Leadership and Wellbeing: The Most Interesting Woman in the World

“I am not the most interesting woman in the world, but I do laugh at myself and I can be very serious about research…”

Researcher & Artist, Luan Arbuckle

The poster below, is an attempt at peer pedagogical humour, and not the reason for my study but one of the findings I have observed and experienced in research and my MEDL program.  Recognizing the importance of laughter in a class setting I have selected humour as the narrative of this creative work and lead with “Leadership and Wellbeing” in the title, and end with “The Most Interesting Woman in the World” as the joke. XX 😉

The use of humour as a narrative can reflect, challenge, and reveal tensions within a given society’s construct.  Humour manages ambivalence, reduces stress and enhances leadership. 

My research asks:

1. What was the experience of transitioning to alternative delivery in K -12 schools in BC during COVID-19?

2. What learnings can be surfaced, in order, to plan for future alternative delivery offerings in K-12?

3. How can learnings inform content and delivery in teacher education and education assistant post-secondary programs?


My research examines wellbeing and the relationship it clearly plays with students, educators, and families in their communities, local school districts and independent schools and is the goal behind this research. Aligned with the lifecycle framework identified in VIU’s Strategic Plan: Scholarship, Research and Creativity Activity (2017-20), specifically collaborating and co-creating knowledge that can be shared with the public realm, I aim to serve our communities and schools during this time of crisis.

In addition to the anticipated outcomes and knowledge sharing events I will be well positioned to seek external funding to expand the breadth and depth of the research through opportunities like Vancouver Foundation’s Participatory Action Research grants.

Creative Poster