Nov 7th.2005

Back in the classroom... today is Day 5 with in the school. My students have Culture and Gym today. We all like Day 5. I have not mentioned my students. I have 17 with one having special needs. That is far to many for ESL. I teach both Gr 5&6. I have some very good students, some that could do better and some real challenges.. like any other classroom in North America. I have no discipline problems, nor violence issues. I am lucky. Some of you will remember that a teacher was shot in Salluit last year. The student then killed himself in the classroom. The high school continues to be a challenge for the teachers there. But here in elementary, espically in the English sector we have very little that we cannot handle.

In Gr 5 I have Jajie Aluku.. at 10 he goes out hunting for geese alone. Martha Ashevak does not attend very often. Her grandmother died last week.. a great educator in the village. Victor Bruce looks like young photos of my Dad. He is a real cutie, gentle. Abigail Cameron is a fantastic student. She was just born when Aran visited here 10 years ago. I have great photos of Aran wearing the inuit coat with Abby peeking out to look at the world from such a great height. Trudy Ikey is my girlie girl. She knows everything about the teen idols. Charlie Kadjulik is a very bright boy but he also does not come often. I will see him this afternoon as he will want to go to gym class. Lissie Kakayuk looks just like her Mum. She has the softest voice ever. Irsutuk Kanaujuak is a little sweetie too. He tries so hard to please. Luccassie Kumakuluk gives Abby a run for her money. He is a great student... broke his leg early in the term. And my Aloupa... he is a real great kid. He always has a smile. If I catch him at mischief he is always cheerful about it. His Mum Susie is a great friend of mine. Charlie Tarkirk is all boy.. he hunts with Jajie in the fall.

My Gr 6;s were my Gr 5's last year. I still have Tunu... he tries to be a real man but he too is so gentle and sweet. he is so much fun to tease. Eliyah Ilisutuk is from the good carving family. Her Dad and Grandfather are great carvers. I have taught every child in eliasapie Padlayat's family except for the baby brother. Eliasapie is a good student and a chatty one. But the real talker is Lissie Trakirk. No matter what I say she has a comment to make. She writes lots of lines rather cheerfully... she is used to that punishment.

That is just a sketch ... I will write more when they do something of note. Last Friday I gave the students a photo of a smal l bear and a woman. I asked them to give each a name and write what each was thinking. Charlie O wrote that the bear wished the woman was a fish so he could eat her. I thought that funny.

On Saturday I started my Christmas sewing. My Aunt Marg gave me her Singer Featherweight sewing machine and I brought it up here. It is the best little machine in the world to sew with. I treasure the machine as it was her sister Marion's, then Aunt Marg's ,now mine. I have lots of ideas so let's see how much I get done. The long Arctic nights are here so there will be few excuses.

Have a good day.