It's just so Canadian

The ultimate tool is just so easy...and so Canadian

This thing that I speak of, the tool that I speak of is Canadian, for sure (are we Canadians not known the world over for our niceness). 

This thing I speak of is definitely something we prairie kids have in spades; common sense (was Medicare not our common sense brainchild?).

And the thing I speak of is not a strategy, not something that can be taught. 

It is acting as we should act. It is being kind. It is being "nice".

Most don't think of kindness as something we could and should be sharing on a monthly, weekly or even on a daily basis. But it is. 

I can hardly believe it took me so long to realize the power that lay in simple acts of kindness and then to finally practice these in my everyday work; recognizing and celebrating the gifts and strengths in all people. 

Whether or not our individual gifts or contributions are recognized and celebrated, they do exist. 

Everyone has a gift...something that could and should be celebrated from our childhood until our death.

Whether you are a teacher, a TA, a school administrator or...think on this. 

As a school principal, I decided to write a letter, every day, recognizing and celebrating the gifts of those in my sphere of influence. We recorded the names of those to whom I wrote. We also recorded the names of any who responded (and there were many), though it was not by any means my objective to receive feedback. 

Everyday over the course of a year, I wrote a letter to staff members, students and parents. (In retrospect, the only thing I failed to do was to cc these letters to people who cared. I could have cc'ed letters I wrote to staff to senior office supervisors. I could have cc'ed letters I had sent to parents to their children and vice-versa) 

The results were uncanny. I can't even start to tell you how often I heard something to the effect of, "I have never received this kind of recognition. And I am so grateful - and humbled." 

Can you think of a better way to bring out the best in children and in adults than recognize and celebrate their gifts? 

This is how we should teach our children, by focussing on each child's gift. And this is how we should treat those with whom we work and live. 

And yet, as I look back on my life...as a student or as a teacher or... I can't think of many occasions where this type of feedback was afforded to me. 

And yet, I know I had amazing teachers and colleagues. I guess no one told them to be nice.   

A Comeback Tour

A Comeback Tour

For many reasons, the most obvious being pre and post COVID, I have not been speaking to students or educators or to parents as I have in past years - as I should be.

Meanwhile, I have had several books published, books that I have not addressed as I once did, as I might have.

Add to that, there are many new teachers and teaching assistants, new administrators and parents who might look at my name and imagine a surging old hockey player. 

So to take a step back...

My career is that of a teacher/administrator, first on the prairie, then in British Columbia. Somewhat unintentionally, about 30 years ago, I started writing. I have never been a strong reader but I have always lavished stories. Writing has allowed me to access the world of story telling, of story tellers. 

I lived through my school years struggling with disabilities and expectations that created unforgiving stress. If this reflects your experience, I hope you are fortunate enough to have Raven as your guide, as I do. I learned to adapt. I learned to offset my weaknesses with my gifts. 

I was and remain creative.  

That creativity has allowed me to author several books with my Grandmothers as my guides. My Grandmothers live in my DNA, as yours, dear reader, live in yours. I have authored a significant number of books on Prairie life, on Chinese cultural events, on succeeding in spite of  overwhelming challenges and on animals and on Indigenous traditions and values and the list is long.

My creativity has also allowed me to question educational practices, specifically those attributed to the teaching of reading. My learnings led to my writing the Gift of Reading and For the Love of Reading. 

Promoting literacy should be our collective focus from before our children are born until they leave secondary school. Teaching children to read and to love reading is the shared responsibility of every teacher, administrator and parent. My two books focus on how to turn our homes and our schools into environments rich in literature and how we can model the love of reading for our children and our students.

To complement my writing, I began speaking. I started sharing my learning with students, educators and parents. I spent 28 years speaking the world over to over a million people. Here is a link to some feedback: https://davidbouchard.com/speaking/testimonials

Today, I am speaking. I am writing. I am anxiously awaiting three new books as I travel, inspiring kids and adults as it pertains to reading, to their many unique gifts and to the importance of stories, both hearing and writing them.