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| Full Moon. |
The last week of November felt more like the middle
of December because there was barely any sunlight. There was some for about an hour around lunch
time every day but it would quickly disappear before you had a chance to blink. The cold usually hovered around the -20s
(Celsius). Dark season was in full
swing. My previous assumption had been
correct in that my skidoo now required at least 10 minutes to warm up.
In
Grade 10 Social Studies, we began our study of the last four activities in the
Residential Schools Module. These
activities focus on the survivors and government workers who spoke out against
the abuses and inadequate government funding, reconciliation & healing,
moving forward, and rebuilding families & communities.
One
story in particular stood out for me.
Controversy arose in the early 20th century when it became known that
many aboriginal children were dying in "Indian boarding schools". In 1907, Dr. P.H. Bryce, Medical Inspector of
Indian Affairs, was sent to investigate the schools' conditions. He discovered the schools to be poorly
constructed with bad sanitation & ventilation systems, and the children
were being poorly fed, clothed, and cared for.
Tuberculosis was also rampant. Unfortunately,
Bryce's report, titled A National Crime,
was not fully published until 1922 because the recommendations for change he
originally submitted were heavily suppressed by Duncan Campbell Scott, Deputy
Superintendent of Indian Affairs. Scott
even went a step further by terminating the position of Medical Inspector and
negotiating joint agreements with the various churches to establish what was
called "Indian Residential Schools".
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| Duncan Campbell Scott. Source: Britannica.com |
Duncan Campbell Scott is a man I am not fond of nor anyone should be. He knew very early on that the school system
was not working but rather than fix the problems, or get rid of the entire
system, he intensified the effort to forcefully "civilize" and
Christianize Aboriginal children. In
1920, he made it mandatory for all Aboriginal children between the ages 7 and
15 to attend residential schools. The
abusive treatments and poor conditions rarely improved. He described his job as finding a solution to
Canada's "Indian Problem." As
he infamously stated, "I want to get rid of the Indian problem. Our object is to continue until there is not
a single Indian in Canada that has not been absorbed into the body politic and
there is no Indian question, and no Indian Department." Of course, he is not the only one to blame
for the entire school system, but he was one of the main proponents of forced
assimilation. Even though he is one of
Canada's Confederation Poets, that does not excuse him of the racist and
destructive policies that he pursued towards Canada's Aboriginals. He is one of Canada's worst people.
My
Grade 11 students finished their study of World War 1 and completed a review
test. Most of them did well. The next area of study was the Russian Revolution of 1917, a pivotal event in Russian history that occurred near the
end of the First World War. We learned
the causes & effects, and the major players, such as, Vladimir Lenin, Leon Trotsky, Nicholas II, and Alexander Kerensky.
In
Grade 12 Social Studies, my students took a short break from their projects and
learned about the three principal antagonists of World War II: Germany, Italy,
and Japan. They first examined how the
Treaty of Versailles affected these countries, and how poor economic &
political conditions led to the rise of powerful dictators, such as Benito Mussolini & Adolf Hitler. Next, they
studied the aggressive expansionist policies of these countries during the
1930s. If we had more time, we would
have looked at the events of the later 1930s and the declaration of war.
With
the arrival of December, my drummers were getting a little nervous about the
upcoming Christmas concert. I reassured
them that we still had three weeks to get the four chosen pieces ready. I also got them used to moving the
instruments & hardware from place to place.
Unfortunately, my classroom isn't soundproofed, and the loud sounds of
the drums disrupt adjoining classes.
Thankfully, I was able to find a room for my drummers to practice on their
drums instead of being restricted to practice pads. But, we have to bring everything down to the
room, requiring several trips. It is a
necessary hassle, I argued to my students, because drummers have no one else to
rely on. They're the first ones at the
concert and the last ones to leave. They
move everything themselves. It also
explains why you only see strong drummers.
The month of December also signaled the
impending administering of final exams.
I had two exams to write for Grade 10 & 11 Social Studies. The Grade 12 Social Studies final exam had
been replaced by the project and my drummers would have a final performance
test. By the end of the first week of
December I had a solid plan of how to write up my exams. The Grade 10 exam would focus on Residential
Schools and Grade 11 exam would focus on WW1 & The Russian Revolution. I was still pondering the final performance
piece for my drummers.
Inuujaq
School held an anti-bullying week on the first week of December. Classes made & posted anti-bullying
posters all over the school in English & Inuktitut. Elders, the RCMP, and teachers talked to
students about why people bully, the negative effects of bullying, and how to
stop bullying. There was a drop in
incidences as a result of the activities.
More anti-bullying activities and talks will continue in the new
year.
And
finally, if anyone is considering working in the north, be sure to buy one or
two potable water cans after you settle in.
The majority of northern communities do not have central plumbing; each
household has its own water and sewage tanks.
(If you live in a housing complex like I do, the water is shared
communally, but each apartment has its own sewage tank). Water is delivered by truck, and sewage &
grey water is removed by truck. Some
households have water & sewage metres that alert tenants when it's time to
refill or empty. Others, like me, don't
have that luxury and have to guess when to call for water or sewage. I have two 20-litre potable water cans in
case of emergencies. In Arctic Bay, one
water can costs $30.
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