People

Can’t Believe I Get Paid For What I do:
Principal Harpreet Singh Ghuman

KRISTIN RUSHOWY

When Harpreet Singh Ghuman moved to a new school in Grade 6, someone in the office asked if he wanted to be called by his first name, or use something else.

He immediately chose ‘Mike’ -- taken from Mike Bossy, his favourite National Hockey League (“NHL”) ice-hockey player at the time.

He didn’t go back to using Harpreet until high school, when a teacher noticed his given name, said it was beautiful and asked if he knew what it meant.

For Harpreet Singh, now an inner-city educator who has just been named Principal of Crescent Town Elementary School in Toronto, Ontario, Canada, that experience showed him how important it is for teachers and administrators know the community they serve.

“It was that pressure and that need to fit in -- and sometimes in doing it, you forget your heritage. That’s why working with families is so critical for me,” said Harpreet, a Sikh-Canadian born in Punjab.

“For me, I relearned all the beauty and richness and pride of my culture and heritage and the Sikh community, which allowed me to keep my given name. I never want any student to give up their heritage, especially when that’s what Canada is all about.”

It’s an ethos Harpreet will bring to Crescent Town, where he is replacing Tammy Ross. The outgoing principal is retiring after 15 years with the school, which has 700 students from kindergarten to Grade 4  -- most of them newcomers to Canada, with 30 languages represented.

Harpreet, who was 7 when his family immigrated to Canada, plans to spend the summer walking around the community and its cluster of highrise apartments, literally knocking on people’s doors.

“All the information you can gather as an educator enables you to put in services and support them better,” building on all the initiatives already in place at Crescent Town, he added.

The Crescent Town neighbourhood is new terrain for Harpreet, who grew up in the Jane and Finch neighbourhood and has taught in the city’s northwest corner since 1998. He has been a key part of the Model Schools for Inner-Cities program in the Toronto District School Board, which provides extra resources for schools in struggling neighbourhoods.

“My summer plan is to spend a lot of time knocking on doors, going into different businesses and the community and letting them know who I am and that the school is always there. It’s going behind the walls of the school to continue collaborating with the neighbourhood and all the wonderful partners in the Crescent Town community.”

As an administrator, Harpreet plans to spend a lot of time with students in the school and on the playground at recess, and work closely with his staff.

Area trustee Sheila Cary-Meagher said she is thrilled to have Harpreet at Crescent Town because he understands the needs of inner-city schools “and is a person who fully commits to the principles of community engagement and of school outreach,” which are believed to be key in helping at-risk communities.

Harpreet is open and personable and carefree -- and is no fan of wearing a suit to work, because it limits his interaction with kids.

He likes to build close relationships with students and their families and enjoys being a lifelong mentor to former students -- who have come back to volunteer in his classes, visit him after graduating from high school and even university.

The same high school teacher who encouraged Harpreet to use his real name -- which means “God’s love” -- also suggested he become a teacher.

Harpreet, a father of two young boys who is married to a fellow teacher, feels blessed about where life has taken him.

“Often you hear celebrities and athletes say that they can’t believe they get paid for what they do, and it might sound bizarre but as an educator I find that too,” he said. “It’s like a dream come true.”


[Courtesy: The Toronto Star. Edited for sikhchic.com]
June 29, 2014
 

read other articles in People