By Aarian Bhakoo | February 26, 2021
Editor Note: This interview took place prior to the changes which took place at the position of Prinicipal of the Woodlands. We have no details on that situation as of this time.
Amidst the vast changes that have taken place at The Woodlands this year in the wake of COVID-19, a significant one has quietly occurred within the school’s staff and administration. This year, The Woodlands Secondary School had the pleasure of welcoming Mr. Art Tinson as our newest interim vice principal. The details on how long his actual stay will be are currently up in the air, but at the moment, he’s happy to be here, and hopes the term is a long one.
Sitting down and chatting at length with Mr. Tinson reveals not just moments of grounded humility such as the way he explains the complexity of his interim position, but a personality that is dominated by many bold traits; a personality that is equally reserved and intelligent as it is athletic, humorous, and optimistic. Below is an account of our full conversation, with topics ranging from the school’s administrative challenges to our esteemed Ultimate Frisbee team.
Q: "So, right off the bat, I think one thing students want to know about you is well, who you are! For a lot of Woodlands students, this interview is their first introduction to you, as both a vice principal and as a person. So to start off, can you tell us a little bit about yourself as a person?"
Mr. Tinson: “Certainly. So, I'm a math teacher, and I'm also an engineer. I studied engineering at McMaster University, and I worked for a couple years in the industry, but I always wanted to teach. So, I went to the University of Toronto for that, and then I actually started teaching at Woodlands! I taught here for two years in the math department, and then for the last 11 years, I've been at Port Credit Secondary School teaching math and student success (credit recovery). I was the math department head at Port Credit for, I think eight or nine years, and wanted a change. I've engaged in some leadership activities in terms of being a math head, but I decided I wanted a new challenge and wanted to, rather than only focusing in one area in math, hold a school leadership role. As a result, I went through the process of applying for vice principal.
So that's the school end of it. In terms of family, I have my partner, my wife, and I have a three year old son. So that keeps me busy (laughs). Now for hobbies, I am an ultimate Frisbee guy. That's what I've been playing for about 20 years, and I actually also coached the Ultimate Frisbee team at Port Credit. I try to run when I can, as well. So those are my two major hobbies.”
"I was the math department head at Port Credit for, I think eight or nine years, and wanted a change... I decided I wanted a new challenge and wanted to [hold a school leadership role]. As a result, I went through the process of applying for vice principal."
Intrigued by this, I wondered if the apple happened to fall far from the tree, and asked him if his son had shown any inclinations towards engineering yet. Mr. Tinson laughed at this, claiming that his son had already begun to show an interest in building. However, he was also just as quick to point out their differences. In his words, “He’s very different than I am. I’m a very quiet person, and he’s a very outgoing person. So that’s interesting.”
I was interested, and wanted to know more. Q: “You say you’re quiet, would you say this trait gives you a little bit of an edge with leadership. Perhaps, being able to observe and process what’s going on in a situation and being able to take control in that situation?” He ponders this for a second. Mr. Tinson: “That's a good question. I've always felt that quiet leaders are misinterpreted. Generally, I think leaders are perceived as extroverts, but I am definitely not an extrovert (laughs). I think quiet leaders like to work one-on-one with people and build relationships that way, and support people individually as opposed to being the center of attention. So that's sort of my leadership approach. I like to work and help support people, whether they're students or teachers, to resolve issues.”
Q: "I think a lot of people are very happy to hear that. Do you have any specific examples of quiet leaders that you found that you can look up to or can credit?” Before I can even finish getting the question out, Mr. Tinson’s already smiling in response, as if he’s amused by the question. "I would say that...I don't know, I wouldn't say I have any. I think that I've had role models in terms of teachers and administrators throughout my career. I certainly appreciated their leadership styles, I take some from each person, and that's sort of my approach. I won't name names, but certainly, there’s been teachers that I've had in the past that I definitely respected and looked up to and just admired their approach to teaching and leadership.”
I asked him if there were any ultimate frisbee coaches up in that list as well, but Mr. Tinson doesn’t seem to think so. According to him, ultimate frisbee was just something he picked up in university as a hobby. However, he was enthused by the mention of the Woodlands’ Ultimate Frisbee team, offering up some praise, as well as some hopes for the future. “Woodlands was definitely going to have an up-and-coming Ultimate Frisbee team, at least before the pandemic hit...I’d like to be involved in some way, if the opportunity arises.”
"I've always felt that quiet leaders are misinterpreted. Generally, I think leaders are perceived as extroverts, but I am definitely not an extrovert"
The pandemic was a great springboard for some more insight into the inner workings of school administration, as well as Mr. Tinson’s challenges with the role.
Q: "We've been in this pandemic for a while now, and I think it's shut down a lot of opportunities, not just Ultimate Frisbee, but you know, a lot of opportunities both there and beyond, and that's kind of what I wanted to ask you about. You've joined the Woodlands staff at a very tumultuous time, a time where we are seeing a lot of school closures across the nation, and a time where we're seeing a large shift to online learning. What are your general thoughts on the changes you have seen so far this year? How has it been difficult for the administration to adapt?"
Mr. Tinson: “So I think, and again, I've only been vice principal for 10 weeks, but I think that certainly the preparation to open the school was an enormous task. The most important thing is ensuring that everyone is safe and remains healthy. We need to make sure that every classroom has the proper sanitizers and that everyone has access to personal protective equipment. So that’s a major role right now. Administrators ensure that the school has those materials and that the health and safety protocols are being followed every day, in terms of the mask wearing and social distancing. So that definitely is a major part of the role right now.
With online learning, I guess another big thing is just being prepared to transition, like how we had to transition right to the online model after the holidays. Obviously, I think this has gone on much smoother than in the spring, when it kind of just happened, and I think teachers and students are more aware of the online environment now and have been able to adapt to those sudden changes better now.”
"How do I assess and evaluate students? What online materials am I going to provide students? What does synchronous learning look like? I think those are all things teachers have had to adapt to in this environment."
Q: “Right, I know that you were a teacher last year before coming here to serve as our vice principal, so I'm assuming that you did do a little bit of teaching in the online space?”
Mr. Tinson: “Yeah! I had two advanced functions classes. So it was, and you know, I think a lot of teachers would say this, a challenge is that you've had to adapt. How do I assess and evaluate students? What online materials am I going to provide students? What does synchronous learning look like? I think those are all things teachers have had to adapt to in this environment. The way things looked like last year or before the pandemic certainly don’t look the way they do now, in terms of what a classroom looks like and what an assessment looks like.”
Additionally, he elaborated that having this experience was something that was an asset when it came to helping teachers resolve their technical issues and guiding them through the process. “Certainly, it has been beneficial to actually have been in the classroom before I came to this role, because I think I’m able to troubleshoot technical issues in a better capacity than if I had not taught in the classroom for several years. So it's definitely been something to use to my advantage.”
Q: “I also want to explore the flip side of this, because, again, you're kind of new to the Woodlands. You've taught here in the past, but you're coming back to Woodlands after many years at Port Credit. Do you think there's a bit of a sort of added learning curve for you as a new staff member?”
Mr. Tinson: “Well, I think whenever you start something new, there is a huge learning curve. So definitely, my responsibilities have changed as an administrator, you're learning new things every day about your responsibilities. But I have Miss Reynolds and Everett [as well as Mr. Farrell and Mr. Koehnen], who have been amazing support. And we work together as a team to troubleshoot issues, support staff, support students, so we're in constant communication with one another. And I would say, though, having been at the Woodlands and having taught at the Woodlands, I'm not coming into a new building. Coming back to the Woodlands, I am familiar with the building. I know there's no windows! I think it's definitely helped in terms of a comfort level to come back to a place that you're familiar with, and start a new role.”
Woodlands students and staff will be glad to hear that a newcomer to the school is feeling comfortable. So, to wrap it all up, I wanted to ask if there were any words of comfort that Mr. Tinson had for the student population. He was happy to oblige.
"I think it's definitely helped in terms of a comfort level to come back to a place that you're familiar with, and start a new role.”
Mr. Tinson: “I would say I'm looking forward to getting to know students once this pandemic is over. I’m looking forward to having that interaction with the students that we haven't been able to have since I've been here, because of all the health and safety protocols that are in place. Even with staff, I mean, it's not normal, we can't just have a normal conversation with people. So I'm looking forward to having that social interaction with students and staff once things get back to normal, and having students being able to get involved with sports and clubs and being able to see students, do a musical performance, to come out and watch a game on the field. That's what I'm looking forward to once this is all over. It’s really weird right now going into an empty building.”
Q: “I definitely agree with you on that. You know, I also kind of missed that social interaction, I'm sure a lot of people can attest to missing that social interaction. And once that student life kind of begins to brew back up, I really hope that you can become included in that as well.”
“For sure, for sure.”
Speaking with Mr. Tinson was a wonderful experience. His insight on the complex times that we live in today was something that was not only refreshing and informative to hear, but something that I believe that students could really use at this time. I hope that students who read this article come away from it with a few things in mind. I hope they come away from it with a better understanding of the pandemic from an administrator’s lens, as well as a better understanding of Mr. Tinson as not just a staff member, and not just an educator, but a person too. Above all, I hope that those who read this interview have learned one important thing: that even the most quiet and most unassuming of individuals have a wealth of interesting things to say. All you have to do is ask them about Ultimate Frisbee.
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