Back From P.I.

The Arctic Sun - February 28, 2013.

Teachers and students returned to Inuujaq School on February 25, after the conclusion of Professional Improvement (PI) Week.  I knew several high school students would be happy with the continuation of the semester because they had been bored for the last week, or so they told me.  As for me, I liked having a week off from teaching but now I needed a break from learning Inuktitut.  So much new information had been crammed into my head that my brain needed time to process it all.  I started by using the weekend of the 23 & 24 to prepare lessons and my classroom for the upcoming week.  The teachers who were out of town for PI had to prepare their lessons before they left. 

            

Mishak, my Inuktitut instructor, helped me write two motivational quotes for me to post in my classroom:

            

Sapilingilutit ilinniarniqmik - (Don't give up on learning), and

            

Iqianngungillutit ilinniarvigmik - (Don't get tired of school).

            

As I explained in a previous post, everyone knows what everyone else is doing in a small town.  So, it was no surprise for me to hear that the entire student body knew that I had been learning Inuktitut for the past week.  The high school students decided to put me to the test.

"Qanuippit? (How are you?)" they would ask.

            

"Qanuinngittunga. (I'm fine)," I would reply.  "Ivvilli? (And you?)"

            

"Qanuinngittunga," they answered.  I did receive some other responses, such as, "Uirngaqtunga (I am sleepy)", "Niaqungujunga (I have a headache.)", and "Aamai (I don't know)."

            

I also made sure to say "Qauppattauq (See you tomorrow.)" when I dismissed my students. 

            

In English, we continued looking at short stories that addressed the most important literary elements (plot, setting, characters, etc) in depth, and worked on answering questions with full sentences.  The only challenge my students faced is using prepositions.  On a positive note, my students were gaining more confidence in reading out loud.

            

For Social Studies, I decided to take a break from the Staking The Claim Unit, and have my students look at the Idle No More Movement.  Idle No More is an ongoing Aboriginal protest movement, (spearheaded by First Nations), that was started by four activists in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan.  Nina Wilson, Sheelah Mclean, Sylvia McAdam, and Jessica Gordon were showing their displeasure and drawing the public's attention to Bill C-45, a large omnibus bill introduced by the current Conservative federal government.  They felt that the bill would seriously weaken environmental protection laws, Aboriginal communities (ie. reserves), Aboriginal treaties, and lead to more resources exploitation. 

            

Word quickly spread through social media resulting in teach-ins, sit ins, rallies, and flash mob in cities across Canada.  Idle No More protesters even blocked CN railway lines and major highways.  International media outlets picked up the story leading to solidarity protests in the United States, Sweden, Britain, Germany, and New Zealand.  The movement is now being used to address all Canadian Aboriginal concerns: Third World living conditions on reserves, the cancellation of the Kelowna Accords, the former residential school system, and not supporting Aboriginal interests. 

            

The Inuit have expressed solidarity towards the Idle No More movement and even held several rallies in Iqaluit.  Despite the settling of land claims across the north, there are still many Inuit issues that require the federal government's attention: high cost of living, mental health, education, job creation, and infrastructure.  These views were echoed by my students.  I hoped the federal government and Nunavut territorial government were listening.

            

In guitar class, we reviewed the basic guitar chords, worked on a few classic rock riffs, and looked at the national anthem "O Canada".  Since my guitarists did a really good job of following instructions and learning the required repertoire, I rewarded them by letting them watch the movie School of Rock on Friday (March 1).

            

Water delivery.

On Wednesday, February 27, the teaching staff had an after school meeting to discuss PI Week.  Each teacher took a minute to explain what activity they completed and how it has made them a better instructor.  Teachers spoke of doing crafts, sewing, jewelry, badminton, and making kamiks.  When it was my turn, I explained how I learned Inuktitut and was now picking up the root words.  I had to throw in an apology because I couldn't do the entire explanation in Inuktitut.  "Ilippaliajunga (I am learning)," I reassured the Inuit staff.     

            

Since it was the first week back from PI, the pace was slow.  'Vacations' always go by faster.  Every second Friday, there is a staff get together in the staff room where snacks are served by a group of teachers.  There are several rotating groups, and my group just happened to be assigned Friday, March 1.  I didn't have time to prepare something like several teachers did, but I did go over to the Northern Store and bought two shrimp rings and two small bags of Babybel cheese.  The other teachers in my group served bannock, crackers, chocolates, and vegetables & dip.  By the end, there was nothing left.  My group received many thanks from staff.

Morning Sun - March 2, 2013

Air rifle pellets.

Wednesday is not the only day the army cadets of 3045 have training.  There are also weekend activities to keep them busy.  For the last several weeks, Saturday was reserved for air rifle shooting in the morning and sports in the afternoon.  I had been 'voluntold' (military term) to help supervise the morning shoot on Saturday, March 2.

            

Barb, the community's social worker, picked me up in the early morning and drove us to Inuujaq School.  3045 Army uses the school's gym for indoor training.  The sun was shining brightly over the frozen bay.  Just across the street, a water truck was refilling a house's water tank.  Cadets arrived at 9:30am and set up the rifle range with targets, mats, tables, scopes, safety goggles, and signal flags (red - live firing; green - stand down).  The Daisy Air Rifles were carefully removed from the secured storage locker and carefully placed on the mats. 

            

Me firing from standing position.

The air rifles are single bolt action and fire very small metallic pellets at around 490 feet per second.  They are always pointed down range.  For each relay, cadets fired ten pellets and shot either in prone or standing positions.  At the end of each relay, the rifles were cleared & secured before cadets recovered their targets.  Barb examined the targets with a transparent chart and wrote down the scores.  I got a chance to participate in the last relay but I had to fire while standing.  I can't remember the last time I had fired the Daisy but I know it wasn't in standing position.  When I was a cadet, I usually fired in prone.  Reviewing my targets after the relay, I concluded that I did alright for firing in standing position.

Everything was packed up and put away by 11:30am.  The cadets broke for lunch and Barb dropped me off at my residence.