Jack Langedijk and his brother did a presentation to staff at VP Middle School on the afternoon of our P.A. Day. (They are the two gentlemen who presented at our very first FOS administrator's meeting in August.). Their presentation was similar to the August presentation but they did it in a mere 2.5 hours. Our staff including teachers, educational assistants, SNAs and clerical is very large and it can display factionalism and cliquishness. We felt that Jack's presentation and philosophy would counteract this tendency; he showed us that positive acceptance of each other can only be fostered through understanding and compassion which in turn can only really be achieved through common experience. The afternoon taught our staff to look at each other not only as fellow TDSB employees but as individuals with the same experiences, feelings, joys and fears as everyone else. He taught us the importance of empathizing and respecting each other as the only way to create a truly positive and inviting work environment. Jack's presentation was well received by the overwhelming majority of our staff. Comments like 'this is the best workshop we ever had' and 'all staffs need to see this' were the most common responses in terms of feedback. One of the emails I got from a staff member really said it all: 'Great PD last Friday. People are still talking about it, and it definitely made an impact on everyone. Thanks for bringing it to the school.'

Nick (Principal)