(*about five years seems to be the long haul for these guys) Recruiting, training and retaining young teachers is a challenge. Gen Y have a high work turnover rate, so instead of rolling our collective Baby Boomer/Gen X eyes, maybe we should be considering how we keep them. We need them to stay. Our kidsContinue reading "What’s your strategy to keep Gen Ys engaged and interested in teaching for the long haul*? (You may have to lead them differently)"
Innovative leadership in 3 simple steps: Know, Show & Let Go
Is our DNA evident across all we do? Along with another colleague on the senior leadership team, I am responsible for ensuring that leadership and innovation are embedded deeply and are part of the DNA of the school. These two elements are essential to our identity. What is DNA? From a scientific perspective it isContinue reading "Innovative leadership in 3 simple steps: Know, Show & Let Go"
There’s no *place* like *home* – why comfort and community matter when we work, learn, play & create
This post is my presentation at the Education Future Forum, 15 March 2013 There is no sense of ‘place’ that is greater than ‘home’. Hugh Mackay, in What makes us tick? Ten desires that drive us says ‘My place’ is partly an anchor, partly a refuge, partly a stable point in a world that seemsContinue reading "There’s no *place* like *home* – why comfort and community matter when we work, learn, play & create"
Will this be in the test, My Pyne? Old school is not way to go #weneedvision
Christopher Pyne is the Australian Education Minister in-waiting, with an election due in September this year. We have been waiting for a clear vision for the students in our nation and are yet to receive it. The current government hasn’t delivered. This piece appeared in the Sydney Morning Herald this week. Old School is wayContinue reading "Will this be in the test, My Pyne? Old school is not way to go #weneedvision"
We live by different rules. One woman’s attempt at navigating them (um, that would be me)
An interesting Twitter exchange developed. I made an unusual comment, as I don’t normally jump into the political discourse. Our female Prime Minister announced the date of the election, with an unprecedented eight month lead in. I tweeted: “in the 2010 election the PM wore pearls (credibility) and is wearing glasses (this time I meanContinue reading "We live by different rules. One woman’s attempt at navigating them (um, that would be me)"
Dogfooding: Would you send your own kids to your school?
Dogfooding... It's a curious term that I came across in the business section of my newspaper this morning. In business ‘eating your own dogfood’ refers to the scenario in which a company uses it’s own product to demonstrate its quality and capabilities. Of course, there are many extenuating circumstances in the decisions we make forContinue reading "Dogfooding: Would you send your own kids to your school?"
Agreed @TomWhitby – The education conference needs to be re-invented “focus the conversations on big ideas”
I read with interest Tom Whitby’s reflections on the value of education conferences in his blog My Island View As a person who organises professional learning experiences for educators I struggle with the notion of the traditional conference. When I attend big events the irony is not lost. Big names talk about new learning paradigms,Continue reading "Agreed @TomWhitby – The education conference needs to be re-invented “focus the conversations on big ideas”"
Kicking off the new school year. Never “same old, same old” here at Northern Beaches Christian School
In Australia the end of January is the start of the new academic year. Within a few days of getting back into it I usually gaze out the window, trying to recall the vacation and thinking to myself that perhaps it was just a dream? (No, I really did have Christmas in Paris with myContinue reading "Kicking off the new school year. Never “same old, same old” here at Northern Beaches Christian School"
Why innovate? Answer inspired by Ghandi ‘Serving the unserved’
Lasting innovation comes from identifying and responding to need - human need. We are often reminded that people in developing nations are amazing innovators - living, that is staying alive, on less than $1 per day. Ghandi is known as a liberator and revolutionary of his people, yet he approached the issues of tackling theContinue reading "Why innovate? Answer inspired by Ghandi ‘Serving the unserved’"
Sagrada Familia – breathtaking in its generosity of space and light.
On our first morning in Barcelona we visited Sagrada Familia. I have never been so overwhelmed by a building that truly took my breath away. This church shows how generosity of space and light and attention to detail in design can create a building that I think I would describe as the most captivating spaceContinue reading "Sagrada Familia – breathtaking in its generosity of space and light."
culture | learning | design 