While I was trying to get caught up on the last few weeks of writing, I looked out my window to a stunning 10am sunrise. A few minutes later, I had my parka, mitts, and boots on, and was walking my way down to the riverside to catch the sunrise.
All this week it’s been a long slog of getting prepared for each day of teaching. First year teaching is often a challenge. I’ve been working after school each day, trying to get lessons ready for the next day. Each evening on my computer to figure out the next day. This cycle felt like it was slowly driving me into the ground. When Friday evening finally arrived, I cleaned up my apartment, turned off my morning alarm, and slept.
This morning, even after 10 hours of sleep, I felt exhausted. It didn’t make sense. Around 8am I crawled out of bed, made some tea, and ate breakfast. It was still pitch black outside. Maybe that was the cause? All this week I’d hardly been outside while the sun was out. Maybe that’s what was missing.
The sunrise called me out of the house. I took a walk down to the riverside. The sides of the river are already forming ice. It’s probably strong enough that you could stand on it (although I didn’t try). While I stood there I could hear a sort of chirping sound resonating trough the ice. While I watched, I also noticed that the ice was slowly rising and falling with the swell of the river. It looked and sounded like the ice was breathing.
After spending some time by the water, I walked back up to my apartment. It was close ot 10:30, and a few other people were out in town. It felt like the day was beginning. Walking back home, I felt so much more awake and alert. Maybe it was the sun, maybe it was the walk, or the cold air on my face. Maybe it was just being outside.
I thought of my students, many of whom spend time gaming after school. For those of us who grew up without video games, its hard to understand how immersive modern games are. Old Nintendo games were about beating levels as fast as possible: the game starts and you run, jump, power-up, and beat the level. Then you move on to the next level, until you beat the game. Some modern games don’t have an end. Your character exists in an infinite, computer generated world. The world has no end. Gameplay captures your emotions. You exist in a simulated world where you can survive, thrive, and grow. The digital world waits for you while you turn off your computer, and go to school. Modern games feel much more like living in a dream-world where you can control and interact with the imagined word around you. When the virtual world, with all its colours and vibrant actions, keeps waiting for you, how would you feel walking to school when the outside world looks like this:
This is a puzzle to contend with. Billion-dollar industries have influence over hours of our student’s time. We can’t ignore it, or put it away. Even if we eliminate phone and computer use during the 6 hours of school, there are still 18 hours each day. That’s a huge influence on how we think.
During the few hours that I put my computer away this morning, to walk down to the river, and back, my feelings changed dramatically. I felt awake, and alert. Was it just the screen time? Maybe the dark mornings, or the stress of being a first year teacher? I don’t know, but it renewed my interest in finding a way to get our students out of the classroom, and out on the land.
The Meat Salesman
Last Monday, while I was puttering around my apartment, there was a knock at my apartment door. I wasn’t expecting a visitor, especially on the last day of the Thanksgiving long weekend. I opened the door, and got greeted by a sturdy-looking middle-aged man.
“Hello, I’m here with frozen meet from Edmonton” he handed me a flyer. “I’ve got a van and trailer parked out front. Its great quality, and the prices are much better then you’ll find at the Northern Store.” He handed me a flyer.
My frugal brain started to caculate: if I did a bulk purchase now, I might not need to buy any meat for the rest of the year. I didn’t plan on eating much. I’ve been partly vegetarian for the last few years (carno-vegan, technically). Still, I was intrigued by having a supply of frozen meat as a back-up. Especially since vegetable selection here is very limited, and meat prices at the local store are astronimcal (ex. $39 for a bag of 6 frozen chicken brests). This door-to-door meat salesman was selling a box of 16 for $90.
In the same sentance as saying I was vegerarian, I placed an order for 2 boxes of chicken, 2 boxes of fish, and 1 box of 8oz ribeye steaks, “they’re the best steaks you’ll ever have,” he said, “triple-A Alberta beef.” I realized I really didn’t know anything about this guy, or what his company was. He said that he suppied the local RCMP detachment, and had been comming to town for years. What could I say? I followed him outside to his van, where he pulled out the six boxes that made up my order. I paid $600. It seemed like a lot for the relatively small boxes. I felt like I’d been caught up by an opportunistic salesman. Meanwhile, he packed up his truck, and drove off to check on the other teachers and school workers.
I felt a bit foolish for having purchased so much meat from one guy. Later in the week I found that the other first-year staff had also bought more than they needed. That made me feel a little better. Then I made a chicken-and-rice soup with some of the frozen chicken. That was very good, and made me feel much better about it all. Still, lesson learned to stay within moderation for the next Arctic salesman who shows up at my door.
Meanwhile at school…
We are currently missing a Grade 4-6 teacher. Staffing up here is a serious challenge at times. We had a teacher for the first two months. She was a retired teacher who’d agreed to come upwith her husband for a few months to help the school have enough time to find a permanent teacher. We all wish she could have sayed longer - she was a phenomial teacher - her years of experience showed: her students rotated each day through Math, English, Science, and all the other grade 4-6 subjects. Each day her class was there, quietly and calmly working through their daily lessons.
I hear stories about teachers who run all these amazing programs for Northern students. They’re out on the land, or they’re travelling to Vancouver, or their students are getting mentioned in the news for winning scholarships. Somehow I’m stuck trying to keep my classroom from falling apart. While I was reading about one of these teachers on CBC news, I thought, why not contact them and find out how they do it? It’s pretty easy to look up teacher’s emails… so that’s what I did. To my suprize, I got a reply, and a few days later we were on a zoom call together, talking about teaching.
One of the first things he mentioned was that he’d been teaching in the North for 20 years. Speaking with this teacher gave me an appreciation that developing the skill of being a teacher takes time. It also impressed upon me how much dedication teachers have to supporting their colleagues. There’s a lot about this profession that I can only learn from experience. I’m at the beginning of a process - and it’s both hubling and helpful to remember that. I need to focus on building a strong classroom environment, where students feel directed and supported in their learning.
We were all sad to see our grade 4-6 teacher, and her husband, leave at the start of the Thanksgiving weekend. They’re off to Inuvik, and then flying home. We still have no newsa bout who her replacement will be, or when they will arrive. All we know is that there have been applicants.
Just to add to the fun, two of our five teachers got sick this week. Half of our work-force was missing, and the nearest supply teacher was… nowhere. There aren’t any supply teachers here. We’re on our own. Lukcily, the day went well. I subbed-in as the Gwich’in language teacher, and the kids taught me a few phrases. We all pulled together, and thankfully, by the end of the week, everyone was back.
Its the end of the weekend now, and I need to get a few things ready for next week. Its going to be a good week. If I’ve managed to learn one this this week, its that your outlook on each day can have a huge impact on its outcome. Apparently, feeling alert is greatly influenced by your mindset, according to a new sleep study. It also helps to get physical exercize, and to eat well (this is according to one of the most reliable sources I know - my Mom!). It probably explains why getting out to see the sunrise on Saturday morning was such a good part of the weekend.
Here’s to a beautiful Arctic Sunrise. Wishing you an excellent week ahead.
PS. I’ve tried to find a way to set up comments, but they are hard for me to set up on a stand-alone website. Here’s an email: torontototsiigehtchicATgmail.com (replace AT with @). Please feel welcome to write me here.