Professional Development (aka Ice Fishing)

This past Friday St. Andrew's took a P.D. Day. Down south, P.D. Days means workshops for staff on assessment, evaluation, management, literacy, numeracy... we got to go ice fishing instead! Teachers jumped on a bus around 9:30 and took a ride 20 minutes or so north of Kash, heading towards Apawatiskat on the winter road. Our bus stopped at a small fiver crossing and we all piled out. I wish I could say we had a grand adventure – but it was more or less a very quiet day on the river. Everyone drilled a hole in the ice (at least 4 to 6 feet thick), tied a hook and some bacon to a stick and set about trying to catch some pike. I was a little cold without something to sit on, but I surprised myself by really enjoying fishing, for the most part the peace and quiet! Moose stir fry, bannock and boiled dumplings were served for lunch. A traditional tea made from water, lard, flour, black tea and sugar was also served. It's pretty sweet and supposedly very filling… however I'm striving for a beach body (Cuba in 3 weeks!) so I didn't indulge too much, only had a few sips! The snow around the river was extremely deep, up to our waists in some spots. I enjoyed snowshoeing along a few trails and through some brush. Like I've mentioned before, I've come to really love winter since being up here – perhaps that's because I don't need to drive here… but cross country skiing and snow shoeing have really been highlights for me.

It's been extremely icey here, so much so that school was cancelled Wednesday afternoon. Boys can strap on their skates and skate down the streets with a puck and hockey sticks. This upcoming week is the Winter Carnival – which means spending only mornings in our classrooms, and the afternoons outdoors, playing snow games with the kids. The week following I have my second evaluation, and come April 8^th we fly out for two glorious weeks down south. Scott, Jill, Zach and I have already paid for a trip in Cayo CoaCoa, Cuba, and obviously I can't wait for that!

Great Moon Gathering and visit from Scott

Last week started with Valentine's Day on the Monday. Luckily students didn't bring the tonnes and tonnes of candy and sugar and cards until the afternoon and we were able to get a bit of math work completed before the full afternoon party. We decorated paper bags with dollys and paper hearts and hung them from our desks to collect the many many Valentine's Day cards - reminded me of when I was in primary school. Its kind of neat to repeat these memories with my own students. Tuesday was also a shortened day due to a funeral (the whole community usually attends funerals held in the afternoon, so school is often cancelled). On Wednesday we were also granted an early dismissal so that all teachers could get out of Kashechewan for noon. We had an EXTREMELY bumpy 3 hour ride on the winter road to Moosonee, bags and butts flying around the back of the bus. On the train I ran into an old friend Mark who is a grade 8 teacher in Appawatiskat (a community north of Kashechewan, also on James Bay). I met up with Scott at the Cochrane train station, and we headed to the North Adventure Inn - a small hotel on the outskirts of town - with the rest of the St. Andrew's School crew.

The Great Moon Gathering was held in an old high school that hadn't been used for about a decade. The workshops I attended were really great - the highlight was meeting and speaking with the creator of Rabbit and Bear Paws, a series of graphic novels based on the Seven Grandfather Teachings of the Ojibwa. I learned alot about how he started his comic, what inspires him, and just how much work goes into each frame and page. Check it out - its good work. I attended a few workshops on literacy and math, and Olena and I learned how to square dance. It was great being in Cochrane (its about an hour north of Timmins) - we went to Tim Hortons and Giant Tiger (yippee) and even the LCBO. Its amazing how excited teachers on reserve get at discount stores - the place was packed after the workshops - just imagine what the LCBO looked like.

Our trip home is well worth sharing. We got back on the train (Scott too) to head back to Moosonee on Saturday morning at 9am. Within the first few hours, rumours were being muttered throughout the isles that the winter road was closed due to a large blizzard that had hit hard in Kash and Fort Albany. Five hours later we were stranded in Moosonee - the keys to the bus were in Kash and with the river closed due to snow drifts we'd have to spend the night in Moosonee. Local teachers stayed with family and friends, the rest of us were put up in a church hostel or in the army barracks. The next morning we found out that the tide was high on the Albany River and therefore wet and uncrossable, it looked as though we would be spending another night in Moosonee. Eager to get home, 6 of us decided to spend a little to fly. We chartered a 6 seater from Moosonee to Kash.

A 6 seater is really a 7 seater - 5 of the seats are in the back, and the pilot and co-pilot's seat making up the remaining two. Scott found his way into the co-pilot seat and immediatly began joking with the pilot that if he happen to find himself tired, Scott would take over for him, no problem. Jesus. 20 minutes into the flight the plane starts banking left and right and left again, up and down. Scott's flying the freaking plane! I'm clenching the arm rests while Scott's having a hell of a time. At one point the tiny plane did an unexpected little but quick nose dive and I had a bit of a panic attack as my butt lifted off my seat. I think Scott wants to be a pilot now...

We had a good few quiet days here in Kash, watching movies, going outdoors, planning the summer and the year to come, and playing Scrabble. We officially booked a trip to Cuba for April! Neither of us have been to a resort before, and coupled with the fact that Jill and Zach are coming along, we are super excited!

Scott's currently on the train headed back south. Its business as usual again at St. Andrew's. March will be a busy month. Unit plans and report cards are due, and I have my second evaluation at the end of the month.

"I can teach but I cannot force"

January was a very strenuous month. After returning from 2 weeks of vacation I had to readjust to the slower pace of reserve life, meanwhile my students have been extremely reluclent to do much work. February hasn't been much of a picnic, either. Students have been very untrusting of eachother and of me lately - quick on the defense, and a lot of attitudes forming. Staff attendance has also been down with alot of teachers on sick leave and my assistant has been pulled from my class most days for the past few weeks to supply in those teacher's classrooms. As a result, its been extremely difficult to address every student's needs, and they are a very needy bunch. I've changed desks around and our daily agenda, am using even more visuals than before, while attempting to incorporate more group work to encourage cooperation and independant work. I'm trying to be more consistant with consequences for inappropriate behaviour. This job is so exhausting. I've never been so tired, and I feel pretty unappreciated at the end of most days, just happy I made it through. I'm making mistakes, which is to be expected I think from most first year teachers, but I face-palm myself every so often, rethinking my actions or reactions to situations.

Harbour flew out today on ThunderAir. He's gone to stay with the people of Moosonee Puppy Rescue and might already have a place to call home. I gave him one Gravol before he was put on the plane, but I guess it didnt work and he was whining from Kash to Timmins (a half a Gravol usually is enough to put me under!) While he chewed a bit much for my liking, he's a really great dog, love to cuddle and play fetch. I miss him already. It was nice having a dog around again and am glad I got that little fix that I needed. I hope to recieve updates about him.

I've been undeniably homesick here, however I'm finding that I am appreciating winter like I never have before. Its so unbelievaly white here, and there is no need to worry about driving or shoveling. Olena and I tried our hand at snowshoeing last week and I really enjoyed it. We took off across the frozen river to set some rabbit snares (didnt catch anything). The snowmobiles make good hiking trails through the woods and I enjoyed finding new paths while walking Harbour. While it is super cold, its nothing another layer of clothing and some good long johns can't handle.

The entire teaching staff is headed to Cochrane on Wednesday for professional developemet workshops called the Great Moon Gathering. After a half day at school we are piling into a bus to Moosonee, a 3 hour drive via the winter road, and taking a chartered train for another 5 hours to Cochrane. Looking forward to getting out of town for a little while, getting some Tim Hortons and cheap food in restaurants, seeing a movie, and most excitingly seeing Scott who is traveling to Cochrane to meet me!

its cold!

The temperature has dropped quickly this week - so much so that Friday was a half day because it was minus 42 and thus too cold for students to walk back to school from lunch. A native friend has warned, "It's not even February yet." I woke up early this morning (for a Saturday) to take the dog out and saw that the sun was rising quickly. I ran back inside to grab my camera and jogged to the top of the dike to snap a few photos. I was outside for a grand total of maybe 5 minutes, but in minus 50 degress, it took me an hour to warm up once back inside, and Ive spent the majority of the day on the couch, sick with fever. While I was sleeping this afternoon the dog managed to escape and is no where to be found - its cold outside and I'm hoping that the warmth and food found here will draw him back tomorrow morning... poor little guy.

January is passing pretty slowly, I look forward to mid-February as the teaching staff will be headed to Cochrane for the Great Moon Gathering, a 2-day professional development workshop with an emphasis on frist nation education. I get to see Scott again, too.

Sooo...

... found one!

Doggy Day Dreams for a Kash Companion

I've nearly always had a dog in my life. First there was Co-coa, a pure bred German Shepard my parents owned when I was just born. Co-coa liked to howl at and follow the wind, coincidentally one gusty day she ran away. As soon as I was able I began pleading with my parents for another dog, and many years later my dad finally succumbed and we got Bosco - a dumb witted mutt with plenty of character, only to be hit by a car two years later. Third time is a charm, and we really lucked out with Ozzy, our pure bread Golden Retriever. He really is the best dog on the planet - I don't care that every other dog owner might disagree. Ozzy lives with my parents and I think for the most part really enjoys his life in Nilestown. He gets regular walks and visits from his friends Franks and Beans, my sister's two hilarious and charismatic pugs.

I want my own dog now. NOW!

For almost a decade now I've been living away from home. I've moved from one house to another in Peterborough throughout my studies at Trent (just ask my parents who have graciously packed up the Chrysler too many times to count, and carried many a mattress on car rooftops, sometimes tied down, sometimes not...) I've traveled many places around the world, lived in Africa and on Canada's west coast twice. Thus, owning and caring for a dog has not exactly matched my lifestyle.

Kashechewan - however - seems the perfect place to own and care for a puppy. It wouldn't be hard to find one! Walking the streets in Kashechewan, there are always one or two dogs that trot along beside you. The stay dogs here are not what you might expect - mangy, poorly fed, ravenous, teeth barring animals, brawling for their survival. Quite the opposite. "Kash dogs" have the greatest dispositions; look well fed, their tails are always wagging. Most are a mix of several breeds usually including Husky, Lab and German Shepard, which makes for amazing colorings and brilliant blue and brown eyes. They seem to have no fear (much like the children!) and are... well, chilled out. While there are some strays that are matted and in need of a good brushing, from what I've gathered most are extremely trusting - even of absolute strangers. While these dogs lack a single owner, what they do have is a community that cares for them.

I am busy nightly with planning, yet having a little pup curled beside me while I type, draw, stick a million post-its everywhere and sort through piles of papers and work books would be such a comfort, and the time might pass by that much more happily, especially with a long (freezing!) haul until April break. What brought this all on? Just 15 minutes ago I heard a knock on my door and I was holding the cutest black lab with one white paw... for fifty dollars.... sigh. Mind racing, heart breaking. I can't yet commit to such a cute creature; while I know where I'm headed in the next several years, I doubt my traveling days are quite complete. It would be unfair and costly to carry such a companion.

Being the first day back in action at St. Andrew's after the Christmas break, I left a little earlier this morning to prepare my classroom. This morning one of the "regulars" was curled up just outside the teachers' lodgings, asleep, frost covering his fur. I couldn't help but want to take the poor fellow in. If I cannot yet adopt a pup, perhaps I'll just care for one... or two...

Broomball!

Nearly every morning after rowing formal each year, friends of mine would wake up at a ridiculous hour (getting up alone is ridiculous hung over after rowing formal) and play broomball. I thought they were crazy, and quite contently slept in on those cold mornings in February. I was invited to play the game for the first time at the arena here in Kash, and it's awesome! We're able to borrow all equiptment we need, including helmets, sticks, jerseys, knee pads and foam shoes (that allow both sprinting and sliding!). This weekend was a broomball tournement - our team consisting of elementary and high school staff is called "Creenglish", and so far we've lost one game, tied two, and headed to the arena once more this evening for the quarter finals. Wish us luck! It's been so nice to have something to do, to be apart of something outside of the school yard, and to be (very) physically active and competitive. Sometimes, a yoga mat just doesn't cut it.

In other news: 4.5 days until I fly home! Excited beyond words to see fiancee, family and friends. The plan? Flying to Timmins (fingers crossed!) and driving through the night to Toronto with 5 other teachers. After a short visit in Peterborough Scott and I will head to Lanark to celebrate Scott's sister's birthday and an early Christmas. On Christmas Eve Day, Scott and I will take the train to London to spend 4 or 5 wonderful days with my family (and Ozzy!). We'll head back up to Peterborough for New Years. Throughout I plan on eating out, seeing many movies, getting a massage or two (health coverage rules!) shopping for myself and for my kids - and hopefully relaxing as much as possible (although with all the faces I want to see, I doubt that will happen!)