Student Voice Leadership Retreat - a teacher's reflection

Below is a post from a teacher who participated in our Student Voice retreat to YMCA Cedar Glen. I am also always surprised by what our students can do. We shouldn't be, because at this point we should realize how great everyone can be when they are given the chance!  PAS staff and students chose to be AWESOME on the retreat and the school is very grateful for everyone's efforts leading up to, during and after the retreat.
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Well, vice principal has been on my case to write about my thoughts on the 3-day student leadership retreat last week. I must admit I was very neutral going into the retreat: I had concerns about behaviour that were based on prior field trip experiences (yes, a math teacher can have field trips!). I also thought that I would have a fair amount of "free time".

I found myself enjoying the activities (they were well thought out and run very smoothly) and getting to know students that I had never met before. I had about 8 hours to myself, which included an evening shower and a good night's rest! As the only male teacher, I had a room to myself: bonus.

The students were far more mature than I expected. More than anything else, I was impressed by their willingness to get a little out of their comfort zones, and in small groups share their own "back stories".

I started the session with an understanding that the PAS system was a valuable piece of the educational fabric. At the end of the 3 days, I was absolutely certain that the PAS system plays a critical role: I met students who would not be in good health or finishing high school without PAS!

Here's more than 8 words. I was initially going to double the word count every time, but that would have been more work.

Next: I will have to figure out HOW to post this.

Teamwork: Get the Vice Principal to post for you!