Roadtrips and Leadership

In the back seat with these two all summer long.

This summer I was lucky enough to spend driving across Canada with my mom and dad.  That's right I spent 37 day, and over 8000kms with my parents and we are still talking.  True be told I've found myself kinda missing them since I've been back home.  So I got to thinking about why this worked well, how we did it, and how I could apply this to my school. 

1. It starts with love.

One of our many picnic lunch spots.

So first things first, we love each other. Because of this we started out comfortable talking to each other, and wanted whats best for each other.  Michael Fullan asks us to love our staff, not the hugs in the staff room every morning gushy kind of love but the kind of love that made my family road trip successful.  Well intentioned, honest care for each others well being, and betterment.  It's not just about establishing a relationship but truly finding the thing you love about each person you work with.  Starting from there amazing things can happen, with kids and adults.

2.  Have a plan. Sort of.

New Glasgow Lobster Suppers. So. Good.

When planning this trip we knew one thing.  We didn't know what area's we were really going to like, and what parts of Canada we might just want to drive though.  So we set out knowing one thing for sure, we were booked on the ferry to Newfoundland on July 17th (and if we wanted to we could change that).  With this somewhat of a deadline in place we were able to meander across Canada for almost three weeks stopping for a while in the places that caught our hearts (Ottawa, Quebec City, PEI), and rest for a night in the ones that didn't quite do it (Montreal....).  We each made a list of three or four things that were "must see's" and we honoured each other's lists.  My dad got the Terry Fox Memorial to himself in Thunderbay.  My mom got to visit a whole bunch of restaurants she had seen on the food network.  I got to see the ceremonial guard band, and sit at a side walk cafe in lower Quebec.  But we also got to do tons of spur of the moment things because we were not strict to a plan.  We whale watched in Bona Vista, went to a movie on a super hot day, spent an amazing evening on a red beach in PEI.  We got to see what we wanted to see, but we also were flexible enough to see what we could never have dreamed of.  This is super important to transfer to our schools.  Yes it is imperative to stick to our goals, and curricula, but it is also just as important to be flexible enough to let our students discover places we didn't even know possible.

3. Revel in Moments of Awe

Whale Watching

We were wandering in Bona Vista Newfoundland, when we saw a whale in the ocean.  I thought to myself "oh cool".  My mom on the other hand started shouting "Oh My Goodness did you SEE that!!! Stop the car stop the car!!" So we did, and for the next few moments I got to see my mom transformed.  She was giddy watching the whales breach the surface of the ocean, flipping their tales up as they plunged back down.  She sat clapping her hands gazing in astonishment.  I realized that these are the moments I miss not being in a classroom full time anymore.  The moments of pure amazement kids get when they see something for the first time, or finally get something they've been trying to figure out.  I see it in my staff from time to time but never as raw, and as powerfully as I did with my mom this summer.  I hope to open myself more to revel in my own moments, and savour the beauty of them. 

4. Know what people are good at, and trust in those skills

Mom finding the next hotel.

This was probably the most important thing we had going for us this summer.  We all had a skill set that the others could not have made the trip without.  My dad can pack a trunk like nobodies business (we travelled in their Volkswagen Jetta), without his spatial abilities we would have either ended up not being able to take a small cooler with us and spent a lot more money on food, and cold drinks thus limiting the sight seeing we got to do.  My mom is a research, and administrative genius.  Every evening while we were at supper she was researching hotels for the next night, reading reviews, showing us pictures and then booking the best deal in the next town.  I've got a pretty keen sense of direction and was able to map out the best routes to sight see so we would not waste to much time back tracking etc.  We all fell into our roles and were able to have a smooth trip because we all weren't stepping on each others toes.  Never once did one of my parents ask me if I was sure we should do things in the the order I suggested.  Never once did we ask my mom if she was sure we should stay somewhere, and no one was going to ask my dad why he put a bag here or there.  When we know what people are good at, we need to let them just go ahead and be good at it. 



I had an amazing summer with my Mom and Dad and am so thankful I had the chance to travel with them while they are both still able to.  As usual they teach me so much about who I am and who I want to be.  I'm one lucky girl.