Sana Fatima – A Passionate, Caring, Visionary School President

I recently had the opportunity to have breakfast with our school President Sana Fatima.   Over the course of an hour or so Sana outlined for me her vision of leadership and gave me a glimpse into who she is as a person.  Sana is a very passionate, caring soul who clearly has everyone's best interest at heart.

Sana brings with her a strong work ethic and clear vision of her future.  She is the eldest in a family of three children who all live at home with both parents.  Sana very proudly proclaims that both her parents have been very supportive in guiding and caring for her growth.  She attributes her work ethic to the values instilled in her by her mother and father and extended family.  She made specific reference to her cousin who just finished a law degree at the University of Nottingham in England.  Sana sees her cousin as her role model because of her passionate and humble determination. In our brief conversation, I found Sana as having these very traits.  She is very kind, humble and sincere in her description of her family and work ethic.  

As an honour roll student of Sullivan Heights, Sana does very well in all her academic studies. It is evident that she takes her education very seriously.  Her future plans are to attend UBC, do an undergrad degree in sciences then go into medicine specializing in paediatrics.  She envisions herself being a force of change in the world with a special interest in global issues and humanitarianism.  Her plan is to one day work as a pediatrician for Doctors Without Borders. Sana views her life as an adventure in self-discovery.  She is an avid writer and values every opportunity to get out and meet new people. As I sat and listened to her outline her vision for success, I was thoroughly impressed by her infectious charismatic charm.

Sana’s mission for her presidency is to collectively raise the social awareness and sense of caring at Sullivan Heights.  Her vision is based on the belief that we all share the common investment of school being a stepping-stone for our future.  She explained that if we collectively make it more enjoyable and engaging, then the whole school experience will be richer and more meaningful for everyone. It is clear that Sana values empathy and caring and is dialed into the social emotional pulse of the school.  Her vision to achieve this includes role modeling a sense of fairness and trust, spreading positive energy, getting to know as many students as she can and continually working to make school enjoyable, comfortable and safe for everyone.

One aspect of Sana's vision of leadership that particularly struck my attention was her desire to help build greater capacity with the younger student council members.  This is significant because it speaks to her understanding that time is limited and that an effective leader always seeks to leave a lasting legacy of improvement.  Very inspirational!

As we concluded our conversation, I asked Sana what legacy she wants to leave behind at Sullivan Heights.  With wisdom beyond her years, Sana told me that…

“A legacy is something that is evident when you look at the people you’ve worked with and the impact you’ve had on them. As Student Council President, and even just a regular student at Sullivan Heights, I want to make a small change that will eventually build up to something greater. I wish to instill in my peers the desire to be a leader. I want to help them realize their own potential and help them gain the confidence to step up in their own lives and create change. Sometimes this means setting a good example and sometimes it means encouraging others to get involved. If I've learned one thing as I am growing up, it is that it only takes one brave individual to make a difference."

It is clear that Sana has the passionate caring determination needed to be successful leader. With great anticipation and excitement, we all look forward to working with Sana and her council as they strive to make Sullivan Heights a better place for everyone.

Great Start Sullivan Heights!

As an icebreaker at our first staff meeting, I posed these two questions for table talk discussion with our teachers.

They had some great things to say.

We’re all looking forward to a great year!

What are your plans for implementing something new into your teaching this semester?

• Focus more on mastery-based learning
• Work at connecting history with real life
• Use district account for e-books (can highlight/make notes)
• Get students blogging for PE – get kids taking videos/make use of their technology (i.e. phones)
• More focus on using technology appropriately and to benefit learning
• Implement self-regulation practices for students
• Seek out Pro-D on classroom management
• Integrate iPad technology
• Implement “Expert” on a pressing issue into class discussions
• Use Inquiry based learning through iPads
• Tell students that it’s not good enough to just get by – if less than 70%
• Utilize exit and mid-term interviews (exit interviews) for Planning 10
• Develop more web based handouts
• Implement Genius hour with parent participation
• Use e-portfolios
• Use more Traditional & Digital art mixed media
• Develop better Interaction between students on blogs & parents
• Less “testing”
• Develop better strategies for teaching a split class
• Use more field trip experiences
• Implement inquiry learning in Science…Discovery Labs
• Move away from textbooks
• Try lit circles with English 10 and narrative writing…less novel studies
• Integrate rubrics into lab assessment
• Get band students out into community (e.g. long term care homes, etc.)
• Be more efficient
• Use more project-based learning
• Pace myself so I have more to give students at end of term
• Utilize student assistants in Science labs
• Give more emphasis on social-emotional component of learning
• More collaboration with departmental colleagues
• Blog and have more organized parent contact plan, e.g. More frequent phone calls with positive comments
• Immerse students in a French culture and using 100% French for questions and instructions in FSL classes for teacher and students
• Utilize more student involvement in assessment and interviews with blogging
• Accept more electronic submissions …use dropbox for example
• Implement more strategies from summer reading by better supporting students with special needs
• Have an arts share day – promote feeder schools and inspire students
• Use exit interviews rather than final exams
• Incorporate iTunes U into lessons
• Utilize Garage Band and apps into music 8 and 9
• Try using stop motion videos and technology
• Work on developing an LST student specific approach

  

How do you plan to help set a positive school tone?

• Take time to stop and get to know the students; make the extra effort to make connections.
• Conduct a mini unit to start the year in Socials where students bring in artifacts from their lives, learn how to ask purposeful questions and get to know their peers on a more personal level
• Circulating during student work time to interact with kids
• Smile
• Greet students at the door
• Have clear expectations
• Model appropriate behavior
• Smile and be pleasant… Be enthusiastic
• Model how to be a master teacher - Zach Good
• Create a community of kindness and respect and empower students to do the same
• Have students complete “academic recovery” plan – (Math)
• Promote a tone of high achievement and support for students.
• Be more present in the hallways before class – greetings and goodbyes
• Open doors, open ears, open hearts
• Utilize hallway helpers, especially for grade 8’s
• Implement more frequent assessment - early feedback and often
• Lots of smiles
• Model it (positive behavior)
• Promote a business-like environment
• Get to know as many students as I can
• Outline expectations, policies and boundaries
• Be positive, smile, say hello, greet kids at the door
• Be in the hall!
• Focus less on content and focus more on building relationships
• Get involvement in extra-curricular
• Implement strategies to reduce tardiness
• Have a sense of humor
• Use games and activities with students
• Treat students firmly and fairly
• Be patient rather than abrupt
• Have clear expectations
• Have more positive parent contact
• Invest time to learn names early to help build rapport
• Making sure gr 8’s are comfortable
• Be a greater presence in the hallway
• Reward positive behaviors both inside and outside the classroom
• Address unacceptable behaviors right away (swearing in hallways, inappropriate behavior, etc)
• Get to know students, create positive tone and relationships
• Clearly communicate structures and routines
• Model pleasant behavior to students and staff
• Promote Global Issues Club
• Work on team building within department
• Build relationships with new students and staff
• Saying ‘hello’ and make eye contact
• Leave doors open… encourage visitors
• Maintain high profile in the halls

Our Students Have Spoken

I had a great conversation with a group of students last week.  The power and significance of the conversation resonated for me in a way that made me reflect on how we in education can sometimes become unintentionally disconnected from our true intentions. Sometimes I think we become so focused on what we believe is in the best interest of our students that we forget to ask them what they want. In education, we are a very caring group, we dedicate our life's work to ensuring student success. This deep caring can at times narrow our focus and lead us to make decisions without consulting the very ones we work for.

A recent educational tweet by Leadership and Learning (@LeadAndLearn) encapsulates my thoughts: “It's important to ask the question: Why do we exist, are we the best we can be & why should parents send their kids to our school?"  This strikes a chord because it speaks to the heart of our work: providing a service to our community.  As educators, we exist to serve. We should never lose sight of this. 


The work we do as educators needs to be distributed proportionally. We need to fuel industry and economic needs and at the same time, support, nurture and develop  cultural, passionate and creative needs of our students. If we just provide for the needs of society, we lose the individual voice of our young.


The conversation I had with our kids was a thoughtful discussion about our school's Mission, Vision, Values and Goals. The focus group was a cross section of grades, backgrounds, and genders and was a fair representation of our school.  Here is what they had to say:

Student Focus Group Responses (From the mouths of students!)

The school MISSION statement should be a powerful statement about why you come to school everyday.  If you were in charge of defining the school mission statement what would you change about it?

• A Mission statement should be more about the kids and less of what the school offers.
• It should inspire creativity and learning in life.
• It should speak to feeling safe and being safe at school.
• It should address acceptance.
• It should include aspects of health and fitness. 
• It should include healthy living; healthier food with more motivation from the teachers.
• It should speak to peer acceptance and equality for all students (LGBTQ and BASES)
• It should speak to being safe to express ourselves; free from being bullied.
• We should be spoken to like individuals not a group of stereotypical teenagers.
• It should address now more then the future, because the future is now.
• It should speak to having good morals and being a good person. You could be the smartest person in the world with the most money, but without character and compassion, you will not be loved.  Morals and being a good human being are what matters!
• Once we decide on a statement, we should actively promote it. No one knows it.
• More action, Less talking.

Does our school VISION meet your expectations for what you envision for your own success? What would you change?

• The vision should show that students will be supported on what they want to pursue. Not an outline of what one is expected to do.
• It should include a greater emphasis on life skills.
• It should include leadership opportunities for all ages.
• Our vision should speak to teaching in a way that caters to all students.
• It should include being respectful and caring.
• It should speak to student’s social and emotional health.
• It must include aspects of developing creativity
• We need to raise awareness of our vision and mission statements.

Do our school VALUES align with what you value?  Is there something you would add, change or delete?

• Make the values more understandable and student based because at the end of the day it’s for students to understand.
• There should be more student-teacher interaction.
• Students need more freedom in the say of their education.
• It needs to show the need to respect everyone.
• Be more specific and less broad.
• Value GSA (LGBTQ) – needs to speak to being be more accepting.
• Needs to state the importance of having a safe environment and feeling welcome.
• Needs to indicate an emphasis on individuality – mold into a successful/unique person.
• Should indicate valuing cultural diversity – appreciation and acceptance of all cultures.
• Needs to address the need to value and respect teachers.
• Should indicate the value of health and fitness and participation on sports teams and clubs.

What do you think we need to work on as a school?  If given the opportunity to define school GOALS, what would you say we as a school need to work on?

• Our school needs more diversity of extracurricular activities and clubs so students can express themselves better.
• We need to work on building stronger connections, both student to student and teacher to student.
• We need find ways to help students make better choices in their life. To find ways for students to connect their passions to school and life afterwards.
• We need to work on finding ways for students to feel more accepted in school society.
• We need a better definition of what it means to be safe at school.  Safety is more than free from physical harm… The school needs to work on being safe for freedom of self-expression.
• We need a greater emphasis on eco-friendly events and caring for our environment.
• We need a goal that addresses healthy living and healthy eating habits.
• We need to make teaching and learning more fun.