My Daughter

Lloyd Mercer was my first principal. I was new to Herdman Collegiate in Corner Brook, Newfoundland and he was just arriving as principal. I had little to compare Lloyd to; after all, it was my first year teaching, but looking back I realize he was not only a good manager but also a good leader.…

More Sex ED

I have often said that before student teachers received their degrees, they should be required to sit in the corner of a medium-sized school for two days and watch the secretary work her magic. School secretaries are the consummate multi-taskers and, in most cases, carry out their jobs in a pleasant and efficient manner. It…

Welcome to my World

Prior to my arrival at Macdonald Consolidated School I was told that there was a young boy with Asperger’s Syndrome who was anxious about the arrival of a new principal. He was in grade 2 and I was going to be his 3rd principal (my son was in grade 4 and I was to be his 4th).

The Herdmans – Part 3

Of course, I am not referring to this family by their actual names. So, why am I calling them the Herdman’s? A few years prior to their arrival at our school, our annual theatre production was called, The Best Christmas Pageant Ever. It centred around six delinquent children with the surname Herdman.

Rugby Tour #1

I’d like to take a moment to salute Nancy Estey. When I first met Nancy, she was the principal of Dr. A. T. Leatherbarrow Primary. I was a high school teach with two pre-school children, and I was curious to know how science was taught at the elementary level. That question led me down a…

SEX ED

I’d like to send a shout-out to Gail Ward. I first met Gail in January, 1997, when I started serving as principal of Macdonald Consolidated. Gail was the secretary for the Director of Education; consequently, many of my phone calls went either to or through her. I won’t take the time to list all of…

Favourite Teachers

Growing up, my mother would often ask, “Who is your favourite teacher?”; of course, I assumed she was referring to my school teaches. While I had a number of favourite school teachers over the years, if I were now asked the question, “Who was your favourite teacher?”, my response would be, “I had two. My…

The Herdmans – Part 2

Steve Lillico was in my R.O.U.T.P. division during my first summer in Esquimalt. Steve was from Grimsby, Ontario and was an arts major. One of the things that impressed me about Steve was how knowledgeable he was regarding world issues. He would devour newspapers and was never shy about sharing his opinions. I didn’t always…