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Students gone/Teacher cleans up classroom

I have taught my last class in Salluit... this time. We had our party this morning, then report cards, then gifts to them, then good-bye. This has been a very good class. I had tuaght the Gr.6's for two years so students like Tunu and Miss P are very dear to me. There was a hhigh drop out rate in the Gr. 6's this year. I don't think it was my teaching but that the older girls are less and less interested in school. The dropout rate here is 89% and those numbers start early.

After our party I sent the class to the hall and then called them back one by one for a chat and to give them their gift from me. I only had 11 of the 18 in for the morning. I encourged them to continue to think of themselves as very special. It was a tad painful to say good-bye to Tunu... he is such a great kid but the north is hard on boys like him. We have lost a great many fine young men.

I tired the patience of my fellow teachers this morning. I opened each door and threw in handsful of candies . That got all their students up out of their seats and running around. I was able to do it very quickly so many did not know who the scamp was, but my laugh gave me away.

My boxes have left for the south. My little house is now rather empty. Man oh man I live in clutter. Now to start a new pattern... I don't believe I will have much success as 2806 is full to the rafters now.. and I just shipped 16 cartons back. Sara will not be happy.

The ice is gone from the bay. It started to break up on Friday and by Sat the ice was gone. The high tides and strong currents stripped the bay of it's ice in no time at all. I was taking pictures every few hours... that meant that I was charging up the hill to get the perfect view. I took the last photos at 11pm.. a beautiful pink and blue sunset reflected, along with the mountains on the other side of the bay, in the open water. I am on my 2nd digital card of 512 pictures. Printing these off will be a fun time... a bit expensive as well.

There are several flowers in bloom in Sallluit. They start the process long before the snow is gone. I was down on hands and knees getting "the perfect shot" most of Saturday. I even saw a bumblebee. The blueberry plants are in bloom as well as many flowers that I don't know the names . I was recharging my batteries ( for the camera) twice a day. Twice when I was in a great spot people came by that I knew so they could take photos of me amongst the flowers. This was no Chelsea Flower show but it was exciting.

I will be packing up the classroom for the next two days. Then a bit of camping out of town. Most of the teachers are leaving on Friday but I am staying on for a few extra days.

I will write more of the last days at school tomorrow.

Pearl's leaving the north .. step #2

The second hurtle to leaving the north, after making the decison and putting in the paper work, is what to do with the stuff I have collected over the past 3 plus years. Anyone who knows me , knows that I do not travel lightly. I would have been the woman on the wagon train throwing out the piano, the box of feathered hats and all the pots, but one, as I worked my way across the Canadian sheild. Man oh man where does the stuff come from?

I have "gifted' my few friends with things I know they will enjoy. George had arrived with a suitcase full of wonderful teas and coffees the end of April. Giving that away, allowed me to get down to the other layers in the freezer. They say tea keeps forever but I would have had to been in Salluit for 100 years to use up all that I was sent. You notice I am not mentioning what I brought up.

I have not tackled the baking cupboard. I keep opening the door and then I close it again. I will have to do something with all the weird things that Pearl cannot cook without. I have giant economy bottles of vanilla, lemon and almond flavouring. I think my Dad buys the commercial sized bottles for me. I have 7 different kinds of baking chocolate. I do make a great many pecan pies... altho lemon is the hands down favourite, pecan does a brisk business. I even started making choc pecan pies just to use up some of the choc.

I sold all my small appliances. Some had only been used once or twice. What a crush at the appliance table. I think I had more stock that the Co-op and Northern combined. The prices were better for sure. What I was not prepared for was people taking the decorations off the wall. I had presumed that if something did not have a large price tag, then people would know it was not for sale. I was wrong.

I sold a ton of food. I had two tables and the sideboard covered with food. A Woolaver does not go anywhere without preparing for several natural disasters. I could easily anticipate fire, flood and snow storm without missing a heart beat. If someone said they liked rolled oats for breakfast then I felt I had to have a lifetime supply on hand. When Gladys said she like the German potato pancake mixes I had several different types shipped in. Not only did I have to deal with my fears but those of my Dad. I have canned meat, canned fish, canned bacon ( Norweigan... it is lovely)canned beans ( as well as a ton of dried beans) and because of the beans I have a gallon of molasses.

Once Dad knew how much the kids liked corn bread he picked up many different types in the southern states he visited. I can just hear him saying: " Let's just drive up to Georgia and get some cornbread mix for Pearl's kids." No one has made up more corn bread than I have the past 3 years. The kids do love it and truth be told they come over t o bake it.

And my little house became a Frenchies outlet. Both parents went nuts finding bargains . I sold everything left for a dollar. I had tried to give away all the down coats, baby clothes, fleece garments... My friends here started avoiding me if htey heard another parcel had arrived.

Things like the big TV went so quickly. I was amazed at how fast that went. The day of the major sale, Saturday, was a very stressful day. Too many people, too much stuff and too much excitement. I have done the Harrods' sale several times but I have never seen anything like this... the grabbing, the pushing, the yelling. I was very glad when it was over. I still have a few things but people are only coming one or two at a time now. That is much better.

Now I must finish the packing. I look at everything , asking if I will really need it down south. I don't want to take many books but there is no where to put them here in Salluit. Kativik School Board does not allow us to put books in the library and there is no library in the village. It seems a real shame for books to come up to the community, all that freight paid, all the fuel burned to get it here and then to have to ship it all down again. I have so many political books that are good reading and I don't want to take them south.

I have a house full of books already in my southern home. Years ago I sold a great deal of "stuff" out of my home.... the kids had left and I was seriously going to sell. I had even got rid of most of the beds. Then some of the kids came back and now all 5 bdrms are full of beds, dishes, and books. So I don't want to take much more down with me. Since Sara runs that house now I expect her to be on the steps searching out good that she thinks are not necessary. She is a bit bossy... but then apples dont fall far from trees.

But I have another ace up my sleeve... the house my parent s bought me in Digby. Just when I was sure it was time to throw out a few more things... they bought me a house. Ain't life grand... messy... cluttered.. but grand.

June First.. Snow

Just when you think it is time to put away the ugly lime green Mountain Co-op Equipement HEAVY winter coat, it snows again in Salluit. The hills are once again covered with snow. It is part rain ,part snow now. Truly cold and damp. Not nice at all.

When Nova Scotia has a mild winter this would be the weather we'd have in Jan or Feb. This is the first of bloody June. I wonder how the little birds are making out? I heard them all last night and again early this morning. Poor little guys. They might want to rethink this move farther north.

The ice is still on the Bay. There is open water near the shore but the bay is still full of solid looking ice. Last Saturday I caught my first whiff of salt water as I walked along the lower streets. I hadn't smelled that in a few months.

I have packed away my winter hats so I have to wear the hood of my beloved coat up now. I thought I was finished with hats and mittens. I do wear my nice leather gloves, that have a light lining. I feel rather smart in such fine leather gloves after several months in my seal skin mitts. When I was a child I would take off my itchy long stockings before it was reallly time in the spring. Up here I think the girls will be in long pants till Aug. The day I was waiting for my brother to exit the airplane here in Salluit a new chap came round the plane wearing shorts. I wondered if he had any idea where he was?

We are still suffering with exams. Luc was waiting for me outside the school at 8:30 this morning. I think he was just a bit early. I think he is of the kind that wants to get it over and done with. There was not another soul but us in the school at that hour. I am always amazed that I am the first one in each morning. I used to come in at 8:00 am but that was too long to be alone in the school. An empty school is a spooky place.

I am still receiving parcels from my parents. The last of the surprises for my class. I hope to have a lunch and party with them on one of the last days of school. Their reward for a year where most of the time most of them worked fairly well. I have one boy registered in my class who has not been in school since Dec. I asked the others to find him and bring him back to school but he says he is only interested in riding his bike. What a pity. He will start the school year again in Aug but will drop out by Thanksgiving this time. he is a very smart boy but his family does not really believe in education, although the mother works in the school.

I am anxious to get the exams over with. I suppose the children are too.

Suffering with Division

We are all suffering with this math review. The worst is division. I am suffering along with them. I know how to do it but don't seem to be able to inspire the class. I am a senior high English teacher. We have had so much fun with poetry this term but I don't know the little tricks of making math fun. I only know the basics and it is difficult to teach in an area where I have no great skill. Teachers should teach with a passion whatever the subject area. When a teacher can bring passion for the subject area ,and some humor, everyone is comfortable and the learning comes easy.

The students come to math late in their elementary education in the north. Often they have not done much math until the beginning of Gr. 3. Now that the Gr. 3 class is half Inuktitut and then half English( or French) the students are not getting the good math basis in Gr. 3 that they used to receive. The present Gr 3 class has had over 6 Inuit teachers this year. It is very difficult to find Inuit teachers for the Inuit teaching positions. The Gr. 3 Inuit teacher was to do the Math, Science and Social studies in their half of the day. So stedents will come

There are books here to help us all but I can't seem to get the fun of math out of these books. I know these kids are smart and with the proper teacher could grasp it in no time. As it is we suffer thru it.. student and teacher. We do the drills but with no confidence. Having the right teacher for the right subject is so important.

Gladys can do math with her students so easily. She is a math specialist. She also did her Education degree in early childhood educationl. She has different games dripping off her fingertips. I suffer and by extension so do the students. I do want them to hav ea command of the basics. Hopefully another teacher will come along and take them to that other level.

Home work is a major problem. There is not much support for school activities in the homes. So many of my students don't do their homework. They know all I can go is keep them in after school to do it or take away something that they do like doing. I get so tired of the lack of interest in what I am trying to do. I will spend time preparing homework that can be done easily at home, only to have the students return to school with little or nothing even attempted. If some of the drills were done at home then we'd have an easier time the next day at school.

Yesterday I was anticipating that homework would not be done so I said anyone with problems come to my house. I had a few students show up in thearly evening. . That pleased me. Poor Luc walked up and down the big hill, twice, in the pouring rain, to ask for help. I gave him a huge chocolate bar after the 2nd trip. That will get round the class quickly and perhaps I will have more attempt the math homework another night.

We are all enjoying the songs of new to north birds. There are several types of sparrows that have not been seen here before. Now that it is warmer, the classroom windows are all open so we hear them. I have missed the smallish birds. I am so used to being out of doors when I am down south doing the lawns and gardens. The small birds were often my only companions. The chickadees always flitted around while I was outside. I have missed them.

Missing our former principal

We are into our 2nd week with Annie gone. We are missing her loving presence in the school. For several days there was no one to welcome us as we came to school. Annie was always here shortly after 8 am. I could have a little conference with her about school or a little personal chat. We also did not have our Prayer Circle for a few days. As I have written so many times that was a very inspirational time for teachers and students. Small problems were nipped in the bud .

On Friday I had more students in the Admin office than I have had there all year. In one day I surpassed the yearly record. All these discipline problems happened when my students were in the other school but they are still my class. There was a major loss of pride for the entire class.

Our days are very long right now. It is daylight until after midnight. By three a.m. the sun is back full strenght. The students are not sleeping enough. Tempers are short. There is also the pressure of exams that start tomorrow. And we don't have Annie adding her respected voice to the chorus of "Go to bed early." I hear childish voices all night long outside of my house. I see children up at 6 am. That means they have not gone to bed yet. In the high school it is worse.

We are supposed to teach to the 16th of June. From the first of May to the 16th of June there are few teachable minutes. We teachers continually ask our school board for a longer school day during the time the students do come and are awake enough to teach. . The answer to that was to lenghten the school year and shorten the day. The board tells us that the students need more tim e in the classroom so the school year is extended. What they fail to understand is that there are more days on the school calendar but they are learning less and less.

I have requested a leave for the coming year and it was granted. I don't feel good about leaving my class ( I would have had the same students next year) but I need time away from the north. The stress does not come from the teaching but from living so far north. There are so many stresses I don't know where to start in listing them, so I won't. But it is not the teaching.

The north loses experienced northern teachers. Once teachers have figured out how to deal with the teaching, they are often burnt out from the stresses of living here. We very rarely move out of the teaching circle. We are not welcomed in to many homes here in Salluit. People are kind but they do not include us in their family time, their home time. I have been invited to two homes of my 18 students. The teaching circle is small and with few invitations to Inuit homes we live a sheltered life. We are neither fish nor fowl. We are not even invited to the homes of Inuit who teach with us.

The lack of a social life is not the only reason we leave. I could not have had a busier social life this past weekend and made it to work on Monday. It is more the isolation of being from the south and living in the north. We are not included in the life of the community. The nursing center sees the teachers on an emergency basis only. Also last week we teachers were not told of the funeral of a former Inuit teacher. It was not that we were not welcome to go, but we were not told about the funeral.

It will be sad for me to leave here. I have enjoyed my time here. Very mixed emotions at this time. I will write more about that another time.

Robins are in the north for the second year. I saw some type of sparrow and also heard it's call . What a lovely treat. I have not seen any geese so far. There are three pairs of hawks nesting near the village and it is said the geese won't come near with hawks about. I don't know if that is true but I do miss the sound of the geese overhead. Soon it will time for me to be flying south.

A Bad Time In Salluit

We are still suffering here in Salluit. This second death, hard on the heels of the first, has shrouded the village in saddness. Not that one was harder than the other, just that two is too much... one it too much .. nothing seems to make sense... everyone is so tired and so down. It is difficult to plan the school day. The children are not rested and are emotional. As a teacher, it is difficult to find the words to comfort them. I feel it is disrespectful to play a game that would cheer them up, but we need something to get us going.

Funeral arrangements are not made yet so we are all waiting for that announcment. Salluit is enveloped in a dense veil of fog and it is also snowing. Planes are having trouble landing so some family members are not yet here.

Everyone is exhausuted from staying up most of the night and the emotional state that has gripped this community for over a week. This is a small village of 1200 people. The family relationships are very strong and interconnected. Most families will have had some connection to one or even both tragedies. Last year was a very difficult time for this community with over a dozen deaths from unnatural causes. So many people would be still suffering from the events of last year.

This is the first week that we don't have Annie our principal. We really need her right now. The vice-principal from the other school is trying to do both schools He is doing a good job but we miss the comfort that Annie would shower on us at a time like this. The teacher on the upper floor, mainly southern based teachers, don't know where we fit in when the village is in crisis.

The students are having a difficult time preparing for exams that start next week. I have been testing all term. I think it a fairer way to evaluate my students. I tried giving them some math this morning. What a trial for student and teacher. They always think that they can't do something when they can. It is a confidence issue. I encourage them by telling them they have it in their head and they have to play detective to get it out. It is not that I don't want to help them, I want them to help themselves and have the confidence to try. Their going to bed after 11pm at night does not help the situation and I am sure the homes are upset at this time.

My student Tunu was back in school today after a week in Montreal. He is a great student. He was a bit of a fighter when he came to me but has learned to walk away. He has the kindest smile. I call him "My Main Man" as he loves to be thought of as the MAN of the class. It is good to have him back. Tunu is the type of student a teacher misses when they are absent.