Leading by Example
Story appeared in the 2019 issue of QMS Connections Magazine.
BY JODINE BUYDENS, EQUESTRIAN PROGRAM DIRECTOR
On a sunny day in May 2019, several QMS school leaders visited Generation Farms in Yellow Point, BC, to participate in a day of learning in Equine Facilitated Leadership Development (EFLD). The goal—to introduce the four key competencies of our new EFLD program through experiential activities that incorporate nature, horses and each other.
Guided by an amazing team of facilitators, both horse and human, even those humans who were initially cautious of horses, ended the day navigating their equine partner through an obstacle course.
Throughout the day, staff rotated between experiential exercises and curiosity driven debriefs as they explored the four QMS EFLD key competencies: Leadership of Self, Leadership of Others, Leadership through Stewardship and Service, and Leadership of Ideas. Having this time with the horses and each other was an invaluable experience as Queen Margaret’s School prepares for the launch of our Equine Facilitated Leadership Development Program in September 2019. School leaders entered the day with the focus of learning how the program could help our students, yet everyone finished the day having also learned something about themselves.
Junior School Principal, Susan Cruikshank, provides confident leadership to Cloud under the tutelage of facilitator, Kerry Moon.
Director of Admissions, Rebecca McKay, Vice Principal of Curriculum & Instruction, Alison O’Marra Armstrong and Ella moved as a team in this group activity.
“I truly learnt how to pause and take a moment to check-in with myself, realizing how my energy affects my mental state, others, and the environment. I now recognize the energy of others and appreciate what they are entering each situation with (personal experiences, history, etc.).”
“QMS students will have an incredible opportunity to learn from horses in the way on EFLD can provide. It will enhance their leadership skills through improved empathy, focus and calmness, and they will be present in a world that continues to speed up. These young people will be able to press pause to ensure their impact on a situation is authentic and true to them. I am proud to work at a school that will provide this style of training for young people. ”
“Students are at the heart of everything that we do here at Queen Margaret’s School. In an effort to prepare an educated, empathetic and engaged citizenry, it is incumbent upon us to provide as many rich and meaningful learning opportunities (as possible) so that our students can reach their potential and contribute to the world around us. We have been speaking about competency-based learning for several years now—this type of learning encapsulates all of the competencies that we consider essential: communication, thinking, personal awareness and responsibility. We have a unique learning opportunity here that we can now see will contribute greatly to the learning of our students. Equine facilitated leadership will provide all students the opportunity to learn from our equestrian partners in a way that can only complement the curriculum.”