Jeff Osinski — vice principal of Northlands Parkway Collegiate during the entirety of the school’s 12-year existence, will be retiring at the end of this year. Looking back on his 31 years in education, Osinski reflects on what that career has meant to him and offers some advice for those looking to forge their own path in the field.
The journey through education
Osinski’s career began long before he became Vice Principal at NPC.
“I love teaching, and I did it for 18 years. And I loved every minute of that. To this day, I think fondly of the classroom.” Osinski recalled.
Having been one of the vice principals at GVC leading up to his time at NPC, his move came when the school opened its doors in 2013. "As soon as this school opened up, I moved over here immediately to open the school. So, I've been here 12 years now."
Looking back on that first year at NPC, Osinski says it definitely had it’s ups and downs. “The first year was exciting, but with exciting also comes chaotic and an awful lot of planning,” he said.
Opening a new school while managing construction delays added to that chaotic complexity. “The building itself was not done. We couldn't run certain classes until the second semester because construction wouldn’t be finished. It was an interesting dynamic seeing 650 kids leave the building every day, and then 100 construction workers starting their shift.”
Creating a culture based on relationship
One of Osinski’s proudest accomplishments is the culture he’s helped cultivate at NPC. “We work very, very hard on instilling in everyone, both students and staff, mutual respect. We want everyone to take responsibility for what they do, and we work hard towards that.”
Central to that culture, Osinski emphasized, is the importance of building relationships.
“We want people to look at relationships. What is your relationship going to be like with your colleagues, if you're a staff member, and then as a staff member, what’s your relationship going to be like with students?” He believes that when educators build meaningful connections with students, the student becomes comfortable and is more open to what teachers have to say.
Growing pains
Osinski admitted that establishing NPC’s identity has not always been smooth sailing, that in fact, there were many challenges the school had to go through to find its balance.
“I’m not sure how much time you have, the list is long, and the growing pains went on for years and years. It’s never quite done, I’m not even sure if it’s done now, but it took a long time to establish a culture because you’re always battling with ‘Well, that’s not the way we used to do it’.”
Despite the difficulties, Osinski believes that conflicts and challenges ultimately foster growth. “Anytime you have any kind of conflict or problem, there’s a solution to be had. It’s just going to take talking to the right stakeholders and figuring that out.”
The memories
When fostering a culture built on connection, it is only natural that those connections last when students go on with the rest of their lives, and Osinski does have many that he looks back on fondly.
“I have students every year that I still think of… I have fond memories.” He shared that many former students continue to reach out, through social media, and at times, wedding invites.
“I had a former student… the night they were going to propose to their girlfriend, they wanted to cook supper for them, but they didn’t know how to cook the supper. So, they called me and asked if I could walk them through—they knew I love to cook.” Osinski then proceeded to guide the student through the process of making fettuccine. “An hour later, they’re down on one knee, proposing to their girlfriend. That’s a special moment.”
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Philosophy and advice
Osinski’s approach to education and leadership has evolved over the years. “When you first get into [administration], you’re very hungry to either make change or set policy,” he reflected. “But as I’ve gotten older and more comfortable in the role, you start to realize it’s about the people, and it’s about listening.”
Listening, he explained, has become central to his role, and it’s something he thinks he does more than actually talking.
For those considering a career in education, Osinski offered thoughtful advice. “It’s a big decision. It’s got to be something you’re passionate about. You have to be passionate about people, passionate about teaching and learning.”
Among those things, he also emphasized the importance of being open-minded. “You have to be accepting. We don’t get to choose who comes to our school... and you have to be accepting of everyone.”
He also stressed the value of fostering independent thinking in students: “As a teacher, you’re in a position of trust. You have to be careful with your words. You’re here to open people’s minds and help them think, you’re not here to tell them what to think.”
Life after retirement
For the first time in years, Osinski plans to take a break from his busy work schedule and spend the beginning of the Autumn months at his cottage in White Shell. “That’s my little Shangri-La.”
Looking beyond his immediate plans, Osinski is open to whatever life brings. “I’m going to let life come at me a little bit and see what I like to do… future past that, maybe do a little bit of reading that’s not education-based.”
Osinski’s retirement marks the end of an era for NPC, but that effort put into fostering a culture of relationship-building will undoubtedly continue to influence the school and its community long after his departure.
Read the full interview with Jeff Osinski below.
How long have you been in the education field?
31 years.
And were you vice principal of any place before NPC?
Yeah, I started at GVC as a vice principal. I had taught there for a number of years and then became vice principal. And then as soon as this school opened up, I moved over here immediately to open the school. So I've been here 12 years now.
Talk a little bit about that first year and how it went for you.
Oh well, the first year was exciting, but with exciting also comes chaotic and an awful lot of planning. You know, you're trying to set up a new environment for kids and for staff, knowing that we're all coming from an environment that was already pre-established — GVC.
So, you want to make it new and special, and you want to go with your own vision, but you also want to make sure you encapsulate all the things that were working and all the things that you liked, and people expected, and they liked. Yeah, a very exciting year.
I’d imagine so, getting started from, in a way, ground zero in a new building.
For sure, and the building itself was not done. So, we couldn't run certain classes until like the second semester because things wouldn't be, construction, wouldn't be finished. It was an interesting dynamic seeing 650 kids leave the building every day, and then 100 construction workers starting their shift and working till midnight or whatever. It was a really interesting transition seeing all this happen at the same time.
Was that construction finished by the time the second year came around?
The construction was finished by the second year, and we were able to run all classes by the second semester. I think mainly it was our culinary area that was still under construction as the major part.
Is this something you always saw yourself doing?
Yeah, I didn't know where I had done some administrative work as both the vice principal and principal in other communities before moving to Winkler. And I enjoyed my time. They were both short stints, kind of term kind of stints.
But I definitely had a vision for education, and I was hoping to share it in a different way. Don't get me wrong, I absolutely love teaching, and I did teach for 18 years, and I loved every minute of that. And to this day, I think fondly of the classroom. But I've enjoyed my time doing this. You're helping in a different way.
Do you think your being a teacher first informed you on how to be a better administrator?
Yeah, you have to be a teacher first. I mean, there's no rule saying you have to, but if you don't even know the ins and outs of how a classroom works and expectations, I'm not sure how you'd be able to do the role of an administrator because you wouldn't quite be in touch with what actually does the day-to-day work look like. Because we're all here for students, right? So yeah, I think you really need some good solid time in the classroom before you can move on.
What would you say you’re most proud of?
You know what? I'm proud of the culture that we've developed here. We work very, very hard on instilling in everyone, both students and staff, a mutual respect. We want everyone to take responsibility for what they do, and we work hard towards that.
I mean, we work with young people, so sometimes people need, you know, minor corrections, and we find that we can have a really good conversation and get people onto the right path. And the number one thing that we strive to get here is we want people to look at relationships. What is your relationship going to be like with your colleagues, if you're a staff member, and then as a staff member, what is your relationship going to be like with students?
We want you to be able to build relationships with kids, because if you can build that relationship, the kid becomes comfortable, and the kid will then, hopefully, their learning opens up to them a little bit more. So it’s really about relationships in the end, that’s what we focus on.
Did you find there were any growing pains for NPC?
Yeah, absolutely. I’m not sure how much time you have, but the list is long. And the growing pains went on for years and years, it’s never quite done. I’m not even sure if it’s done now, but it took a long time to establish a culture because you're always battling with “Well, that's not the way we used to do it,” and you have a staff that was split from one big solid staff. You know, 200 teachers at GVC, to not quite 200 staff members, splitting it, having 100 come this way.
Everyone has their different ideas, and everyone's looking out for the kids and what they see as the building and what we want to do. So you're trying to mesh all of those things, but at the same time, you have to come to decisions. So just lots and lots of growing pains. But it was worth it. I think anytime you have any kind of conflict or problem, there's a solution to be had. It's just going to take talking to the right stakeholders and figuring that out.
Have there been any moments or students that have left a lasting impact on you?
Oh, oh goodness yes. I have students every year that I still think of, you know, that it doesn’t matter that 12 years ago they graduated, or 11 years ago. I have fond memories.
Often, the students that come my way are ones that have worked their way out of other people’s classes and out of their good graces, but I still have to establish a good relationship with them. And a lot of those kids, I think very fondly of. A lot of the kids still come back and say hi or they'll reach out through social media or a text, “How you doing?” and then they'll update me on their lives, which is, you know, I find very special. I love to still have a connection. I've been invited to many weddings of former students.
I had one really fond memory I’ll share with you: I had a former student graduate, and the night they were going to propose to their girlfriend, they wanted to know how to cook supper for them, but they didn’t know how to cook the supper. So, they called me and they asked if I could walk them through, they knew I love to cook. And so, I walked them through the process of making fettuccine. An hour later, they’re down on one knee, proposing to their girlfriend. That’s a special moment, you know what I mean?
Like, they're not my child. But at the same time, I treat them like my kids. You know, I take ownership of them when they're here, and for a kid, you know, five years later to reach out to me, a teacher — I was a teacher at that time to the student — and look for that guidance, that was special.
That’s a testament to that culture you try to build, right?
Yeah, the whole thing about wanting to make sure that we're good together, that I believe in you, believe in what I'm going to be teaching you. You know what I mean? Open your mind. And the relationship. It's just it's so key. Whenever we do even the hiring for this building, the number one thing we're looking for is relationship, or are you going to be able to build relationship. To me, that’s what it’s all about, and that’s what we’ve worked really hard building.
Would you say your approach to the role has changed at all over the years?
My approach to administration has changed greatly. Yeah. You know, from the beginning, you're thinking you know when you first get into that, you're very hungry to either make change or set policy or those kinds of things.
But as I've gotten older and you know, more comfortable in the role, you start to realise it's about the people and it's about listening. Like I spend more time listening to people than I do talking to people. Because I have to listen and understand what's going on before I can offer a judgment or an opinion or advice or whatever they're looking for.
Often, I'll sit down with someone, and they'll come in and you can see they have something on their chest, and they want to talk about it. And I'll just say “So, what do you think you're going to need for me at the end of this? Like, do you just need an ear or do you need me to help you figure this out?” and based on what they say then I know kind of what my role is with you.
If you just need a sounding board and you really don't need me to say anything, I'm going to sit here and I'm going to listen. But if you're going to need me to give an opinion or help you, then I’ll do that as well. But I’ll listen first. That's kind of how it's shifted, and I think that's probably just part of maturing and growing.
Like, you know, I'm going to leave this job just when I think I'm starting to figure some things out, and you know it's interesting to say that after 31 years, but this is a growth industry. We're always growing, and I think you always need to grow. If you're not growing and looking at the next thing and what we can do and how we can improve, then you're stagnant, and maybe then it's time you get out of the game.
Do you have any advice for young people looking to start a career in education?
Oh yeah, I'd say, think long and hard. It's a big decision. It's got to be something you're passionate about. You have to be passionate about people. You have to be passionate about teaching and learning. You have to be open to new ways of doing things, new ways of thinking.
You have to be accepting. We don't get to choose who comes to our school, as in student-wise, and you have to be accepting of everyone. And the differences are night and day, which they are in society. And we have to work with everyone.
As a teacher, you're in a position of trust. You have to be careful with your words. You're here to open people's minds and help them think, you're not here to tell them what to think, if that makes sense. I never want to tell someone, “This is the way you should be”. If they ask me, “ What are some options? What are some things? How do you feel about this?” I will certainly share those things, but I will never tell anyone, “This is the way you must think about this”. I want people to have an open mind and want them to make their own judgments. And those judgments in the end can be very similar to mine, very different, I'm OK with that. But make an informed decision.
And these are kids, they come in here at 13 to 14, they stay till 18-ish, you know that’s the approximate range. They're ready for the most part to grow and to think on their own. And so, we help support them in that.
Then what’s next for Mr. Osinski?
The immediate next is I'm going to take some time with just, you know, my wife and myself. My wife's also retiring, she's a teacher at GVC. So we're leaving together. We'll become empty nesters next year as my youngest daughter's graduating this year. So, this has been a long time plan for June 2025. If all of life is set in terms of where you hope it’s gonna be, we're going to retire. So, we've known this for a long time, and everything has worked out. So, we're going to retire, we're going to be empty nesters. She's going off to U of M next year.
In terms of other plans, life coming at me a bit is the big plan. You know, I spend a lot of time making decisions and grabbing life, and I’m gonna let life come at me a little bit and see what I like to do. See who I am outside of the work world. I spent a lot of time in the work world. I want to develop some hobbies, and my only immediate plan I have is, I'm going to spend September in the beginning of October at my cottage in the White Shell, as that's my little Shangri-La. And I'm just going to enjoy a time I've never been able to be down there because I'm always at work. Cause we have prescribed holidays. So that's my only immediate plan.
Future past that? Travel, time with family, enjoy some hobbies, maybe do a little bit of reading that's not educational-based.