Welcome back to Community Room! We have Dr. Sabre Cherkowski joining us for for Episode 8. Dr. Cherkowski is the Professor and Director of Graduate Programs and Research in the Okanagan School of Education at the University of British Columbia. Today’s topic is “Creating Flourishing Schools” and we touch on that and much more in this rich episode. We ask Dr. Cherkowski about her research in this field, the importance of the wellness of staff in schools, mindfulness, the role of a Principal in this endeavor and much more!


RESOURCES:

https://education.ok.ubc.ca/about/contact/sabre-cherkowski/

QUOTE:

“Social psychologists argue that who we are at any one time depends mostly on the context in which we find ourselves. But who creates the context? The more mindful we are, the more we can create the contexts we are in. When we create the context, we are more likely to be authentic. Mindfulness lets us see things in a new light and believe in the possibility of change.” - Ellen J. Langer

BIO:

Dr. Sabre Cherkowski is Professor and Director of Graduate Programs and Research in the Okanagan School of Education at the University of British Columbia. She teaches and researches in the areas of teacher wellbeing, educational leadership, professional learning and collaboration, and mentoring and coaching. She is currently engaged in a pan-Canadian research project examining flourishing in schools from a positive organizational perspective, and was recently awarded UBC Okanagan’s Researcher of the Year award. Sabre brings her experiences as a teacher, coach, and parent to her passion for exploring what it means to flourish in work and life.