At the outset, let me just say that the OAME/AOEM Leadership Conference is open for registration!!! You can check out the program here and register here (this link is also in the program). If you want to read about the process I went through in putting together the program for next year...read on.
Grantland Rice had a short poem published in the Washington Times in 1914. The title of the poem was "July" and the subject matter had to do with the lost hope that many baseball fans feel in July as they realize that their club more than likely will not be in contention this season. It is a familiar feeling for many ball fans...especially Jay fans this year. Apologies...for those that know me - this is gleeful dig as my Sox sit atop the Bluebirds at this point in the season. GO SOX! The last line in the poem is a stubborn and defiant statement that next season will be different. You'll see - wait 'til next year.
The poem wasn't in my head but the idea of waiting for next year definitely was when I attended the OAME 2018 Leadership Conference in Windsor. The Leadership Conference is the brainchild of the OAME president each year. Browse through past OAME Leadership brochures and you will get a sense of what the vision was for each past president. Current pres, David Petro, did a masterful job of putting together a program that engaged all those who attended the conference. I think he would agree that when he woke up the next day that he felt a lot lighter knowing that the planning and running of the conference was all done...until next time. What do you think David?
The planning all happens in the year prior to the president's term but once a new school year starts, the big pieces are usually (hopefully) in place for the conference. I have had the honour of serving once before as OAME/AOEM president. It was during the 2014-15 school year and my vision was to dig deeper into the ideas of fixed versus growth mindsets that were just starting to take hold in many classrooms. I had been the co-chair of the 2014 OAME Conference with Dwight Stead (@DwightStead)...or as everyone else referred to him, "The Smart Chair" and the program committee got Jo Boaler to come up for the first time and many agreed that it was the highlight of the program. And so I wanted her back as well for the Leadership Conference in 2015 as well as having key presenters from our own backyard like Amy Lin, Shelley Yearley and Dr. Cathy Bruce. The last time it felt so easy to put together the leadership conference.
Fast forward to November 9th in Windsor and my thoughts turned to organizing the leadership conference for 2019. Truth be told, I was not looking forward to it. The winds of change were starting to blow and I had no idea what the landscape would look like by the time November 2019 came around. As the months wore on, the thought of leaning into this uncertain time started to solidify and rather than shying away from what might be, I wanted to embrace that uncertainty. The uneasiness of what the provincial landscape would look like, who would be able attend, what funding would be available, and so on brought me to the conclusion that more than ever, we need to come together as leaders in the math community and talk about how to lead in these uncertain times. And so the theme, "Paying Attention to Leadership in Mathematics" emerged. I wanted the speakers at the event to address as many of the of the facets that as a community within this province we attend to in our roles. Instruction. Assessment. Equity and Access. Administrators. Innovation and Design. How do we continue to press on and advance the good work of the past into the future under challenging circumstances?
My hope is that the program for the OAME/AOEM 2019 Leadership Conference that has been assembled will do that and that delegates will have the opportunity to network and discuss strategies for moving forward. I also hope that the learning won't stop there. I am hoping to extend what is started at the conference into the remainder of the year with other online learning opportunities open to those who attend. Next year will be tough. But I am reminded of the Margaret Mead quote whenever things get tough. "Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world; indeed, it's the only thing that ever has." That may be a tad dramatic but the stakes are indeed high. We owe it to our colleagues, the teachers we work with, the parents we serve and most of all to the students in the classrooms to continue to strive for a mathematics education that is informed by good research, that serves and honours ALL of our students, and enriches all of our lives (students, teachers and leaders). It is a system that is the envy of so many globally no matter how many may argue the opposite. I hope to see you there in November so we can continue the great work of teaching math in this province.
