Memoirs of a principal

BY MARC LALONDE

marc.lalonde@transcontinental.ca

A new book intended to help teachers remember they have an indelible impression on their students every time they walk into a room or make a decision is “universal,� in its appeal, its author — a retired West Island educator — said last week.

To Pause and Flutterby is the first book in a planned trilogy of creative memoirs and is the brainchild of Robert Morrison, familiar to West Islanders as principal of John Rennie High School and before that, as vice-principal at Lindsay Place High School.

The Kirkland resident, an admitted closet poet since high school, has been published in the past, but he hasn’t yet taken on a project as ambitious as this one. To Pause and Flutterby is the first of the series, to be followed by a collection of wit and wisdom from his early years as an educator and finally, the third instalment will feature a bit of mystery.

The professorial Morrison, who took over the reins at John Rennie in 1997 when re-enrollment was dwindling and introduced the Sports-Etudes program to the school’s community, thereby spurring enrolment to the point where the place is bursting at the seams, retired from the post in 2003.

He sees this newest effort as a way to remind teachers that good or bad, their actions often leave an indelible mark on students’ psyches.

“You’re shedding memories every day of your life,� he said of teachers.

“It’s a powerful responsibility. Education and curriculum are very important, but it’s the people I interacted with on a daily basis that developed my character. In this story, I left in the names of teachers that had a positive effect on me, and changed the names of the one who left a negative impression,� he added, hoping the story will “instruct� teachers and reach students and parents on a personal level.

In fact, if you grew up in the West Island between 1950 and 1999, you’ll probably recognize stories that look an awful lot like your own childhood misadventures.

How about a snowball fight outside your elementary school or a teenage dust-up with students from another school? It all sounds vaguely familiar.

Then again, you might not.

One passage details a St. Thomas High School dance that allowed smoking (by both staff and students) because it was a special occasion and featured Morrison getting the boot from a priest because he wasn’t Roman Catholic.

“It’s a very personal tale, and I think it’s a universal one. For teachers, this is every day of their career. Every day, they make a decision that might impact a kid for the rest of his or her life, and kids never forget,� he said. “It’s really tricky. You make 3,000 to 5,000 decisions a day, and you never know how they’re going to turn out.�

Morrison added the book can be a benefit to student- and younger teachers and hoped they would put it to good use.

“I think this will definitely be a good resource for them,� he said.

The book is available through Morgaine House publishing ($18.95), a local specialty publishing house that concentrates on smaller publications — mostly short stories and poetry. Morrison’s book fit that template like a glove, owner Mary Gurekas said.

“We look for little gems of accomplished writing that has the courage to explore ordinary lives with extraordinary perception. Bob Morrison’s work is written from the perception of the learner, who in turn becomes the educator. This was a unique way of telling a memoir and fit in well with Morgaine’s philosophy. We hoped that the stories would resonate with readers, each of us who have been in classrooms, have made friends that carried through our school years, and have been shaped by the varied educators we encountered. Most people can at some point in the book recognize themselves and their life as students,� she said.

The book is available at Librarie Clio in the Plaza Pointe Claire shopping centre, and Morrison will be signing copies of To Pause and Flutterby Jan. 13 from 1 to 4 p.m. at Chapters in Pointe Claire.

For more information, send an e-mail to kamouraska3@sympatico.ca