Winnipeg Free Press

Winnipeg Free Press (Newspaper) - January 23, 2025, Winnipeg, Manitoba THINK TANK COMMENT EDITOR: RUSSELL WANGERSKY 204-697-7269 ● RUSSELL.WANGERSKY@WINNIPEGFREEPRESS.COM A7 THURSDAY JANUARY 23, 2025 Ideas, Issues, Insights An example well worth emulating O N Wednesday, Jan. 15, 2025, Manitoba and the world lost a human gift, Minister of Education Nello Altomare, who left us far too soon. We would all do well to live our lives as he did — with humility, generosity, caring, sacri- fice and courage. I first met Nello when he was a student in a summer educational leadership class a colleague and I were teaching in the early ’90s in the Fac- ulty of Education at the University of Manitoba. He did not stand out in the class made up of 35 practicing teachers and would-be school princi- pals. To the person, they were punctual, serious, and committed to becoming better educators. What I remember most from that time is that he was a personable, cooperative young man who obviously enjoyed interacting with his colleagues and was quite willing to sacrifice six weeks of his summer break along with the rest of them. I didn’t reconnect with him until he became the education critic for the opposition in 2019, brought together by a shared concerns about the government’s educational initiatives of the day — mostly driven by what we saw as moves to portray schooling more as a private good than a public one. When he was elected for a second term and became minister of Education, we be- gan to meet regularly, forming a strong bond as friends and professional colleagues even though we were a generation apart in age. It was during this time I really got to know him as the amazing human being he was, and this is how I believe he should be remembered and celebrated. Nello was, and remained until the end, the consummate example of what it means to be a teacher. He never pretended to be more than he was, he continued to work at his craft, he tried to present as a role model and he was driven by a deep sense of purpose to help children become self-governing, contributing members of their communities and the larger society. His love and respect for children was always on full display. Simone Weil once said, “attention is the sincerest form of generosity.” Attentiveness is what Nello lived not only with children but also with everyone he met. In today’s terms he listened, he heard, and he “saw” everyone as human beings worthy of his regard. In his school he knew every child by name and got to know them as individuals and made every attempt to know their families and home situa- tions. As a minister, he met with classrooms of children in their schools or in the Legislature. To witness his interactions with them was magical — an instant ease and connection of mutual re- spect and joy in each other’s company. And their, and their families’, esteem for him was deserved. As minister, he championed the well-being of children and families at every turn, locally supporting a universal nutrition program and the $10/day childcare programs. He believed that children could only thrive if they were safe, not hungry and were supported by caring homes and community adults. He believed that all children needed to be taught by qualified teachers who knew them, their families and immediate communities. Because he believed that education was a home- grown, home-fed activity, he supported local school boards and their right to make decisions locally even when he was obliged to disagree with them. To that point, he managed the misconduct and mismanagement by some school boards with patience, sensitivity but respectful fairness and firmness. He made it clear that they remained responsible for cleaning up their own acts while offering supports they might require to do so, but letting them know that the government would intervene if they were unwilling to do so on their own. The message always was, “You know what to do, you are capable, so please look after it for the sake of your communities and their children.” In a similar vein he offered support to school divisions with large numbers of “homeschoolers” and those families encouraging them to take advantage of what the public schools could offer in terms of resources and supports. Still with children in mind, one of his assis- tant deputies was charged with ensuring that Indigenous communities had access to qualified teachers, and that Indigenous languages and cul- tures were supported and promoted in their home communities. That work has already begun to bear fruit in a variety of ways: many children are now studying with pride in the language of their heritage and helping with the renewal of cultural practices such as ceremonies and feasts. And parents in those communities feel empowered to take control of their own schools in their own valued traditions. And children are the beneficiaries. In my view, Nello needs to be remembered for who he was and what he was. He was a good hus- band, father, friend, colleague and teacher — one of the best; a person who we could all learn from. He had time for all of us and wanted the best for all of us to the point where partisan politics was secondary to doing what he could for everyone inclusively. He saw the good and the possibilities in many of us even when we were unsure. He was not perfect and not always happy with the way things were or turned out as his cabinet members and staff will attest but he gave his best and his all. His message to me as he “transitioned to pal- liative care” (his words) would generally fit with his attitude toward life and those whose lives he touched, “It’s been an honour and privilege to know you … be well my dear friend.” Right back at you. I thanked him then and I thank him now and our connections ended shortly after that message. And I thank his family for sharing him with all of us until the end. Thank you, Nello, for showing us how to live well. Would that we all, like Nello, could leave the world a better place for children and each other for having been here! John R. Wiens is dean emeritus at the Faculty of Education, University of Manitoba. A path towards respect and dignity takes trust THE current political chaos, war and climate disasters can feel overwhelming. Getting away from that undercurrent of anxious panic about it all is rough. However, looking to others’ examples can plow a path to new hope. The river trail had just opened on the Assini- boine. It was a weekend afternoon. I was walking towards home with our dog and one of my twins when a woman wearing green turtle knee guards appeared on the walking side of the trail. She was slight but stalking along, stomping on figure skates. I feared big gashes in the compacted snow. “Hey,” I called, “You can’t do that on this side! Go over to the skating side.” Within moments, I learned she’d never been on skates before. I regretted my first words. I wanted to be encouraging. We showed her how to stop and how to get up again if you fall. “Pretend you’re asking someone to get married.” I saw my other twin skating towards us. I hand- ed off our new skater to him. I think her name was Nina. Perhaps she was also a newcomer to Canada. My kid on skates, though trying hard, was faltering. His cheeks were red, almost purple with exertion and cold. It was time to get him home. I looked toward the busy skating path and called out to a young guy in a hockey jersey. “Hey!” I called, “Can you help?” Within moments, he was skating backwards, looking at me and saying, “What do you want me to do?” The new skater, still stomping on the ice, hadn’t worked out gliding yet. I noticed he had another person with him, now trailing. We explained, “She’s never skated before. Hold her hands, help her out.” One kid’s skates came off. Soon two kids, one mom and a dog clambered up the steep bank. Then I started unpacking how incredibly brave Nina was. Imagine getting your skates laced for the first time as an adult. Then, imagine getting yourself out on the river trail alone and hoping to work it out, only depend- ing on strangers for help. Imagine the distance (physically or mentally?) she travelled to get to that point. I was impressed. Indoors, while warming up, I saw recent Ins- tagram posts from a woman who does positive, fact-based advocacy. Like many, Samantha and her household evacu- ated from their house due to the Palisades fire in Los Angeles. She thought they were only leaving due to bad smoke. She didn’t take much with her. She then discovered that her home was complete- ly gone, destroyed by fire. In the news a day later, she was asked how they were coping. Mothers everywhere recognized her response. “I have three kids, and they all need underwear. So that’s what we’re doing right now. Dealing with the basics.” Then, I found another update. It started with, “I’m crying a lot right now” but followed with de- tails: Samantha’s family was safe with generous friends. They’d convinced her to follow through to attend a convention where she’d been sched- uled to speak long ago. A mom, in an airport, leaving kids and pets, had such faith in others. Samantha flew to meet that moment, wearing borrowed clothing and stowing makeup in her bra. After all, there were no handbags after los- ing everything. Photos showed her meeting other women, speaking, embracing and holding each other up. Not only was this advocate brave, but her faith in others, in believing her needs, her children’s needs, would be met by other good people was astounding. Days after losing her house in the Palisades fire, there she was on the convention’s stage, speaking out. Wow — talk about rising to the occasion. Then, I read about a Winnipegger, Avrom Charach, who has systemically worked to clean up hate speech graffiti in our city. For Jewish Winnipeggers, the rise in antisemitism has been intense. It’s hard to miss the hate-filled graffiti all over the city. I’ve made six police reports myself. Avrom took that effort further. He’s removed over 100 of these hateful graffiti tags himself so far. Doing this restores dignity, both to the Cana- dian Jewish community and to other targeted mi- norities. I have deep respect for Avrom’s efforts to promote love and erase hate. As individuals, we don’t affect change on the world stage, but these moments of bravery, faith in humankind, love and efforts to restore dignity are possible. That bravery, whether it’s moving to another country, lacing up skates or somehow continuing after losing everything is inspirational. Believ- ing that someone out there will be good enough to help when we fall is a big step. That faith in others has faltered for many. Yet respecting others is possible. Even that basic dignity to be free from hate speech in daily life means maintaining that faith in others’ good- will. This shouldn’t be a hard ask. I’m grateful to see someone stepping up to erase hate and offer that dignity. Next time you have the chance, please remem- ber to reach out to help others. Consider donating or helping that person who may have lost everything to fire, war or disaster. Our efforts to offer others dignity and respect, basic human rights, are part of what keeps trust in our communities alive. Politicians often claim “that isn’t Canada” when commenting on the rise in hate, but those words are too little, too late after the deed’s been done. As Canadians, we must cultivate an ability to see each other’s humanity. We need to step up, support each other, offer a helping hand and respect each other. Only as individuals can we fix this damage. To erase hate and mistrust, we can forge that brave path ahead one at a time. You can help. We can make a difference here at home. Let’s start by showing our love and respect for one another. Joanne Seiff, a Winnipeg author, has been contributing opinions and analysis to the Winnipeg Free Press since 2009. RUTH BONNEVILLE / FREE PRESS FILES The late Nello Altomare, former Minister of Education and Early Childhood Learning, in his office at the Legislative Building. JOHN R. WIENS JOANNE SEIFF ;