Brian Hooper

Three kids will teach you a lot about schools.

Not from a textbook. Not from a board meeting. From living it.

Our family has been through the forms, the meetings, the questions, the advocacy, the challenges and the little victories that come with making sure each child gets what they need.

We've learned that every student is different. That sometimes the system needs to adapt to the child — not the other way around. And that when something isn't working, you can't just shrug and move on.

You ask questions.
You keep showing up.
You advocate.
And you make sure the kids who need a little more support don't get overlooked.

After living that experience as a family, inclusion, accessibility and student support aren't abstract ideas to me. They're personal.

And that's a big part of why I care about getting these things right.

I've lived in the River East Transcona community for more than 34 years. I went to school here and graduated from a school in the division. I also attended the University of Winnipeg.

For more than 20 years, I've worked with multinational companies on complicated global trade issues where the details matter.

That can mean navigating regulations across countries, identifying risks, avoiding fines and unnecessary costs, and helping customers make decisions involving budgets worth millions of dollars. It has taught me to listen, do the research, ask questions, understand the consequences and find practical solutions.

I would bring that same approach to the board table.

Also, three kids have taught us that "one more school form" is never actually one more school form.