The magic summer of 1954 soon drew to a close. Instant cadet friends departed never to meet again. But the memory of this special time in my life has stayed with me and made me appreciate the positive effect it had on my life. For an 18-year-old farm boy, the recognition and affirmation greatly increased my confidence level and reinforced my belief that I was a worthwhile individual.
I never had any intention of choosing the army as a career, but after this highlight of a summer, the army wasn’t finished with me yet. Close to graduation from Ottawa Teachers’ College, a hiring delegation from the Camp Petawawa army base arrived to interview prospective teachers for its elementary school. I applied and was one of two students chosen for my first assignment teaching children of army families. It was a hugely rewarding experience.
I spent the first ten years of my career teaching for the army, first in Petawawa, and three years later, as vice-principal at Fort Henry army base in Kingston. I spent the rest of my career in Etobicoke, then the western suburb of Toronto. In both Kingston and Toronto, I had applied for teaching positions, but was offered VP assignments. Evaluations of my teaching had preceded me and reinforced my belief that recognition and affirmation were playing an important role in my life.
As I settled into my career in Toronto I slowly became aware of a different mentality than I had experienced thus far in my life. Surprisingly there were fewer overt instances of recognition and affirmation in a larger educational institution, mainly because of its bureaucratic nature. Although present, it was largely hidden. Changes in assignments and promotions were made without much consultation. Recognition and affirmation of one’s competency came through the back door as nameless bureaucrats prepared lists of candidates to be promoted or moved around the system. Seldom did a bureaucrat stick out his neck to openly praise an underling for excellence.
Numerous instances of affirmation and recognition, however, were often voiced by the parents, and some teachers, acutely aware of the positive impact that the principal’s decisions were having on the kids in the school community. The feedback only provided more “fuel” to keep me striving for excellence in each of the four schools that I was assigned as principal during my career. While head of these schools I made certain that the motto on the schools’ crests emphasized academic excellence. Two of my favourites- ”Seek the Heights”, and “Strive to Excel”- come to mind.
When I retired in 1989, the recently-retired director of education walked up to me, shook my hand and said, “You made a valuable contribution to education in Etobicoke”. This was a rare protocol departure for a bureaucrat in our system, but it was indeed thrilling to receive this affirmation from a highly respected director of education.
