The Month Of January

The winter semester began in the dark.  It was the middle of dark season and 9am outside looked more like 9pm.  I would be teaching four classes again, a full course load, in teacher-speak.  The classes were also the same: Grades 10 & 11 Social Studies, Grade 10 English, and Grade 10 Guitar.  Add in extra curricular activities and being the school’s Professional Development Coordinator, this semester was going to be really busy for me.  I reminded myself to take frequent breaks to prevent burnout.

            

I’ll give you the very quick run-through of what I taught in all four of my classes because the content I teach is mostly same from the previous years.  (There are more than enough topics to select but not enough time in the semester to cover them all in detail).  The month of January was devoted to teaching European imperialism in Grade 11 Social Studies, and grammar, literary elements, and short stories to my Grade 10 English students.  My Grade 11 students studied globalization and my guitarists learned the basics of playing & handling guitars.  I also introduced them to music theory, notation, and playing as a group.

            

Several high school students signed up for afterschool recording.  If you recall the Hitmakerz Workshop from last September, Kelly Fraser & Thor donated a mobile music studio kit to the school.  There is a lot of musical talent in Arctic Bay and I was determined to give aspiring artists the opportunity to get their voices heard.  The afterschool recording took place in my classroom on Fridays.  Students who signed up could have an hour or two-hour sessions.  While the student(s) worked on their musical creations, I moved my work to the library.

            

The cadet marksmanship & biathlon teams have been busy improving their shooting & skiing skills over the weekends.  The biathlon competition is first, taking place in Whitehorse, in February.  The biathlon team goes cross-country skiing for about an hour out on the ice and then shoot the Daisy air rifles for another hour inside Inuujaq School’s gym.  I run the shooting range.  The cadets practice shooting prone & standing.                     

            

The weather in Arctic Bay in January is relatively cold, but not as extreme as it is in February.  Minus thirty-five degrees is a good day if the sun is out and there’s no wind.  If you’re properly dressed then the temperature is not that bad at all.  Making sure you’re getting your daily dose of Vitamin D during dark season is more important.  A lack of Vitamin D can lead to irritability and restless nights.  Driving a skidoo is fun as long as you’re fully buttoned up.  Otherwise, be prepared for frostbite and windburn.  I always completely cover my face when I drive my skidoo.  You don’t mess with the cold Arctic.

            

Near the end of the month, the students got two days off because the teachers were having a professional development workshop.  The Government of Nunavut was introducing new professional development & self-reflection evaluation standards and they wanted all teachers in the territory to be familiar with the new materials.  John & I were introduced to the new packages in Iqaluit last September and now it was the staff’s turn.

            

The workshop was taught by the school principal.  There was a PowerPoint presentation, plenty of handouts, and several group activities.  Of course, there were snacks & coffee breaks to give our minds a break.  It will take too long to fully explain the changes so I’ll just give you the Coles Notes version.  There’s a little more paperwork, most of the terminology from the old versions have remained, there will be more meetings with school administration, and the government really likes the colour green.  (The coloured version of the new handouts are all green).

            

At the end of the workshop, we were given feedback sheets to fill out.  The Department of Education wanted to know what we liked and what parts needed to be worked on.  We all hoped the department would read our comments & suggestions, as well as the comments & suggestions from all Nunavut teachers.      

To The South & Back

Source: https://allupdatehere.com/new-year-2018-wishes/

Happy New Year Everyone! 2018 is here!

Two southern teachers decided to stay in Arctic Bay over the Christmas Holidays.  The rest of us travelled down south but at different times.  We just had over two weeks at our disposal.  Unfortunately, Mother Nature had other plans.

Two coworkers and I were scheduled to leave Arctic Bay on the morning of December 16.  We were excited to be going down south to visit our family & friends.  Suddenly, the weather changed and large low clouds moved over the airport.  The First Air plane flying from Resolute Bay tried twice to land but failed.  The airport doesn’t have an instrument landing system (ILS) so if the pilots can’t see the runway, they don’t land.  A collective groan erupted inside the terminal after the plane flew above the terminal a second time.  We also heard the pilot talking to the ground crew, saying that he would continue on to Pond Inlet and then Iqaluit.  We were rebooked to Iqaluit for December 18 and Ottawa on December 19.  If we couldn’t fly out by then, it would no longer make sense to fly at all.  The return plane tickets cost $4K with the teacher’s discount!

            

If any of my readers are Nunavut MLAs, federal MPs, or have connections to the proper levels of government, Arctic Bay Airport needs an ILS and it needs to be built ASAP.  While on this topic, I also find it strange that the old Nanisivik Airport didn’t have an ILS.  Not having this essential equipment forced many flights to be cancelled due to fog.

            

My decorated Christmas cookie.

Calbert's decorated Christmas cookie.

JF, the high school science & math teacher, organized a small get together at his place on the evening of December 17.  He originally didn’t plan on having one but when he heard about the cancelled flight the previous day, he decided to lift the spirits of me and the other teachers who couldn’t fly out.  The highlight was the Christmas cookie decorating contest.  We had to pick a cookie and decorate it using the supplies that JF provided.  I didn’t win but I think I did a good job.  The winner received a candy cane.

            

John's decorated Christmas cookie.

Kaitlynd's decorated Christmas cookie.

We did fly out on December 18 but in the evening and on the freighter plane.  The plane is smaller and only has 10 passenger seats.  On top of that, the plane flies up to Resolute Bay and then down to Iqaluit.  This would be my first time landing in the northern community of 300 people.  Grise Fiord is the only permanent community beyond Resolute.  After that, it’s research & military stations.

            

Resolute Bay Airport

The airport in Resolute Bay is larger and more developed.  It boasts a 5,000ft runway, two hangars, and even has an ILS!  The airport sees a lot of military and civilian activity.  Everyone was instructed to deplane and enter the terminal while the plane was emptied of cargo & refueled.  A large C-130 military Hercules plane was parked just off to the side.  I was unable to get a photograph before it took off.

            

The terminal is at least twice the size as the one in Arctic Bay.  The centrepiece is a large stuffed polar bear enclosed in a glass display.  There is also a gift shop and large posters advertising Quttinirpaaq National Park.  Ken Borek Air Ltd. has an office and check in counter at the airport.  Ken Borek is the only airline that flies to Grise Fiord.

            

The plane took off into the night and reached Iqaluit in 2 & a half hours.  It was already past midnight.  The only people in the new terminal building were the employees & security guards.  I stayed at my brother’s place for the night and boarded my flight to Ottawa the following afternoon.  I was finally home for Christmas.

            

Having lost three days due to bad weather and cancelled flights put me in “hit-the-ground-running” mode.  Granted, I still had a week & half left in my break but we all know that vacation days go by at a very fast rate.  I spent my remaining days with family, friends, and at various stores, shopping for supplies.  I came down with not much but flew back fully packed.

            

I was glad there were no problems on the return trip.  All the stuff I brought back made it onto the same plane I was travelling on.  It took me about 3 hours to unpack everything and put everything in order.

            

My classroom was the just way as I left it in December 2017.  I moved things around and prepared for the upcoming semester.  My schedule was the same as last year’s: Grades 10 & 11 Social Studies, Grade 10 English, and Grade 10 Guitar.  This semester would be very busy because I no longer had a prep period.  The winter semester began on January 4.

            

There was something I forgot to mention back in December.  A former student of mine, Leetia Kalluk, won first place in the Qilaut Song Writing Contest.  Submissions were due in October (2017) and her song, “Qaigialaurit” was selected as the winner.  Her second song, “Maana” placed 9^th.  She was awarded $5000 for her submission.  She & the other nine contestants in the top 10 got the opportunity to have their songs professional recorded.  The CD will be released in February (2018).  Leetia was the top student in my 2015 guitar class, enjoys writing songs, and playing guitar.  She previously won the QIA Inuktitut Literacy Month Song & Poem contest in February 2017.  She’s well on her way to becoming a successful singer.