge how I feel.  A great deal of unhappiness comes into the world because of confusion, bewilderment, and things left unsaid.  Many times in life I’ve regretted the things I’ve said without thinking.  But I’ve never regretted the things I said nearly as much as the words I’ve left unspoken. (Yes Mum I hear you).  I will not  hide my thoughts and feelings, especially when I can make a difference. I will be brave and say what needs to be said.  When I don’t communicate effectively with those around me, there’s a lot of important stuff that ends up not getting said and a lot of beautiful emotion that ends up not being felt.  I will work to hear others even when what they say conflicts with my beliefs or understanding.
  • As Mahatma Gandhi (with whom I share an October 2nd birthday) once said, “Live as if you were to die tomorrow.  Learn as if you were to live forever.”  Life is a book and those who do not educate themselves read only a few pages. It’s clear to me-when I know better I live better.  Period.  All education is self-education.  It doesn’t matter if I’m sitting in a university classroom, a Board meeting, a council meeting or a coffee shop.  I won’t learn anything I don’t want to learn.  I believe that because I take the time and initiative to pursue knowledge on my own time I will benefit from earning a real education in this world.  When I take a look at any widely acclaimed scholar, entrepreneur or historical figure I can think of, formal education or not, I find that he or she is a product of continuous self-education.
  •  Life is short.  The risk to remain perched in my nest is far more detrimental than the risk it takes to fly.  This year I will spread my wings and I will fly. (Yes Dad my goal is for this to be both figurative and literal). I’m sure some of you don’t see me as a ‘nest sitter’  but I assure you I have not reached my full potential.  To accomplish great things, I must not only act, but also dream, not only plan, but also believe. This year I will be a positive motivator, a productive doer, and a go-getter who keeps my head in the clouds and my feet on the ground.  I will let the spirit of passion and possibility ignite a fire within me to do something worthwhile today, and I won’t forget to spread my enthusiasm to those around me.    This year I will take the time to touch my dreams.  I spend so much time trying to be the voice of reason that I sometimes forget to allow myself to embrace my dreams.  They say everyone dreams, but not equally.  Too many people dream only at night in the quiet of their own minds, and then awake to find it was all an illusion.  I don’t want to continue to be one of them.  I want to dream by the day instead.  I want to be one of the people who dreams with their eyes wide open, and who works to make them come true.  I only have so much time, and I want to spend it where it counts.

These will be my gifts to myself and to my family, friends and colleagues this year.   What will be yours?

My Remembrance………

Posted: November 10, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Two generations

My grandfather Ivan McClure (on the left) developed tuberculosis after being gassed in the trenches at Yrpes during WWI. He spent the majority of the rest of his life in a sanatorium; as did many of those who had been exposed to the chlorine gas. When I think of Remembrance Day I think of this excerpt from my Dad’s memoir; One Rung At A Time. I think of the youth of my Dad Don McClure (on the right) heading into WWII as he sees his father for the last time. The casualties of war can last for a long time. My father was returning by train from basic training in Camp Borden, Ontario to Moncton, New Brunswick. I can see in my minds eye the image of my Dad as a young soldier in uniform standing at the death bed of his father who will soon die from his injuries of the prior war……..

“On the train ride home from Montreal I got permission from my Commanding Officer to leave the train and take a taxi to the hospital to see Dad. He had no inkling that I was going to be there and I know that it was a glimpse of sunshine for him on an otherwise cloudy day. I only stayed for a half hour as it had taken time to get to the hospital and it would take an equal amount of time to get back to the train. After I kissed Dad good-bye, I turned my back on him and walked away. I have often wished I had turned and waved but the scene was getting too emotional for me to handle, compounded by a foreboding that this was a final farewell.”

So on Remembrance Day I wear my poppy in honour of all who served, who serve today and who will serve.

Rocky Mountain House Airshow

Posted: July 9, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Click the link below to watch the video.

http://video214.com/play/mgg9FlFc8WGfWxltusTAkg/s/dark

The great show right here at the gateway to the Rockies!

Sunday Morning Thoughts On Social Media

Posted: May 5, 2013 in Uncategorized
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Social Media

As I set down to open my computer this morning to check my emails and yes have a quick glance at my social media I felt an incredible connection to my world that social media has allowed. Thirty five years ago when I was a lonely young girl out on her own and 5500km from home I sure could have used a little ‘social media.’ At that time my Mum was still alive but her body paralyzed and her speech taken by a stroke. Long distance was $1.65/min during non peak and calls with someone with speech issues are not quick. This morning when I opened my Facebook I decided to look at my first 10 entries and see if they provided something positive in my day or are they deterring from my ability to interpersonally connect?  The first was a posting by an old neighbourhood friend I haven’t seen in 36 years and recently ‘found’ on Facebook. Her pictures showed her daughter coming home for the weekend and I felt my connection with that friend reignited.  I would never have thought of her as a farmer and there she was with sheeps and horses!  The next was a comment from a professional acquaintance speaking of a dinner she will attend with Craig Kielburger and Spencer West; 2 amazing humanitarians. I smiled and was reminded that there is so much good around us. The people on this planet are not defined by a Boston Bomber; rather by the fact that the good still outnumber the bad. 

There were two garage sale ads and then an amazing home made video of a teenage family member who has been struggling with anxiety. The joy I saw in her in that video consoled me and I knew the page had turned.  And then there are the posts of my son’s socially conscious girlfriend.  Generally quiet and reserved in speaking she shows her incredible spirit in her posts.  Oh and there’s a great recipe and then a post reminding me that tomorrow is Music Monday; a great initiative to support the arts in our schools.  A performance from America’s Got Talent that brought me to tears and finally watching my brother in law who has serious mobility issues commenting on his grandchildren’s sporting achievements.  He, as was my Mum,  is thousands of kilometres from some of his children and grandchildren but from his chair he is ‘connected’ to them.  

So is social media deterring from my ability to Socialize?  Absolutely not!  In 15 minutes I knew much more about my personal connections then I could have attained in a year previously.  From what I read and saw I know who needs an ‘in-person’ or telephone call and who I can rest assured doesn’t need me today.  Does social media mean that I don’t set up a coffee date or make that call to someone?  No it doesn’t.  It reinforces and strengthens my personal connections to my professional life, my friends,  my family and my community.  But then I am briefly sad as I think how incredibly different my Mum’s life could have been if she had this technology……..

No Pay No Perks No Power But Lots of Passion

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“So what is my purpose anyway?” Not my personal purpose but the purpose of my role as school trustee.  As I read Graham Thomson’s piece in today’s Edmonton Journal I had to pause and reflect. This excerpt of his article certainly made me think about the work that I put so much effort into; “….If you want to feel sorry for anyone here, let it be for the Alberta School Board Association that once again was shut out  of the final negotiations.  School boards are already facing revenue shortfalls and increased costs for staff.  Now, they’re having a teacher’s deal imposed on them.  If nothing else you have to admire the long-suffering school board trustees across the province who continue to run for office to perform a sometimes thankless task that has no real power, pay or perks.  And Friday proved they are viewed pretty much as rubber stamps by the government.”

So of course I immediately began to think seriously about my role and the considerable amount of work I put into it. How accurate is Mr.Thomson’s analysis?  No pay or perks is easy.  Absolutely true!  No real power?  Well let me do my own analysis….

I referred first to the brochure provided by the Alberta School Board Association for an audience of potential trustee candidates for the 2013 elections. The red section below is an excerpt from that document.

What do school trustees do? School trustees are politicians elected by and accountable to the community. The provincial government delegates to school boards the responsibility for conducting the affairs of the school jurisdiction. The school board:

  • plans for the jurisdiction, setting priorities for the system in light of community wishes, available resources and sound educational practice.
  • sets goals for the jurisdiction, ensuring education stays in step with today’s world
  • evaluates the jurisdiction’s chief executive officer-the superintendent of schools
  • adopts an annual budget for the school system
  • develops policy to guide the administration and employees toward jurisdiction goals
  • communicates with the community on behalf of the jurisdiction
  • educates others to ensure education is a top public priority and to make the community aware of the jurisdictions achievements
  • gathers information to make sound decisions
  • hears appeals
  • lobbies all levels of government on behalf of education

Well you know what ? Most of that is not specific to our role in the collective bargaining process.   Boards have a significant level of importance outside that.  Our power?  Well that depends on how you measure that.  Since it has been many years since Boards had the power to tax perhaps our limited role with regard to negotiations is no surprise.  Do I like it?  No!  But does it mean that our work is less important?  No again!  Since school boards rely on the provincial government for funding, their flexibility in adding to or adapting local programming is limited by the dollars available.  It is the responsibility of board members to help their constituents understand the parameters within which the budget is developed which is going to be a fair task in the days to come.

It is through the process of collaborating and engaging in joint decision making as members of the board that we work with the values, priorities, and expectations of the community to translate them into policy.  That is the role I see as primary.  If this layer of government did not exist we would leave a pretty soft layer of accountability from senior administration to provincial government.

So what’s next?  I will await the information from our professional organization; the A.S.B.A and take that back to my negotiating committee and the will of the Board will determine our next steps.  As always we will do what’s best for the students within our abilities.  At the end of the day I will continue to value my role as school board trustee with no perks nor pay and an unmeasured amount of power but a lot of passion and know that I do make a difference to my constituents.   How do I know that?  They tell me every day….

Image  —  Posted: March 16, 2013 in Uncategorized
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‘Awe’some……

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Moon picture favSeveral months ago I wrote these words in another blog post……… “I am generally not one to put a lot of value to celebrity and generally do not find my heroes in pop culture.  But today as I heard of the death of Neil Armstrong; the first man on the moon, I suddenly felt profoundly sad.  But why?   Certainly he had been a pilot; something always close to my heart and several years ago my Dad had shared a table with him at an aviation event.  But that was not the connection I was feeling.  It was much more than that.  It was the knowledge that I am now a full generation away from the little girl that sat riveted in front of that TV set on July 20th, 1969 when Neil Armstrong  and then Buzz Aldrin set foot on the moon.  I had spent weeks waiting for the event.  I had scrapbooks full of every article or newspaper clipping I could find.  My family did not leave the room on that Monday afternoon as we waited for the landing of the module on the surface of the moon, and stayed later still as we waited the 6 hours until Neil Armstrong placed his boot on the dusty lunar surface and proclaimed “That is one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.”  These men were my heroes. My father kept saying that this would be remembered as an amazing moment in our lives.  It was a different world.  We were in an era that still had ‘awe’.  We could not computer generate a trip to another planet with a resolution that looked like we were really there.  But what we did have was a grainy black and white picture that told us that as a society we had gone somewhere we had previously only imagined in our dreams.  My father was right.  I do remember July 20th, 1969  as an amazing moment in my life; partly because of it being a great moment in history but more so because I can still sense the incredible feeling of having shared that moment with my family.  So the profound sadness I feel is not about the loss of a man I do not know.  It is the sadness that yet another special moment in my life is now such a distant memory.”

Well today I need to stand corrected on a point I made in this blog.  I said that  at the time of the first moon landing we were in an era that still had ‘awe’   alluding to the fact that  we were no longer inspired by the amazing world around us.  Well we do have ‘awe’!!  It was gone for a number of years but we have it again.  And this time the courier of this awe  is a man that I know set in front of a TV on that same day in 1969 that I did and he became an astronaut.  That man is Cmdr Chris Hadfield who is currently on the International Space Station and is about to take over as commander of the ISS.  Hadfield has managed to once again instil in our society a sense of ‘awe’.  Through social media he has managed to captivate a worldwide audience of people anticipating his next tweet or Facebook message.  He has impressed us with his musical talents and genuine connection to our youth.  He is passionate about education, about our world and truly seems to see that ‘with great power comes great responsibility.’   He has taken his role as an astronaut as a platform to connect with our youth and to remind us through his amazing photo gallery of the amazing world we live in.  This man doesn’t need a press agent or a manager.  He is a STAR!  Thank you Chris Hadfield for bringing back the ‘awe’ factor.  You have inspired a generation!

Image  —  Posted: February 10, 2013 in Uncategorized
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2013?

Posted: December 31, 2012 in Uncategorized
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As I watch the New Years Facebook status reports and Tweets come across the screen they certainly reflect a wide range of sentiments but one thing seems to show up over and over.  The comment, “that 2013 has got to be better than 2012.”  So I began to wonder where 2012 fits in my ‘best of years/worst of years.’  Only those who know me really well know some of the challenging years I’ve had; some of them ultimately my own doing and some of them not.  Intermingled with those were many wonderful years.  I don’t know that I have ever thought that “it could only be better.” I have always known that it could always be worse.  

Most of my life, I have nurtured ideals of great achievements, great self-sufficiency and a great future ahead of me.   This has been offset by periods where I achieved nothing,  felt significant insecurity and doubted my future.  To help me along the way, I’ve always had, I’m proud to say, a capacity to rechannel my energy toward a goal and I’ve always been the most impetuous and stubborn person I have ever met.  That has gotten me through those periods of difficulty.  When I look back I ask myself what one thing has been common to all of those periods. It is simply that I can adapt; that I can be resilient.  But what I know more than anything is that whatever I am is a result of EVERYTHING I have lived, EVERYTHING I have done, ALL of the people who have been in my life and ALL of the moments I have had.  I wouldn’t change it for the world!! And that resiliency will take me forward into 2013. Whatever comes my way I will welcome it, learn from it and use it to better the lives of my family, my friends and my community.  So 2013 here you come; my new friend, my new challenge, my new gift and most of all my new teacher.

Did I tell you? My Christmas message to my sons….

Posted: December 25, 2012 in Uncategorized
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 As I think of my Christmas there is nothing that will ever mean more to me than when in the midst of the chaos of opening presents I handed each of my boys my Christmas (perhaps Life) message to them and both without being asked spent 10 minutes reading it.  I am filled with joy.  Here are the words…..

  Did I tell you

 

Did I tell you? 

To My Sons….

 

Now that you are almost grown I look back and ask myself….  Did I tell you?  Did I tell you all that I meant to tell you, all that I felt was important?  Did I tell you or was it lost in the shuffle of our everyday lives, the busy full days when I taught and didn’t know it.  What did I teach?  Was it strong? Was it good?  Will it root you in something real that will allow you to grow with a firm and sound foundation?  Did I tell you…

Did I tell you to love, not with a fair weather love, but with a love that accepts and cherishes unconditionally?  Love not with a quick and passing love, but with a love that is a quiet peace within your heart.

Did I tell you to be thoughtful?  Not to be a martyr or doormat to be trod upon, but to be aware of other people and their needs, to meet others with awareness and within your own framework be able to meet them halfway and on occasion go the other half joyfully.

Did I tell you to be courteous, not to display empty manners with no meaning but to live the courtesy born of caring?  And to express this caring through the small formalities and customs born of the years.

Did I tell you to be bold?  To be not afraid of the unknown, but to live life to the fullest, and meet each new experience with joy and anticipation.

And did I tell you to be cautious?  To temper your daring and sense of adventure with good judgement and consideration.

Did I tell you to serve other people if only in a small way?  There is growth and satisfaction in being part of something larger than yourself and your life will be richer for knowing this.

Did I tell you to maintain a sense of the past? To recall and uphold all that is best and meaningful in our country and in our society.  But never be afraid to speak out where you don’t believe or where there is room for improvement.  Work for what you believe, but work in a positive way within a structure of order and reason.

Did I tell you to find a part of nature that speaks to you then know it intimately and well.  For some it is a mountain peak, for some a windswept beach. Find your own and in it find your restoration.

Did I tell you to laugh, to dance, to sing?  There is a lot in life that is hard,  but take it as it comes and find the good…and make time to dance.

Did I tell you to be creative and explore the seed within you?  Find your creative spirit and let it grow.

And did I tell you the challenge of being a man-the challenge of balancing your worlds?- the need to achieve and the need to nurture-the need to be strong and the need to be tender-the need to meet the tests that life brings yet always keep love at the centre: letting it be the star by which you set your sail.

Did I tell you these things as we went along the way?  If I did then I am humbly grateful.  If I did not than you must choose for yourself. If it has meaning than accept it and make it your own.  If it does not, discard it.  Your life is yours to build as you choose

And did I tell you….

That I hope it will be a good life

 

Love Mom

December 2012

One small step…..

Posted: August 26, 2012 in Uncategorized
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I am generally not one to put a lot of value to celebrity and generally do not find my heroes in pop culture.  But today as I heard of the death of Neil Armstrong; the first man on the moon, I suddenly felt profoundly sad.  But why?   Certainly he had been a pilot; something always close to my heart and several years ago my Dad had shared a table with him at an aviation event.  But that was not the connection I was feeling.  It was much more than that.  It was the knowledge that I am now a full generation away from the little girl that sat riveted in front of that TV set on July 20th, 1969 when Neil Armstrong set foot on the moon. I had spent weeks waiting for the event.  I had scrapbooks full of every article or newspaper clipping I could find.  My family did not leave the room on that Monday afternoon as we waited for the landing of the module on the surface of the moon, and stayed later still as we waited the 6 hours until Neil Armstrong placed his boot on the dusty lunar surface and proclaimed “That is one small step for a man; one giant leap for mankind.”  My father kept saying that this would be remembered as an amazing moment in our lives.  It was a different world.  We were in an era that still had ‘awe’.  We could not computer generate a trip to another planet with a resolution that looked like we were really there.  But what we did have was a grainy black and white picture that told us that as a society we had gone somewhere we had previously only imagined in our dreams.  My father was right.  I do remember July 20th, 1969  as an amazing moment in my life; partly because of it being a great moment in history but more so because I can still feel the incredible feeling of having shared that moment with my family.  So the profound sadness I feel is not about the loss of a man I do not know.  It is the sadness that yet another special moment in my life is now such a distant memory.

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