Liars - Haters and those who should be standing up to them...

When did the word misinformation take the place of the word we used to use, lies. I prefer lies. And haters? People who spread lies are called haters. But let's be clear, these haters are also liars. Everyone, including countless Russians, know that Putin is a liar. He is lying and spreading hate for his own sick, personal ambition. It is known and yet, so many are standing by doing nothing or saying nothing and I find that sickening. Sharing a similar plot but on a smaller scale, I have been subject to hate and lies. Over ten years ago, a group of people collaborated in finding something that might discredit me, information that would put into question my Indigenous bloodlines. They threw their lies out on Twitter and let it brew its nasty roots. I immediately responded to their posting but they disappeared knowing that the damage had been done. I posted my genealogy of the front page of my website for anyone who had questions. That posting is still there. Ten years later, their lies live on. Sadly, we (Canadians) often turtle and choose not to stand up to these hurtful haters. I am at a place in my life where these misguided people can spread their hate in as many forms as possible. They don't want to hear truth. They want to hurt and spread hurt through malicious gossip without taking the time to look into what they heard, from whomever, whenever. There are, however, many young people whose lives and careers are being attacked as I was - as I am. For these people, please stop the hate. Gossip is wrong. Talk to the source and have the courage to act on what you believe is right. This clip is two minutes of me ranting and pleading with good people to stand up to haters and liars. The world has enough problems without world leaders being allowed to lie, hate and eventually kill. It starts small and ends up with... I am not ready to roll over and go away. This I post for my Grandfather, my Mother and my children - shown in the posted picture.

Each student is unique. Our collective mandate is to help students under...

The fourth of four video clips outlining how I begin a presentation to students, educators or parents. This one speaks to the fact that every person is unique/one of a kind. We should be treated as such and we should teach children as such. It is well past the time that we teach to a curriculum, regardless of how good it seems to be. We must learn to identify the gift in every child and teach to that gift. Only then will schools become the sanctuaries they are meant to be. Only then can we fully understand and share the meaning of respect.

Mental Health - a daily discussion

Canadians almost always begin every event with a land recognition. Finally and rightfully so. Canadians should begin every event remembering and grieving for the thousands of innocent children who were murdered while attending residential schools. A thought for all newspaper publishers: Regardless of the content in your daily newspaper, update an orange banner in the top left hand corner with a number - an ongoing number count depicting these innocent, murdered children. In this short clip, I outline the third of four topics I try to speak to in every presentation I do: mental health. Mental health is not something that should be addressed on one day of the year. It is a dark cloud that shades many facets of our society and schools are seriously affected by our not aggressively addressing this important topic.

Inviting the murdered residential school children

We absolutely must keep the thousands of murdered residential school children alive in our daily discussions and ceremonies. Few events in Canada today, including major sporting events, take place without land recognition. In the same vein, the thousands of children whose bodies are being discovered (in some cases recovered) absolutely have to be included in our daily lives and ceremonies. When I present to schools or educators or parents, I begin by recognizing the land on which I live and from which I present. I then speak to, directly to, the thousands of murdered residential school children and through a song on my flute, invite them to be a part of our sharing learnings and stories. This video clip speaks to that invitation.

A brief overview of my work since Covid

We are all learning to cope since the start of the pandemic. The work I did as a conference/school presenter was pretty straight forward.

This short clip is to outline where I am working from today, to whom my teachings apply and what in a general way you might expect from me...

2022 and I'm still at home

 Covid remains. 

Omicron continues to run rampant and although it's milder than earlier stands, it remains a serious threat to so many. The movie Mad Max doesn't seem as far fetched as it once did. 

I am a million mile flyer and yet... I have not flown for over two years for fear of catching or spreading (or both) some variant of Covid 19. This pandemic has changed the world, possibly forever. I am fortunate enough to be among  those who knew the world then - when. 

Today, I am home working from my shack (pictured here) in the company of my border terrier George and friends that I am making online.

Zoom, Teams, Meet and a growing number of new platforms have become the norm through which I share stories, my learnings and my teachings with students, educators and parents. Funny thing that, my work has hardly skipped a beat. Educators have been quick to pick up on the new reality of how to inspire students. My agent Chris has also adapted. He has created a number of accessible options for different groups. These can be accessed here: http://davidbouchard.com/speaking/presentations. The fee structure is also available online at: http://davidbouchard.com/speaking/fees

Is social media as good, better or not as effective as in person presentations? 

They both have their advantages but overall, my on-line  presentations are better than school visitations or conferences that would have me fly in, rent a car, book a hotel and eat in restaurants for whatever time I would be on tour. 

We are all learning and becoming proficient in on-line meetings. I am projected onto a screen or onto classroom computers/whiteboards and teachers are learning to optimize the sound and that is very important. I can usually see and hear participants which allows for personal and intimate interactions. 

Over the next week or two, I will share a few short clips that show what I do in almost all my presentation, prior to getting into the specifics of whatever the session is about (i.e. reading, books, culture, traditions, etc...) 

I start with a land recognition. 

Next, I speak directly to the growing number of missing residential school children and I invite them to join us. 

I rarely miss an opportunity to address the reality and seriousness of  mental health. 

And I never miss the chance to remind participants of their uniqueness and how the focus for each of us must be to embrace that uniqueness and learn to use our special gifts. 

The Gift of Reading

Educators/parents - Let's talk about the importance of Reading. New teachers, it isn't rocket science, the recipe is; time, a hero and books (the right kind of books).