Morning Carolling & Christmas Break (2013)

The Christmas festivities continued the following day (December 18) with carolling at the Community Hall.  In previous years, Inuujaq School teachers & students went door-to-door and even sang en masse in the school gym.  This year (now last year due to the time of this writing), the Christmas Committee decided to hold the carolling event indoors and at the same venue where the concert was held.  The Christmas decorations were still up and none of the students would complain about having to walk & sing in the cold.

            

We all gathered in the Community Hall after morning recess.  The town's only school bus ferried students and teachers between the school and the hall.  I chose to walk but halfway into my stroll, I got a free ride on an ATV from Philip Kalluk, a student support assistant (SSA) and at the time, soon-to-be mayor of Arctic Bay.  The chairs had been rearranged into a u-shape, the same configuration used during a community feast.  While students and teachers took their seats, parents and elders slowly trickled in.  

            

The sing-along began at 11am following an opening prayer.  Three Inuit teachers and one of the school's custodians led the audience in singing a variety of classic Christmas tunes in Inuktitut & English.  It was quite interesting to hear the Inuktitut lyrics.  We sang "Rudolph, the Red Nosed Reindeer", "Deck the Halls", "Silent Night", "Santa is Coming To Town", and "Little Drummer Boy".  Some teachers had suggested that I have my drummers play along to "Little Drummer Boy" but I chose not to because the drums would have drowned out the singing.  In the end, the event was a success and everyone was dismissed for an extended lunch.

            

Afternoon classes resumed at 1:30pm but they really weren't classes.  Instead, Santa came to visit and hand out presents to the K - 9 students.  Santa was actually a local in disguise (don't tell the kids), and the presents had been wrapped and provided by the parents/guardians.  As for the high school students, they received Northern Store vouchers worth $25.  Once the students received their presents, they were dismissed for the next two weeks.  Many of my fall semester students came to my classroom to wish me a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  I wished them well and hoped to see them again in 2014.  Before I left the school, I made sure that all my administrative work was complete (attendance, final marks, comments) and my classroom was in order.  I walked home to pack my suitcase.

            

Elders

Most of us qallunaaq teachers (aka southern teachers) were heading home for the Christmas holidays on Thursday, December 19.  The principal of Inuujaq School would also be flying out with us.  The running joke was that the First Air plane would only be filled with southern teachers.  I packed light since the break would only be for two weeks.  I was driven to the airport by Frank May, the soon-to-be former mayor of Arctic Bay.  Despite the time being 7:30am, the moon was shining brightly in the night sky.  Frank was now in charge of the town's only taxi service, having a local Inuk man ferry customers to the airport and around town in a brand new red minivan.  I was riding with him in his pickup truck while the minivan drove all the other teachers to the airport.

            

Arctic Char

I was glad that I was one of the first passengers to check in because I didn't want to cause a line up.  I was mostly concerned about the two-foot frozen Arctic char I was bringing with me to Ottawa for the first time.  I had bought it from a local Inuk for $20 and wanted to eat it myself but I just never found the time.  (I hear that Arctic char is quite expensive down south).  When I heard that my family wanted to try char that came 'straight from the source' I agreed to bring the one I already had.  I wrapped it in many plastic bags and packaged it in a big box.  Thankfully, the fish didn't turn bad on its 3,100km trip to southern Canada and it was eagerly devoured by family & friends one evening.  I'm now being requested to bring back more in June.        

            

The flight to Iqaluit was mostly uneventful but the main highlight was seeing the dark horizon slowly give way to sunlight.  It was great to see my first Arctic hometown from the sky as the plane approached for landing.  There was a delay in boarding the First Air flight to Ottawa because passengers on an Ottawa-bound Canadian North plane were also boarding.  Since the Iqaluit airport only has one security gate, there was a very long and slow line.  I can't wait until the new & bigger Iqaluit terminal building is built and operational in 2017.

       

I spent the Christmas holidays in Ottawa with family & friends, as well as shopping for school supplies and new clothes.  It was quite funny to hear the locals complain about the cold, even though the temperatures were in the single negative digits.  This is nothing, I thought, Where I just came from, this is summer weather.  Everyone would be outside in shorts!     

The frozen Arctic landscape.

Christmas Concert (2013)

December 16th was a day of anticipation; Santa was coming to town.  Every December, the jolly man in red visits northern communities across Nunavut, bringing toys, food, and Christmas cheer to Inuit children.  Unfortunately, due to a tight schedule, Santa can only spend an hour or two at the towns' airports.  It's quite an intensive and potentially exhausting flying schedule.  As well, don't expect to see a large red sleigh being pulled by reindeer.  In the north, Santa travels by plane and visits about 5 to 6 communities per day.

            

The Santa flights have been a tradition in the north for many decades.  They happen in all three territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut).  I'm not sure how many Santas fly up north but I know it has to be a few.  What is intriguing is that the flights originate from southern Canada, not from the North Pole.  In the Arctic, Santa lives down south.  I believe the Santa flight that came to Arctic Bay was organized by Keewatin Air.

            

I managed to catch a glimpse of Santa's plane flying into town in the afternoon as it descended from the clouds.  The turboprop was covered with colourful Christmas lights.  Since I wasn't expecting the plane to arrive early in the afternoon, I didn't have my camera out to take a picture.  A short time would pass until a line of cars & trucks, filled with excited kids and parents, would drive towards the airport. 

            

High school student Pauloosie takes a
break from decorating.

As Santa's plane flew above me, I was escorting several high school students to the town's Community Hall.  The place needed to be decorated and set up for the Christmas concert the following evening.  That was the other reason behind the anticipation; the concert was just 24 hours away!  It was dark outside even though the time was just after 3pm.  Once inside the Community Hall, the high school students immediately went to work, setting up rows of chairs.  A large box of Christmas decorations arrived when all the chairs were in place.  While the girls sorted the decorations, all the guys moved the large & heavy pool table off the main stage.  We then placed it in a nearby corner.  The students spent another two hours pasting decorations all over the Community Hall.  There were colourful ribbons, Christmas trees, and loud singing reindeer.  The students were well behaved; I didn't need to delegate or keep students on task.

            

A dress rehearsal was held at the Community Hall in the afternoon the next day (December 17).  Naturally, all afternoon classes were cancelled and the entire student body, (230), occupied the building.  After seeing so many kids inside the hall, I wondered if there would be any seating space left for families, friends, and invited guests.  I've been told that roughly one third of Arctic Bay's population are children.

            

The dress rehearsal gave students and teachers an opportunity to practice their acts, get rid of feelings of stage fright, and enjoy a sneak peek at what each group was presenting.  There would be twelve acts in total, starting with pre-school, then kindergarten, followed by the grade classes & the high school drum line, ending with the adult staff.  There would be music, dancing, square dancing, and skits.  Since the adult staff were keeping their act a secret, my drummers & I had the honour of finishing the dress rehearsal with a bang (pun intended).  The preschoolers, kindergarteners, and younger grades all crowded at the front of the stage to hear the drums.  When the curtains were pulled open, it appeared everyone was watching us.  We played through our routine to the cheers of the student body.  After the drummers and I took our bows, I hoped we would receive the same reception later that night (more details coming up). 

            

MCs Geela & Caroline.

That evening, the doors to the Community Hall were opened at 6:30pm.  Steadily, the hall became filled with excited locals, holding cameras and camcorders.  It looked like the entire town was in attendance.  The concert began a little after 7pm.  Geela, a student support teacher, and Caroline, a high school student, were the Inuktitut & English MCs.  The program followed a simple routine: each class was formally introduced, the curtains would part, the class would perform their routine, receive an applause and cheers from the audience, and then leave the stage.  Oddly, the concert's pace felt a little slow to me.  Maybe it was because I was anxious about my drummers' act and wanted to get it over with.  Although, I did enjoy watching all the performances and the two that stood out for me were the Grade 6s lip-syncing & dancing to Bob Dylan's "Must Be Santa", and the Grade 8/9s rapping "That's Christmas" a song they arranged with original lyrics.

            

Kindergarten performance.

Grade 3 performance.

After much anticipation, the time had finally come; my drum line was next.  Before going on stage, I instructed one of my students to film the performance with my digital camera.  Just as we had rehearsed earlier that afternoon, when the curtains parted, my drummers immediately launched into 'the opening number': a paradiddle warmup routine.  After the drummers received their first applause of the night, I walked out on stage and introduced myself to the audience.  With the help of Geela, I explained the warm up was one of the many short musical passages we play to get ourselves warmed up or 'in the groove'.  The drum line next played a piece called "Accent Tap for Christmas" with a guest Inuit drum dancer.  The dancer was one of my guitar students from last semester.  His playing kept the drum line in tempo as well as adding an Inuit blend to the southern style of drumming.

            

Grade 6 performance.

I conducted the third and last piece of our act called, "Christmas Compilation," a set of intermediate exercises my drummers learned over the semester.  Much of the piece contained intricate and funky rhythms, but the last part had my drummers clicking their sticks together in a specific pattern.  Because of all this, the drummers wanted me to keep them in time to which I happily obliged.  I conducted my students at the front of the stage, but stood at the same level as the audience.  Despite a slip up here and there, the performance turned out alright and after the final notes were struck, the audience applauded for the third time.  As one final act, I turned around and threw one of my sticks to the floor.  Unfortunately, it didn't bounce back up like it did during the dress rehearsal.  Thankfully, the second one did.  My drummers on stage did a few stick tosses before the curtains closed.  I breathed a sigh of relief.

            

Grades 7 & 8 performance.

The final act of the concert was the staff of Inuujaq School.  Last Christmas, they danced to the song "Gangnam Style" by Psy, but this year we played a game.  Basically, someone would say a phrase in a language of their choice and then another person had to translate it into Inuktitut or English.  Of course, you didn't know what they were saying so you had to guess based on their tone of voice and body language.  After the funny translations, the real translation would follow.

            

A sign indicating that grade 7 & 8
students were needed near the front
of the stage because they were the
next act. Similar signs were
used for all other grades.

I was the first to speak.  I had prepared three facts about Ukrainian Christmas but only had time to say one.  To be honest, it felt a little weird speaking Ukrainian in front of a large Inuit audience for the first time.  The two Inuit teachers who translated my phrase received plenty of laughs from the audience . . . so did my English explanation of the phrase.  Perhaps that was a sign that they liked the true meaning?  The other teachers and staff spoke in Korean, Japanese, Pig Latin, Newfoundland English, and Inuktitut.  It was quite interesting to hear such a variety of spoken languages.    

            

At the conclusion of the game, we all thanked everyone for attending the concert and wished them all a Merry Christmas and a Happy New Year.  While the school staff and several high school students cleaned up the hall, a few elementary students came up to me, wanting to know how to bounce the drum sticks off the floor.  I gave them a quick impromptu lesson and let them give it a try before helping my drummers load all the drums and equipment onto a pickup truck I borrowed from Frank, the town's mayor.  We drove back to the school and carried all the instruments back into my classroom.  I called it a night after dropping off my drummers at their homes.

            

At school the following day, several Inuit teachers came up to me to say they really enjoyed listening to the drum line at the Christmas concert.  They also added that many local elders had called the local radio station to voice their approvals as well.  I thanked them for the good news.       
            

              

Festive December (2013)

"Merry Christmas"

With the arrival of December, everyone in Arctic Bay was getting into the Holiday Spirit.  Christmas decorations, posters, and collages had sprung up along the main hallway, the staff room was completely redecorated, and a Christmas tree was assembled nearby.  Thankfully, no one suggested doing what retail stores down south do every year: play Christmas songs in an endless loop 24/7.  

            

Outside the library.

From a newcomer's point of view, it appeared to me that all the high spirits were a way of taking peoples' minds off the perpetual darkness.  The sun had disappeared behind the mountains back in November but the area was still receiving a mere two to three hours of sunlight at midday.  By this point, Vitamin D tablets are your best friends.  I have to admit that at first, it felt odd to be walking to work at 8am and yet it looked like the time was 8pm.  My mind and body adapted after several days . . . or should I say nights? 

            

For several nights, Arctic Bay played host to a full moon that shined "as brightly as the sun."  It felt as if the town and surrounding areas were under a very bright white streetlight.  If you were out on the land, you wouldn't have to use a flashlight.  I tried several times to get the perfect shot of the moon with my camera but, in my view, the resulting pictures were subpar.        

            

Sled dogs out for a run. Originally taken
on October 30, 2013.

I forgot to mention that the town's sled dog owners moved their litters onto the frozen bay at the end of October.  Periodically, the dogs howled during feeding time or whenever they were bored.  Their big day won't come until April when the sled dog races are held. 

           

The first week of December was the last week for teaching new content because final exams were scheduled for the following week.  Thanks to hard work and persistence, my Grade 10 Social Studies students finished the Staking The Claim Unit.  The last few chapters dealt with looking towards the future for Nunavut and it's youth.  With the Nunavut Land Claims Agreement in place, it is up to Inuit youth to make sure it's being implemented and followed by the GN and the federal government in Ottawa.  But before they can do that, Inuit youth need to complete their academic studies and know how 'the system' works.

            

My Grade 11 Social Studies students finished the Quality of Life unit and had a review test.  Some did well, some not so well.  I also gave them time to catch up on any class work they may have missed.  From there we went on to review the entire semester.

            

The drummers and I spent the first two weeks of December practicing in the gym.  The Christmas concert was just around the corner and we needed to make sure everything was ready.  The timings, rhythms, and tricks got better with every passing day.  By the end of the second week, I felt we were ready for the concert.  My drummers also had their last performance test of the semester, where they were required to play intermediate level rudiments, and two drum pieces.  They all scored high marks. 

            

Friday, December 6 was the day my Grade 12 Social Studies students presented their projects to a panel of judges.  I would lead the panel.  I had asked several teachers and community members if they would like sit on the panel and managed to get four volunteers: the principal of Inuujaq School, the town's mental health nurse, and a GN worker.  The four presentations took place in my classroom after school.  My students' projects centered on: Inuit artists, photographers, and singers; Inuit living around the world; Inuit history; and Inuit & suicide.  They had 20 minutes each to present their essays, products, and field questions from the judges panel.  They would be marked on: language & delivery, organization, content, media technology use, and responses to the panel. 

            

I could spend an entire post writing about the presentations but I'll just say that my students did alright.  Their content and organization were fine but they just needed to have more eye contact and speak a little louder.  After dismissing my students at the conclusion of the presentations, I collected all the marking sheets from the panel judges and thanked them again for taking the time out of their busy schedules to volunteer.  I would review the marking sheets over the weekend and decide whether the presenters deserved a passing grade.  My Grade 12s would not have a final exam.

            

At the beginning of the semester, I was surprised that one of my students chose to investigate the reasons behind the high suicide rate in Nunavut.  Examining such a topic can be difficult, emotionally & physically.  What I've learned from reading news articles and listening to personal stories is that when an Inuk takes their life, it affects the entire community and beyond.  I regularly checked in with her to make sure the research & writing processes weren't causing too much stress and/or grief.  Thankfully, this did not happen.      

            

Suicide is a problem of epidemic proportions in the north, with the rate among Nunavut Inuit being 13 times higher than the national average.  The 2013-year saw a record number of suicides: 45.  The reasons behind the suicides (ie. Why they did it?) are the same as down south, except the reasons why the rate is higher in the north is difficult to pinpoint.  Recently, Inuit youth have been complaining that the mental-health services in place are inadequate in dealing with the problem.  Likewise, members of the Canadian Armed Forces have been saying the same thing recently after a rash of suicides over the Christmas Holidays.  I don't know what the solution is, but something needs to be done to stop people from taking their own lives.

            

Final exams for high school students happened between December 11 and 13.  Only my Grade 10 & 11 Social Studies students had to write an exam.  I spent many hours over the weekend reviewing all the materials and selected the most important information to include on the exams.  On Monday & Tuesday, I reviewed the selected content without giving away the exact answers.  I stressed that the exams were not open-book, so my students needed to study, study, study!  On 'the day of judgement', I gave both classes two hours to write their exams.  Thankfully, all my students heeded my instruction to only look at their exams, otherwise they would have had to wear state-of-the-art anti-cheating devices.  (See picture to the left).  I spent the following weekend marking exams, class work, and entering final marks & comments into the school's computer system.

Qudlik

Before the conclusion of the semester, the staff of Inuujaq School had a Christmas potluck dinner on the evening of December 12.  The high school science room had been converted into a dining room, complete with Christmas & table decorations.  Staff were required to bring their own dishes/plates and cutlery.  There were many foods to choose from: meats, fish, chili, soup, vegetables, stuffing, bread, rice, salads, and many desserts.  Most of the food was homemade but some items were store bought.  After saying Grace, everyone lined up and filled their plates and bowls with food.  The food was so good, we all went back for seconds and thirds. 

           

Late November (2013)

Happy New Year Everyone!

The third week of November (18 - 22) is Anti-Bullying Week, an annual event that aims to raise awareness of bullying and to find ways of preventing and responding to it.  The campaign is geared towards children and young people.  The awareness campaign originally began in the United Kingdom back in 2004 and has been observed and promoted in other countries including Canada.

            

Unfortunately, bullying is not foreign to the students of Inuujaq School.  It is just as much of a problem as it is for schools down south.  On Tuesday, November 19, the high school students gathered in the science room to watch Bully, a 2011 documentary film about bullying in the United States.  The film follows the lives of five students who are bullied on a daily basis, how the students' families fight for change & action, and what can happen to victims of bullying if they don't receive help (ie. suicide).  The film was directed by Lee Hirsch, who also runs The Bully Project website. 

            

After viewing the film, the teachers and students discussed the problems that were addressed and related them to their own experiences or situations they have witnessed.  It was surprising to hear the comments and observations that were shared.  Before being dismissed, the students were reminded to not ignore bullying behaviour but to report it to a teacher or to someone they trusted.  Bullying does not stop when good people do nothing.

            

My Grade 10 Social Studies students were quite busy in the second half of November. They wrote a definitions test, made biographic posters about the Inuit land claim negotiators (ie. Tagak Curley, Paul Quassa, John Amagoalik), created timelines showing the most important events of modern Inuit history, and looked at a cartoon analogy of how the Nunavut territory came to be.  I had to increase the pace because December was fast approaching and I didn't want to leave any important details out.

            

My Grade 11s learning about the Syrian Civil War.

For Grade 11 Social Studies, I decided to have my students examine the quality of life and standard of living of one more country: Syria.  In particular, the current civil war that has been ravaging the country since 2011.  Since the lessons progressed, (or regressed, depending on your interpretation), from developed nation (Canada), to One-Child Policy (China), and to famines (Ethiopia), I felt that naturally, civil war would be the next topic.  My students had minimal knowledge of Syria because it was on the other side of the world and not on 'their radar'.  However, they soon became interested in learning why the country was experiencing internal conflict and how it was affecting those who lived in and around the country.                

One of my Grade 11 students decided to turn my mouse . . . into a mouse.

My drummers spent the remaining two weeks of November practicing the two Christmas pieces I arranged and a familiar warm up that would serve as the 'opening number' at the evening concert.  After attending the first Christmas Committee meeting, to which I am a member, I learned that my drummers would be the second last act in the program.  The staff of Inuujaq School were always the last act.

            

Friday, November 22, was a unique day for my drummers because we put on an exclusive demonstration workshop in the gym for Ina's Grade 2 class.  Several days prior, Ina explained to me that she wanted her students to see the various drums up close, and understand how they worked and sounded differently.  I accepted her request and came up with a plan.

            

The workshop kicked off at 1:30pm when Ina & her students arrived in the gym.  I spoke in English and Ina translated into Inuktitut.  I began by introducing myself, the drummers, and the drums that we played (snare, bass, quad-toms).  After each drummer played a few sounds on their drums, I passed around the large white Ralph Hardimon snare sticks my drummers' use when playing on the practice pads.  The Grade 2s were surprised by how heavy they were.  I then took one of the snare drums off its stand and held it while each Grade 2 student hit it with a drum stick.  The Grade 2s also got to hold the large bass drum mallets. 

            

My drummers and I played a few simple and complicated rhythms; all were received with "ooohs" & "aaaahs".  I think by the third rhythm, the Grade 2s were drumming along with their hands on the gym floor.  For the last activity, I taught the students two stick tricks where the sticks bounce off the floor.  I was taking a huge gamble because there is a risk of breaking and/or snapping the sticks down the middle of the shaft.  I only had 6 pairs (12 individual sticks) and I didn't want to lose any.  Thankfully, that didn't happen.  The students had fun catching the sticks in the air.  At the end of the workshop, Ina & her students thanked us for a great performance and left the gym wanting to learn more. 

            

My Grade 12 Social Studies students had their last test for the semester.  They were no longer required to write a departmental exam; the Social Studies Project would be their final assessment.  One of the major components of the assessment is the 20-minute presentation where students talk about their topics, give a brief outline of their essays, and showcase their products.  The product is something that addresses your topic but also benefits the greater community (ie. video, website, model, artwork, radio show, etc).  The remaining portion of the presentation is fielding questions from the audience and panel of judges. 

            

Like most high school students, my Grade 12s were getting jittery as the date of the presentations approached.  I had scheduled them for the first week of December.  To put their minds at ease, we reviewed the presentation process, how to plan & prepare, but most importantly, how to present oneself (ie. maintain eye contact, speak clearly, don't chew gum, and engage the audience).  I also advised my students to brainstorm what they were going to say and write out how they were going to say it.  But I stressed not to write a detailed speech; just the most important points.  Writing in a formal tone was the main challenge because English is their second language and they normally speak common English amongst each other.  But they took the challenge in stride and with my assistance, it appeared the final results would be good.  Of course, I wouldn't know for sure until the day of presentations.

Having fun with silhouette photography.