After 10 years at the helm, the longest-serving principal of the Estevan Comprehensive School will be bidding staff and students adieu this June.
Though Mike Little has spent most of his time in education as an administrator, it's still his time with students that he cares for the most. As one of the few schools in which their top-level staff also teach, Little gets his daily respite at the head of his Grade 10 history class.
"Right now I've got 35 kids in my class, so it's a bigger one. It keeps me in tune with teaching," said Little. "It's the best of both worlds. Every one of our administrators teaches. I have to be teaching next door to other teachers, so I have to keep up that area. I think it gives me a little more credibility, as well.
"To be honest, that's the best part of my day, the hour that I go teach. I'm dealing with straight teaching. I'm not dealing with problems that are going to arise or paperwork."
Little taught for eight years, phys. ed and history, before securing his first administrative job as a principal in Loreburn, near Lake Diefenbaker, just north of Elbow. He went back to school following that job, earning his master's at the University of Idaho. His last post before making his way to the Energy City was a seven-year stint in Carlyle's Grade 7 to 12 school.
When Little first arrived in Estevan in 2000, he was the principal at Pleasantdale School. That post was his only one at a strictly elementary school, and after three years, it led him back to the high school setting at ECS.
In today's world of education, Little said accountability is the word of the times.
"Everyone's more accountable now. (Teachers) are more accountable for the marks they give. Students have to be more accountable for attending. If they miss for whatever reason, it's going to be looked into. The key word is accountability."
He said that is one of the biggest changes he has seen during his more than 30 years in Saskatchewan schools.
The other big difference since he arrived at ECS is the management structure with the school board.
"We were one school and a school board ran us, and that was all we dealt with. Now we're one of 39 schools. When we deal with the school board, they have 38 schools to deal with," he said.
Ten years ago, the school board had three school systems, separate, rural and city.
"They looked after us, and it was a great world the old way. The new way has taken a little while to get used to, but it's still a great world," Little added.
Little said looking back at his years at the school, he is proud of any improvements for students and communication. Report cards and three-way conferences, he said, have gotten better, and he is very happy with the success of Challenge Day, a three-day workshop that has been held the last two years and will continue in the future.
"I've been involved in it, and it's been great for our school. The other thing that goes with that is the relationships we've made with other committees," said Little. "We've had a lot of help from the United Way, in particular. It's been a benefit to us."
United Way Estevan has been a big sponsor of Challenge Day at ECS, committing $15,000 each year to help fund the workshop.
Little said he is going to continue to work for the next few years in the Estevan area, but after 46 years in education, as both student and teacher, he said it's time for him to change.
