The First Day(s) - Part 2

January 30.  My first 'real' day of teaching.

            

I follow yesterday's morning routine and am out the door at 7:50.  The only alterations are a silver dress shirt and a black tie with a different design.  To my surprise, I see an Arctic hare (possibly the same one from yesterday) run across the same intersection on my way to Inuujaq School.  Will this be my morning companion from now on?  A future pet?

            

I arrive at the school slightly after 8am and the front door is locked.  Thankfully I have a key to let myself in.  The hall lights are on, indicating that someone is already here.  It's most likely the Inuit teacher in charge of the morning breakfast program.  I receive a shock of static electricity as I flick on the lights in my classroom.  I immediately go to work on preparing for my first class: Grade 10 English.

            

The darkness outside makes me think I'm a night school teacher.  Even though there will be light at midday, the sun itself will not rise above the mountains.  As a precaution, I have plenty of vitamin D tablets on standby. 

            

Five students, all of them female, arrive for English class.  Eleven students are registered for the class.  After morning announcements I introduce myself as their new teacher and write my name on the board.  My last name draws particular interest from them and they get a kick out of trying to pronounce it.  We spend another two minutes learning each other's names.  I also tell them a little bit about myself including my recent teaching experience in Iqaluit.  They appear intrigued.

            

Before my arrival, the students had been studying Speak, a young adult novel written by Laurie Halse Anderson in 1999.  The award winning book tells the story of Melinda Sordino, who begins Grade 9 after suffering a traumatic event during the summer.  This event makes her depressed and nearly forces her to stop speaking altogether.  The novel explores how she learns to acknowledge what has happened and how to move forward.  We watch the 2004 movie as a class.  I haven't read the book before so the film will give me a good idea of what the story is about.  Since most movie adaptations differ from the original source material, I plan to read the novel later.

            

Grade 10 Social Studies is the next class after morning recess.  Out of the fourteen students that are registered, only four are present.  I continue the Arctic Sovereignty unit they have been studying for the last several days.  Today's lesson focuses on the Polar Sea Controversy in 1985.  At the time, the United States Coast Guard vessel Polar Sea sailed through the Northwest Passage, from Greenland to Alaska, on a resupply mission without asking permission from the Canadian government.  This act angered Canadian government officials and the general public because Canadians claim sovereignty over the Northwest Passage and all the surrounding islands.  To this day, major world powers, such as the United States and Russia do not recognize these claims.

            

I remember studying this affair in high school except I didn't think much about it at the time because it happened far away from Ottawa.  Now, it held more weight to me because I was now residing & teaching in Arctic Bay.  The Northwest Passage is in Arctic Bay's 'backyard'.  At first, the students don't seem to mind what the Polar Sea did because it happened before they were born.  But after studying it in depth they begin to understand its significance and even form for & against opinions by the end of class.

            

Afternoon classes are cancelled because of a funeral for the passing of a community member.  When someone from Arctic Bay passes away, school is cancelled the next day and the entire community mourns.  The resident died in Ottawa due to medical complications and was transported back to his hometown, in a coffin, by plane.  The plane that transported  the coffin from Iqaluit happened to be the same one I was on.  

            

I decide to pay my respects to the gentleman and his family by attending the funeral in the school's gym.  Upon entering the gym with a program in my hands, several pairs of eyes are looking at me.  I take a seat at the back of the gym and listen to the soft music that is playing.  A steady stream of people continue trickling into the gym as the service begins.  Some approach me and introduce themselves and to ask who I am? 

            

The funeral service includes readings from the Bible, hymns, prayers, a sermon, and statements from family and friends.  What stands out for me the most is the Final Farewell.  While the last hymn is playing and sung by the congregation, family members & close friends crowd around the coffin to say their last goodbyes.  Since this is very difficult to do, all feelings of emotion come flooding out.  After several minutes, the coffin is carried outside to a waiting truck to be transported to the cemetery later for final burial.  As the coffin is led out of the gym, members of the congregation line up to hug and pass along their condolences to the remaining family members.               

            

After the funeral, I continue the process of settling into the community by setting up accounts for electricity, heating, water, sewage removal, and garbage pickup.  Completing all of this requires visits to the Hamlet Office, Housing Office, and the Northern Store.  The Northern Store (residents just call it 'The Northern') and Co-op are the only two stores in town that sell food, clothing, electronics, furniture, and other essentials.  The Northern has an ATM machine and also a post office.  Since there is a shortage of post office boxes, most people receive their mail through 'general delivery'.  I receive warm greetings from staff and local residents upon entering each establishment.  I lose track of the amount of 'Welcome to Arctic Bay!' greetings I have received.     

            

Setting up phone and internet is done differently in Arctic Bay.  You need to directly contact the employees of the companies providing the services.  Thankfully, it is not difficult to obtain contact information because everyone knows everyone.  NorthWestTel provides phone services but not the internet like in Iqaluit.  The internet is provided by Qiniq, a Canadian company that brings broadband internet to 25 Inuit communities in Nunavut.  Unfortunately, I will have to wait up to two weeks to get these services installed at my residence. 

            

I return to the school's gym in the early evening to meet with the Commanding Officer of 3045 Army Cadet Corps, Canada's most northern army cadet unit.  The unit has around 20 cadets and they use the school's gym as their training facility.  The Commanding Officer (CO), Lieutenant Frank May also happens to be the town's mayor.  The cadets are quite an energetic bunch who enjoy drill, sports, biathlon, and shooting.  For this training night, they were working on their drill.  I spoke with the CO about where I could put my extensive cadet experience to good use?  We decide on general training; this means assisting and/or teaching lessons in the classroom.  The training night concludes with the CO introducing me to the cadets who welcome me with an applause.              

End of The First Day(s) Mini-series.