‘The best thing about teaching is the kids’

When University of Saskatchewan (USask) alumnus Howard Sproat (BSPE’74, BEd’75) reflects on his career as an educator, one word continues to come to mind: fun.

“I just had fun with the kids,” Sproat said in a recent interview with the Green&White. “I got to teach phys ed—most of the kids really loved phys ed—and I got to do outdoor education, and they liked that, so I had fun with the students. The next thing you know, I was retired.”

Sproat’s long and successful 32-year career as a physical education teacher can be traced back to his time at USask. In the 1970s, Sproat earned two degrees at USask—a Bachelor of Science in Physical Education in 1974, followed by a Bachelor of Education in 1975—which launched his rewarding career teaching in Saskatoon public elementary schools.

“The best thing about teaching is the kids,” he said. “No. 1, if you like kids, then you’ve got what it takes to become a good teacher, as far as I’m concerned. All the rest will come and fall into place.”

Sproat earned his Bachelor of Education degree 50 years ago, making him one of this year’s USask Golden Grads. He encourages others to pursue post-secondary education, because he has experienced firsthand how “it opens doors” in one’s life. For Sproat, who grew up as the middle child in a family of five boys in the small community of Milestone, Sask., moving to Saskatoon and studying at USask was a life-changing opportunity to grow personally and professionally.

“Looking back, when I first started here (at USask), I came from a small town—population of 500 people—and I didn’t really know much about the city and city life, and I had a lot of things to get used to. I started and gradually got a little more confident,” he said. “That was probably the biggest thing I got out of university, was the confidence that I developed in myself.”

Today, Sproat is known as one of the most experienced canoe instructors in Canada. His credentials go back to the 1970s when he taught canoeing in the Canadian Armed Forces, following years of involvement in Canada’s Army Cadets program. Through Army Cadets, which focuses on physical and outdoor activity, he became an instructor in the watermanship program in Banff, which ultimately fostered his lifelong passion for whitewater canoeing and camping.

Those formative outdoor experiences eventually led Sproat to consider enrolling in USask’s Bachelor of Science in Physical Education degree program. In the early 1970s, Sproat and one of his brothers travelled to Saskatoon to check out the possibility of attending USask, where Sproat soon learned that he had missed the application deadline for admission into the College of Physical Education and that he could only be accepted into classes through permission of the dean.

“I didn’t even know what ‘dean’ meant. I had a brother named Dean,” Sproat joked.

Sproat soon met with Howard Nixon, who become the first dean of the College of Physical Education at USask in 1972. Nixon asked Sproat why he wanted to enroll in the college, and Sproat talked about his passion for sports and outdoor activities.

“We talked a little bit, and (Nixon) said, ‘Well, you know, I have to let somebody with the same (first) name as me in my college.’ So that’s how I got in,” Sproat recalled with a laugh.

Sproat went on to enjoy his time as a student in the College of Physical Education, taking “every recreation class that there was.” He assumed he was going to pursue a career in recreation post-graduation, but when he didn’t find a job soon after he decided to return to USask to study for a second degree.

“At that time, with only one year extra, you could become a teacher,” he said. “So, I did the after-degree program. Until Christmas was classes, and then after Christmas was an internship.”

Sproat was inspired to become a teacher because of his Grade 9 teacher and hockey coach, whom he describes as a “hero.” Sproat soon learned that his passion for athletics would complement his career as an educator.

“The phys ed part really prepared me because I ended up teaching physical education,” he said. “There was a big push at that time for phys ed—they called it the Lighthouse project—and every student was to get 30 minutes of physical activity every day. So, I was hired, and I had lots of fun with the kids, and the next thing you know my career was over.”

Sproat’s first teaching job was at McNab Park School in Saskatoon, which was originally established as the Air Marshall Curtis School for military families and was renamed McNab Park School when it was transferred to the Saskatoon Public School Board in 1965. The school, which was located near Saskatoon’s airport, was permanently closed in 1985. Sproat fondly remembers teaching baseball to students at the school while the Canadian Forces Snowbirds were practicing and flying overhead.

“Finally, we just laid down on the ground and watched them doing their stuff,” he said.

Sproat’s subsequent career as a physical education teacher was steeped in outdoor education and canoe programming. He demonstrated significant leadership in developing risk management and safety guidelines and specialized in delivering teacher training for both canoeing and first aid.

In total, Sproat taught at six Saskatoon elementary schools throughout his career, including teaching in the Voyageur programs at Wildwood and Silverspring schools, and spent a year on exchange in Dumfries, Scotland. For a decade, Sproat also served as a Jump Rope for Heart coordinator. His coaching responsibilities included speedball, soccer, cross-country running, volleyball, basketball, floor hockey, and field hockey. In 2004, Sproat was honoured with the Paul Renwick Award, which is presented annually for outstanding contributions to physical education in Saskatchewan.

“The best part of my teaching was the out-of-school stuff; that was where I got the biggest bang for the buck, was taking kids on outdoor education—winter camps, fall camps, bike camps, canoe clubs. I spent lots of time with kids there,” he said. “A lot of them don’t remember my math class, but they remember when it poured rain on Kingsmere Lake or whatever it was; they remember that.”

While Sproat is now retired as a physical education teacher, he continues to stay active as a canoe instructor with BHK Outdoor Experience, which he runs with his friends, fellow canoeists, and USask alumni Bill Morris (BA’63, BEd’63) and Kim Archibald (BEd’81, MEd’97). They teach introductory canoe lessons, Paddle Canada canoe courses, and private paddling lessons from May through September.

Sproat has been recognized as a certified canoe instructor for the Red Cross, the Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association, and Paddle Canada. For many years, he acted as the recreation director for the Saskatchewan Canoe Association (SCA). He also taught canoeing for the Saskatchewan Physical Education Association (SPEA) conferences, as well as served as a member of the executive. In addition, he has co-taught an outdoor education class at USask, as well as movement education classes for the University of Regina.

Sproat’s wife, USask alumna Merril Bulin (BEd’77, MEd’84), also pursued a career in education, working for 41 years with Saskatoon public schools as an educator and an administrator. Together they raised three children, USask alumna Dr. Allison Sproat (BSc’13, DVM’17), USask alumna Sarah Sproat (BSN’16), and Evan Sproat, who studied at USask before earning a degree at Emily Carr University in 2018.

The couple continues to stay connected to their alma mater by watching football, basketball, and hockey games at USask. Sproat is a proud Huskies fan.

“It doesn’t get better. Seriously—it doesn’t get better. The students, those young athletes, put it all out there and I just thoroughly enjoy it,” he said. “Go Huskies!”

As Sproat reflects on his influential teaching and canoeing careers, he has some advice for current USask students and young alumni who are just starting their careers: “Find your passion, and then time will go by very, very quickly.”

“Find your passion and make it a part of your life sharing it with others,” he added.