Early November

Half-Moon

With Halloween out of the way, the teachers of Inuujaq School had to contend with sugar filled students for the next few days.  Thankfully, November 1st was a Friday and right after was the weekend.  Still, we had to deal with hyper students on the Friday.  From what I remember, most of us just played it safe and didn't make the students do too much work or keep them in their seats for extended periods of time.  I wonder how teachers down south handled their students?  Surprisingly, the students' behaviours were back to 'normal' on Monday.

            

My Grade 10 Social Studies students watched the 1922 silent docudrama film Nanook of the North, directed by Robert J. Flaherty.  The film follows the lives of Nanook, an Inuk hunter, and his family as they survive the harsh climate of northern Quebec.  Considered to be the first feature length documentary, the film is notable for introducing the Inuit culture to a world audience.  Prior to screening the film, I gave a brief history on the director and his efforts, and explained the characteristics of a silent film.  I was glad that my students didn't have a problem reading captions.  Thereafter, the students completed a film questionnaire and discussed what actions & behaviours in the film were still present in today's Inuit society.

            

For the first half of November, my Grade 10s also looked at how the Inuit Land Claims movement accelerated in the 1960s & 1970s.  Inspired by the Civil Rights Movement in the United States, the Inuit organized themselves into several civil/political organizations (ie. COPE, ITC, IEA) and began demanding a greater say in northern affairs.  The federal government could no longer ignore their demands because the Inuit were preventing the development of the Arctic's natural resources.

            

In Grade 11 Social Studies, we compared the standard of living and quality of life in Canada, China, and Ethiopia.  Specifically, my students learned about China's infamous 'One Child Policy', (aka 'Family Planning') and the deadly Ethiopian famines of the 1980s.  My students were shocked that a government imposed and went to great lengths to enforce a child-bearing limit, all in the hopes of controlling a population.  Raising a family, small or large, is highly valued in Inuit society.  Although the Inuit never suffered famines, they did suffer from starvation if they weren't able to catch any Arctic animals out on the land.  In our discussions on the Ethiopian famines, the students related stories they heard from elders about ancestors going hungry and even dying out on land because their hunting expeditions yielded nothing.

            

My drummers and I watched the video footage of our Halloween performance.  Overall, it was quite good.  There were a few times when the rhythms were not synchronized but the audience didn't seem to notice.  They clapped, cheered, and complimented us after the performance.  I didn't appear nervous when I was explaining how the drums worked.  When I was a kid, I hated watching myself on camera.  Now, not so much.    After reflecting on what went well and what could have been improved, we looked at double stroke rolls, triplet rolls, and 16th note timings.  For added reinforcement, my drummers watched several instructional videos by Jeff Queen where he addressed and demonstrated the rolls and timings.  Jeff Queen is a professional American musician who specializes in snare drums and is known in the drumming community as one of the best. 

            

In the hopes of securing future funding for an expanded music program, I applied for a Band Aid Grant from MusiCounts.  MusiCounts is a Canadian music education charity "associated with The Canadian Academy of Recording Arts and Science (CARAS), [tasked in] helping keep music alive in schools across Canada."  The $5K and $10K grants "go toward the purchase of musical instruments and educational equipment."  The recipients of the grants will be announced in earl 2014.  The principal & I hope our school will receive the $10K grant.    

            

By the end of the second week of November, I had the Christmas music prepared.  Similar to the Halloween program, my drummers would play three pieces, except one of them would include a guest Inuk drum dancer.  (More on this in a future post).

            

My Grade 12 Social Studies students compared the similarities and differences of two political systems: democracy and dictatorship.  As well, they continued working on their project essays by searching for sources on the Internet, brainstorming ideas, jotting notes, and writing rough sentences.  Their topics were all Inuit-related.  (More on this in a future post).

            

Somewhere during the first two weeks of the month, the sun disappeared behind the mountains.  Arctic Bay continued to receive sunlight but not the physical sun.  I thought the sun's final appearance would be a day marked on the calendar and observed but that isn't the case.  When I asked the local Inuit, they said they don't formally bid the sun farewell; they only welcome its return in February.  The disappearance of the sun is something most Inuit do not look forward to.       

            

There was no school on Monday, November 11th, because of Remembrance Day.  I think the Northern Store & Co-op were also closed that day.  The staff and cadets of 3045 Army Cadet Corps held a morning Remembrance Day Ceremony at the Community Hall.  As the Master of Ceremonies (MC), it was my job to welcome everyone, call upon guest speakers, inform the audience when to stand and to sit, and make sure the program was accurately followed.  Three wreaths were laid by the corps, Canadian Rangers, and middle school students from Inuujaq School.

            

The ceremony took a detour from the normal program near the end when it was time to welcome a new member into the military family.  That someone was me.  The Cadet Instructor Cadre (CIC) is one of the five branches of the Canadian Armed Forces and the officers in this branch are responsible for the training and supervision of the 58,000 cadets in the Canadian Cadet Movement.  Cadets are aged between 12 & 18 years old.  Successful completion of the application process (interview, medical exam, police check, attachment to a corps) leads to the final hurdle; the attestation. 

            

Irene Swoboda addresses the cadets
after the Remembrance Day Ceremony.

In the presence of the Canadian flag and portrait of the Queen, Lt. May, the Commanding Officer (CO) of 3045, led me in reciting the oath.  I was then presented with my Certificate of Enrolment, followed by an applause by the audience.  I was now an Officer Cadet.  I would receive my uniforms in December or in the new year.  Many who attended the ceremony offered their personal congratulations at the end of the service.  On Tuesday, I bought a frame from the Northern Store and placed my certificate in it.  It now hangs proudly on a wall in my house.   

This will be my last post for the 2013 year.  I will be taking a short break for the duration of the Christmas and New Year's Holidays.  See you in the new year!

Halloween - Part 2

I made it home just in time to change back into my costume, prepare a quick snack, and get ready for the arrival of trick-or-treaters.  I had several boxes of chocolates and candies to hand out.  Rather than spend a small fortune at the Northern Store, I ordered my Halloween treats from Well.ca.  I hoped they were enough.  I had heard from veteran teachers that one household could get as many as four hundred visitors and the southern teachers are the first to be 'targeted'.  By 5pm, the sun had disappeared and it was night.  I stood by the door, candy in hand, and waited.

            

Knocking on doors before entering a house is viewed as a southern custom.  Doors mostly remain unlocked in northern communities and people just walk in.  If you don't want visitors, just lock your door.  The Inuit only knock on qallunaaq (non-Inuit) doors . . . most of the time.  The first few trick-or-treaters knocked on my door and said the magic words - ("Trick or Treat!").  I gave generous portions of candy and repeated the routine several more times before deciding to keep my door unlocked.  The only downside was that I had to man the door at all times, otherwise someone could just walk in and take all the candy.  

            

Yes, that's a laptop on the back.

Even though Arctic Bay is a small town, the cold weather made it impractical for trick-or-treaters to walk from one end of town to the other.  Everyone got rides on a skidoo, ATV, or vehicle; after all, they only had two hours to collect their candy before the community Halloween contest.  As the night continued, I realized that I had fallen victim to being too generous with the candy.  After the first hour, I had to ration so that I wouldn't run out.  I even got my private candy stash ready should the worst happen.  Thankfully, that did not happen.  In fact, there was still candy left in the bowl. 

            

Banging pots to scare people.

Several southern teachers and I got a ride down to the community hall by one of the RCMP officers.  "This is my first time riding in the back of an RCMP truck!" I humourously remarked.  "And it won't be the last," someone added.  Rows of chairs had been set up on the sides, forming a large square with an open centre.  We took our seats near the front stage.  The hall began to fill up steadily with spectators.  By the time the spooky festivities started, it looked like the entire town was in attendance.

            

As mentioned before, my students were talking non-stop about the costume contest, and seriously wanted me to attend.  They said it was the event of Halloween.  I reassured them all that I would attend because this was my first Halloween in Arctic Bay.  Indeed, the community costume contest is the highlight of the night and for good reasons.   Contestants compete for cash prizes and are judged on creativity, originality, scariness, and downright bizarre.  From what I remember, there were three categories: mothers who dressed up their infants, kids, and adults.  The contestants in each category would parade in the centre of the hall, letting everyone take pictures and short films.  The judges on stage would observe and record their decisions on paper. 

            

The bizarre costumes were worn by the adult contestants and they were beyond anything I have ever seen before.  It was difficult for me to comprehend their designs.  Were they representing something/someone or just wearing whatever to shock the audience?  I'm glad I took pictures because I still find it hard to explain what they were wearing.  The one thing that was common among the costumes was that the faces were covered.  I was told one of the main features of the contest is not knowing who is wearing what costume until the very end.  All I knew at the start of the contest was that Paulette, the high school art teacher, was wearing a black raven costume.    

            

After the parade of costumes, the 3rd, 2nd, and 1st place winners of each category were announced by the MC.  As part of their acceptance, the winners were required to reveal their 'true identities' to the audience.  Many children and adults flooded into the centre of the hall to get a close up view and/or picture of the winners.  Each reveal was greeted by a thunderous applause.  The contestant who won the adult category was a student from Inuujaq School.  He dressed himself up as an old man in a suitcase.  During the parade, he had to be pulled by someone.  After the costume contest, the southern teachers and I were driven back to our respective homes by the RCMP.       

           

My first Halloween in Arctic Bay was fun and full of surprises.  The community costume contest is something that just needs to be seen to be believed.  If I ever decide to participate, I'm either going to have to buy a really expensive costume or invest the time and effort in making my own.         

            

End of Halloween Mini-Series

Halloween - Part 1

Team Rabbit Mural.

Grade 2 Door.

I entered Inuujaq School in the early hours of October 31, much earlier than normal, because I wanted to take pictures of all the Halloween decorations.  I walked from the high school wing down to the elementary wing, photographing all the creative murals and door decorations.  I felt like I was walking through a museum exhibit.  The elementary and middle school classes spent a great deal of time decorating their doors with ghosts, bats, pumpkins, witches, skulls, and anything else that appeared scary.  It was difficult to choose which classroom had the best setup. 

            

My grade 12 students spent the last 15 minutes of their period decorating my door the day before.  They followed a more minimalist approach and the final result wasn't as detailed as the elementary classroom doors.

            

Grades 6 & 7 classroom doors.

The school day began like any other but the atmosphere was full of excitement.  The students had other things on their minds besides academics: Halloween activities after lunch, an evening of trick or treating, and the community costume contest in the evening.  In particular, my high school students were wondering what kind of costume I would be wearing for the spirit team assembly.  Back in September, I looked at all the male costumes on the Spirit of Halloween website and finally settled on an outfit after much thought.  Since this was my first Halloween in Arctic Bay, I decided to play it safe and not order something too scary.  When it comes to Halloween, I prefer to wear costumes with masks, but since this was a school event, I decided to leave my face exposed in case of an emergency.           

            

Since Halloween was the talk of the day, I didn't push too much academics during my two morning classes.  My social studies students did some work and watched a movie.  School was dismissed at noon as usual but lunch was extended by thirty minutes to give students extra time to get into their costumes.  My drummers and I would meet at the school at 1pm because we needed the extra time to set up the drums in the gym. 

            

For the first hour of lunch, I power walked home, had a quick snack, grabbed my costume, and walked back to school.  Upon arrival, I changed into my costume, a Bone Daddy Skeleton Tuxedo.  To complete the look, I also purchased skeleton gloves, a black top hat, a skeleton cross necklace, and a skull cane.  So, in essence, I changed out of my formal teacher clothing, only to change into formal Halloween clothing.  I . . . can't explain that one.

            

My drummers slowly trickled in after 1pm and were impressed by my costume.  They mostly liked the skull cane.  We ferried all the instruments and necessary equipment down to the gym and set up at the front.  Everything was ready to go before 1:30.  Teachers and students began arriving at the school at about ten minutes to 1:30.  The hallways were filled with people wearing an infinite variety of costumes.  Many were surprised to see me in costume and complimented how well I looked wearing it.  I did the same in return.    

            

My drummers practicing the day before.

My drummers and I had been reviewing our program intensively for the last two weeks of October, in the classroom and in the gym.  I wanted them to get used to the acoustics of the gym and to feel comfortable playing in front of a large audience.  We had practiced in the gym every two days, but, to be honest, on the day of the assembly, I was getting 'butterflies' in my stomach.  I always get that feeling before a public performance but the trick is to ignore the feeling and just go on with the show.  We stood outside the gym and waited for everyone to arrive.  Once the gym was full, I led my drummers to the front; the show had started.

            

I lent my digital camera to Bob the Hallway Monitor so he could film the entire performance.  Iga, the high school Inuktitut teacher, was the MC for the assembly.  She called me to the front to introduce the Inuujaq School Drumline.  I spoke in English and she translated.  I explained to the audience the three types of drums on display, (bass, snare, and quad), and how each of them sounded.  The drumline consisted of two bass drums, two snares, and one set of quads. 

            

The first piece we played was a warm up exercise I wrote several years ago when I was teaching at a summer cadet camp down south.  The drummers of 795 Iqaluit Air Squadron played it for their Annual Ceremonial Review in June 2012.  My current drummers played it quite well despite a moment in the middle where they lost count. 

            

The second and final piece we played was called "Zombie Squirrels", a level 1 drum piece by Cassidy Byars.  Despite being less than a minute long, the piece contains a challenging middle section where there are three separate rhythms playing at once.  Put together, this section sounds like one drummer playing a rock beat on a drum set.  For added guidance and safety, I conducted my drummers.  The resulting performance wasn't as good as I wanted it to be, but the audience loved it and that's all that mattered.  Once we were off to the side, I personally shook each of my drummers' hands and congratulated them for their first public performance.  I reassured them that even though mistakes were played, no one in the audience noticed them because we didn't draw attention to them.  As long as they started together, played together, and ended together, everything would be fine.

            

The assembly continued with the costume contest.  The ten spirit teams each paraded in the middle of gym, showing off their costumes, and being judged by a panel of elders.  There were a lot of great costumes on display, too many to list in this post.  The winning spirit team would be announced at the end of the day and members would received bags of candy.  While everyone filed out of gym, the drummers and I packed up all the instruments & equipment.  We waited until the gym was nearly empty before moving everything back to my classroom.  I say nearly because the kindergarten class stayed behind so that parents could photograph their children.

            

The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to a round robin of Halloween games.  The elementary and middle school teachers prepared a variety of games for students to enjoy.  High school students acted as guides between classes.  The haunted house down in the sports equipment room was the most popular attraction for the middle school students.

            

School was dismissed early at three so that parents and their children could get ready for trick or treating at five in the afternoon.  It would be night time by then.  With extra time to kill, I played badminton with two teachers in the gym.  Sean teaches grade 6 and runs the school's badminton program.  Dane teaches grade 4.  I got quite a workout playing one-on-one, running all over the place, trying to swat the shuttlecock.  I played until four.

To Be Continued . . .

Late October

Wednesday, October 16, was a day of excitement, nervousness, and maybe anxiety for teachers.  After students were dismissed for the day, teachers had to get ready for Parent-Teacher Interviews.  At these meetings, parents sit down with the teachers who instruct their children and hear what they're like in class and whether they're passing the course or not.  If teachers are having problems with students, they have to be ready to back up their allegations with evidence because no parent wants to hear that their child(ren) are failing and/or a nuisance in class.  Regardless, I still wanted to meet the parents of all of my students, a fact that I emphasized to my students before they were dismissed for the day.

            

To make the parents feel welcome, snacks, coffee, and tea were available in the staff room. Southern teachers have access to translators when talking to unilingual parents. The translators can be Inuit teachers or friends accompanying the parents.  Unfortunately, only a few parents came to see me.  Regardless, I welcomed them into my classroom, answered their questions, and showed them the midterm marks of their children.  At the end of the day, I felt like the meetings were a success and hoped to see more parents when report cards would be issued.

            

A similar Parents Night was held at Inuujaq School's gym on Wednesday, October 23rd, but this was organized by 3045 Army Cadet Corps.  Parents were invited to see the dress, drill, and deportment of their children on parade, as well as photograph them receiving awards for fitness and marksmanship. 

            

Cpt. Tad Nicol (left).
Cadet Sgt. Andrew Reid (right).

The Reviewing Officer for the parade was Captain Tad Nicol, the Area Cadet Officer (ACO) for RSCU Northwest - (RSCU - Regional Cadet Support Unit).  Based in Iqaluit, Cpt. Nicol is tasked with assisting all cadet corps & squadrons in Nunavut in any capacity.  The Guest Reviewing Officer was RCMP Constable Christa Maktaaq. 

            

Constable Christa Maktaaq inspecting the cadets.

March Past.

The parade followed a standard format, the main parts being: inspection by the reviewing officer(s), the march past, presentation of awards, speeches by the Reviewing Officer and Corps Commanding Officer, and the Advance in Review Order.  The only difference was the parade began with a prayer in Inuktitut.  I played a small part at the end of the parade by thanking parents for their attendance, Cpt. Nicol for coming to town to preside over the parade, and the cadets for putting on a good show.  A small reception was held after the parade's dismissal, featuring coffee, tea, cookies, and cupcakes.

            

With the end of October fast approaching, everyone was getting into the Halloween spirit.  By the end of the second last week, the kindergarten and elementary classroom doors were covered with Halloween decorations.  My drummers were vigorously practicing the music I had selected for them to play during the Halloween Spirit Team Assembly on October 31st.  This would be their first performance in front of the whole school.  There are ten spirit teams, each named after an animal found in the Arctic, and they include students from all grades.  I'm in charge of Team Rabbit.    

            

To get a sense of what the Spirit Team Committee had in mind for Halloween, I sat in on one of their meetings.  After much debate on what kind of activities to have, the committee crafted an interesting program, and my drummers would be the opening act.  No pressure.  When I told my drummers this, I could tell they were nervous, but I assured them that everything would be alright . . . provided that we kept practicing and rehearsing the music and visuals. 

            

Dividing the resources between
the 10 Spirit Teams.

At the Spirit Team Committee meeting, I successfully pitched an idea for a contest I witnessed at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit.  When I was teaching there, the school engaged in a Christmas door decorating contest but the teams were only allowed to use assigned resources.  The Committee liked this idea and decided to hold a Halloween mural contest following the same restriction.  The winning team would be rewarded with candy.  Deciding what resources and how much each team would get fell on me and Iga, the high school Inuktitut teacher.  We spent some time after school going through the resource room selecting resources, such as, construction paper, finger paints, paper bags, googly eyes, and of course, very large pieces of mural paper. 

            

Bob the Hallway Monitor (Sens cap)
helps out Team Rabbit.

The mural contest took place on the last period of the day, on October 29.  Team Rabbit assembled in my classroom and got to work on creating a spooky Halloween mural.  I mostly pitched ideas, guidance, and maintained order.  A child's imagination is more powerful and creative than that of an adult.  By the end of the day, Team Rabbit's Halloween Mural had taken shape.  After dismissal, I stapled the mural to an empty wall space.  I walked along the hallways, inspecting the other murals; many of them were well done.
            

(My last name does not contain
brackets.  It's an inside joke.)

I did a good job of keeping it secret when I was teaching at Inuksuk High, but somehow, the students of Inuujaq School discovered my birthday.  Their suspicions were confirmed when it was announced to the entire school during morning announcements.  I received an applause from my Grade 10 Social Studies students and by the end of the day, my chalkboards were covered in birthday greetings.  Even one of the Inuit janitors played and sang an Inuktitut version of Happy Birthday (Nagliunirsiuttiarit) on the guitar for me after school.  How very thoughtful.  At the end of the day, I pondered on whether my drummers & I would receive the same treatment at the Halloween Assembly.             

'Bright Lights' - October 23, 2013

Snowfall & Bonfire

Arctic Bay finally received the first snowfall of the 2013-14 winter season on Saturday, October 12, the day after high school graduation.  A nice way to welcome the long Thanksgiving Day weekend.  Snow had sporadically fallen earlier in the month but it melted in just a few hours.  This time, however, the snow was here to stay.  It was strange, as well as exciting, to wake up to the sight of falling white, when just the day before, the ground was still exposed.  Now it was covered by a thick layer of snow with more falling from the sky.  Snow must have been falling all night.  The bay appeared to be fully frozen in ice but that wasn't the case upon closer inspection.  There were still many pockets of exposed water.

            

Even though it was Saturday and a long weekend, I had plenty of work to do at school.  I broke out my large and tough winter boots and Canada Goose parka for the slow walk towards the school.  I frequently stopped to take pictures of my surroundings.  A lot of children were outside playing in the snow, building forts, having snowball fights, and sliding down hills.  Adults were mostly walking and driving around, enjoying the sudden change of weather.  Skidoo owners looked the happiest.  I spent quite some time correcting school work and preparing lessons so that I would have more of a day off on Sunday.    

            

Arctic Bay Sunrise. October 14, 2013.

Monday, October 14 served another great piece of natural scenery for me to photograph.  While walking to school in the early morning hours, the Arctic sun slowly rose above the surrounding mountains and was positioned to the south of the bay.  I quickly took out my digital camera and snapped a few photos of the sun and the light reflecting off the ice in the bay.  The resulting photos were great.  The close up shot of the reflecting sunlight made it appear as if the ice were made of gold.  I only spent a few hours at school, prepping lessons for the upcoming week. 

            

The following weekend, I was put in charge of supervising the cadet bonfire near the airport.  It would be in the same area the army cadets cleaned up back in August.  There was a whole pile of collected wood we could burn.  In the early evening of Saturday, October 19, the cadets of 3045 Army assembled in front of Inuujaq School's gym, waiting to be driven to the bonfire sight.  I arrived in a red pickup truck, on loan from Lt. May, the corps's Commanding Officer.  I drove extra careful because this was my first time driving in the north.  An RCMP officer, armed with a 12-guage shotgun, joined us to provide protection against any aggressive wildlife (ie. polar bears).  After taking attendance and waiting for a few minutes, the cadets who showed up piled into the back of the red pickup and we were on our way. 

            

I led the convoy of two (pickup and RCMP truck), driving through town, past the Gas Station, and onward to the airport.  Following the gravel road wasn't tough but it was somewhat confusing to figure out where the centre median was.  Before getting onto the open road, I made sure all the cadets were seated in the back.  In the north, the cadets may be allowed to ride in the back of a pickup truck, but they're not allowed to stand when the vehicle is in motion.

            

Upon arrival, the cadets got out and started walking around the perimeter towards the bonfire site.  The senior cadets carried the most important supplies: hotdogs, buns, ketchup, mustard, and marshmallows.  I left the truck parked off to the side and walked at the back of the pack, making sure there weren't any stragglers.  While we slowly edged our way around the gravel runway, a First Air plane was being refueled and restocked on the airport's main apron.  From what I remember, this plane was continuing its journey from Resolute to Iqaluit.  Lt. May instructed me to hold off on lighting the bonfire if there was a plane getting ready for takeoff.  He didn't want the smoke to get in the way.  The first batch of wood was assembled when the plane was taxiing to the other end of the runway.  It turned around and rapidly accelerated before lifting off into the night sky.  We all waved goodbye.

            

Using pieces of an old newspaper as kindling, I lit them and placed them next to smaller pieces of wood.  They started to burn but the fire wouldn't spread to the bigger pieces.  Luckily, we had a jar of naphtha for 'insurance'.  I poured some and it got the fire going again for some time but I had to do two more times before the larger pieces of wood finally burned.  When that happened, everyone stood back as the fire rapidly grew.      

            

With the bonfire now at the right size, we broke out the hotdogs and marshmallows.  Unfortunately, we didn't have enough rods for roasting so we had to share.  The hotdogs and marshmallows that I roasted turned out okay but it was a challenge getting close to the fire.  The hotdogs and marshmallows were gone in about thirty minutes and all there was left were the hotdog buns.  In the distance, Arctic Bay was glowing, thanks to all the streetlights and houselights.

            

We stayed until 7:30pm.  By then, looking at the bonfire had lost its charm and the cadets wanted to head home.  The cadets extinguished the blaze by dumping mounds of snow.  The fire sizzled until it was nothing but small glowing embers.  Using flashlights and knowledge of the land, we hiked back to the pickup trucks.  The RCMP officer and I dropped off the cadets at their respective homes.  I returned Lt. May's truck at his house before walking back to my place.  I was glad that my first supervised bonfire had gone well.  Everyone had fun and no one was mauled by a polar bear.    

October 12, 2013