Chinese New Year & PD Week

Ox Tail.

Inuujaq School staff assembled in the Home Ec Room for an afternoon get together on Friday, November 7.  We were celebrating the end of the school week, the beginning of Professional Development (PD) Week, and Chinese New Year (CNY).  (The actual day for CNY was January 29, but that was a Sunday).

CNY “marks the beginning of a new year on the traditional lunisolar Chinese calendar” and is “also known as the Spring Festival”.  This year, 2025, is the year of the Snake.  A person with a snake zodiac is described as “mysterious, determined, wise, and charismatic.”  In case you’re wondering, my Chinese zodiac sign is not a snake.

The teachers from China & Jamaica prepared a potluck for staff.  Some of the menu items were jerk chicken, curry chicken, ox tail, fried dumplings, potato salad, and rice.  An Elder blessed the food and then everyone lined up with plates & cutlery.  The food was delicious.

PD Week in Nunavut is where teachers do professional development to expand & improve their knowledge & skills teaching pedagogy.  This can be done through online courses, workshops, conventions, & collaborations.  Students enjoy a free week off school.  All communities except for Rankin Inlet hold their PD Week in mid-February.  Rankin Inlet’s PD Week is in October.

I travelled to Iqaluit to complete a course in educational leadership.  It’s one of several courses attached to a leadership program designed for educators wanting to be administrators in Nunavut.  Completing the program is required to becoming a school principal.  Teachers & administrators from other schools were present.

The course took place in a small conference room at the Frobisher Inn, and it was also the hotel where all the participates stayed.  We would find out later in the week how important that was.  There were two instructors and around 14 participants including myself.  Classes began in the morning and ended in the afternoon.  They consisted of presentations, video clips, group discussions, and reading articles.  We were required to complete written assignments and a project.  The hotel was hired as caterer, providing breakfast, lunch, and afternoon snacks.  The quality of food was pretty good.  I did stop by Yummy Shawarma twice during the week for dinner.

A blizzard roared through Iqaluit on February 12, bringing the town to a standstill.  We were able to continue the course in the morning, but the instructors had to end early in the afternoon because the power grid became affected.  The hotel & surrounding neighbourhood experienced rolling blackouts.  The instructors gave us permission to return to our hotel rooms to work on assignments.  I took a few photos & videos of the blizzard from my room window.  I was able to get some work done despite the lights coming on & turning off at random times.  It made me think of a power plant employee flicking a switch on & off as a prank.  The blizzard eventually passed, and the electricity stayed on.

The last day of the course was Thursday, February 13.  Everyone presented their projects in small groups.  My project was about setting up a skidoo engine & body repair course at my school for middle & high school students.  A course like this is needed in all northern communities.  The course was finished at lunch time.  The instructors thanked everyone for their participation and asked them to fill out a feedback form.  We then took a group photo.  We were then dismissed.  Everyone bid each other farewell and to stay in touch.

Overall, it was a good course.  I learned a lot and made new connections.

I spent the last day of PD Week in Iqaluit doing professional reading, exploring the town, and shopping for supplies.

Inuksuk High School.

Shawarma plate.

The town has grown & changed in the last 13 years.  New buildings have been added, and old ones have been renovated.  I walked around town, photographing landmarks and points of interest.  I walked by Inuksuk High School, the place where my Nunavut teaching career started in 2012.  It’s hard to believe how much time has passed since.  I feel like a veteran teacher.  I bought & enjoyed a shawarma plate for dinner.

I returned to Arctic Bay on February 15.  The Canadian North turboprop plane approached the airport from the north and flew over the community.  I was able to take a few good photos of the town before we landed.

Arctic Bay. February 15, 2025.