Senior Buddies

For seven years, I have had the incredible honour of having many wonderful senior citizens in my life, and the lives of my students. One Wednesday a month, my students and I host "senior buddies" in our classroom; meetings that are highly anticipated by my students, and also talked about by other students around the school. Over the years, I have had several children approach me and ask if they, too, can be part of senior buddies. One even asked if there was a waiting list to get into our classroom!

You may think I would wonder what all the fuss was about. I don't, because I know exactly what and why the senior buddy program captivates my students, and others. I know, because for years now I have witnessed the absolute delight and joy on the faces of my students when they see their senior buddy walk into our classroom. I hear them ask their buddy if they would like a tea or coffee, and I feel their self-confidence grow. The sense of belonging is palpable.

For our beloved senior buddies, thank you. You have been a light in the lives of my students. You give them your time, your attention, your stories and life lessons. I truly believe that senior buddies will be one thing that they will never forget. Perhaps, they too, will become senior buddies themselves one day, in your honour.

Over the 7 years of our partnership, we have published 7 books. After our first meeting of the year, we decide on a general theme for the book . One year it was poetry. Another year it was short stories. Once we even tried comics. And once we wrote memoirs. Students learn to think, write, and improve their writing through this process. Each student and each senior receives a copy of the published book. They are truly published authors.

We have been on the radio a few times. Twice we appeared on the “ “Gaelic Hour” (many of our seniors are Irish!). THis was an amazing experience, as students were able to go into a REAL radio studio. Another time CBC radio came out to our school and interviews us and our buddies, for a show called “Now or Never”. We were teaching our buddies about reconciliation, and about Jordan’s Principle. You can listen to that radio interview here!

For more information about this program, or to read any of our books, please contact Lisa.