Just a few short weeks ago, the crew of the Elite Navigator, seven Newfoundland fisherman were miraculously rescued at sea. In this part of the world, the combination of the unforgiving Atlantic's oceanic forces along with many of our own personal tales of heartbreak and tragic loss on the high sea, tremendous stories of survival like this stir the east coast soul with a mix of unequivocal pride and deep emotion. The ocean surrounding our precious province is never to be underestimated, it's unparalleled force, depth and sheer power surpass the boundaries of mortal egocentric humanity. As these brave fishermen begin tell their phenomenal stories of survival in a small life raft adrift in the frigid, icy waters and fog banks of north east Atlantic, hope anchors their tales. Hope for life, hope for returning to land-bound loved ones and incredibly hope to return to the profession they love... fishing.

Our world is filled with incredible stories of survival and possibility. While reflections on the importance of hope have been long standing in literature, religion, philosophy, scientific research and medical studies; it wasn't until late in the twentieth century when formal psychological perspectives positioned hope as a mindset and desire that plays an important role in human agency and motivation. Jerome Groopman (2004) writes about how it only takes a small stirring of possibility to confront despair and elicit the power of hope. His research based on working with terminally ill patients positions the importance of human connection as the epicentre of generating hope. There is increasing scientific evidence demonstrating how hope can change humans psychologically and physiologically for the better. It only takes a small stirring of possibility to elicit the roots of hope. In addition to helping people to attain meaningful, satisfying and socially supportive lives, hope contributes to psychological resilience.

Some may call it good fortune, fate, luck, and karma but there is no doubt that the human spirit has a relentless, resilient super hero power to hold on to the potential of possibility. Charles Synder's psychological hope theory positions pathway thinking and agency thinking as core aspects of a hopeful mindset. Pathway thinking involves a person’s thinking about the strategies or routes they will take when pursuing their goals. Hopeful people are able to identify and commit to a course of action to pursue their goals. Agency thinking involves the enduring belief that you will achieve your goals. This is considered to be the motivational aspect of hope, the aspect that drives or inspires people to engage in connecting with others to survive and thrive.

I cannot imagine how the lucky seven survived the crashing waves and endless fog banks of our east coast Atlantic. Her sheer abyssal power has always frightened and amazed me. I am in awe of the strength of these seven fishermen who survived by telling each other stories and pretending to interview each other to pass the time while they floated aimlessly through the fog banks over 300 kilometres northeast of Gander. Their ability to care for each other in a tiny life raft drifting in the northeast Atlantic ocean with little else but each other illuminates the lifesaving power of hope and human connection.

Like many, I have leaned on hope repeatedly to pull me through or push me forward through difficult times. I have protected hope and try my best to create a positive contagion of hope fuelled possibilities in my personal and professional lives. Inspired by the lucky seven, I am choosing hope and human connection as seven ignition points that will inspire and anchor my work in the new school year ahead.

1. Hope for every child and youth. All means all in public education. Every student is deserving of meaningful, personal and rich educational experiences. The unlimited potential that every individual has to learn, to connect, to feel and to participate in their education is to be honoured and protected in our schools.
2. Hope for inspiration and ignition. All means all in public education. All students and educators need to feel inspired, connected and immersed in communities of care. If schools are to be places of rich human connectivity, then the ignition to learn, succeed and survive life's complexities needs to be prioritized. Clear communication and visible support structures in our schools will help elucidate pathways to success for all.
3. Hope for emergence and excellence. All means all in public education. Inclusivity is not one size fits all. Specialized educational opportunities are essential and are not to be confused with integration. Some times we need travel different, individualized pathways to find excellence. Some times we need to lean into unknown possibilities and take risk, trusting that what will emerge will be fuelled with opportunity and renewal. Individual education pathways must be paved with active listening, collaboration, and creative thinking; again there is no one size fits all solution to human variation.
4. Hope for protection and possibility. All means all in public education. Human variance will continue to emerge as a greater consideration in today's classroom. Imagine what would happen if our society fully recognized and validated human variation? Imagine how would public landscape change if the widest possible diversity of human forms, functions and behaviours were respected, included and protected? Protecting the unlimited potential that all humans hold is our work as we commit to building safe and caring schools for all children and youth.
5. Hope for happiness and contentment. All means all in public education. Learning should be a joyful experience in our schools. This doesn't mean that everything is to be filled with sunshine and rainbows. Realism involves struggle alongside of hope filled possibilities and opportunities. Life is challenging and our youth are currently experiencing increasing rates of depression, anxiety, self-harm and suicide (Haidt, 2024). Our responsibility in public education is one of loco parentis during the school day. The privilege of trust from families who send their children to school every day is never to be taken lightly. In receiving our students, we must commit to creating positive, meaningful learning experiences for them and their future lives in our classrooms.
6. Hope for kindness and compassion. All means all in public education. Kindness and compassion are anchors for honouring and respecting human dignity and difference. The ethic of care needs to be an essential edict in all classrooms. Education is an act of the heart just as much as it is one of the mind. The art of educational leadership requires soft and hard edges to build durable instructional systems that support all learners recognizing that sometimes structure and boundaries are needed, alongside of flexibility and adaptability to ensure no one is left behind.
7. Hope for perseverance and courage. All means all in public education. This work is not easy and will never be easy. As systems integrate and create new pathways to support children and families, there will need to be points of soulful surrendering, alongside of strategic systematizing, to ensure processes align without barriers to assist and support all. Courageous educators are needed to disrupt and transform educational systems so that every child and youth is safely lifted up, and never given up on, in our schools.

Inspired by the bravery of the lucky seven and the generous, optimistic people of my home province, Newfoundland and Labrador, I am positioning hope as my direction for the new school year ahead. Positioning hope defines direction for better educational outcomes in regards to physical health, mental health, academics, athletics and arts in our schools. There will always be struggle and shadows, alongside of things that we may not be able to control in our lives. Hope and human connection can be the antidote to survival in complex times. So what are you hoping for?