A leader is only as good as the people they surround themselves with. This is what it means to lead collectively, within a collaborative organization…
– Carolyn Cameron
A leader is only as good as the people they surround themselves with. This is what it means to lead collectively, within a collaborative organization…
– Carolyn Cameron
Dr. Carolyn Cameron
My Story
I am an educator with over 30 years of experience within the K–12 public school system. My career began as a teacher working with the most difficult to reach students who demonstrated both behavioural and learning challenges. It was from this humble beginning that I recognized success for my students would only be achieved when I drew on the contributions from a team of professionals to create a responsive, adaptive classroom community.
I deepened my commitment to teamwork when I co-created a modern day “one room schoolhouse” where my colleagues and I shared students and a large, flexibly designed teaching space that would engage young children in project-based learning. Later, as an administrator of a new middle school, I brought with me the profoundly powerful learning from my team teaching experiences to my new role as a school leader. I have presented at local, provincial, national and international conferences on the power of collaboration to lead meaningful student learning within a school community. As a school principal, I was nominated twice and was a recipient of a provincial excellence in teaching award. A lifelong learner, I recently earned my Doctor of Education degree from the University of Calgary. My professional experience includes serving as a leadership consultant for Alberta Education and Galileo Educational Network. Currently, when I am not traveling with my husband, I work as a sessional instructor for school leadership programs at the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.
Dr. Carolyn Cameron
My Story
I am an educator with over 30 years of experience within the K–12 public school system. My career began as a teacher working with the most difficult to reach students who demonstrated both behavioural and learning challenges. It was from this humble beginning that I recognized success for my students would only be achieved when I drew on the contributions from a team of professionals to create a responsive, adaptive classroom community.
I deepened my commitment to teamwork when I co-created a modern day “one room schoolhouse” where my colleagues and I shared students and a large, flexibly designed teaching space that would engage young children in project-based learning. Later, as an administrator of a new middle school, I brought with me the profoundly powerful learning from my team teaching experiences to my new role as a school leader. I have presented at local, provincial, national and international conferences on the power of collaboration to lead meaningful student learning within a school community. As a school principal, I was nominated twice and was a recipient of a provincial excellence in teaching award. A lifelong learner, I recently earned my Doctor of Education degree from the University of Calgary. My professional experience includes serving as a leadership consultant for Alberta Education and Galileo Educational Network. Currently, when I am not traveling with my husband, I work as a sessional instructor for school leadership programs at the University of Calgary and the University of Lethbridge.
ABOUT
Cameron Leadership for Learning Network is an organization founded to connect with families, school communities and post-secondary institutions providing support, research, resources and ideas to impact lifelong learning. The team has extensive experience serving as instructional leaders in a variety of settings. In addition, we have been profoundly influenced by the strong relationships that are created through involvement in a community built on trust and open communication. Collaboration, teamwork, and service are guiding principles for working and learning together with others. The Cameron Leadership for Learning Network believes in the power of connection to achieve what is not possible alone. We look forward to serving the learning needs of your organization.
Q & A
Questions from Carolyn’s Book Launch
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
As you were writing the book, what was the affirmation piece – and was there an ‘a-ha’ moment that surprised you?
The affirmation came when I was originally writing my dissertation. It was a deeply reflective, heavy thinking experience – exploring scholarly research, interviewing principals and interpreting those conversations, reading other forms of literature for inspiration with my writing and uncovering memories from my own teaching, parenting and leadership experiences.
What happened for me was something my son had written, in grade 12, struck such a chord – it ‘addressed’ me (goosebumps moment). I had forgotten about it but then, through this whole immersive process…it surfaced again. That ‘a-ha’ moment is in the book. I didn’t realize how powerful it was for me until all these years later when I was engaged in this writing process. It was my ‘call to action.’
When did you first consider writing your book? Was there a specific moment?
I knew, a very long time ago, that I wanted to write a book about being a school administrator – but I wanted to do it in a way that might inspire others to become school leaders as I felt so connected to that role. I LOVED teaching and I didn’t think I would ever come to LOVE being a principal more than I LOVED being a teacher…but I did! I wanted to share the chaos, the joy, the challenge that is inherent in the day-to-day practice of leading a school community. I did not have the research base, the extensive experience, or the writing skills to say anything significant, in my opinion, until now. My doctoral program, in particular – Sharon Friesen, my supervisor – really supported me to become a better researcher and writer.
The specific moment I knew I would write a book was during our Teachers’ strike in 2007. We had just opened a new middle school during the previous school year. I was the assistant principal – and I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with as we were on strike for almost a month. I thought I would write about the experience of opening a new school and how it is about so much more than just the ’bricks and mortar.’ It was all about creating community and building trust with students, teachers, families. I think this book taps into that idea of trust being the cornerstone of any community (not just a brand-new school community).
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
Does the book and its concept translate to leadership practices in other industries, particularly business, and how?
YES! YES! YES! A lot of what has influenced my research and my writing comes from the field of business or are concepts that are shared with the business community: ideas around organizational change, systems, design thinking, prototyping and processes for assessing impact. The leadership model I write about is one that accesses the gifts and talents of the group in order to create something powerful for the customer (the customers in education are our students!) I write a lot about the relational aspect of leadership and knowing your people, walking beside your people, creating the conditions for your people to be successful. This transfers to all areas of work and life, itself. I also explore ideas around distributing leadership – not just sharing tasks and responsibilities, but the notion of having no one ‘own’ the ideas – anyone can come forward with an idea that the team will build on and improve creating a shared ownership of and commitment to this idea.
How do you think municipalities and out of school organizations can better support school leadership? I am asking as a youth programmer for a town and would like to help the school community as effectively as possible?
There are so many ways that partnerships can be built. I would suggest connecting around what you might be able to provide and what the particular school community might need. My experience with out-of-school organizations was that we were able to do so much more for our students and families by working together. Our community provided access to resources and facilities that were part of our students’ learning in class projects (i.e. interviews with members of city council and the mayor, research into how to make change in our community, partnerships with nursing homes to provide authentic learning for our students – our kids interviewed the seniors as part of their social studies project) and they supported our students outside of classroom time with after school programs, breakfast programs, hot lunch programs, babysitting courses, mentoring programs, etc.
It is a matter of figuring out what you can offer, listening to what a school might need, and then creating a fit. Each school community is different and will have different ideas about what would benefit the students. Community partnerships are an essential component of an effective school.
Is it applicable to all leaders in a school? Not just the administrators?
Absolutely! I would suggest that administrators who wish to enact leadership in a way that elevates others, taps into the valuable strengths of the collective and wishes to continue adapting to the changing contexts in a way that creates success for ALL learners needs to include others in understanding these concepts and ideas. Although the primary audience for this book is school leaders (administrators, teacher leaders) I think that all teachers would benefit from reading this as I discuss ideas around our collective responsibility to our colleagues to learn together so that ALL students in the school can be successful – this is how we move away from ideas like: this is MY class, these are MY resources, etc. We are in this TOGETHER and we have incredible influence and impact on each other.
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
With people here from many corners of the globe, what is truly universal & essential about the teaching/learning experience?
We are in this together! Whether we are discussing ideas around student learning, teacher learning, leadership learning, engaging with families and the community – the idea that learning is relational and that we are all connected is key. One of the principals I interviewed said it best:
“Anybody in isolation is never going to go as far as a group that’s doing it together.”
AND
We want learning that matters – learning that is authentic, connected to our context and pushes us to understand differently, come to know ourselves more deeply and inspires us to continue questioning and being curious.
The specific moment I knew I would write a book was during our Teachers’ strike in 2007. We had just opened a new middle school during the previous school year. I was the assistant principal – and I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with as we were on strike for almost a month. I thought I would write about the experience of opening a new school and how it is about so much more than just the ’bricks and mortar.’ It was all about creating community and building trust with students, teachers, families. I think this book taps into that idea of trust being the cornerstone of any community (not just a brand-new school community).
As a parent, having been with you doing this work differently, would you suggest that parents might want to read this to be able to help their school leadership to change and make a difference?
For sure! I believe that if we have a shared understanding of what we want to achieve, TOGETHER, we are in a much better position to make it happen.
In my book, I share an experience where I felt like I might be facing the ‘enemy’ as I welcomed parents to our gymnasium for an assembly. I wasn’t 100% sure how they were going to respond to some significant changes we were making to a traditional practice. It is so important that our parents understand the reasons for why we are doing what we are doing. There is a crucial element of relational trust that must be built so that they understand we only want what is best for their children. That relational trust begins with the classroom teacher and their students, and then extends to the families. We were able to do so much more at my school because the parents trusted their children’s teachers.
Reading this book, having conversations, inviting parents to join the learning whenever it makes sense, are all ways to build trust and develop a shared understanding. We are able to accomplish so much more when we are all rowing together in the same direction.
Will you write another book?
YES! I have one in the ‘ideation’ stage right now.
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
Will there be a book club? I would love to read it with others to further reflect?
YES!!!! I LOVE this idea. Stay tuned and we will figure out how to make this happen. Thank you for this excellent suggestion.
At what point in your career did you realize you were making a difference?
The very first day I walked into my very first classroom. I saw the potential in each of those students and I knew I could help them to see it in themselves.
ABOUT
Cameron Leadership for Learning Network is an organization founded to connect with families, school communities and post-secondary institutions providing support, research, resources and ideas to impact lifelong learning. The team has extensive experience serving as instructional leaders in a variety of settings. In addition, we have been profoundly influenced by the strong relationships that are created through involvement in a community built on trust and open communication. Collaboration, teamwork, and service are guiding principles for working and learning together with others. The Cameron Leadership for Learning Network believes in the power of connection to achieve what is not possible alone. We look forward to serving the learning needs of your organization.
Q & A
Questions from Carolyn’s Book Launch
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
What was the most challenging part of writing your book?
Getting started was tough. The book is based on my dissertation – which was a very long, intense, contemplative process. I was so happy when that was finished so, part of me did not want to look back and revisit that completed manuscript.
However, I knew what I had written about needed to be shared differently to reach more people who might benefit from it. Honestly, who reads dissertations in their spare time?! So, in attempting to unpack my dissertation and change it into something that would appeal to a broader audience, I needed to hold on to some things, change other things and let some things go. I found that difficult because I wanted to keep EVERYTHING!
As you were writing the book, what was the affirmation piece – and was there an ‘a-ha’ moment that surprised you?
The affirmation came when I was originally writing my dissertation. It was a deeply reflective, heavy thinking experience – exploring scholarly research, interviewing principals and interpreting those conversations, reading other forms of literature for inspiration with my writing and uncovering memories from my own teaching, parenting and leadership experiences.
What happened for me was something my son had written, in grade 12, struck such a chord – it ‘addressed’ me (goosebumps moment). I had forgotten about it but then, through this whole immersive process…it surfaced again. That ‘a-ha’ moment is in the book. I didn’t realize how powerful it was for me until all these years later when I was engaged in this writing process. It was my ‘call to action.’
When did you first consider writing your book? Was there a specific moment?
I knew, a very long time ago, that I wanted to write a book about being a school administrator – but I wanted to do it in a way that might inspire others to become school leaders as I felt so connected to that role. I LOVED teaching and I didn’t think I would ever come to LOVE being a principal more than I LOVED being a teacher…but I did! I wanted to share the chaos, the joy, the challenge that is inherent in the day-to-day practice of leading a school community. I did not have the research base, the extensive experience, or the writing skills to say anything significant, in my opinion, until now. My doctoral program, in particular – Sharon Friesen, my supervisor – really supported me to become a better researcher and writer.
The specific moment I knew I would write a book was during our Teachers’ strike in 2007. We had just opened a new middle school during the previous school year. I was the assistant principal – and I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with as we were on strike for almost a month. I thought I would write about the experience of opening a new school and how it is about so much more than just the ’bricks and mortar.’ It was all about creating community and building trust with students, teachers, families. I think this book taps into that idea of trust being the cornerstone of any community (not just a brand-new school community).
Does the book and its concept translate to leadership practices in other industries, particularly business, and how?
YES! YES! YES! A lot of what has influenced my research and my writing comes from the field of business or are concepts that are shared with the business community: ideas around organizational change, systems, design thinking, prototyping and processes for assessing impact. The leadership model I write about is one that accesses the gifts and talents of the group in order to create something powerful for the customer (the customers in education are our students!) I write a lot about the relational aspect of leadership and knowing your people, walking beside your people, creating the conditions for your people to be successful. This transfers to all areas of work and life, itself. I also explore ideas around distributing leadership – not just sharing tasks and responsibilities, but the notion of having no one ‘own’ the ideas – anyone can come forward with an idea that the team will build on and improve creating a shared ownership of and commitment to this idea.
How do you think municipalities and out of school organizations can better support school leadership? I am asking as a youth programmer for a town and would like to help the school community as effectively as possible?
There are so many ways that partnerships can be built. I would suggest connecting around what you might be able to provide and what the particular school community might need. My experience with out-of-school organizations was that we were able to do so much more for our students and families by working together. Our community provided access to resources and facilities that were part of our students’ learning in class projects (i.e. interviews with members of city council and the mayor, research into how to make change in our community, partnerships with nursing homes to provide authentic learning for our students – our kids interviewed the seniors as part of their social studies project) and they supported our students outside of classroom time with after school programs, breakfast programs, hot lunch programs, babysitting courses, mentoring programs, etc.
It is a matter of figuring out what you can offer, listening to what a school might need, and then creating a fit. Each school community is different and will have different ideas about what would benefit the students. Community partnerships are an essential component of an effective school.
Is it applicable to all leaders in a school? Not just the administrators?
Absolutely! I would suggest that administrators who wish to enact leadership in a way that elevates others, taps into the valuable strengths of the collective and wishes to continue adapting to the changing contexts in a way that creates success for ALL learners needs to include others in understanding these concepts and ideas. Although the primary audience for this book is school leaders (administrators, teacher leaders) I think that all teachers would benefit from reading this as I discuss ideas around our collective responsibility to our colleagues to learn together so that ALL students in the school can be successful – this is how we move away from ideas like: this is MY class, these are MY resources, etc. We are in this TOGETHER and we have incredible influence and impact on each other.
With people here from many corners of the globe, what is truly universal & essential about the teaching/learning experience?
We are in this together! Whether we are discussing ideas around student learning, teacher learning, leadership learning, engaging with families and the community – the idea that learning is relational and that we are all connected is key. One of the principals I interviewed said it best:
“Anybody in isolation is never going to go as far as a group that’s doing it together.”
AND
We want learning that matters – learning that is authentic, connected to our context and pushes us to understand differently, come to know ourselves more deeply and inspires us to continue questioning and being curious.
The specific moment I knew I would write a book was during our Teachers’ strike in 2007. We had just opened a new middle school during the previous school year. I was the assistant principal – and I had more time on my hands than I knew what to do with as we were on strike for almost a month. I thought I would write about the experience of opening a new school and how it is about so much more than just the ’bricks and mortar.’ It was all about creating community and building trust with students, teachers, families. I think this book taps into that idea of trust being the cornerstone of any community (not just a brand-new school community).
Will there be a book club? I would love to read it with others to further reflect?
YES!!!! I LOVE this idea. Stay tuned and we will figure out how to make this happen. Thank you for this excellent suggestion.
As a parent, having been with you doing this work differently, would you suggest that parents might want to read this to be able to help their school leadership to change and make a difference?
For sure! I believe that if we have a shared understanding of what we want to achieve, TOGETHER, we are in a much better position to make it happen.
In my book, I share an experience where I felt like I might be facing the ‘enemy’ as I welcomed parents to our gymnasium for an assembly. I wasn’t 100% sure how they were going to respond to some significant changes we were making to a traditional practice. It is so important that our parents understand the reasons for why we are doing what we are doing. There is a crucial element of relational trust that must be built so that they understand we only want what is best for their children. That relational trust begins with the classroom teacher and their students, and then extends to the families. We were able to do so much more at my school because the parents trusted their children’s teachers.
Reading this book, having conversations, inviting parents to join the learning whenever it makes sense, are all ways to build trust and develop a shared understanding. We are able to accomplish so much more when we are all rowing together in the same direction.
At what point in your career did you realize you were making a difference?
The very first day I walked into my very first classroom. I saw the potential in each of those students and I knew I could help them to see it in themselves.
Will you write another book?
YES! I have one in the ‘ideation’ stage right now.
Effective teaching practices spread by school leaders across classrooms, corridors, school communities, and districts create the conditions for teachers to engage in being together differently.
– Carolyn Cameron
Effective teaching practices spread by school leaders across classrooms, corridors, school communities, and districts create the conditions for teachers to engage in being together differently.
– Carolyn Cameron
Cameron Leadership for
Learning Network
Renewal
Dr. Cameron draws on her own experiences as a teacher, principal, and district principal. She adds to this personal journey the insights of colleagues, scholars, philosophers, and researchers, and takes inspiration from poets, writers, and students. This ground-breaking book weaves all of this together in a way that will cause the reader to think differently about teaching, learning, leading, and perhaps even life itself.
Cameron Leadership for
Learning Network
Renewal
Dr. Cameron draws on her own experiences as a teacher, principal, and district principal. She adds to this personal journey the insights of colleagues, scholars, philosophers, and researchers, and takes inspiration from poets, writers, and students. This ground-breaking book weaves all of this together in a way that will cause the reader to think differently about teaching, learning, leading, and perhaps even life itself.
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