I have been wanting to “work blog” after really enjoying reading others’ weeks-in-review (shout out: Tannis Morgan, Clint Lalonde). One person’s simple, reflective (boring?) account of their work week is another person’s fascinating sneak peek behind the curtain! Also, there is plenty of evidence that it – i.e., blogging, as a reflective practice – will be good for me. Like everything, I need to avoid overthinking it and just go for it. It’s good enough!
Highlight Reel/Key Activities
- Buckets! My team is in the process of revolutionizing how we think about and approach our work. Actually, when I put it like that, I’m reminded about one of my terrific shortcomings: I often fail to celebrate success. Ironic? Tannis and I designed and facilitated a strategic planning day and a half for our Learning and Teaching team in the fall. It was largely shaped by the Strategy Knotworking approach which is growing out of the Liberating Structures community. I’ve tried it elsewhere and so far, it’s working for me (more robust than Ecocycle alone, and seems to take the best of Purpose-to-Practice into account). Like all such things though, the challenging part is moving from exciting big new ideas and flip charts into details, action, plans, accountability. Diverge/Converge. We’re getting there. Our buckets (i.e., focus for the next while) are: Indigenization, Inclusion, Smollages, Open Pedagogy.
- Defining “Regional, Remote and Northern” PSIs. Due to a love of puns and wordplay, I have been using the term “smollages” (to describe PSIs that are smaller, outside of urban areas and have less access to in-person PD events about Teaching and Learning). It was suggested to me that some might find this term offensive, so we’re going with “Regional, Remote, and Northern” to describe and focus some of our work “beyond Hope”, as it were.
- Getting ready to welcome a new team member! When I started at BCcampus, there were 3 of us (plus a part-time co-op student) on the Learning and Teaching team. Now there will be 6 (plus a part-time co-op student)! I love new beginnings and I can’t wait to welcome a new person to our weird, wild, flexible, caring organization.
- Executive Coach: I now have one, and she’s great! One gem she offered me recently is William Bridges Change and Transition Model. In a nutshell: change is what happens, transition is your experience of it, and as leaders we must pay attention to endings more than we do, in order to help people through their transitions.
- Tools: I’m quitting Skype. Internally, we have moved to MS Teams so that’s my “always on” for BCcampus colleagues. Externally, I worry a bit, but people have my email…and text, facebook, insta, twitter, etc. I crave an exciting new tool, tbh. Something visually appealing and fun to use. Seems like we’ve had the same ol’ for a long time, and it’s all becoming Facebook…I digress…
Some stuff I read/heard/watched…
- Cozy Resolutions https://secretfeministagenda.com/2020/01/10/episode-4-10-cozy-resolutions/ – a sweet, short piece passed on to me by Amanda Coolidge.
- Embers, by Richard Wagamese https://www.amazon.ca/Embers-Ojibways-Meditations-Richard-Wagamese/dp/1771621338 – I read it in one sitting, on Sunday. I love this book, and I am hooked by its recurring phrase and idea of, “I am made more…”. What makes YOU more? Diminishes you? It’s one to pick up any time and flip open to any page and just understand that it’s what you need right now.
- The boy, the mole, the fox, and the horse – a bestie gave me this book recently and it’s just….sigh…a tender celebration of friendship, and acceptance, and goodness… with a whiff of Winnie the Pooh. I just loved it. A reminder of what’s good in and around us, which we bloody well need…