The School Year Begins... and I can't sleep!

School has been in for almost two weeks now, and the only way I can begin to describe these two weeks is "other worldly." I am not naive enough to think that this would be sunshine and roses every day, but I am not sure I was ready for a roller coaster ride such as this.

Firstly, I love being in the classroom again. Aside from my slight addiction to power and control I really do enjoy sharing what I can and helping my students find their way. After a year away from it, and the year previous to that being more of a zoo keeping job I was worried I would be rubbish at it. I don't claim to be perfect but the first day was not as terrifying as I thought it would be.

The first week was all about routines and getting to know each other. I am already of the opinion that my students are amazing little people despite their occasional resistance to rules and journal writing. Our first day we also had a school picnic and on a "hot" day we took the kids swimming. Taking students swimming on a whim would never fly back home, imagine the legal issues with that one!

My students, while amazing are a challenge every day! I have found myself in a room with four different grade levels and 7 different need levels and an obligation to fulfill both. They need more encouragement to try new things, to look at the world outside their village, and to take a risk every once in a while. I have handed out toothbrushes, changed my lessons based on their moods, and been given the responsibility of giving medication which was given to me my first day. I have been privy to information about my students that I would never have known anywhere else, but it's vital to teaching here. The North really is another world like no other. The past two weeks have been late night lesson plans, re planned lesson plans, and a few sleepless nights (such as tonight). Their needs are so different from other Canadian students, I just hope I can adapt enough to be able to give them what they need.

I think the most shocking to me has been the dramatic change on a daily basis. Monday was a good day, everyone tried their best in class and worked hard. Tuesday was a terrible day, the kind that makes you consider running for the airport and getting on the next thing flying out of here. I am just stubborn enough to stick it out though.

Outside of work things are also a bit strange. I finally got a phone hooked up though it does not always work properly. Often there is an echo, and occasionally people cannot hear me at all. The Internet is unreliable to say the least and sometimes painfully slow. I don't think I ever realised what a luxury grocery stores are until now. Currently the Co-op (our only store) has no store manager so what they carry is generally out of date. We get our groceries by ordering online which is not as simple as it seems. So those of you who complain about having to go to the store, please think of me first!

I was not expecting to actually enjoy living in a village with two streets. Maybe things will change when we are surrounded by snow, but for the most part it is nice to be able to walk up a hill to work. Evenings are mostly quiet, sometimes interrupted by the sound of 4-wheelers or by students knocking on the door. As teachers we are forming a close group already which is a comfort on the not so great days.


And on that note I'm going back to bed!