Christmas Thanks and Wishes

I find it hard that to believe that I have been tweeting for 6 months.  What started out as a way to get NHL free agent signings has turned into an education of limitless opportunities.  I wanted to take the time to thank everyone who has the courage to put their ideas, thoughts and concerns out there for the world to see.  I am a better educator because of all of you out there who share your passion.

I am thankful that I work with so many amazing educators in my district who lead, share and support each other, making us one of the most successful districts in the province.  I am so proud of the fact that there are so many of you out there, we are only going to get stronger and better.  I am also thankful to work in the best province with an amazing group of educators.  I am very excited with some of the initiatives of the BCPVPA and the collaborative opportunities that we are creating and putting in place. My wish for the province is that we have 1 minister of education who stays in the position past 2 cabinet shuffles.  Hogwarts had better stability.

I am also thankful for the infectious energy and passion that is coming from our prairie provinces,  You are doing amazing things out there, and even though Saskatchewan robbed us of a Grey Cup appearance, I know that I am a better educator because of your sharing your amazing resources.  My wish is that we continue to find a way to increase the collaboration.  There are so many amazing projects and initiatives in our country that we need to push the envelope and take these ideas to our own provinces and districts.

To the amazing educators below the 49th parallel, I would also like to thank you for your passion. I am amazed at the connections that I have made across the USA.  Thank you to opening up to the world to share.  I am delighted to have made those connections, and don't worry, if I am ever in your city I will not be knocking on your door.   Many of you have a fight on your hands to create the best learning opportunities for students despite standardized testing, RTTP and NCLB.  My wish is that foundations like the Gates Foundation would realize that there are far better ways to improve and support education than the agenda that they are pushing.  (It might be a useful wish that the policy gets changed to No Hungry Child because too many of the most vulnerable and defenseless are left wanting and starting out way behind, the same all across the globe)

The same goes out to all of the amazing and passionate educators world-wide.  I am excited by this passion that transcends borders and politics, geography and philosophy.  Thank you for making the learning for the students a priority in your lives.  To organizations like Kiva and Free the Children who are making a difference in the world, thank you.  You are an inspiration to our students.

The world is a better place, and getting better by the minute because of all of the projects that you have undertaken, the love of learning and the passion of teaching that you bring into the classroom, the creation of opportunities for teachers to be creative, administrators to have flexibility and Districts to have more freedom.  If we continue at this we will get better every day, more doors will open for our children and students, and soon we will have the most amazing generation of learners the world has ever seen.

Merry Christmas to all of you.