Школьный директор Сюзанн Кальдер делится историей успеха и важностью непрерывного обучения

Suzanne Calder never imagined her career would lead to leadership in a school setting. Her path wound through early childhood education, home daycare, restaurant shifts, university lecture halls and countless hockey practices before eventually leading her to the principal's office. Along the way, she earned three post-secondary credentials while raising a family, often relying on the support of those around her to make each next step possible. Looking back, she says none of it happened overnight. "You just don't even think about it, you just do it," Calder says. "I enjoyed it too. I really like to learn, so it was a good journey for me." It's a philosophy that has shaped not only her own career but also the example she tries to set for her students, colleagues and three sons, a belief that growth doesn't end when school does, and that it's never too late to keep learning. From Stonewall to Portage Although many people know Calder through her work in the Portage la Prairie School Division, she didn't grow up in the community she now calls home. Originally from Stonewall, she met her husband in Portage before the couple spent two years living back in her hometown. Eventually, they decided to return to Portage, where her husband's large extended family could help support them as they began raising three young boys. "We came back to be closer to my husband's family," she recalls. "My family is smaller, it's just my mom, dad and brother, but my husband's family is quite large, so having that support here has been really good." That network would soon become invaluable. Related stories: - HER VOICE: Ten-year academic path leads to arts degree for Lee Beaton - HER VOICE: How Iryna Braun found home in Portage la Prairie - ▶️ Listen to this news story on the radio: Country 93 / Mix 96 / CFRY 920 A career built around children Calder's passion for working with children began long before she entered a school administration office. After graduating from Early Childhood Education in the late 1990s, she spent years working in childcare, parent-child programming and nursery schools while continuing to build her credentials. She later completed additional studies in applied management, earning her ECE III designation and qualifying her to lead childcare centres. Even then, every career decision revolved around her family. After welcoming three sons in just a few short years, Calder found herself carefully balancing childcare careers with motherhood, often choosing positions that allowed her to spend as much time with her children as possible. She worked in nursery schools, operated a home daycare and spent more than a decade working at Boston Pizza, fitting shifts around family life. At the same time, her boys grew up surrounded by hockey arenas and community activities. Looking back, she says those years taught her how to adapt and make the most of every opportunity. Choosing the harder road for a brighter future As her sons got older, Calder began thinking about what came next, not just for herself, but for her family. While she loved early childhood education, she realized the field offered limited opportunities for long-term advancement within the community. She wanted a career that would not only allow her to continue working with children but also provide greater stability for her family. That decision led her back to university. She earned a degree in Human Ecology, specializing in Family Social Sciences, and graduated while her sons were just eight, seven and five years old. Originally, Calder planned to continue into a master's program and teach future early childhood educators at Red River College Polytechnic. But after carefully weighing her options, she made another difficult decision. "The next step would've been getting my master's to teach early childhood education or going into teaching. At that point, teaching was a more solidified position. The college positions were term-based and depended on enrolment, so I had to go with the more permanent route where I'd have a better ability to get a job," she explains. It meant starting over once again, and Calder returned to university to study education, knowing it would require several more years of juggling assignments, work and raising three energetic boys. She graduated with her Bachelor of Education in 2011, when her sons were 10, nine and seven, and Calder made sure her three sons were sitting in the audience as she crossed the graduation stage. It was a moment she wanted them to remember, not because she had earned another degree, but because she hoped it would teach them the importance of perseverance. “It was important for me to show them that I was a lifelong learner. Continuing your education is important, and they had to understand why I wasn’t always there for some of it, or why I was working long nights. They still remember it,” she says with a smile. “One of my sons always says it was the longest ceremony of his life.” Years later, her love of learning drew her back once again. In 2018, she was accepted into Brandon University's master's program in Educational Administration. After completing her degree, she stepped into school leadership, first serving as vice-principal at Portage Collegiate Institute before moving to Crescentview School, where she has spent the past three years. The journey required years of sacrifice, not only from Calder but from the people around her. "If I didn't have that family support here, I wouldn't have been able to do it. My husband's grandmother was amazing and watched my boys when I was in school. My husband worked near the university, so we drove together. It was just a big family effort. Not easy, but we powered through it." Looking back, she says she never spent much time thinking about how difficult it all was. "You just don't even think about it, you just do it. I enjoyed it for the most part. I really like to learn, so it was a good journey for me," she says. For Calder, every late night studying, every commute to class and every milestone along the way shared a common purpose: to create a stable future for her family while continuing to do the work she loved. Lifelong learning and leading by example For Calder, leadership was never something she aggressively pursued. It grew naturally through encouragement from mentors who recognized strengths she didn't always see in herself. Throughout her career, she says both personal and professional influences have helped shape the leader she has become. "My mom is a hard worker. She was always working while raising us. Once I was in the field, I worked under Michelle Laidlaw at North Memorial and Tracy Vanstone at La Verendrye. Both of them saw qualities in me that guided me toward maybe thinking leadership was a role that I could do." Today, she's encouraged by the number of women serving in senior leadership throughout the PLPSD, something she believes would have been far less common earlier in her career. "We're lucky because we have four women in our senior administration right now. People like Pam Garnham, Rochelle Rands, Jennifer Adamson, and Lisa Shackleton. They show you that women can break those ceilings." Ask colleagues what her greatest strength is, and they'll probably answer before she has the chance. "What strengths do I bring?" Organization," she laughs. "Everybody who knows me will laugh at that because I'm super organized. Almost too organized for everybody else." But beneath the colour-coded calendars and carefully planned schedules lies something she believes matters even more: a genuine love of learning. "I think my love for learning is important because I like to share that with my staff. I don't let the learning slip. Education is always evolving, and if I’m passionate about learning and understanding students and what’s new in their world, then I need to share that. I think as a leader, I want staff to know the latest in instruction and assessment, but also understand the needs of students." She adds that strong leaders model the behaviours they hope to see in others. "If I can walk the walk, then I'm allowed to talk about it." Advice for the next generation Having balanced work, family, and multiple university degrees over the past two decades, Calder knows firsthand that achieving long-term goals rarely happens overnight. Her advice to young women entering education or anyone considering returning to school later in life is simple: focus on the next step rather than the entire journey. "It's not easy, but make goals for yourself. If you set your goals, you can cross them off as you go and start small. Create a vision board and keep it in your sight. Don't think it has to happen all at once. And thank the people who supported you and helped you get there. That's really important, too." She hopes her own journey serves as a reminder that success isn't always about taking the fastest route. Sometimes it's about taking the long road with determination, accepting help along the way, and never losing your curiosity to keep learning. The moments that matter most For someone who has spent much of her career pursuing higher education, Calder says her proudest moments rarely revolve around her own accomplishments. Instead, they belong to the students. "Seeing kids graduate is probably one of my favourite parts. I was fortunate enough to follow my first group of students. I started as a teacher with them at North Memorial, then I moved on to La Vérendrye, and then to PCI. It was always a bit of a joke that I was following them, but watching them grow up made me really proud." But Calder says some of the biggest victories don't happen on graduation day. They happen quietly, one student at a time. "We set goals for lots of kids for different reasons, and some are very tiny ones that they succeed at, but in our minds, it's a big success. Watching that makes you super proud to be an educator." Those everyday moments, the breakthroughs after weeks of frustration, and the confidence gained from reaching a personal goal are what continue to inspire her. "That's what keeps you going. Seeing those 'aha' moments in the kids and working with the families. I enjoy that part a lot." A new chapter This fall, Calder will take on her newest challenge as principal of Oakville School, bringing with her years of experience from the classroom, administration and leadership. While every new position comes with uncertainty, she says she's excited for what lies ahead. "I'm ready. It'll be interesting. I've been out there lots already, and I think it's going to be a good change for me." The role also carries a unique piece of history. Calder was told the last female principal at Oakville School served more than 50 years ago, making her appointment another example of the growing presence of women in educational leadership. "I was told the last female principal out there was in 1974, so it's been a while. I don't think it matters so much who's leading. It's about having the right person to lead, but I'm excited for that opportunity." A lesson that extends beyond the classroom As Calder reflects on the journey that brought her from an early childhood educator to a school principal, one theme rises above everything else: gratitude. She often speaks about the people who encouraged her, challenged her and supported her through every stage of life, from family members who helped care for her children to colleagues who recognized her potential before she did. "I just want to thank everybody who has supported me and guided me along the way, because I wouldn't have been able to do this or the schooling without any of them. My family and my husband's family were a huge part of that, but also my friends and colleagues. I've been really fortunate." Looking back, Calder hopes her own story leaves her children and perhaps her students with a lesson that extends far beyond report cards and classrooms. Success isn't always immediate. Sometimes it means taking the longer path, making sacrifices and trusting that the work you're doing today will open doors tomorrow. By choosing education again and again, first as a student, then as a teacher, then as a leader, Calder has shown that learning doesn't end with graduation. It's a lifelong commitment. As she prepares to welcome students through the doors of Oakville School this fall, she'll bring with her more than degrees, titles and experience. She'll bring the same message she has quietly lived for years: keep learning, keep growing and never stop believing that the next chapter can be even better than the last. Listen to the full interview below: Her Voice, presented by SeCan, is a weekly series on PortageOnline, with partners Pharmasave Portage, Community Futures Heartland & White Horse Plains, and Southport Aerospace Centre. Nominate someone you think we should feature and find out more by clicking here.