Negative Feedback Loop

What do we do when our environment is in chaos?  We know that teaching in chaos leads to ineffectual communication and an unproductive learning environment. In times of chaos, you can’t think straight, the rules of engagement are not clear and protocols are ambiguous.

Chaotic classrooms are difficult to manage. Teachers are left feeling desperate, unmotivated and issues become personalized. It is hard to think rationally when the system starts to break down. 

One of the reasons the system breaks down is when expectations are too low. The fallout from this is that too much energy gets spent on classroom management. It’s easy to fall into the trap of lowering expectations and getting stuck in a negative feedback loop.   

How do we break out of a negative feedback loop?   Sometimes, we’re so blinded by what is right in front of us that we lose sight of the obvious.

As teachers, when this happens, we must consult, seek help, share ideas and open our doors. It's also a time when we owe it to ourselves as professionals to make a concerted effort to reach out and help our colleagues. Struggling, suffering and set backs are all part of life.  As educators, we absolutely must be the lead learner by modelling openness, collaboration and investigation. 

Insanity - Doing the same thing over and over again and expecting different results - Albert Einstein

If I always do what I‘ve always done, I'll always get what I always got

Best School Ever

Here’s a quick snapshot of some … not all … of what’s going on at Sullivan Heights.

Collectively, we are well on our way with our Innovative Learning Grant.  A great deal of staff are investing in personal learning networks.  Our new campus-wide wireless network is almost fully functioning and we are all looking forward to the integration of our new iPad lab.

Our Performing Arts Department is busy producing “Fawlty Towers.” The cast is set and the show will be ready for opening in early December.  The 10th annual Fine Arts Showcase talent show of “Unleash the Stars” is set for late November.

Our Visual Arts Department is busy creating pieces for the Surrey Museum, "Days of the Dead" exhibition. (November 15 - December 30th).   

Our Math department is forging ahead looking at new models of teaching math. Specifically, looking into ways to incorporate the use of technology in the classroom.

Our Science Department is looking at the impact of the Ministry’s decision to eliminate Provincial Exams.  They are having a hard look at the motivating factors that influence students to take senior science courses.

Our English Department recently invited some special guests to a “Literature Tea” where students prepared period specific food and dressed in costume and character to retell various passages from the Canterbury Tales.

Our Information Technology Department is promoting and implementing individual student blogs to help students reflect on their own learning and learning styles.  They are also actively using web 2.0 tools as launch pads for student activities.

Our Modern Languages Department is using many online tools to help their students provide support and feedback to each other.  The documented feedback so far has been incredibly thoughtful and supportive.

Our Physical Education Department is actively investing in the use of social networking sites to enhance student engagement.  They are also promoting the use of technology to have students self direct their own physical education.  They are also undertaking a research study with our grade 10 PE students to track their fitness profiles and bone health. 

Our BASES Department is leading the way as blog experts and using iPads to help their students manage their learning.  They are also learning a new language… French!

Our Technology Department - The national award winning Tech Department is bringing in a robotic expert from McDonnell Douglas to showcase the future of engineering.


These are just some of the exciting things going on at Sullivan Heights.  We look forward to celebrating more of our success as the year progresses.  Go Stars Go!

Our Narrative

This week we have been reflecting on the value of the narrative. On the first day of the formation of our team, we were nervous about the how we would be able to work together. We brought our own perceptions of what our own personal successes would look like.

Bob entered the year as a second year VP hoping to apply lessons from the very steep learning curve of the first year. He wanted a consistency of experience; to turn the previous year’s hard lessons into a consistent style. In addition, he wanted to assert some of his own ideas and passions into the culture of the school.

Bal entered this year as a fifth year VP looking for the nurturing and supportive environment he had seen the previous year. His understanding of his role has evolved over the years into one of reflection about empathy and care for students. His goal was to develop an underlying consistency that can be applied to all aspects of his leadership style.

Rex entered the year with a vision of leadership and a host of experiences in many schools in many roles. These experiences included being part of various leadership styles in great schools. He believed that the building of a great school uses relationships as the keystones. He looked forward to experiencing first-hand the life and culture of Sullivan Heights.

We are now a month into the school year and we believe that we can achieve our goals while working together as a team. Underlying our shared vision is our belief that all teachers inherently want to be the best that they can be. In the coming year, we look forward to playing a role in helping our teachers own their own development. We anticipate great things as we help contribute to the narrative of Sullivan Heights.

Fluidity of Leadership

As the new year started, one of the issues we faced in our school was the bringing together of a new leadership team.  Should we be using a traditional leadership model?

Each of us brings our own strengths and ideas to the table. The question is, “how do we bring our collective strengths together to create a leadership model that works best in our current educational climate and is resilient enough to weather the long term?” We recognize that there is a need to collaborate and come up with a democratic approach that works best for our team and our school.

We agree that the right thing to do is to implement a leadership model that is fluid, one that best fits our current situation – a model that recognizes that leadership can be found anywhere in the building… Situational Leadership (Hersey and Blanchard). When do you make the decision to use and/or modify a certain model?  We agree that this decision has to be based on context. There needs to be an underlying guiding belief that the model will change over time.