< Previousducation has always served two fundamental purposes: enabling young people to live within the cultural and technical traditions of the present, while preparing them for a future they will help create. As we find ourselves in a time of profound change, we must pause and consider, as John Abbott once did, “What kind of education for what kind of world?” Our ability to frame the time we are in with thoughtfulness and a degree of confidence can bring comfort and empowerment to our communities. Increasingly, the strength of a community reflects the health of its schools and education system. Ironically, as the world becomes more interconnected – though often superficially – our sense of identity within our local communities grows ever more What Kind of Education for What Kind of World: By Dr. Pius Ryan, Superintendent of Schools, and Chloe Scott, Communication’s Manager, North Vancouver School District Grade 3 Eastview Elementary students hug a tree while at the Skw’une-was Program at the Cheakamus Centre. Photos, unless otherwise indicated, courtesy of the North Vancouver School District. At the Grade 1 Cultural Food Fair, Seymour Heights Elementary students explored traditional foods from the cultures of their classmates.British Columbia School Superintendents Association 11 Human beings have experienced different predominant ideologies that have shaped our respective eras and as such, what is considered education. Education has evolved from an emphasis on spiritual understandings and dogma to a focus on the scientific method and individualism. Today, there is an increasing need to recognize our interconnectedness and our role within a larger ecosystem. In past eras, one’s way of living and a lower population impacted the local environment and resources, but not the Earth’s systems as a whole. This has changed. We are not merely experiencing change; we are living in an era where the systems and structures that have long defined human progress are being fundamentally reshaped. The industrial and technological revolutions of past centuries influenced education through a focus on the individual, scientific rationalism, and productivity. Today, we must embrace an ecological and systems-based approach that acknowledges interconnectedness and collective responsibility. We still need to educate individuals, but an increased mandate of shared and collective actions is required. Education must foster both personal growth and collective responsibility. To be truly educated, individuals must feel connected to others, cultivate a love for humanity, and learn to use modern tools responsibly to support sustainable living on Earth. Without engendering these affiliations and values… well, what kind of world will it be? Preparing children for the future requires a deep consideration of relationships. Human beings know themselves and the world they live in through relationships. We make sense of our world in relationships and the stories we accept and tell ourselves. The quality of our existence is enhanced through the health or quality of our relationships. The well-being of a community, by definition, is the result of a healthy interconnectedness where our individual needs and actions are balanced vital to our well-being. A strong sense of belonging and connection is fundamental to children’s success and our collective future. The community tapestry we weave can be vibrant and thriving, or fragmented and weak. Public schooling plays a crucial role in ensuring it is the former. Today, public schooling is more than just an institution – it is the backbone of a stable and thriving society. In this context, we contend that education must do more than impart knowledge; it must shape individuals who can think critically, adapt, and establish meaningful connections. The role of educators is no longer to simply prepare students for the workforce but to equip them with the emotional intelligence, ethical awareness, and resilience needed to navigate an increasingly complex world. What will it take for us to ensure that education is not just a reflection of the world as it is, but a force to shape the world as it could be? To build a future worth inheriting, we must ensure that every learner develops the ability to cultivate strong relationships, with themselves and others, with modern technology, and with the Earth. Kindergarteners become detectives at Norgate Xwemélch’stn as they explored the school and inquired about the roles and responsibilities of different members in the school district community. Welcoming them to the start of their high school experience, the Grade 8 Retreat helps build connections with self, others, and place at the Cheakamus Centre. Argyle Secondary students helped build a more welcoming and inclusive environment by translating a past student film from English to Mandarin. Photo courtesy of Paul McGrath.12 ED ❚ Spring 2025 Inspir with a community mindset and concern for others. If the ultimate goal of being educated is to ‘live a good life,’ the teaching of how to establish and maintain healthy relationships is essential. Three essential relationships sit above the curriculum and require our attention and teaching. These are: 1. Our relationship with ourselves and others; 2. Our relationship with modern technology; and 3. Our relationship with the Earth. In British Columbia, we have intuitively been moving in the direction of more explicit attention to these three key relationships through numerous initiatives and actions, including B.C.’s redesigned curriculum. Is it time for greater shared intentionality and clarity of the ends in mind? For example, what is it we would want students to know, understand, and do when it comes to their relationship with modern technology? Where might these types of understanding fit with the Framework for Enhancing Student Learning (FESL) or provincial, district, school, and classroom oversight? With the growing complexity of modern life, mixed messages to young people about morality and well-being, global migration driven by economic and climate factors, and the densification of urban centres, cultivating an understanding of healthy relationships with oneself and others is essential. It is one of the most complex challenges we face. As beautifully rational yet irrational beings, we are shaped by our personal journeys, cultural influences, and the evolving landscape of social movements and understandings. B.C. educators have the tools to teach social and emotional skills, as well as cognitive-behavioural strategies for self- awareness. Additionally, our understanding of diversity in all its forms continues to deepen. The goal is to intentionally create learning environments where individuals can grow, share, and develop a strong sense of belonging. Greater consideration is needed to ensure that explicit learning outcomes are developmentally attuned to our learners. In the North Vancouver School District, our relationship with local First Nations, the Skwxwú7mesh Nation and the Tsleil- Waututh Nation, and Indigenous ways of knowing, provide vital pathways for truth, healing, and reconciliation. These relationships are not only essential in themselves but also serve as a model for seeing each other in our uniqueness and sameness. Erik Brynjolfsson and Andrew McAfee, in Race Against the Machine (2011), argue that digital technologies are advancing at such an exponential rate that they are British Columbia School Superintendents Association 13 outpacing the ability of individuals and institutions to adapt. Since 2012, the play- based childhood and the valuable lessons it provided have been notably replaced by a screen-based childhood. Today, screen time for 13- to 18-year-olds averages eight hours and thirty-eight minutes a day (Haidt, 2024). At the same time, advancements in artificial intelligence, generative technology, and synthetic biology are fundamentally changing the landscape of the human experience. As educators, our role in guiding students toward healthy relationships with modern technology is critical to their development and life outcomes. Technology offers a multitude of platforms through which students encounter information, develop skills, and connect with the world. However, it also brings a rapid influx of data, posing the challenge of determining what is truly meaningful for learners. We must integrate modern technological tools and approaches thoughtfully. By focusing on digital literacy, data ethics, and the impact of technology on social behaviours, we can empower students to understand, adapt, and navigate the digital world responsibly. Carl Sagan aptly warned of a “tech adolescence,” a stage where society grapples with the potential of new tools without fully understanding their long- term effects. Our approach in schools must encourage students to critically analyze technology, ensuring it supports learning rather than detracts from it. School districts across the province have implemented limitations on personal digital devices, citing their impact on learning. On February 12, 2025, the North Vancouver School District hosted a Personal Digital Devices Community Check-In: Past, Present, and Future event, which brought together a panel of community members – including a student, teacher, and school principal – to discuss the successes and challenges of the limitations now embedded in each school’s code of conduct. Parents and families have expressed support for the parameters currently in place for device use at school, reinforcing the idea that these limitations act as a stopgap, allowing us to pause and recalibrate. However, the issue is much larger than just social media and gaming; it is a fundamental challenge of relationship management. We are increasingly spending more time with our devices than with fellow humans, including our loved ones. While individual actions are important, we need a shared approach within the broader school community to address this challenge effectively. As we look to the future, might we consider modern technology’s impact on the job market, the economy, the landscape of academia, and what it means to be creative and think critically. The Blue Marble. We are in the Anthropocene age where even though we are only one part of the ecosystem, the 14 ED ❚ Spring 2025 Inspir way we live impacts the world. Through our ways of living, we have crossed key planetary boundaries once noted as necessary for the planet’s health. The United Nations Environmental Program reports that, “we are using the equivalent of 1.6 Earths to maintain our current way of life and ecosystems cannot keep up with our demands.” (2022). Further, the World Economic Forum calls for a commitment to limit warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius, warning that, “If we are unable to limit warming to 1.5°C, climate change is likely to become the dominant cause of biodiversity loss in the coming decades.” (2022). Education about nature (whether you adhere to sustainability education, environmental education, ecological education or education for sustainable development as your preferred strand of pedagogical thought and practice) in a time of climate change discourse is an emotional practice. How do educators instill a love of this planet? Without understanding there can be no vision. In the words of Anil Seth, “with a greater sense of understanding comes a greater sense of wonder, and a greater realization that we are part of and not apart from the rest of nature.” (2017). Within public schooling, intentional engagement and learning about the earth is necessary to continue to foster this understanding and love of planet earth and its biodiversity. This love cannot be a by-product of certain courses. Rather, nature education that allows for deep, immersive, love of earth must be embedded in the foundation of why schools exist. It is literally life or death. Embracing outdoor learning – defined as an educational approach where learning takes place outside traditional classroom settings, utilizing outdoor environments to enhance understanding and engagement across various subjects – serves as an opportunity to foster this love. Cheakamus Centre, a 165-hectare environmental and Indigenous cultural learning centre located in Brackendale, British Columbia, provides students across the North Vancouver School District opportunities to develop connections to place and the land. With an increasing densification of communities, the continual enmeshment of technology with the human experience, and the reality of finite resources on a living planet, we need to deeply consider how we intentionally enable students to develop healthy relationships with self and other, modern technology, and the earth. Thank you for reading this article and considering the relationships noted. It is shared with a love of humanity, as education is a fundamental love of students, the act of teaching, and each other. It is important that we continually challenge our vision for education grounded in the reality of our time. Much has happened since the declaration of our BC Mandate for Public Schooling in 1989. Courses and curriculum are important, but only as vehicles towards an educated citizenry. I appreciate your consideration of the relationships discussed. Dr. Pius Ryan, Superintendent of Schools for the North Vancouver School District (NVSD), is a long-time educator in British Columbia. Trained as a high school English teacher, Dr. Ryan has had a long career in supporting innovation and leadership. He served as president of BC CAISE, established the first welcome centre in Canada, and has been a strong advocate for systems thinking, stewardship, and building healthy communities at the school and district level. Dr. Ryan holds a Doctorate of Education in Leadership and Policy from the University of British Columbia (UBC), Master of Education in School Psychology from UBC, and Bachelor of Arts in English Literature and Linguistics, as well as Bachelor of Education, both from Memorial University of Newfoundland. Chloe Scott is the Communications Manager for the North Vancouver School District and a PhD student in the Educational Theory and Practice program at Simon Fraser University (SFU). She holds a Bachelor of Arts in Communication from SFU and a Master’s in International Business from the University of Hertfordshire, U.K. 1. Abbott, J. (2010). Overschooled but Undereducated: How the Crisis in Education is Jeopardizing Our Adolescents. Bloomsbury Sagan, C. (1994). Pale Blue Dot: A Vision of the Human Future in Space. Random House. 2. Brynjolfsson, E., & McAfee, A. (2014). Race against the machine: Wie die digitale Revolution dem Fortschritt Beine macht. Plassen Verlag. 3. Environment, U. N. (2023, January 30). Annual Report 2022 | UNEP - UN Environment Programme. https://www. unep.org/resources/annual-report-2022. 4. Haidt, J. (2024). The anxious generation: how the great rewiring of childhood is causing an epidemic of mental illness. Allen Lane, an imprint of Penguin Books. 5. Reinert, A. (2011, April 12). The Blue Marble Shot: Our First Complete Photograph of Earth. The Atlantic. https://www.theatlantic. com/technology/archive/2011/04/the-blue- marble-shot-our-first-complete-photograph- of-earth/237167/. 6. Ryan, P., & Ryan, R. (n.d.) (2012). Educere: system design and development for public schooling. Granville Island Pub. 7. Seth, A. (2017, April). Your brain hallucinates your conscious reality [Video recording]. https://www.ted.com/talks/anil_seth_your_ brain_hallucinates_your_conscious_reality. The role of educators is no longer to simply prepare students for the workforce but to equip them with the emotional intelligence, ethical awareness, and resilience needed to navigate an increasingly complex world.16 ED ❚ Spring 2025 Inspir n the dynamic and diverse landscape of British Columbia’s K-12 education, the competencies outlined in the BC School Superintendents Association (BCSSA) “The Spirit of Leadership” framework provide a crucial foundation for system leaders. By emphasizing “Leading Self,” “Leading Teams,” and “Leading Systems,” leaders can foster environments where all students thrive. In School District 73 (SD73), these competencies have become central to supporting Indigenous students through the establishment of the Indigenous Student Leadership Council (ISLC) and the co- creation of an Anti-Racism Action Plan. This work exemplifies the BCSSA competencies, aligning structures with a vision for learning and stewarding a future that values equity and inclusion for all children. Effective leadership begins with self- awareness and a commitment to cultural humility. For system leaders in SD73, this has meant engaging deeply with their own biases and understanding the historical and contemporary realities faced by Indigenous students. Cultural humility – the practice of lifelong learning and reflection – has informed the design and facilitation of the District ISLC, ensuring it serves as an authentic platform for student voices. The ISLC’s formation was rooted in listening sessions with Indigenous students across the district. These sessions revealed systemic barriers, including microaggressions, underrepresentation in leadership, and curriculum gaps that failed to reflect Indigenous histories and perspectives. Leaders in SD73 modeled vulnerability and openness, acknowledging these challenges and committing to action. By doing so, they exemplified “Leading Self” and set a tone of accountability and trust. Student perspectives reinforce the importance of this leadership approach. As Elli Ross, a Grade 10 student, shared, “Being part of the Indigenous School Leadership Council gives you a strong sense of community. You get to meet others who share your culture and feel supported rather than alone. It has helped me explore and express my identity by learning more about my culture – through councils, summits, and the experiences shared by others.” Additionally, the district has prioritized professional development for administrators and educators through things like regular School Leader Team Sessions involving educator leadership teams from every school, focusing on anti-racism, trauma- informed practices, and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission’s Calls to Action. This growth mindset among leaders has created a ripple effect, encouraging staff to reflect on their own practices and biases, ultimately benefiting all students. “The Spirit of Leadership” emphasizes the importance of “Leading Teams” by fostering collaboration and shared responsibility. SD73’s ISLC demonstrates how collective action can drive meaningful change. The ISLC is composed of Indigenous student representatives from all nine secondary schools who represent their peers, amplify their concerns, and co-develop solutions alongside district leaders. Central to the council’s success has been a focus on relationality – building and sustaining trust-based relationships. Leaders in SD73 have created spaces where Indigenous students feel valued and empowered to speak their truths. Regular meetings, supported by Elders and Knowledge Keepers, provide opportunities for students to share their experiences, discuss systemic issues, and propose actionable steps toward equity. As Grade 12 student Maple Peel reflected, “I truly hope that the Indigenous Leadership Student Council fosters a strong sense of belonging for those who have been part of it. I also hope it serves as an eye-opener for school district administrators, encouraging them to embrace Indigenous cultures more fully within schools – whether through curriculum integration or teacher-led initiatives.” The ISLC’s influence also extended to the creation of the Indigenous Anti-Racism and Bullying Guide for Schools, a resource informed by student feedback to address the unique cultural and historical contexts of By Mike Bowden, District Principal – Indigenous Education, Kamloops-Thompson (School District No. 73) Lessons from an Indigenous Student Leadership Council and Anti-Racism Action Plan Supporting Student Voices:British Columbia School Superintendents Association 17 racism against Indigenous students. Key strategies include providing culturally safe support for victims, addressing the root causes of harmful behaviours in perpetrators, and fostering collaboration with Indigenous families and communities. By centering student voices, the guide promotes fairness, respect, and systemic accountability in addressing racism and bullying. System leadership requires aligning policies, practices, and resources with a shared vision for learning. In SD73, this vision is rooted in equity, inclusion, and the belief that every student deserves to thrive. The Anti-Racism Action Plan exemplifies this alignment, translating the student council’s insights into systemic change. Student input has shaped this vision for structural change. As Aiden Coyle, Grade 11, emphasized, “I hope we leave future students with fewer challenges. More importantly, I want to give them the ability to incorporate new ideas rather than feeling restricted by the curriculum.” Recognizing the importance of contextual literacy, SD73 has worked to Indigenize their pedagogy and learning environments. By beginning to educate staff on how to integrate local Indigenous histories, languages, and knowledge systems into their practices and protocols, the district fosters a sense of belonging for Indigenous students and enriches learning for all. Moreover, the importance of engaging Elders and Knowledge Keepers in the educational process is widely recognized by students. As Matteo Gottfriedson, Grade 11, noted, “The last time I had an Elder involved in my education was back in elementary school, and it created such a comfortable Voices: Students at an Indigenous Student Summit share their thoughts on education. Photos courtesy of Kamloops-Thompson (School District No. 73). The support of Elders and Knowledge Keepers was identified by students as a way to take action toward equity. The Indigenous Student Summit on Indigenous Antiracism brought together 113 Indigenous students from 11 school districts to discuss and address issues of racism within the educational system. Students opened the Summit with a traditional drumming and Grand March entry.18 ED ❚ Spring 2025 Inspir environment. Elders and Knowledge Keepers bring valuable lived experiences and having them in schools to support student leadership would make a huge difference.” The ultimate goal of leadership in education is to steward a future where all children can thrive. For SD73, this means addressing the systemic inequities that have historically marginalized Indigenous students and creating a culture of belonging for all learners. Student voices reflect the impact of this work. As Grade 8 student Ella Pearce expressed, “I’ve only just started here [on the Indigenous Student Leadership Council], but I felt truly heard during the student panel. I was able to share my thoughts without feeling judged. It made me realize that my voice matters and that I might be able to make a difference for others who may not have the courage to speak up.” Through continuous inquiry and intentional system-wide changes, SD73 is building a more just and inclusive educational environment for all students. The work of the ISLC demonstrates the power of student leadership and collaboration in advancing equity and systemic transformation. By embodying these principles, system leaders can create schools where every child has the opportunity to succeed. As SD73’s journey demonstrates, this work is challenging but essential, offering hope and inspiration for the future of education in British Columbia and beyond. As the district moves forward, ongoing evaluation and dialogue with students will be key to sustaining these initiatives. Future plans include expanding leadership training for Indigenous students, strengthening relationships with local Indigenous communities, and enhancing the visibility of Indigenous culture in all schools. The work of ISLC continues to inspire systemic change, proving that student leadership is a powerful force in shaping equitable educational landscapes. Mike Bowden is a member of the Secwépemc Nation in the southern interior of British Columbia and a proud member of the Whispering Pines Clinton Band. Mike has over 29 years of experience in education. He has served as a principal in six schools across two school districts in the province and is currently the District Principal of Indigenous Education in School District No. 73 (Kamloops-Thompson), where he oversees Indigenous programs and services and serves as the administrator for the School District’s Indigenous Education Council. Mike is also a member of the BC School Superintendent Association (BCSSA) Board of Directors and one of the founders of the BCSSA Indigenous Leaders Chapter of BC, advocating for Indigenous perspectives and leadership within the educational system.Next >