May 29

It has been another great week of playing ball, going for walks along the river, and riding my bike.  I had my last bus meeting in Warman on Friday.  The funny thing about retirement is: I can't really tell you what I did yesterday or the day before, but I know I was busy.

February 2008-03-13

When I was in high school, I played football, fastball, and hockey.  I wasn’t the best, but I showed up and learned the game.  Our high school choir had a ratio of eight girls for every boy so I joined the choir.  They asked me to sing solo – so low they couldn’t hear me.  Every year, I was in drama and in grade twelve I had the opportunity to act and direct.  For some unknown reason, I was always chosen for student council and had the honor of being the “Senior Stick” in grade twelve.  Although I never fancied myself as a leader, I was definitely a participator and now, as I reflect on my personal experience, I have come to the conclusion that before you lead, you must have experience in the trenches being a foot soldier.

            During the month of January, I became a member of a committee examining methods of increasing student engagement.  Increasing student engagement, one of Prairie Spirit School Division’s goals, can mean many things.  Student engagement may mean involvement, decision making, ownership, responsibility, or leadership.  Most of our committee’s discussion centered on ways to get students more involved in their learning and creating an environment where children would be equipped and inspired to become leaders in the school and community.  Of course, this discussion caused me to ponder: How do you create leaders?

            Some people are referred to as “born leaders”, but I am not so sure leadership can be developed by genetics alone.  I will admit there are some people who are skillful and recognized for their expertise; however, they would sooner perish than lead.  They are satisfied with being the foot soldiers and follow while others provide the leadership.  Leadership usually comes with confidence and confidence comes with feeling skillful, feeling appreciated and taking responsibility.

            At Prairie View School, there are many opportunities for students to develop skills, receive recognition, and demonstrate responsibility.  The list includes cross country running, volleyball, soccer, basketball, running club, care buddies, office helpers, chess club, math club, craft club, singing club, science club, writer’s podium, In Motion, musical, music festival, and Student Representative Council.  Not all students will become leaders in high school or in their adult life, but there are many who will become leaders because they had an opportunity to develop the requisite skills of a leader by being a participator.  For instance, they may become coaches because they have participated in sports or they may become rock stars because their grade five music teacher taught them how to play the ukulele.  Schools and communities should provide a wide menu of opportunities for children to learn new skills and prepare them for leadership opportunities as they grow older.  In other words, we provide opportunities for children to develop their leadership potential.

            Another way to create future leaders is to expose children to exemplary leadership from people of honor, who demonstrate good communication skills, interact positively with people, and inspire people to work together.  Most accomplished leaders are quick to heap praise and give credit on someone who inspired them to become leaders.  Leaders beget leaders and usually good leaders share leadership, recognize future leaders, and encourage potential leaders.

            In conclusion, I would like to commend the teachers and leaders in our community who invest their time, talents, and resources in providing opportunities for children to develop skills, receive recognition, and develop leadership skills.  You are probably not even aware, but there are foot soldiers following in your footsteps.

May 25

Yesterday, I helped my brother, Wayne, move his household items to Calgary where he going to live following his retirement after a 35 year career at Sasktel.  I was up at 6 am, helped load, drove to Calgary, unloaded, and returned to Saskatoon by midnight.  I don't want a repeat performance of yesterday anytime soon, but I must admit it was a good opportunity to spend time with my brother.

Today is ball practice at 9:30, a haircut, pay some bills, attend a celebration of life for a wonderful man, and coffee with a friend.

What would Judy do?  What would she tell us?  Live life to the fullest.  Rejoice.  Don't wallow in pity.  Wake everyday with thanksgiving in your heart.  Enjoy the sunrise.  Love with abandon.  Be happy.  Don't take yourself too seriously.  Get real.  Get over it.  It's all good.  God makes even the bad good.  Things are cracked.  That's how light gets in.  Learn from your pain, don't react with more pain.  There is more than just this life.  Smarten yourself up.  If it can be changed then change it.  If it can't be changed, don't worry about it.  Live!

Principal's Message

Do you remember playing catch before all the snow had melted?  Do you remember ante-i-over, kick the can, 1-2-3 red light, red rover, four square, hopscotch, riding a bike without 21 gears or shock absorbers, walking to the store, timing how long you could stay under water, shooting hoops in the driveway, and playing shinny on the street?  Some children are still doing these unorganized sports.

            Some people go as far as saying we have organized sports to death but I would not go that far.  Organized sports have their place although they can be expensive, time consuming, and rife with politics.  Studies have shown that children involved in physical activity are less likely to drop out of school, have a child out of wedlock, or get involved in crime.  Playing sports creates friendships, builds character, and teaches valuable life lessons.  Moreover, physical activity should lead to a healthy body as well as a healthy lifestyle.  Health Regions have realized that spending a million on promoting healthy diets and exercise will save our healthcare system several million on treating respiratory ailments, heart disease, high cholesterol levels, and a host of other chronic health concerns.

            During the last school year one of our teachers was at a conference and chatted with Silken Laumann, a Canadian Olympic hero who won a silver medal in the 1996 Summer Olympics.  Her message was: Children (and adults I might add) need to do more than get involved in organized sports.  They need to do a lot more unorganized physical activity. Indeed, playing unorganized sports such as road hockey or shinny helps a player become better at organized sports such as hockey. One of our school goals this year is to involve student leaders in organizing monthly physical activities as a way of promoting healthy living.  Organizing physical activity will be a good thing while the activity lasts, but we all need to work at a greater challenge.  We need to organize unorganized physical activity.  I’ve taught in schools where most of the physical activity was organized.  I remember healthy competition, but I also remember unhealthy competition.  There were complaints about the chosen activity, the reffing, lack of participation, and the fairness of the teams.  When the organized activities were over, the children wondered what to do.  I’ve also taught in schools where children were given a place to play, things to play with, time to play, and a few ideas.

            What I am asking is for teachers, parents, school community councils, grandparents, and anyone who loves unorganized physical activity to help our children organize unorganization.  Teach children the games you loved to play.  Play with them.  Stock your house with a tennis ball, skipping rope, soccer ball, basketball, volleyball, football, hockey stick, Frisbee, toboggan, and dare I say skateboard.  Provide a safe place and lots of time to play.  Hide the remote control and let’s get unorganized.

           

May 22

The week was one of golfing, playing slowpitch, fine dining, and a pair of bus meetings.  One more bus meeting to go.  Oh yeah, and the bedding plants were all in before the rain shower we had last evening.  I went to the lake today and got the trailer set up for the summer.  Judging by Facebook, I would say the girls are having a good time in Kelowna at Mary's stagette weekend.  On Tuesday, I am making a marathon trip to Calgary and back to help move my brother, Wayne's, household items to his new home in Calgary.  Wayne just retired from Sasktel after about 35 years.

Principal's Message

Sometimes you want to go where everybody knows your name and they’re always glad you came…..  I know the preceding line from the sitcom Cheers refers to a local watering hole and not a school, but it should apply to every school.  As a principal, I believe it is important to know all the students’ names.  When I see the children in the hallway, going to the bus, or coming into the school in the morning, I say hello to them and I call them by their name.  I must have acquired the talent of learning names when I worked for a dairy farmer with 83 Holsteins.  Children often remark, “Mr. Kolach, do you know everyone’s name?”  The answer is: “Yes.”  Some children think I have an encyclopedic brain because I deliver birthday cards and a treat to recognize their birthdays.  The younger grades remind me of their birth date sometimes months in advance.  I have a confession to make, but keep the secret under your hat.  My administrative assistant is the one with the encyclopedic brain.

Yes, children yearn to be recognized.  They want someone to acknowledge that they are special in some way.  Children are saying, “I’m here.  Does anyone notice me?  Do you know me?  Can you see what I am able to do?  Can you see what I have done?  Can you tell me again how, in a population of billions, that I am special in some way?”  When I am teaching a class, and we are making connections to our experiences, children want to have their voices heard.  They want to be recognized.

At the end of June, I was invited to be a guest speaker at a Grade 12 graduation.  I opened with something I remembered about each student.  There were thoughts, validations, impressions, anecdotes, and a host of other remembrances that were stored in my internal hard drive.  Following my recollections, I delivered a grad speech for the centuries.  The message was one of hope, expectation, and reflection – a life altering lesson.  Several grads came and talked to me later and they didn’t discuss the finer points of my awe inspiring message.  They just expressed their pleasure that I remembered them.  Remembering them as individuals was the most meaningful recognition I could have given them.

When I was a homeroom teacher, I used to give out Student Recognition Awards weekly and over the course of a school year, every child would receive an award with a description of a positive attribute demonstrated by the child.  Honestly speaking, I never had a child without a positive attribute.  Some people accused me of tokenism believing there is nothing special about an award that everyone is going to receive by hook or crook.  My response is:  “Every child is special.  They have a purpose and it is my job to recognize that purpose.” 

Recognition builds self esteem in children, reinforces positive behaviors, and creates an atmosphere of appreciation and trust in a community. Teachers, parents, and community members all have a responsibility to recognize the special children we see each day.  We need to know their names, find out who they are, recognize their worth, listen to their stories, hopes and dreams, and encourage them to achieve their purpose. 

May 16

I must apologize for not being consistent in making blog entries.  I have been too busy doing not much.  After tomorrow, I will only have one more bus meeting before I am finished my contract as Conveyance Safety Officer for Prairie Spirit School Division. 

Haley, Dustin, Mary, Morgan, and I had our weekly get together tonight.  Hey, Morgan what are you doing tonight...Gonna do some chipping and putting out at the Legends...Oh, is that why you are wearing a shirt with a collar...No, it was the only clean shirt I have left.  That's pretty much the nature of the conversation.  Then Haley gives us the latest updates from "Marny, the Dog".  Just Google: Marny, the dog.  We certainly have fun when me meet.

Tonight was also church council meeting.  I chair the meetings and I like to "Get'er Done!"  We finished a very productive meeting in 65 minutes.  That's how it should be done.

This weekend, Haley, Mary, Aunty Audrey, and Michelle are flying to Kelowna for Mary's stagette.  They will be joined by my sister, Paulette for a winery tour and some fine dining.  Should be fun.

Principal’s Message

            My father was born in Poland and immigrated with his father to a Saskatchewan homestead in 1928.  His father lost everything to a questionable land company and then the “Dirty Thirties” presented even greater hardships.  My father’s family relocated to Fosston, a small village in north eastern Saskatchewan where there were other Polish immigrants.  The family of six were squatters on a railroad allowance and my grandfather made a living working for farmers in the area for whatever the farmers could spare.  My father could not speak English when he started school so he spend two years in grade one.  The teacher of the one room school house was a caring soul who probably received a very meagre salary, but she knew my father needed immediate dental work and she knew my grandparents were very poor so she took my father and his older sister to the dentist in Wadena.  Not only did she pay the bill, she billeted the two children at her parent’s home before making the return trip to Fosston.  After learning to speak English, my father actually completed two grades in one year and continued to excel in school because of Miss Webber’s dedication and sacrifice.  Her actions made a difference in my father’s life.

Teachers can make a difference.  Being a teacher presents daily opportunities to make a difference in the world.  I have seen teachers go above and beyond the call of duty to make a difference in children’s lives.  Yes, teachers can make a difference, but I am going on record saying: we can all make a difference.

My friend attended the presentation made by Bill Clinton, former U.S. President, who was in Saskatoon not long ago.  Mr. Clinton described how non governmental agencies around the world have been able to respond to needs in the world more efficiently than governmental agencies.  He encouraged people who have a passion to make a difference to not wait until governments decide to dig a well, inoculate for disease prevention, or feed refugees.  People should respond to needs as individuals.

I have learned recently of a book titled Me to We by Marc and Craig Keilburger.  The book explains how one person can make a difference by reaching out to others.  Sometimes children look at the world and hear bad news about things such as wars, disease, pollution, and the energy crisis and they feel hopeless and powerless.  Other children look for meaning in life and do not realize the answer does not lie in self indulgence; the answer lies in reaching out to others. They feel empowered and hopeful when they are part of the solution rather than feeling like part of the problem.   Children need to believe little things can make a difference and if they are faithful in little things, they will be a part of greater things.

We have a young man at our school who is truly concerned about the amount of paper that is ending up in the garbage cans at the school.  Rather than complaining to the school about the lack of recycling, he has worked with the school to provide boxes for every classroom to collect recyclable paper.  Furthermore, he has collected the paper and recruited his parents to deliver the paper to the recycle bins in Saskatoon every week.  The same lad has organized a fundraiser with his peers to raise money used to feed an endangered animal. 

This is just one person.  What would the world be like if everyone person decided they were going to make a difference?  I believe we all want to have a purpose and I believe we would all be happier if we made the world a better place.  Encourage your children to look for little ways that make a big difference and get ready to be amazed by the contagion that will begin. 

May 9

Bus meeting in Hepburn today.  What a wonderful feeling to come out of the bus meeting to pouring rain and robins singing their hearts out because of the earthworm feast.

Principal's Message from April 2009 (Forgive me if you I have already posted this one.)

The greatest act of love is for one person to give their life to save another.  Relax; you do not have to throw yourself on a grenade to save your child.  Your life is made up of time- minutes, hours, days, and years.  Time is what constitutes your life.  When I ask parents to give their life to save their child, I am asking that they give their time. 

The issue of time was brought to mind recently in a conversation I had with our school counsellor, Ms. Ippolito.  Our School Community Council had asked me to approach Ms. Ippolito about presenting a message about parenting an adolescent at one of next year’s School Community Council meetings.  Of course, the parents wanted to know how to talk to their children about peer pressure, drug abuse, sexuality, body image, and challenges related to raising an adolescent.  I was informed that the topic could be covered in a matter of millennia not minutes so I would have to narrow the topic down somewhat.  I tried a different tack by stating, “If you could stand on a soapbox and deliver any message, what would it be?” 

She responded that she would tell parents to spend time with their kids, eat meals together, turn off the TV, and engage in meaningful conversation.  If parents spent time with their children, it would be easy for parents to share their values and guide their children through a very challenging stage of life.  That would be her presentation – then we could go home.

Yes, spending time with children is the key – not just quality time.  Spend quantity time.  There is no guarantee when advice on child rearing is involved, but it is safe to say that children who spend generous amounts of time with their parents are less involved in crime, participate in fewer self destructive behaviours, and are generally happier, healthier people.  After over thirty years of teaching, I can say with certainty that children who were cooperative, compassionate, congenial, and productive came from homes where quantity time was spent with children.

As I look back on the time I have spent with my children, I do not remember having one defining conversation about sex, drugs, or good choices.  However, I do remember having thousands of conversations.  Don’t let your life mirror the Harry Chapin song, Cat’s In the Cradle.  Instead of wondering how to have “The Talk”, give your life for your child and have “The Talks.”