The Fast Month Of May

The people of Arctic Bay got word from Igloolik that the Nunavut Quest competitors arrived safely in the community after mushing for a week out on the land.  CBC News North reported on May 1 that Andy Attagutalukutuk won first place with a total time of 40 hours & 22 minutes.  He is from Igloolik.  “Lee Inuaraq finished second [with] a time of 41 hours and 10 minutes, followed by Michael Inuaraq, [at] 42 hours and 15 minutes.”  The eight teams crossed the finish line without penalties, having [travelled] “around 80 kilometres a day”.  First prize was $15,000, second prize was $7,000, and third prize was $4,000.  It would take a few days for the Arctic Bay competitors & their supply teams to return home.  “Next year’s race will run from Igloolik to Pond Inlet.”

            

May is always the fastest month of the school year.  There are so many things packed in 31 days that the month just flies by, even if you are paying attention.  As mentioned in my previous post, the Silver Star Expedition was at the beginning of the month.  The next big events on my roster are: fishing derby, final exams, Operation Spring Fix 17, and spring camp.  All of these will be explained in detail in future posts.  If you’re upset about this, I can briefly talk about final exams as a compromise.

            

Final exams usually happen at the end of the month.  When I returned from the Silver Star Expedition, I knew time was running out.  Three weeks is not a lot of time when it comes to reviewing and preparing final exams.  My English & Social Studies classes will have exams but my guitarists will have a final performance test.  I will be devoting a lot of time into review, writing the exams, and making answer keys.  Answer keys make marking so much easier & faster.  But before I could start working on my exams, I had to use whatever time I had left to finish teaching the course materials. 

            

In Grade 10 English, my students have been working on essay writing, studying the classic Canadian novel, Lost In The Barrens by Farley Mowat, writing poetry, and performing oral pieces.  (Oral pieces are one act plays).  My Grade 11 Social Studies students finished the imperialism module and studied the causes of international conflicts, particularly the First World War.  In Grade 10 Social Studies, the students completed their study of the Canadian Residential School System.  And my Grade 10 guitarists learned more difficult chords, power chords, and challenging songs.  Unfortunately, there wouldn’t be enough time to teach them barre chords and articulations.  Their final performance test will see them playing a song in front of an audience.

            

Plums for sale.

The arrival of spring in Arctic Bay is usually a joyous occasion because travelling out on the land becomes more scenic and the weather is warmer than winter.  What isn’t joyous is the rise in prices at the Northern and Co-op stores.  The increase usually occurs in the spring time when supplies brought up on sea lift in August are low and/or exhausted.  On two occasions, I walked around the Northern Store, covertly taking photographs of items on the shelves.  I’m sure the security cameras recorded me taking the pictures but the truth needs to be shown!  Plus, many people do this and post their pictures on the Facebook group “Feeding My Family”.  It’s the only way to get the rest of Canada to notice that the people of the territories are suffering from high food prices on a daily basis. The Nutrition North program provides some relief but it needs more tweaking.  I’m just going to share the most shocking pictures.

            

Who wants coffee?

I received my sealskin mitts on Friday, May 12.  They really complement my parka.  Surprisingly, there was left over sealskin.  I placed the remnants in a container.  Maybe they will be used in the future?

            

My sealskin mitts.

David Bouchard

On May 16, David Bouchard, Métis author, speaker, and educator, visited Inuujaq School to talk to students about: the importance of reading, maintaining good mental health, and succeeding while having a learning disability.  He also brought his collection of flutes to show & play.  He spent the entire day at school, dividing his time between the elementary, middle, & high school students.  I was present when he spoke to the high school students in the afternoon. 

           

Bouchard was quite energetic and full of life throughout his presentation.  He fluently speaks English, French, and Michif.  He enjoyed talking about his Métis heritage and telling stories about his life.  He only stopped talking to play his flutes and to share short clips of songs he likes to listen to for motivation.  We were particularly impressed by his flute playing and his ability to tell good stories.  The teachers were glad that he said it’s possible to succeed in school even if you have a learning disability.  We do have several students with learning disabilities and hearing that statement/declaration must have lowered their feelings of discouragement.  He answered questions from the audience at the end of his presentation.

            

Bouchard briefly spoke to the entire student body at the end of the attendance awards assembly in the gym.  He mostly reiterated what he said in his presentations.  He also played one of his flutes along to a backing track.  Everyone liked it.