A letter to my kids principal: Praising Greatness!

Hello Mr. Principal,

It was always lovely to see you at school with your children, as they helped you with fundraisers and other things within the school. Mr. Principal, you are an excellent example, and from what we know of your wife, so is she.

One day, I hope my children will look back and remember how you were their principal, transforming them from caterpillars to butterflies.

Denzel Washington struggled all through elementary to find his confidence. Denzel Washington became one of the most sought-after actors.

Thank you for believing in my kids. You are a great principal. You may not be Denzel Washington, but you are why students will become some form of him one day. I think that's powerful in itself. You are a true leader. Leaders don't hold the title because they want the title. They aren't the boss because they want to be. They are people that sacrifice everything to bring communities together. They walk with the law, walk with the community and walk with humanity as compassionate people.

They have mentors to look up to and people beside them to hold them accountable. They have people to inspire that transform because of them. They don't care for the praise or the recognition. They have a servant's heart that sees beyond the depths of things into what they can accomplish as they pursue their goals with the right team.

Others envy them. Others misunderstand them.

But without them, things would fall apart.

They stay humble the whole way through, and your aura made you successful because you embraced the journey enough to empathize with others' journeys.

Success is not in winning; it's in looking back at the journey and all the moments that life transformed because of compassion, understanding, and empathy. You deserve every award you ever got and will get. You've left your mark on our family. We appreciate you greatly. I hope we never let you down when it comes to the future.

Faith is powerful, Mr. principal. I believe life has obstacles, but one day those obstacles create greatness, and our family will look back and remember you as the starting point.

My father graduated at 16, and my father is fully blind. My father went to university at 17 and scored above 100 in his courses. He was able to prove the textbooks wrong. At 21, my father graduated with a degree in computer science and became a very successful computer programmer. My father went on to marry my mom and have 14 kids with her... 13 plus a miscarriage. I would be the rainbow baby, the blessing after the storm.

My mother never had the same cards. My mother is a victim of systemic racism. My mother was taken away from her family at the age of 8. My mother never knew where she came from as her family was a victim of the residential schools and she was a victim of the 60s scoop movement. She has never met her one sister. We found her to be deceased after my mom died. She has never met her brother.

Right before my mom passed, my cousin searched for these siblings and finally found him, our uncle. My mother dropped out in grade 11. However, all her kids are thriving. My mother has always held this school close to her heart. Your school and all its educators will make me cry because of the hearts of all the staff.

It has some of the friendliest staff on the planet. My mother did eventually meet her family. My sister's and I made a candlelight vigil for her in her passing. Despite her setbacks in life, she was growing up in a world that was unfair to her. My mother supported my dad to his success and helped us to ours. My mother raised the most humble kids in the world. Her memorial service did what many successful people try to do but can't.

It left a mark, brought communities together, and many rewrote theirs because of her life.

I don't judge anybody. I believe there's a place in this world for everyone to thrive in what they find joy in this life. I think what everyone indeed searches for is peace. I was lucky to have that foundation to build on.

I watched my mom's cousin Carey Newman become successful. Today, he's one of the most sought-after indigenous speakers and has gone on to win many awards for his contributions to society against injustice. His parents, my great aunt, and my great uncle just celebrated their 50th marriage anniversary this year. His team traveled across Canada to create The Witness Blanket after learning of his father's and our great grandfather's stories. It is now a world-recognized monument in Canada showing the history of my mom's family. It is never too late to achieve a goal.

People like you are role models to people like all of us!

A lot of kids don't have that. But I'm glad that every student in any school you are a principal of will forever have you.

I enjoy raising money because I know most people won't. I enjoy visiting places where the community members start to feel invisible. Once you see it enough, it's not about the money or the recognition. It's about the integrity of where the money goes and being the voice for the voiceless.

You can't always rescue the world, but you can start somewhere, and as long as you start, the opportunity will always follow and open more doors. Rewards always come with that, but most times, that's all people see. Successful people have that for other people like their families, not for themselves.

Successful people are too busy living on purpose even to enjoy the rewards. I hope that you take some time for yourself. Create memories with your family. In the end, those are the times that matter most. I could write forever. I have been writing since I was 12, much like my daughter, but she chose art. My dad published my first poem at 12, so it stayed with me.

Anyways, my family and I have so much gratitude for you. We thank you so much.

Yours Kindly,

Irene