Sandy

Sandy's devastation in the US northeast is clear. (Here is a great but scary series of photos from the NY Times.) With more than 40 people dead in the US and Canada, as well as huge issues with power failures and transportation paralysis, there is tragedy for many.

We wish all those who have been impacted peace and safety going forward.

This is the second major flooding issue in Manhattan this year, which makes me wonder about the future and how increasing weather volatility will continue to impact the major seaboards of the world. There isn't a month goes by where I don't think how luck we are in Ontario. While there are some natural disasters here from time-to-time, relative to most of the world and even most of North America, we are very fortunate. The impact from even the worst blizzard isn't a fraction of the devastation that we have watched from hurricanes.

I've had a few inquiries from Appleby people abroad asking about how badly we were impacted by Sandy. Oakville experienced a very bad rain storm with high winds, but not much more. At Appleby, we had a few trees go down in our forest and a number of large branches, but no power outages and no major flooding. Yesterday, the wind shifted and I snapped a few photos of the big wave action on the beaches by the Inukshuk. You will see them on the rolling slide show to the right of this post. I think you could almost surf some of them if you were so inclined!

It was also a good time to remind the students of some of the most devastating storms of all time:

1) 1970 Bhola Cyclone (Bangladesh – 300K to 500K dead mainly from storm surge); 2) Un-named Typhoon that hit Vietnam in 1881; 3) Typhoon Nina (China – multiple dam failures killed 100K+)

"Our Time to Lead"

 

For most of us, university years were some of the most memorable. They are the years where we wrestled with new-found independence, plotted our courses for our lives, and grew into adulthood.

Last week, The Globe & Mail ran an interesting series on post-secondary education in Canada entitled Our Time to Lead.

I spent the first half of my career in the university sector and have an ongoing interest and loyalty to Canadian universities.  And the college system is becoming an increasingly important entrepreneurial and adaptable answer to economic needs.  Education at all levels – primary, secondary, and post-secondary; both private and public – is the most important lever for improving our quality of life in terms of the economy, culture, heath, and human interaction. It is something we should all take an active interest in.

The Cerberic threats of austere public financing for the foreseeable future, intense international competition, and pace of societal change/expectations pose massive challenges to these institutions that have served our nation well for a fraction of the cost of universities in other parts of the world

Many of the Globe’s pieces are superb, many are thought-provoking, and many raise questions that apply to those of us in the secondary sector.

Here are a few that raise some excellent questions:

·         Why University Students Need a well Rounded Education or the case against specialization too early

·         Transforming the Ivory Tower: The case for a new post-secondary education system. Take a look halfway down this interaction section to the articles on The Innovators

·         What is the one thing every graduating student should know? Advice from a variety of university leaders

·         Can Canada’s schools pass the next great intelligence test? This long article provides the overlay for the entire series – probing into a variety of issues facing universities, faculty and students.

PS Earlier this week, there was also an interesting piece on TVO about the classroom of 2030. While the focus was once again on post-secondary, there were many concepts that applied equally well to schools. Here TVO’s special website on the subject, which includes the show.

On Innovators & Play

In my last post, I mentioned that we just hosted our Optimates dinners where we honoured our top academic students. In the fourth of those dinners, Fraser Grant ’87, our Assistant Head (Academics) talked about innovation and how we can help youth discover and develop the skills that will allow them to be innovators.

Ours is a long-term game. There are lots of important attributes that our graduates will require to be successful (broadly defined) 25 years from now – at the top of my list are critical thinking, teaming/collaborative skills, adaptability, and a strong moral compass. But, I also think innovation is on this list, and it is the trait that is taking on greater importance. The emergence is due to both the flattening of the world as well as the pace of change in everything – our day-to-day lives, the economy, knowledge, and human interaction on a global basis. Our societal and national well-being is increasingly tied to our ability to innovate, both in absolute terms and relative to others.

Innovators are the people who able to find the intersection between creativity/imagination and human need. It is the manifestation of the very special talent of being able to re-imagine and see something in a way that was previously never done. And creativity isn’t just about the arts. The greatness of Einstein, Gretzky, the Wright brothers, Marie Curie, the Beatles and Picasso was all built on creativity. A significant proportion of societal leaders today have reached this pinnacle through applying creativity to human needs and wants.

So what does that mean for educators and for parenting?

There is an iconic TED talk from February 2006 by Sir Ken Robinson on the “How Schools Kill Creativity”. It is, in fact, the most viewed TED talk in history with more than 13.5 million viewers. Robinson’s message still lingers in my mind many years later. His premise is that children have an abundance of inherent creativity that schools squeeze away by over-emphasizing regimentation and working within systems. Not only do schools not develop creativity, they actually force it out of children.

At the start of the term this year, our faculty read a book by Tony Wagner (Innovation Education Fellow at the Technology & Entrepreneurship Center at Harvard) called Creating Innovators, and then we used it as the focus for a series of professional conversations about how we can better promote innovation through our teaching and our broader learning environment.

Wagner’s message (as introduced in his own TEDxNYED talk and fully addressed in his interactive Creating Innovators Website) is not only that innovation is the essential driver of societal development, but also that there are some very specific ways schools and post-secondary education should address it.

Some of his key points are:

·         Innovation can only happen when you have three factors coming together: 1) expertise (knowledge), 2) critical thinking skills (like flexibility, problem-solving orientation, ability to integrate many ideas, perseverance, empathy), and 3) intrinsic motivation (including some of Daniel Pink’s ideas – most importantly, an enduring, driving sense of purpose.)

·         An enduring sense of purpose can only be based on first the development of passion, which is very intense but time-limited (think the first couple months of dating a new person with whom you are infatuated.) Purpose is focused and perseveres long after passion burns down. Wagner also believes that the most effective way for youth to develop passion is by providing time for unstructured play, especially with peers in the out-of-doors. This runs counter to so much of current parenting practice, where time is the most valuable commodity for both children and their parents, so we become highly efficient “programmers”.

·         Mentors, encouraging parents, and enthusiastic teachers are essential in helping empower students as they move along the Play to Passion to Purpose Continuum.

Generally speaking, great schools have always been very good at the “expertise” factor, and we are becoming better at “critical thinking” aspects. Both schools and parents used to be better at providing unstructured play.

I recommend Creating Innovators to you, and would love to hear what you think about Wagner’s premise. More particularly, I am interested in your views on the Play to Passion to Purpose Continuum, as well as how we should better address the “critical thinking skills” in the right balance with “expertise.”

I look forward to hearing from parents, alumni and employees, but am most interested in what current students and recent graduates think about this.

How We Come Together

Last week was another super week at the school. It included the Appleby Walkathon – a whole school event where all students and employees play a role. All of our students – old and young, short and tall, athletic and not so much – ran or walked 21 km throughout Oakville while raising funds for local causes as determined by the students themselves. At last count, the kids raised in excess of $60,000 and the tally continues to grow.

What I loved was the smiles on so many faces. Smiles as they warmed up to talented direction of Mr. Buchanan (Boy, do I have a hard time showing any sense of rhythm in aerobic routines – thankfully I wasn’t also trying to chew gum at the same time!) Smiles as they huddled together in the cool, clear morning air before the race; smiles as they made their way along the route; and smiles that were broadened as the passed by refreshment stops staffed by myriad parent, student and employee volunteers.  While some kids/staff went all out in a highly competitive race, others went back and forth between running, jogging and walking, and yet others had a refined slow amble that would seem to prepare them well for life as an octogenarian in a rocking chair in front of a country store.

And the competition at the front of the pack was intense. I was delighted that a student stopped in my office early that morning confidently calling out for a top 5 finish … as “a gift to you, Mr. V.” Indeed, he finished #5. Talk about smooth.

It was one of those really special days when a whole community comes together in a positive, engaging and purposeful way.

Indeed, the whole week was special. Earlier, we held our final two Optimates dinners, honoring our top academic achiever from last year. Will Hackney, our Academic Prefect, spoke very well at all the events and I was delighted to see the pride of both students and their parents. Fraser Grant ’87, our Assistant Head of School (Academics), served as the Master of Ceremonies at the dinners, and provides different but superb remarks at each of the four dinners. In my next posting, I am going to speak a bit about one of his speeches relating to developing innovators.

The week finished with Harvest Colours, the incredible fall fair put on by the ACPA (Gay Longo chaired this year’s version.) My mother and aunt joined us for this wonderful day. Our kids particularly enjoyed the baked goods, and the whole family contributed significantly to the coffers of the many artisans present. The number of volunteers – especially parents and students – showed another perfect example of the power of coming together as a community.

For three days last week, I was also at the meeting of Heads of Independent Schools from across Canada hosted by CAIS and held in Toronto. While hearing lots of great tales and war stories, it struck me how lucky I am to be at Appleby and what a remarkable community we have here. Last week was an impressive series of activities that spoke to the power of collective experiences for both teenagers and adults. It is a critical aspect of building community and family. Last week, I was particularly proud to be the Principal of Appleby.

Opening Address: What makes a Great Class; Relational Leadership; Acts of Kindness and Optimism

We are now into week 5 and there is a great vibe around the campus. People made it through week 1 – with all the anxiety of new students trying to find their places (both physically and socially), and returning students re-establishing relationships. Week 2 started the “normalizing” process as students and staff got into the rhythm of the typical school week. Week 3 started with an energetic Spirit Day and ended in a fabulous Homecoming weekend. Post-Thanksgiving, it seems that most are in their grooves.

I thought it would be appropriate to post some of the thoughts I shared with students at the all-school Assembly, which started the school year. I was impressed that the students gave me their full attention throughout this long address.

“This morning, I have 3 distinct messages for you – one to new students, one to the Senior 2s, and finally one to the whole to student body.

First, to the new students, my fellow “12evers” – today will likely feel a bit more overwhelming than was Friday. Everyone is here, classes start, and the pace of life has just kicked up a couple of notches.

Instead of repeating everything I said on Friday, just remember two things this week: #1) you will find your place here in terms of friends, successes and passions – it will be fine; and #2) if you are not sure about something, make sure to ask. There is an army of fellow students and staff here who are in your corner, and who want you to succeed, because we have all been in your position.

I bet everyone here can remember the first day at a new school. I remember my first day in 1972 as clear as a bell. My elderly grandfather walked with me to school, the place was huge, I was undersized, both short and a bit thin (hard to imagine when you look at me now), and completely uncoordinated. What I remember most how intimidated I felt. But it all worked out eventually. 

Now for the Senior 2s.

I have had the good fortune to meet many of you, and many of you have already gone out of your way to make me and my kids feel at home here. (My wife seems to feel at home everywhere she goes.) You guys have been a class act – thank you.

I know many people have already spoken to you about how important this year is for you individually – it is that crucial lead-in to university and your life ahead. Canon Bob, in his thoughtful homily at yesterday’s chapel service, talked about how fast this year will go – a sentiment I concur with 100%.

So there is lots of pressure for you to expend those most precious resources, your time and your talent, towards personal achievements in the classroom, on the stages and canvasses, on the playing fields, and around the world.

I suspect that many of you feel that pressure more than most, and I know that it is more than some of you really wanted. But let me leave that subject for another address.

Instead let me talk about another challenge – and I want to apologize for loading on more expectations.

First of all let me say that we all have a hand in sailing this Appleby ship in 2012 – 2013. Certainly the staff are critical, even the Head of School and Principal have a role. Of course, the student body, in the final analysis, defines the school culture for a given year. But within that context, it is the leaving class, (the Senior 2s, in this case the class of 2013,) who sets the tone, who role models it, and, more than any other group at Appleby, who owns school culture.  They have the strongest handle on the tiller.

I have had thousands of conversations with alumni of numerous universities and schools. Especially over the last nine months, I have had many with Appleby alumni, and I am intrigued by the pictures their stories paint about Appleby. About the differences between today and 5, 10 or 15 years ago when Ms Porter, Ms Cochrane and Ms Cater were here as students; or 25, 30 or 35 years ago, in Mr. Grant and Mr. Suchanek’s times; and about how profoundly different it was from their time compared to the 1950s, not to mention the 1920s and 30s, when the oldest Appleby alumnus I’ve met was here.

One of the questions I love to ask is “What makes a great class?” In every educational institution, there are huge gaps between the quality of classes. Some are amazing and, frankly, some are duds. And often, at the start of the year, you can’t fully predict where a Senior 2 class will end up.

Sometimes it is tough to assess how good your own class is – studies show that we don’t always really see ourselves, even when looking into a mirror. (Once again, a good subject for a future talk.) While how a class feels about itself is an important criterion of greatness, it’s really the classes around you, usually those in the five years younger than yours, and the faculty who are often the best judges of which classes are truly great.

Here is the thing about great classes – they are not great for just one year. They become great for a lifetime, for the next 60 or 70 years. Because an entire generation of students knows that greatness, have benefitted from that greatness, and respect it.

So, what really makes a great class?

Yes – things like the calibre of performances, university placement, funds raised, AP scores, and sports championships are all relevant and contribute to greatness. But let me suggest that they are all secondary to three factors.

First – great classes make those around them feel great. There is a wonderful story about two of Great Britain’s greatest Prime Ministers – Gladstone and Disraeli. Historians tell us that both were remarkable leaders of that nation when the British Empire was at it zenith. I read a piece that talked about the differences between the two of them. It said that after dinner with Gladstone, you would come out feeling that you had talked with one of the smartest people in the world.  After dinner with Disraeli, on the other hand, you would come back saying what a great dinner it was and how you feel like one of the smartest people in the world.

So, think Disraeli. Great classes find ways for the rest of the student body to not just feel good about itself, but actually feel great about itself. This feeling is on a macro level, with a sense of school spirit, goodwill and collective positive energy that cuts across houses, classes and other barriers. But it is also felt an individual level, where each one of us feels a sense of personal connection, and feels respected by the leaving class. 

The second factor is about the leadership model.

Something I briefly spoke with the house councils and prefects about was the role of positional leadership versus relational leadership. Positional leadership is when someone is able to change behaviour and culture because of their position – I say stand up or sit down and you do it, because I happen to hold the position of Principal.

Relational leadership, on the other hand, is based on a foundation of earned respect and credibility – someone can influence behaviour and culture because they are held in high esteem by the peer group. They have credibility and they may, or may not, have a position.

Every piece I have ever read on these differences suggests that positional leadership is doomed to failure if it is not built on a solid foundation of relational leadership. And relational leadership is by far a more powerful lever within communities.

So great classes have many, many leaders. It is broadly-based across the class (both those in formal positions and those who do not have the title), and it is built around a commitment to a series of values; things like: respect for others – how to treat them; responsibility – when to stand up and own something; integrity; and compassion.

The third factor for class greatness is how people interact across cliques. In every school, as I am sure is the case here at Appleby, there are clusters in each class. People may hang around based on neighborhoods, or interests (geeks, artsies, jocks), or ethnicity, or personality type, or other factors. It is impossible to suggest that everyone in a class will be equally good friends with everyone else – that might work in a finale of High School Musical, but it isn’t reality in a school like ours.

However – the very great classes in different schools have all found a way to have a bond that cuts across all of these cliques, and there becomes a baseline of respect that links every member of the class, even if they are not all best friends.

That is also a harbinger of your future because, believe it or not, while you probably know that in 25 years, many of your best friends will be from Appleby, I also predict that some of your closest Appleby friends at that future time are not among your best friends today.  In all likelihood, there are people in this gym right now, whom you don’t have anything to do with, but who will be your close friends in 25 years. They may be teachers or athletes or academics or rebels, painfully shy or wildly extroverted, younger or older. Once you realize that, it completely flips the way you look at and deal with each other.

So my question to the Senior 2 class is: how do you want to lead this year? What is the right balance between pursuing your individual achievements and working towards the greater good? There is no perfect or right answer. All I ask is that you spend some time as a class pushing yourself a bit to have the conversation, and think about what you want to achieve. From what I have seen so far, you have all the potential in the world.

And now finally, my message for all of you – Middle 1 to Senior 2, rookie or veteran.

The start of September is a time for New Year’s resolutions. Of course, every class here should be thinking about the questions that the Senior 2s are facing – those I have just talked about.

I also believe in situational leadership. Every single person in this room will have the opportunity to show leadership to do the right thing when a group is facing a dilemma. And on that note, I’d like to ask you to think about two virtues: courage and optimism

In addition to my asking about what makes classes great, I also enjoy asking alumni about the experiences that had the greatest impact on their student years. What is remarkable is how many focus on what I call “the small acts of kindness.” Even though the impacts are not so small!

Let me tell you a brief story about a high school classmate of mine who I will call Gary. He was very smart, incredibly socially awkward, and physically weak, but a nice, earnest guy. Almost daily, he was tormented by classmate whose favourite habit was to grab Gary by the back of the neck and force him on his hands and knees and make him howl like a dog in front of others. You can imagine the impact with is peers. At his reunion, Gary thanked another classmate because he will always remember this fellow, on the landing of a school staircase not unlike the old one on the north of the Memorial building, stepping in and calmly asking him to leave Gary alone, which he did. Many years later Gary remembered that single act as if it had just happened.

These kinds of stories are many and varied: the leaving class student who stepped in with a word of encouragement for the lonely first year girl; the guy who consoled someone who just bombed an exam, or was cut from a team, or let in a bad goal in a big game; the girl who invites a not-so-close classmate, who felt on the outside socially, to join her to an event; the family who invited a new student from another country to their home or cottage. Interestingly, more often than not, those alumni being thanked don’t even remember the events.

In speaking to alumni at their reunions, the times when they were down, in any way, and a fellow student or a teacher stepped in to lend a hand or a kind word – are seared in their memories. The impacts that these gestures have had on peoples’ lives are deep and profound. It’s even moreso when the kindnesses crossed cliques – a geek helping a jock, a long-time student helping a new boy, a day student helping a boarder, a hetero guy helping a gay one.

The difference between taking and not taking any of these steps is usually not lack of awareness, or not having the idea, but actually having the courage to do it. Because these actions take us out of our social comfort zone. I and, I suspect, many of the adults in the room often ask ourselves if we have courage to always do what our gut says is right. I’d like to spend more time on this subject in the future as well. But before then, my first challenge to each of you is to try one of these acts of kindness – it can be very small or big. Find a way to show decency and show your courage. I promise that you will not regret it.

To quote the great, magical headmaster Albus Dumbledore - “It is our choices that show truly what we are, for more than our abilities.”

Finally – I used to follow hockey rabidly. As a Leaf fan, I understand how suffering makes you stronger. I still love it, but haven’t had the time to watch it as closely in recent years.

When I was younger, there was a coach who some of you may have heard of called “Badger" Bob Johnson. Bob Johnson was one of the great hockey people of the last 40 years. He was an iconic college coach who took his team to 7 frozen four championships (winning 3), international hockey (including coaching 8 Olympic, national or Canada Cup teams), and at the NHL, where he took the Calgary Flames to their first NHL appearance, and was at the helm when Mario Lemieux and the Pittsburgh Penguins captured their first-ever Stanley Cup.

Sadly, the following year, he took ill and ended up directing the Penguins from his hospital bed. In November that year, Badger Bob died. 5 months later, the Penguins won their second straight Stanley Cup

While Badger Bob was famous for this impressive record, what he was best known for was a rabid sense of enthusiasm and optimism, best reflected in his signature, much repeated saying “It’s a great day for hockey!”

Johnson not only used his words to spread positive energy, his whole being glowed with passion. He seemed to take on every challenge with gusto and had a way to make his enthusiasm contagious, so those around him felt the same way. He turbo-energized those he came into contact with, even over the TV. Even though I was not a Wisconsin, nor a USA Hockey, nor a Flames, nor a Penguins fan, I couldn’t help being drawn to him and feeling myself that this indeed was a great day for hockey.

We all have the ability to have that kind of impact, perhaps not on the same scale. But we can affect others with our attitude and outlook. I get that sometimes, as a teenager, it may seem safer to be “too-cool-for-school”, but at the end of the day you can in fact exhibit an important trait of leadership by sharing optimism.

What do I mean by that? Say hi to people you pass in the hall, even if you hardly know them. Be kind and show respect to the custodian cleaning your room, smile, especially first thing in the morning when everyone would rather be buried in bed.

Share an optimistic view of the world. This week isn’t just the anniversary of 9/11, it’s also the anniversary of Sister Agnes Bojaxhiu, while riding on a train, hearing a call from God to leave her convent and minister to the needs of the poor while living among them – and thereby becoming the now beatified Nobel Peace Laureate Mother Teresa.

Great communities and schools thrive on positive energy, and the greatest leaders share an optimistic view of the future

And now finally, in advance of the official tie ceremonies happening later this morning let me ask all of our new students to stand, so the entire school body can see who you are. And now I would like all the returning students to stand with them and, with the same gusto you sing “Guide Me”, let’s give them an enthusiastic and warm welcome to this special brother and sisterhood that we call the Appleby community.

So, here are the takeaways from this morning:

1.      For the new students – it will all work out just fine, and make sure you ask for help if you have any questions or worries.

2.      For the Senior 2s – think about what greatness means for your class, and stay focused on making the student body feel good about itself. Remember that broadly-based, relational leaders are the secret to impact, and ensure that a base level of respect weaves throughout your class, and between all of the cliques.

3.      And to all of you – search for the courage to perform those small acts of kindness, and strive to be the positive, optimistic voice.

Thank you for your attention. Welcome back. And let’s make this “A great day to be at Appleby!””

Ryder Lessons on Failure

My last post talked about the Ryder Cup and how Canadians fit into it. But of course the most captivating part of the competition was “The Collapse”. It featured the largest comeback in Ryder Cup history. Two-thirds of the way through Saturday, the US was ahead by six points, with a score of 10-4 (the US needed 14.5 points to win.) In the last two matches of Saturday and over the final day, the Europeans outscored their opponents 10.5 to 3.5, thereby retaining the Cup.

It was euphoric for the champions and left the losers devastated in a way that compares to no other kind of loss. It reminded me these epic collapses:

·         Houston Oilers ’92 AFC championship against the Buffalo Bills when they lost in overtime after being up 35-3 in the 3^rd quarter. I was transfixed by that game.

·         Greg Norman’s ’99 Masters loss to Nick Faldo despite a seemingly insurmountable 6 stroke lead to start the final round

·         Lindsay Jacobellis’ “hot dog” fall as she was about to win ’06 Olympic Gold for snowboard cross – was it poetic justice? (She still won a silver)

·         ’78 Bosox

And the almost unmentionably tragic:

·         Jean Van De Velde’s ’99 British Open

·         Jana Novatna’s ’93 Wimbledon Final vs. Steffi Graf

Like many, I was completely fixated on Steve Stricker, who both lost the final points to secure Europe’s victory and who also didn’t win a point all weekend. More than anyone, he wears the “goat horns” for Team USA. (Interestingly, Tiger managed to tie the last match of the competition, giving him only a half point for the weekend, and Hanson was shut out for Team Europe.) It was hard not to feel deep sympathy for Stricker, whose combination of frustration/guilt/sadness was apparent.
The whole thing made for great TV, but I wonder what it means for teenagers? Some thoughts …

1.       Malcolm Gladwell’s fabulous collection of essays “What the Dog Saw and other Adventures” has a piece on why some people choke and others panic. When I saw the Ryder collapse, it made me think of Gladwell’s piece – a thought-provoking and enjoyable read that gives me some insight into my own athletic downfalls. It is an engaging piece for student-athletes and their coaches.

2.       How we treat the “Losers” says a great deal about a school community. Watching what happened at the Ryder Cup, I wondered how many people were loading on the bandwagon in a celebratory haze, how many were deep into their own Schadenfreude, and how many were feeling sympathetic for Stricker? Celebrating victory is easy and natural. It’s how we deal with defeat – either our own or those around us – that tells us more about character. Empathy, sympathy, resilience, and the ability to reflect and then adapt are all critical attributes for people who wish to lead. How we develop these characteristics in our young men and women should be a hallmark of great education. The most challenging part of that is that the strongest forge of these skills is the fire of adversity.

The Ryder, Walker and Canada

Those of us who saw the 2012 Ryder Cup felt that we were watching an epic sports event – one of the greatest turnarounds in golf history. For those who don’t follow golf, it’s the annual team competition between the best American golfers and the best golfers from Europe. It gets patriotic juices flowing on both sides, resulting in cheering, flag-waving and screaming that often runs completely counter to golf tradition and etiquette. It is more “Happy Gilmour” than Augusta – and golf aficionados are divided on the merits of the Ryder Cup scene.

Before “The Collapse”, I was thinking about how Canadians align with the Ryder Cup teams. We are very much split – with some passionately supportive of the Americans, some for the Europeans, and some who just like the competition. This likely reflects the complexity of the Canadian psyche – some of us see Americans as another version of ourselves, some feel a stronger bond to the “old country” (whatever it is), and some relate to Americans like an older, brasher, more successful sibling. And of course, at the core, this has little to do Americans and everything to do with how we see ourselves.

It’s interesting how this has changed over the last century, since Appleby was started by one of Canada’s most famous economic and cultural protectionists of his era, Sir Edmund Walker. Sir Edmund, who co-founded Appleby with his son-in-law and first Headmaster, John Guest, was one of the great Canadians of his time. In addition to building the Canadian Bank of Commerce into a national power, he also was central in the redesign of the Canadian banking system, and the creation of bodies that would become the Art Gallery of Ontario, the Royal Ontario Museum and the federation of colleges now called the University of Toronto. He had many other equally as impressive achievements. Walker was a central figure in the campaign against Laurier’s free trade proposal with the US, which led to his election loss. Sir Edmund saw "Canadianism" as a function of our role in British Imperialism and not at all linked to the US.

As adults, we are often faced with the question of how to honour our parents, family and community roots, while also staying true to our own beliefs, which sometimes contradict those of our ancestors. I found Michael Ignatieff’s True Patriot Love a terrific account of how he sees Canada in the context of his mother’s family – the famous Grants. For teenagers, especially those who are brimming with idealism, that tension is often felt to a far greater degree. Creativity and innovation, be it for science or the arts or sports or business, is only possible through the ability to question and imagine differently. That is part of what be subscribe to at Appleby, but there is often a trade-off. How do we help our students broker that tension between where they have come from, and where they see the future?

Pats & Pushes

Recently, I had the pleasure to talk with the parents of an Appleby alumnus about his experience here. In his first year, he was having a difficult time adjusting to the school. Although a talented student and athlete, his attitude caused issues with his peers and he had an unacceptable incident of publically disrespecting a teacher. His actions could and perhaps should have spelled the end of his tenure at Appleby. To his credit and that of his parents, who encouraged him to face his failure and take responsibility, the student stepped up to his actions and tried to make it right. Of course, the damage was done. The big question the faculty member (and the school) faced was the extent of the discipline. Was it a “third rail” offense or something less but still significant?

The student ended up having to face painful consequences, but they were less than what they could have been. There was lots of context to the situation that I won’t go into, but the part of the story that made my nerves tingle was when his parents said that the teacher in question eventually went up to the boy shook his hand, re-introduced himself, and said, “Let’s start this again.”

It reminded me of a conversation with another fellow who was reflecting on his most influential teachers from 35 years before. He told me about an English teacher who refused to give him a final mark until, after his final exams had been written and his Grade 13 year was completed, the student re-wrote his major paper. His previous version was adequate, but the teacher felt that he could do much better. While this boy was trying to pack up and prepare to head home to Hong Kong, he was being penalized for the infraction of not putting in enough effort in a course. (Not an unknown sin to me!) He worked hard on the re-write and ended up with a first class mark. For the 35 years since that incident, that graduate has felt indebted to the teacher and credits him with both establishing strong communication skills, as well as developing a drive to aim higher.   

In both cases, the alumni look back on these occasions as life-changing in positive ways. But the differences are significant. In the first case, the faculty member gave (figuratively speaking) a pat on the back – a partial second chance. In the latter, the teacher gave a figurative push – requiring him to do more than his peers. I think both are examples of great teaching and coaching. As educators, we are often under immense pressure to give the “pat” when the “push” is the right decision, and would have better long term impact on the student. The decisions of when to pat and when to push are often the most difficult and most impactful that we make.

One of the most significant challenges that educators and parents face today is, in the words of Dr. Alex Russell, how to allow students to address and respond courageously to non-catastrophic failures, including facing what are sometimes very difficult consequences. Because if they can’t do it when they are 16, they will not be able to at age 26, or 41 or 56, when the stakes are higher and sometimes catastrophic.

I would love to hear stories from Appleby alumni and their parents about the “pats” and the “pushes” you had here, because they say much about our heritage and about growing-up.

 

Welcome

Welcome to my blog. I hope that you find it thought-provoking and sometimes amusing (in the “with me” rather than “at me” sense.)

So many sectors have changed so much over the last decade. Companies that were iconic world leaders just a decade ago are no longer around (or at least not at the scale they used to be), and the lists of the most powerful, the wealthiest and the most influential people seem to have a remarkably short half-life. I just took a look at the Forbes wealthiest people list, and only knew five of the top 10.

What does that mean for us at Appleby? We talk a great deal about developing innovation, adaptability and resiliency in our children. But, of course, it is equally important for us as a school to share and model those same traits. I feel most fortunate coming to Appleby at this time because there is probably no better place to engage in those discussions than right here.

I am really impressed by colleagues and by the students – and people are a school’s number one lever towards greatness. The school is known for its innovation and its quality – Appleby has changed immensely over the last couple of decades. But one thing we know is that the future, while being informed by our past, will be different.

I was at a “boot camp” for new heads of school in Atlanta in July. There were about 75 heads in attendance, including five Canadians and a smattering of overseas people. There were many pearls of wisdom being cast our way, some of which I plan to share in future posts. One in particular that resonated with me was that the role of the Principal is about shaping discourse in the community … dialogue about school culture, priorities, weaknesses, and dreams.

I plan to use blog posts to be a catalyst for this conversation. I am fascinated by ideas and what they mean for our youth and for our schools. The blog posts will include some of the most interesting ideas I come across. You will see more questions than answers, and more focus on the “whats” than the “hows.” Some will be brief and others annoyingly long. Please share your own ideas, your thoughts and reactions. Because this is a conversation, one I hope will engage the Appleby community.