An Extraordinary Goodbye

This afternoon we attended an extraordinarily moving memorial service for Alan Dick, the late Lower School Principal of the Canadian International School, here in Hong Kong. Fitting tributes were paid to Alan’s exceptional good humour, love of teaching, passion for life, commitment to his faith and dedication to the school that, in a very real sense, he helped build. It’s hard to not to be moved remembering a Principal who not only knew the names of all the students under his charge, but remembered the parents as well, who was always there to greet the kids in the morning and to wave the school buses goodbye in the afternoon and who always seemed to have time, a smile and a word of encouragement. He was a gifted educational leader who was committed to using his gifts. You only need to glance at the school’s memorial pages, to get a sense of how loved he was and how sorely he will be missed.

For me, the photo above, taken a few years back, embodies my memory of Alan, or Mr Dick as the kids called him. He made awards meaningful, lowering himself to the child’s height, looking them in the eye (asking them to return the eye-contact) and guiding them to a correct sense of pride in their work. He must have handed out thousands of these awards over the years, but he managed to make each one special.

Thank you Alan.

[tags] Alan Dick [/tags]