Parting Words

After 20 years working for Red Deer Public Schools, I want to take a moment to recognize the colleagues in administration who have left the biggest impact on me.

Every Conversation Is Important - Barrie Wilson
Barrie was my first principal and to this day, he is one of my biggest heroes in education. In my books, he ranks with John Dewey, Howard Gardner and Elliot Eisner. He is an amazing, energetic, inspiring man. The biggest lesson I learned from Barrie was the importance of taking time to speak with (and listen to) people. Barrie would always ask me about my life away from the school. Even more important, he remembered what  we talked about and followed up on it. As a beginning teacher, I spent many hours in the school on the weekend and it seemed that Barrie was usually there. He ALWAYS took time to have a quick conversation about what was going on in my life. Today, I know how important it is to acknowledge the people I spend my day with. I'm no Barrie, but I can always aspire to be like him.

Passion is Power - Jerry Simonsen
Jerry was my second principal at Eastview Middle School. He is also the man I can blame and thank for pushing me to become an administrator. Like Barrie Wilson and so many of the people who coached me, Jerry believed in me. Jerry is incredibly passionate about many things - athletics, fishing, fitness, underdogs and students who fall through the cracks in the system. When Jerry believes in something, he does everything he can to make sure it is successful. Jerry's belief that I could and should be a leader in our school changed my life forever.

Work Hard, Play Hard, Laugh Lots - Rita Di Placido
For five years, I worked with Rita at Grandview Elementary School. As a teacher, administrator, parent and member of our school council, I came to respect "Mrs. D" in the most profound way possible. Nobody in our building worked harder than Rita. She was usually the first person at school and the last person to leave. If she wasn't in the building, there was a good chance she was doing something related to our school. Rita's intense pride and love of what happened at Grandview was evident in everything she did. She never missed a dress up day or a staff party. Rita capitalized on opportunities to play and laugh with exactly the same fervor she approached the "work" of being our school's principal. She was an amazing role model.

Show Interest - Sharon Lewis
I will never forget the feeling of being taken under Sharon's wing. Sharon is, quite possibly, the kindest and most thoughtful person I know. As a beginning teacher, I was invited out for drinks and over to Sharon's house for meals. Sharon and her husband Brad made such an effort to get to know me and we have become lifelong friends as a result. I can tell you with absolute certainty, however, that I am not the only new teacher Sharon has reached out to. Her sincere interest in others sets her apart as a teacher and administrator. I was fortunate to be her colleague, both as teacher and in admin, and I am incredibly sad that I missed the opportunity to be part of an admin team at GH Dawe.

Collaborate (and Serenity Now!) - Brian Bieber
When I arrived at Glendale Middle School, I was exposed to one of the most professional and thoughtful leaders I have ever worked with. To this day, I marvel at how organized, efficient and thoughtful Brian Bieber is. From never having a hair out of place to detailed agendas and planning, I've never worked with someone as "together" as Brian, though I still suspect he may have connections to the IRA. Brian is a master of gathering input and consensus. He values, considers and weighs the opinions of all stakeholders with a skill that I have witnessed in very few people. I only worked with him for two years, but the concept of "Serenity Now" is an absolute necessity when you work in difficult situations.

If You Don't Feed the Teachers, They Eat the Students - Marty Klipper
During my first two years of administration, I had the joy of working with Marty Klipper. Marty is one of the most sincere, genuine and caring human beings I have ever met. I was incredibly fortunate to learn about administration from Marty, because he always emphasized the need for teachers to feel like they could make a difference. Teacher efficacy was the focus of Marty's MEd and I learned a great deal from him about equipping teachers to do their best, reinforcing their efforts, and perhaps buying a couple of jugs of beer on Friday....

My Kids - Jean Cobb
I only worked with Jean for a year, but what stands out for me more than anything is her focus on the students in her school. They are "her kids" and Jean loves them like a mother. We laughed and enjoyed our time at Grandview. Jean allowed me to carve my own niche, helped me learn about compassion, and was instrumental in my successful transition to an elementary school.

Think - Bob Barthel
This year with Bob has been tremendous. He is an incredibly thoughtful man and I have grown to appreciate his laid back, sincere and pensive manner. I am very grateful to have had the opportunity to work with him.

When I was 13 years old, I learned a lesson from my Grandpa. I went to visit him in the Cross Cancer clinic following his first round of radiation treatment. Prior to the treatment, he had a thick head of hair, and when I came into the room, he was wearing a United Way ball cap with a mesh back. He smiled, removed his hat and ran his hand over his bald head. His words were simple. “My hair is gone” he remarked, “but I have a really smooth head.” 

Grandpa’s words and the lesson behind them ring true for me today. Things have changed, but I have found a new opportunity and I am happy to make the best of it.

Things I've Learned (From People I Admire)

I am the sum of many parts.

Who I am is a complicated story of nature and nurture. Early in my teaching career, nature versus nurture was a major concept in Alberta Health curriculum, and as usual, I turned to a film to help my students understand the concept. Robert Redford's A River Runs Through It addresses the concept so clearly. As I mused two years ago in Lessons in Film , the story hits close to home for me. Alcoholism, parenting, high expectations and fly fishing are all topics that strike close to home. Redford's masterpiece effectively captures the story of two brothers, who turn out in dramatically different ways despite growing up in a stable household in a frontier community. I have many reasons to reflect on this topic, so here is my best attempt to give credit to the people who have made me who I am. In somewhat chronological order, here are some of the best lessons I have learned.

1. Mantiens le Droit (Uphold the Right) - Charles Theodore Alexander (CTA) Hutchings

I am the first male Hutchings in four generations to NOT be employed by the military or police.  As a young boy, my world was vigilantly defined by rules, schedules, promptness, respect and family history.  Whenever I would get too rambunctious, Granddad Hutchings would bellow, “CEASE and DESIST!!!”  When necessary, I still possess a tone of voice that is simply part of being a Hutchings.  As a vice principal, I get many opportunities to fulfill the RCMP mandate to Mantiens le Droit and try hard to make sure that things are done in an orderly manner.

2. When Life Gives You Lemons, Make Lemonade - Harry Link

While childhood visits to my Granny and Granddad Hutchings meant lessons in history, police lore, boxing, nature and travel; visits to my maternal grandparents meant education.  Grandma and Grandpa Link had a set of Audobon Society encyclopedias that I loved to read.  My Grandma Link was teacher in her youth, but it was Grandpa, a brand inspector for the Alberta government, who taught me so many things:  catching, kicking, billiards, snowman building, and cribbage.  I also learned abstract concepts like determination and courage from Grandpa, who struggled with arthritis and ultimately succumbed to cancer.  My first encounter with death was the death of my Grandpa.  I brim with pride when my relatives tell me that I remind them of Grandpa Link.  When he lost his hair to chemotherapy, I will never forget what he told me. There was no sadness or self-pity. Instead, he leaned over in his bed at the Cross Cancer Clinic, took off his hat and said "I look pretty good with no hair - my head is really smooth!"

3. I Will Always Be There for You - Stewart Hutchings
When I began to play hockey, my coaches assumed a greater role in my life. My father was one of my first coaches and he was one of the first people who pointed me toward my potential. Dad was (and continues to be) a very successful volunteer, both as a coach and manager. He knew how to deal with difficult people, he listened, and he kept me focused on success. I remember very clearly standing in a sports store, getting fitted for a pair of Bauer 100 skates (the absolute best you could buy at the time). Dad turned to me and told me that he would support me, regardless of the time or cost required, so long as I wanted to pursue hockey. Dad's support propelled me farther in hockey than many young Canadians and I am eternally grateful for his belief in me.

4. Don't Think - Gary Williams and Ken Hodge
Gary Williams was another of my first coaches. When I was nine years old, I made my first serious leap as a hockey player. I made the Fultonvale Firebirds, an Atom "A" team that experienced a great deal of success. Two players from our roster played in the Western Hockey League. Two players earned NCAA scholarships. Two played in the Alberta Junior Hockey League. One earned an NCAA golf scholarship. Most of our players continued through minor hockey and finished up playing the game they love in Junior B. Gary's son, Warren, was my defense partner and our leading scorer. My job was to stay at home and not mess up. Gary always told me, "Ted, if you have to think, don't do it." In sports, it is one of the best lessons I ever learned. When I finally made it to the WHL, the message was very similar. Coach Hodge told me "Teddy, pass the puck to the first person you see open. And make sure you pass it HARD." Simple words, but words that helped me be my best. I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet both Mr. Williams and Coach Hodge as an adult. It was incredibly rewarding for me to share my life with them because they are people I respected and learned a great deal from.

5. The Power of Positive Reinforcement - Dave Cutler and Rusty Climie
My favorite coaches were the ones who took a personal interest in me. Every time I spoke to them, they made me feel like I was the most important person in the world. They built me up and made me believe in myself through the power of positive reinforcement. In hockey, Rusty Climie and Dave Cutler were the people I looked up to the most. In my early years of hockey, they coached our dreaded rivals, the Ardrossan Bisons. However, they always took the time to seek me out after a game with words of encouragement or congratulations. When they became my coaches, I can't imagine people better suited to making a young athlete more confident. In particular, Mr. Climie always took time to pump my tires and encourage me to take chances. I will never forget a tournament we played in Taber when I was twelve years old. We were in the final against a tough team from Trail, B.C. The first period was extremely tight and with about a minute left in the first frame, I wound up for one of my typical rushes. I picked up the puck on my side of the ice, drove around our net and bulldozed my way up the boards before I cut to the net, faked backhand and went around the goalie to make it 1-0. When we got into the dressing room, Mr. Climie told the boys, "Big Ted put the team on his back to score that goal. Now its your turn to help him out." It didn't hurt that we had future NHL star Ray Whitney in the lineup, but I scored another goal and we won the game 6-1. From that game forward, every time I played in an important hockey game, I wanted to be on the ice and I wanted to make a difference. It was an amazing lesson in the power of positive reinforcement that I will never forget.

6. Great Teachers Give Lessons That Last Forever - So Many Great Teachers
Throughout my school years, I had some incredible teachers. In elementary school, Mr. Milner shared his knowledge of and love for Alberta's natural history. Mr. Werenka, who always backed my athletics and academics.

In junior high, Mr. Bachinsky, Mr. Bushkowsky, and Mr. Dixon, who fostered my passion for reading, writing and literature. Mr. Fildes, Mr. Fleming and Mr. Harbourne, who encouraged me to participate in school athletics.

It was in high school that I found my most powerful role models. Mr. Sproule inspired my love of history. Mr. Barron helped push me in both French and English. Mr. Souster always backed me abilities as an athlete and was one of my biggest supporters when I left school to pursue hockey. More than anyone, though, Mr. John Phelan left an impression on me that I will never forget. He was an accomplished multi sport athlete who hustled you out of the gym into whatever sport he wanted. Mr. Phelan was solely responsible for  turning me and most of my friends on to rugby. Even though he never coached our team, he was always around, providing support and encouragement. I got to play a few games for Mr. Phelan as a JV player and I will never forget his intensity and passion for the game. When I moved to Red Deer and learned more about his legacy in his home town, my respect for him was secured permanently.

7. Every Conversation Is Important - Barrie Wilson
Barrie was my first principal and to this day, he is one of my biggest heroes in education. In my books, he ranks with John Dewey, Howard Gardner and Elliot Eisner. He is an amazing, energetic, inspiring man. The biggest lesson I learned from Barrie was the importance of taking time to speak with (and listen to) people. Barrie would always ask me about my life away from the school. Even more important, he remembered what  we talked about and followed up on it. As a beginning teacher, I spent many hours in the school on the weekend and it seemed that Barrie was usually there. He ALWAYS took time to have a quick conversation about what was going on in my life. Today, I know how important it is to acknowledge the people I spend my day with. I'm no Barrie, but I can always aspire to be like him.

8. Passion is Power - Jerry Simonsen
Jerry was my second principal at Eastview Middle School. He is also the man I can blame and thank for pushing me to become an administrator. Like Barrie Wilson and so many of the people who coached me, Jerry believed in me. Jerry is incredibly passionate about many things - athletics, fishing, fitness, underdogs and students who fall through the cracks in the system. When Jerry believes in something, he does everything he can to make sure it is successful. Jerry's belief that I could and should be a leader in our school changed my life forever.

9. Work Hard, Play Hard, Laugh Lots - Rita Di Placido
For the past five years, I have worked with Rita at Grandview Elementary School. As a teacher, administrator, parent and member of our school council, I have grown to respect "Mrs. D" in the most profound way possible. Nobody in our building works harder than Rita. She is often the first person at school and the last person to leave. If she isn't in the building, there is a good chance she is doing something related to our school. Rita's intense pride and love of what happens at Grandview is evident in everything she does. One of the greatest things about Rita is that she extends her passion to having fun. She never misses a dress up day or a staff party. Rita partakes in opportunities to play and laugh with exactly the same fervor that she approaches the "work" of being our school's principal. She is an amazing role model.

10. Don't Sweat the Petty Things (and Don't Pet the Sweaty Things) - Jeremy Spink
Jeremy is one of my very best friends. He is also the world's most relaxed organism. Very few things rattle him and he is always calm and positive. People love Jeremy because he is so nice and even-keeled. Whenever I need to be talked off the ledge, Jeremy is the man. We have worked together, played hockey, coached hockey, gone to school, stood up for one another and been roommates. We've shared vehicles, tents, trailers, hotel rooms and beds. Simply, he is the man and I'm glad I we are friends.

This list is far from complete, but this is a good place to start.

Homage

One of my favorite people passed away too soon. It makes me incredibly sad and I need to write about it.

Lawrence Hutchings was a complex man, to say the least. He occupied many roles during his life. Son. Brother. Husband. Father. Grandfather. Uncle. Great Uncle. Hippie. Lawyer. Bartender. Teacher. Author. Pundit. Activist. Business owner. Actor. Director. Mentor. Inspiration.

As a boy, I quickly learned to love my uncle. He was funny. He had a false tooth and ring he claimed was the eye from a real tiger. He had a big bushy beard and told me he was a hippy. He smoked long brown American cigarettes and made me giggle so hard I would actually pee my pants. Uncle Hutch lived far away but every time he came to visit, I wished he would never leave.

As I grew older, I learned to love him on a whole new level. He lived at the foot of the Rockies, just outside of Canmore, and we made frequent visits during the summer. When he left his career in law, he opened Hutch's Pizza in Canmore and gave me another reason to idolize him. Uncle Hutch told stupid jokes. He told funny jokes. He told dirty jokes. He had an endless supply of one-liners that I use to this day. The witty bantering and exchange of puns between my Dad, Auntie Lee and Uncle Hutch rank amongst my favorite childhood memories. He had a sense of humor like few people I know and always left a lasting impression.

When my cousins Kris and Greg were born, I saw a whole new Uncle Hutch. I saw a devoted father who loved his children more than anything. He teased, played with and loved his boys to the end of the earth. I knew how good he made them feel because he always made me feel the same way.

It seemed like I reserved some of my best hockey games for the times he, Auntie Heath and the boys came to watch. They may not remember, but I sure do. I was eight or nine years old and I had been selected as the MVP in a game in the Lake Bonavista tournament in Calgary. I was nearly bursting the buttons of my jacket when I got to see them after the game. A few years later, I was selected top defenceman in another Calgary tournament, and sure enough, Uncle Hutch was there to watch. It meant so much that he took the time to watch me play.

As I grew older, I learned to love my Uncle on a much deeper level. I spent a great deal of time with my Auntie Lee as a teenager. Our family gatherings tended to be at her home. It was a neutral ground where all of the families gathered. It was during these years that I learned more about the tension between Uncle Hutch and my Grandfather. When my uncle went from lawyer to restaurant owner, I thought it was incredibly cool. I had no idea what a rift it created between him and his father. As a teen, I loved our family gatherings at Auntie Lee's. I loved the Canmore Hutchings because they brought a special spark. Wine flowed as freely as the puns and plays on words. It was the early 80s, so we played games like Trivial Pursuit even though Uncle Hutch had memorized all of the answers. He was impossible to beat and equally impossible to avoid looking up to.

His pizza place was a short-lived venture and it was somewhat fitting that we both became teachers in the early 1990s. I know that our shared professional experience pulled us closer during my first years of teaching. Every summer, I went on an extended backpacking trip with my dad. One year, Uncle Hutch joined us and it remains a cherished memory. We warmed up with a hike into Floe Lake in Kootenay National Park, then spent five days in the Skoki Valley. My dad is incredibly fit, so it was a struggle for us to keep up. Every time we stopped to gather the group and gather our strength, Uncle Hutch would fuel up from a seemingly endless supply of surreptitiously stashed chocolate. It was a magical experience to spend that time with two of my biggest influences in life.

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the mountains. When I really think about it, my great mountain memories are like a quilt assembled by a team of people I love. My parents, my wife and kids, my sister and my friends have created a tapestry of fantastic thoughts and emotions. Uncle Hutch, Auntie Heath, Kris and Greg are at the absolute center of so many of those great memories. Regardless of where they were living and how things were going in their world, the Canmore Hutchings welcomed us with open arms. We golfed, walked, hiked, drank, ate, laughed, played, watched sports and whiled away countless hours at the kitchen table. From Lac Des Arcs to Railway Avenue to Cougar Court, the location was secondary to the love I felt from my Aunt and Uncle.

In the last several years, we did not spend nearly as much time together. Health issues, along with family dynamics and commitments combined to limit our contact. Regardless of the situation, however, I am so glad that we stayed in contact. I loved stopping in for lunch or poking around The Second Story. I loved watching him perform with the Pine Tree Players. It made me so happy to hear about the trips he and Auntie Heath made to B.C., the Maritimes and Maui. When I finally caved in and created a Facebook account, Uncle Hutch was one of my first friends who regularly commented (in his own inimitable fashion.)

The last time I saw Uncle Hutch was at the end of April. We went for lunch at the golf course and it was so great that we were joined by Kris and his daughter Maile. Uncle Hutch looked great and was at his absolute best - politically irreverent, excited about his involvement with the Pine Tree Players, reminiscing about Maui and doting on his beloved granddaughter. As I headed home with a colleague from school, I made note that it was really important for me to always take time to call or connect with my Uncle when we were in Canmore. To me, the greatest testament to his character has been the reaction to his passing. My boys were crestfallen. Anyone I know who spent time with Uncle Hutch has taken the time to contact me. He left a profound impact that is very clear in the kind phone calls, e-mails and messages I have received in the last few days.

My heart is heavy and my eyes are brimming. It is sad and tragic that my Uncle's heart could not extend his life. Perhaps it was too full of love, happiness and contentment.