June 22

 I have had a good week.  The girls and I went for a long walk on Father's Day, then we went out for a Father's Day meal at Earls Restaurant.  As usual, I am playing a lot of ball during the week.  On Saturday, I went out to visit my brother, Vince at Margo Lake, a lake that is close to Fishing Lake.  On Tuesday, I conducted a ukulele workshop with a grade 4 class in Wakaw.  Mom is coming in to visit me on the weekend.  I am taking her to a wedding on Saturday. 

The girls are doing well.  They are busy wrapping up the school year.  There is a lot of anxiety around support staff cuts in Prairie Spirit School Division.  Of course, this certainly affects Haley and Mary because they are Special Education teachers and work closely with Educational Associates.

Next week, I am off to Summerland, B.C. to visit my sister, Paulette.  Looking forward to the getaway.

Principal’s Message June 07

            Have you noticed how many conversations you have had about money lately in light of the present housing boom in the Saskatoon area?  People have made and lost fortunes.  Many conversations are people lamenting how they should have held onto the house a while longer or they are boasting how they “flipped” a house for a tidy sum.  Now, who am I to judge?  We do need money these days especially if you want to provide even the basics.  The point is: we don’t need to love money.

            You may have heard me say before that much of what our children learn is caught, not taught.  Children can easily learn that money and things can bring happiness.  They can very easily learn that life is about getting toys and the one who gets the most toys wins.  Ironically, I have found that in most cases, the more money you have, the more you worry about money and the more things you have, the more things you have to fix.  The lessons we should teach children should be about being good stewards of the money and things they have.  Moreover, children need to be encouraged to be good stewards of the time, talents, and gifts they are given.  I truly believe each child is born to a purpose and I am convinced the purpose is not to be a consumer but rather a giver.  Yes, let us teach our children that money doesn’t buy happiness. 

            In fact, many of the things that make us happy are free.  Watching a sunset, smelling a lilac bush, listening to frogs croak, craning your neck to seek a red tail hawk, playing checkers with Grandpa, skipping stones, and chasing butterflies is free.  I have also learned that good health, faithful friends, and loving families cannot be bought – they are priceless.

            Recently, I went to visit the small village where I began my teaching career.  While I was there I visited old friends, bottle fed baby lambs, shared simple home cooked meals, took early morning walks where I observed 15 species of birds, observed the stars on a new moon, did not spend a penny and I was happy.  I also met a lady who was battling cancer, talked to an old friend whose body was being destroyed by Huntington’s Disease, and I heard that two longtime friends were not talking to one another because of a major misunderstanding and I was sad.

            Why give this message in June before summer holidays?  Well, my wish for the children and their families is that you will have a glorious two months of doing things that are free like singing by the campfire, playing catch, reading a good library book, and making people happy.