Late October

Wednesday, October 16, was a day of excitement, nervousness, and maybe anxiety for teachers.  After students were dismissed for the day, teachers had to get ready for Parent-Teacher Interviews.  At these meetings, parents sit down with the teachers who instruct their children and hear what they're like in class and whether they're passing the course or not.  If teachers are having problems with students, they have to be ready to back up their allegations with evidence because no parent wants to hear that their child(ren) are failing and/or a nuisance in class.  Regardless, I still wanted to meet the parents of all of my students, a fact that I emphasized to my students before they were dismissed for the day.

            

To make the parents feel welcome, snacks, coffee, and tea were available in the staff room. Southern teachers have access to translators when talking to unilingual parents. The translators can be Inuit teachers or friends accompanying the parents.  Unfortunately, only a few parents came to see me.  Regardless, I welcomed them into my classroom, answered their questions, and showed them the midterm marks of their children.  At the end of the day, I felt like the meetings were a success and hoped to see more parents when report cards would be issued.

            

A similar Parents Night was held at Inuujaq School's gym on Wednesday, October 23rd, but this was organized by 3045 Army Cadet Corps.  Parents were invited to see the dress, drill, and deportment of their children on parade, as well as photograph them receiving awards for fitness and marksmanship. 

            

Cpt. Tad Nicol (left).
Cadet Sgt. Andrew Reid (right).

The Reviewing Officer for the parade was Captain Tad Nicol, the Area Cadet Officer (ACO) for RSCU Northwest - (RSCU - Regional Cadet Support Unit).  Based in Iqaluit, Cpt. Nicol is tasked with assisting all cadet corps & squadrons in Nunavut in any capacity.  The Guest Reviewing Officer was RCMP Constable Christa Maktaaq. 

            

Constable Christa Maktaaq inspecting the cadets.

March Past.

The parade followed a standard format, the main parts being: inspection by the reviewing officer(s), the march past, presentation of awards, speeches by the Reviewing Officer and Corps Commanding Officer, and the Advance in Review Order.  The only difference was the parade began with a prayer in Inuktitut.  I played a small part at the end of the parade by thanking parents for their attendance, Cpt. Nicol for coming to town to preside over the parade, and the cadets for putting on a good show.  A small reception was held after the parade's dismissal, featuring coffee, tea, cookies, and cupcakes.

            

With the end of October fast approaching, everyone was getting into the Halloween spirit.  By the end of the second last week, the kindergarten and elementary classroom doors were covered with Halloween decorations.  My drummers were vigorously practicing the music I had selected for them to play during the Halloween Spirit Team Assembly on October 31st.  This would be their first performance in front of the whole school.  There are ten spirit teams, each named after an animal found in the Arctic, and they include students from all grades.  I'm in charge of Team Rabbit.    

            

To get a sense of what the Spirit Team Committee had in mind for Halloween, I sat in on one of their meetings.  After much debate on what kind of activities to have, the committee crafted an interesting program, and my drummers would be the opening act.  No pressure.  When I told my drummers this, I could tell they were nervous, but I assured them that everything would be alright . . . provided that we kept practicing and rehearsing the music and visuals. 

            

Dividing the resources between
the 10 Spirit Teams.

At the Spirit Team Committee meeting, I successfully pitched an idea for a contest I witnessed at Inuksuk High School in Iqaluit.  When I was teaching there, the school engaged in a Christmas door decorating contest but the teams were only allowed to use assigned resources.  The Committee liked this idea and decided to hold a Halloween mural contest following the same restriction.  The winning team would be rewarded with candy.  Deciding what resources and how much each team would get fell on me and Iga, the high school Inuktitut teacher.  We spent some time after school going through the resource room selecting resources, such as, construction paper, finger paints, paper bags, googly eyes, and of course, very large pieces of mural paper. 

            

Bob the Hallway Monitor (Sens cap)
helps out Team Rabbit.

The mural contest took place on the last period of the day, on October 29.  Team Rabbit assembled in my classroom and got to work on creating a spooky Halloween mural.  I mostly pitched ideas, guidance, and maintained order.  A child's imagination is more powerful and creative than that of an adult.  By the end of the day, Team Rabbit's Halloween Mural had taken shape.  After dismissal, I stapled the mural to an empty wall space.  I walked along the hallways, inspecting the other murals; many of them were well done.
            

(My last name does not contain
brackets.  It's an inside joke.)

I did a good job of keeping it secret when I was teaching at Inuksuk High, but somehow, the students of Inuujaq School discovered my birthday.  Their suspicions were confirmed when it was announced to the entire school during morning announcements.  I received an applause from my Grade 10 Social Studies students and by the end of the day, my chalkboards were covered in birthday greetings.  Even one of the Inuit janitors played and sang an Inuktitut version of Happy Birthday (Nagliunirsiuttiarit) on the guitar for me after school.  How very thoughtful.  At the end of the day, I pondered on whether my drummers & I would receive the same treatment at the Halloween Assembly.             

'Bright Lights' - October 23, 2013