 |
| 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!
