Saskatchewan Bound

I'm headed home

Regina, Moose Jaw, North Battleford. In preparing for my upcoming trip, a quote from my book Prairie Born:

If I had a penny for each time I spoke 

Of cold, howling wind of deep drifting snow

Of darkness of  winter on route to the rink

Of so many memories I smile as I think 

Knowing full well that others who've never lived there

Will nod and listen but don't really care

As "morning, fine day" means nothing much more

But to me, it means....

To me it means... Come in and please shut the door

Will the kids be alright? Should I plug in the car?

If I start shovelling now will I get very far?

Will I have to start over before I am done?

Will the wind blow it back? I must weigh a ton.

Fill your cup up - let's visit...remember  the time

The snow bank was up past the telephone line?

Here's me in a picture, I'm shovelling the drive

The snow line is over the roof on three sides.

Say what? You can top that - well  try this for size

I'd shovelled three hours  and to my surprize

That night went I came home, d'you know what I saw?

The wind blew it...."

I know that I'm rambling but all this is true

It's more than just memories of times that I knew

It answers the mystery of what lies in our souls

Where nature's the teacher for young and  for old. 

It shapes us from childhood  through  sun, dust and rain

Compels us  to live for life's pleasures and pain

And the secret of me from the day of my birth

Is the nurturing seasons and our Mother the Earth. 

One of the things that we prairie ex-pats do on a daily basis is watch the weather. How it happens, I don't know but I always seem to find myself in Saskatchewan and Manitoba in mid-winter. I downloaded the image on the right this morning: 

I don't worry about the cold. Minus 25 or 35 or even minus 45...It's all the same. It's cold. No...I don't worry about that number. I do however worry about the condition of the roads. That and crazy storms.

The catch in our winter driving is to leave for your destination early and to drive slowly. I will be driving a  rental and will select a vehicle that can cope with harsh conditions. 

To choose one image that best represents my childhood memories, 

I defer to Allen Sapp.

 

LitCon 2025 Columbus Ohio

 LitCon 2025

Funny thing about LitCon is that it came so soon after the election in which President Trump all but calls for war on we Canadians. 

In truth, we are quite different than our southern neighbours. Though we have much in common, through some force of nature, we Canadians are more of a social minded people, i.e. gun control, social programmes for seniors, the needy and the disabled, universal medical coverage, educational rights and freedoms, the banning of books, penal systems, legalizing marijuana, etc...

The thing that has affected me the most is our differences in education - namely in reading. 

There was a time when our two countries were on a similar track - when whole language education was seen as the best option in education. Canadians wholeheartedly embraced the concept so much so that the Whole Language Consortium of Manitoba hosted a global conference in Winnipeg that drew over 5000 delegates from across the globe. Bill Martin Junior was our keynote speaker as we shared a common understanding on how best to  teach reading. Maria Montessori was our hero. Alfie Kohn and other innovative American academics appeared to have a solid footing in the US. 

This however was not the case. To mention Whole Language in many states today is waving a red flag. So when I was invited to speak to the IRA in Detroit, I expected the worst from the 5000 seated before me. I held nothing back in my opening, "America, you test your children too early and you test them too often!" You can imagine my shock when a big, boisterous man in the front row bellowed out AMEN! I came to understand that though government promoted standardized testing, phonics and strategies consistent with the idea of treating reading a science and not a humanity, there remained a substantial body who saw reading as Maria saw it....something as simple as walking and talking. Over the next few years, I was invited south of the border on numerous occasions. Yes, I ruffled feathers and stirred the pot but Americans, by far and large, are kind and polite. More often than not, they affirmed my belief in teachers, children and reading.

My keynote at LitCon in Ohio touched on missing indigenous children, on the importance of focusing on children and not the curriculum and as I always do, on our collective need to speak to mental health.

My goal was to outline individual roles in promoting reading/literacy in our schools and in our homes, a message that I have shared over the past twenty five years; through the teachings of Maria Montessori: It doesn't take magic or a new exciting programme to create readers. It takes time, heroes and books.

Over the past 30 years, I have presented at dozens of conferences. LitCon was the most well organized, from the setting at the beautiful Hyatt Regency in downtown Columbus to the amazing AV support through to the variety and quality of the numerous session presenters.

Thank you Allison, Billy and the entire executive for providing me with the opportunity to share my years of learning.

Zoom - Google Meet - Microsoft Teams

 Zoom -Teams - Meet 

There are many new exciting ways to meet and share...

Last week, I delivered a keynote address to LitCon, the biggest Literacy Conference in the US. 

This week, I shared my love for and the power of story with the students at Suncrest College. My goal was to enlighten and motivate an extremely diverse group of students from across my home province of Saskatchewan. 

The name Suncrest is  the combination of two words that hold significant meaning to each of the 11 campuses within the expanded region including locations in Canora,  Esterhazy, Fort Qu'Appelle, Kamsack, Melfort, Melville, Nipawin, Tisdale and Yorkton. The name represents Saskatchewas, one of the sunniest provinces in Canada. A crest signifies the top of the peak, representing the colleges' shared vision to exceed the needs of learners, partners and communities. 

Educational options include university degrees, skills training diplomas and certificates,  trades training, high school upgrading, employability programmes, safety training, and corporate/professional development.

My involvement was to speak to the need for and the power of story. I did this as any storyteller would do, for 90 minutes, I told stories.

I chose my stories with the intent of helping students (and staff) learn from some of my many life experiences across the globe yet remaining focussed on those I have had in Canada - from coast to coast to coast. 

I addressed the importance of reading. I touched on the how of becoming a reader. 

I spoke to the gifts each of us are given and the importance of building our lives around those gifts. 

Some of my stories focussed on the ongoing neglect in our Northern communities and on many of our reserves. 

I shared a few of my books. 

All this was done through Microsoft Team. The conference director was very well versed with the platform which allowed me to achieve everything I hoped to achieve. 

 No Apologies - No excuses 

It's been a year since I blogged. I can't really explain why other than to be honest with you. 

A few years ago, I gave into what I had come to believe in - generic direction. 

There was a time that I planned my entire life - a ten year plan...a five year plan...weekly and daily plans. As I grew, I was taught by life's greatest teacher, experience, that I needed not plan. My Grandmothers had me covered. 

We all have within us (in our DNA) memories and more. Our Grandmothers live in each and every one of us whether we know it or not...whether we listen to them or not. If this blog serves nothing more than to wake you to that important and meaningful truth, it will serve us both well. 

Once you come to realize that she (perhaps a collective of  Grandmothers?) lives there, within you, you might be lucky enough to come to know her name. And if you are fortunate to pinpoint the source of your guide, speak her name, as I do, Jeanne Charbonneau. This will strengthen the bond between you and sharpen your senses to her every direction. 

I am not fortunate enough to have her picture (though I have been to her gravesite in Kransburt, South Dakota). I do, however, have a picture of her Granddaughter, my Great Grandmother whom I had known as a boy. 

My full name is Pierre David Bouchard. I was named after my Grandfather, Pierre Mercier (showing here). 

Alrighty then, I'm back with much to share and even more to learn. Hug...