Tuesday September 4th - Friday September 7th

Tuesday:

It was strange waking up to see a lot of teacher statuses on Facebook as "happy first day of school" when in reality, it was my 9th day of teaching!

Kathleen received her first substitute teaching call! They needed a teacher's assistant to help out with a specific student so she willingly went in. She was thrown into working with a student that is fairly violent and difficult to control - she did a great job and she even rushed home at lunch to have soup ready for us! So nice. 

I was feeling sick today, but positive and excited about being here! I explained to my students that my voice was a little bit funny because of my cold and I asked them what I sounded like. One student responded with "Hansel and Grettle" and another said "Monkey!" I reminded them about a book we had read for science about germs. I asked them "remember when the germs fight the cells in our body? Well, the germs won." 

Another student added, "I'm sick too. Germs won."

We started talking about how God made us...and one student shared her theory..."I know how God made us...I've known since I was in my Mommy...He grabs a piece of a bird..." OKAY - where is she going with this?! The kids would share stories all day if they could - and to be honest, I'd LOVE to let them - but I do have a curriculum to cover! One girl said "Halloween is soon" and that sent us into a long conversation about costumes. I struggle to be firm, fair and fun all at once...I want everyone to have a chance to share, but eventually it HAS to end if we're going to finish anything!

My students are very honest...blunt...One student said to me "you're yapping too much and giving me a headache" - she motioned with her hands to show me what yapping looks like...Wow! I just looked at her as if to say "are you serious?

This same student is the one that said "angels cry when you lie" - and she lied today! Hmmph.

We had a volleyball meeting and practices will be Mondays and Wednesdays. I checked my mailbox expectantly and there was nothing there...I went to the post office to send some mail and the worker there told me that a bunch of mail had come in for me...and it was at the school. I did check in the office and sure enough, there it was. SO EXCITING TO RECEIVE MAIL! :) 

The register that we have to keep updated for attendance is SUCH a chore...Ms. J tried explaining it to me and I feel SO lost!

I was still at school by 8:30 pm...I think it's time to go home.

I saw some of my students at the grocery store, so cool to have them run up and hug me. This is what I LOVE about teaching!

Wednesday:

I had to laugh at a student's innocent question today... "You don't have a lot of friends here, do you? Just your one friend that you live with? And Mr. King, he's your friend?" Another student said, "My mom is her friend!" Yes...at this point, my social network is mostly composed of staff members. Work and social life - all in one convenient location. I like it that way! 

I expected that we had an 'investment meeting' tomorrow after school...but apparently it was switched to today at lunch...It was overwhelming - huge amounts of information in a short amount of time. I don't feel old enough to be thinking about investments!
I also met with my superintendent today...he took me into the VP's office and he was actually really encouraging - not overly intimidating. I felt really relieved to be chatting with him...he reminded me that "it's Grade 2, it's September, it's okay." (after I confessed that I felt kinda clueless and overwhelmed!)

This is a comment on how observant my students are, I wore two different dress scarves this week and they accused me of wearing the same scarf again!

I had to make a couple of parent phone calls today about girls with attitude...It's really awkward getting used to telling parents that their children are misbehaving in class. I usually have good things to report as well, so that softens the blow!

We had volleyball practice and I feel more like a student than a coach...I'm really learning right along with the girls! (Volleyball is NOT my sport)...I was watching today as they set up the net with hopes that I could figure it out and help out! This is funny...I had told one girl not to have her fingers TOO firm while setting...it's important to be flexible...right after I finished my 'coaching' - the REAL coach told the girls to keep their fingers STIFF. Oh boy. Fail.
I like the opportunity to volunteer and be active/engage with the older students...but yet again, it's become a humbling experience!
Regardless of my lack of volleyball skills...it sure did feel good to be in a gym wearing a tshirt and sweatpants! I've been dressing up a lot more than what I'm used to!

One of my elementary school principals emailed me and included a really encouraging quote/reminder:

"We need good people choosing teaching as a career and you are certainly one of them. Enjoy the gift of the day you have been given."

Thursday:

So hard to believe it's ALREADY Thursday!! I suppose it's a good thing that time is flying...I felt more anxious than ever this morning. I spent a little more time on the phone than with planning...and was reminded the hard way: if you fail to plan, you are planning to fail. There has to be a change in my time management and in my planning for this to work!

My mom has been so helpful and supportive...she talked to my former principal and then she emailed me with some great literacy suggestions (and encouragement)! A friend reminded me of the song "turn your eyes upon Jesus..." then the things of earth truly do grow strangely dim...in the light of HIS glory and grace...<3 

I drove to school in the morning and the beautiful sun was streaming down...I drove past a Canadian flag on one of the houses and I was just feeling overwhelmed with thankfulness to be living in Canada... My Sidewalk prophets CD was playing... "HALLELUJAH - He is moving all around!" I love the reminders that God gives to me...especially on my most anxious days.

I told the teacher across the hall that I'd been on the phone REALLY late the night before...she said "good!" She was glad for me...I was catching up with a friend after about a week without communication...(once I catchup on my Blog...this significant phone caller will come into the story a little more often) ;)
Despite my late night and less planning than usual, the day was GOOD! My kids are SO cute. One of my little boys: "Teacher, I have a hole in my pants." What do you say to that?! I have a few little girls that are already really into clothes and accessories...I caught one of them asking a boy in our class, "Are you looking at my earrings?!" Of course. Of course he was interested in looking at her earrings. (It was funny at the time.)

One of my girls that was giving me a hard time yesterday, she was helpful today and gave me an "i love you teacher" sign! Miss C came in and sat at my desk for a bit... she helped me out by writing the due date on my book orders. We showed her some of our routines and the "CHOO CHOO" math game...the kids seemed eager to share the few things that we had done together. We sang a couple of songs for her and showed her our promise board. We started working on an activity and it was so sweet to have Kathleen in as an extra set of able hands to help out. It makes a big difference to have two adults in the room! Kathleen sat at the front of the room and I gave the students an opportunity to ask Kathleen questions they might have for her. They asked for her favourite colour and when she said red, they made the connection - it's both of our favourite colour! It works well for house decor! :)

"Teacher, you have big feet!" I do...and it didn't bother me that this child pointed it out, either...I really appreciate their observation skills and the fact that they say whatever is on their minds!

This next story I'm going to share is difficult to describe...but we were doing a language activity and discussing what the students want to be when they grow up. I listed a bunch of jobs, some kids were chiming in...one of my smallest girls put up her hand, with a funny look on her face, she said "or a killer?" Ughh....I did NOT know what to say! I was stunned! That's not the first 'career option' that pops into my mind...I don't even remember how I reacted and then another boy added to her suggestion with "a moose killer?" Oh my.

In my becoming-a-Saskatchewan-citizen news, I figured out that I'll be able to get my licensing stuff done in Meadow Lake if I bring in all my paperwork...We're going there September 11th for my first professional development! Exciting!

Kathleen came back into my classroom at the end of the day...ACCEPTING THE JOB! :) She told me she got an offer and would be accepting the position of "Community & School Recreation Coordinator!"

I did a bit of running around to talk with other teachers about insurance, pension...called SGI to make sure my vehicle safety check doesn't expire...I talked with the sweet Grade 3 teacher about year plans and she really reassured me...She showed me an example of hers and it really doesn't look too complicated. I didn't spend a lot of time on unit/year plans during teacher's college - so this is all new to me! Long range planning kinda scares me...

At home on this evening, all four of us were actually home for the first time together. We thoroughly enjoyed watching a funny youtube video: "Twighlight with voiceovers..." It was hilarious to us at the time and we actually laughed SO MUCH. It felt good to let loose and giggle with the girls after another stressful few days in the classroom. The others kept telling me to go to bed because I kept falling asleep.

Friday

I LOVE Fridays AND the number 7...and September, come to think of it!
Gah..I also love my roommate! "Mars, do you want banana bread in your lunch?" Umm...heck ya! Is that even a question? She's amazing...and so is banana bread! 

This is starting to feel more normal. I do like it here. This school is so nice and it is a huge privelege to have “my own classroom” - but it’s OUR classroom. It's not just mine...I want these kids to have ownership in this class. I’m starting to care more and more about my students and realizing that I need to plan more too. Glad it’s Friday, but I need to be proactive on Saturday to finish up my yearplan and start to seriously consider how to accommodate some of my students who are struggling with certain things.

One of my students gave me a feather! That meant a lot to me :) It's like a cultural symbol! haha...oh, I'm so easily amused. I was heading down the hallway at recess time and thrilled to see Kathleen! How blessed am I?! To walk down the hallway on a northern native reserve...and there's one of my dear friends from University...working in the SAME building!

Mr. George the gym teacher sent my students back after gym with SUCCERS on a Friday afternoon - they were WILD! I was already losing steam...we spent the last half hour of the day watching a few videos from the week...they were so excited to see themselves - it was really cute! They left for the weekend saying they loved me...that was a sweet feeling!

We had a 'pop staff meeting' today - about our PD in Meadow Lake...we discussed carpooling, supper would be paid, room arrangements, etc. I was setup to be rooming with Chellsea, which was cool with me - she was already staying at our house!

I've been here for 3.5 weeks...feels way shorter and way longer, all at the same time.

Kathleen's 1st Western Weekend - My 1st LONG Weekend!

Day 23-25: Saturday 1 - Monday 3 (SEPTEMBER)

Alright, I think it is time to start grouping days together. I’m like TWO months behind, this is getting ridiculous!

Kathleen’s first weekend in Patuanak was a sweet one. It was a long weekend and we really enjoyed exploring our surroundings as well as taking some time to relax in our new home! It was exciting to sleep in until 9am and we had porridge together before going out to pick blueberries! We still had some unpacking/organizing to do in the house so we rearranged our living room to setup an “office area.” Kathleen brought a mirror for our bathroom - that’s pretty handy! She also brought a shower curtain and some rugs. Yes, I went without these things for a couple of weeks...and I really didn’t care, but it was SO nice to have these extra little home comforts once Kathleen got up here. Moving in, I really wasn’t sure what to expect.

KATHLEEN MADE HOMEMADE BREAD. So exciting!

Our new friend Mel moved in on Saturday, she is from Southern Ontario and was recently hired to replace the Grade 8/9 teacher that moved all the way up here and then quit. Mel taught on another reserve for a few years and has had a lot of interesting experiences! We quickly learned that we share faith in the Lord, which was a really exciting thing to discover upon her arrival, since we aren’t expecting to find a large community of believers up here.

It’s kind of funny to look back at my journal lists...I write down so many small details...I remember this being SUPER exciting though: Kathleen made me a chai tea latte! I was already blessed enough to have a roommate, but wow, this girl spoils me.

Sunday started off with blueberry pancakes and a chilly walk to the river. We were both amazed by the BIRDS that God placed in our view...like, WOW! Seagulls, ducks, swallows, Pelicans, Grey Heron and an EAGLE! The glory of God was UNDENIABLE at that moment. I don’t even ‘love’ birds...like, sometimes they freak me out...but I was QUICKLY learning to love them. It was just a sweet moment of God showing us His creation, so clearly...I was reminded that He’s taking care of us, just like He’s caring for those birds! We had some sweet prayer time and watched a sermon later on...really strange, having our own little fellowship/church time, rather than meeting with the gang at Greenwood...(MISS YOU ALL!) But, the cool part is - God’s still JUST as present up here in Patuanak as He is there in North Bay.

I had a nice chat with my dad and was talking to him about my struggle with knowing how to discipline my students...my tendency is to be a pushover but I know that it’s important to be stern, especially at this early stage when I’m trying to earn the respect of my students. Dad reminded me: “discipline is a part of love...you’ll find that in the Bible too...trust me, I cried when I spanked your bum.” So, he gets it. It’s not easy to discipline those you love - but it sure does pay off!

I made a quick stop at the Northern and spent SIXTY-SIX dollars on an extension cord, 2 curtain rods, 2 decks of cards and a freaking cappucino! Wow. Good thing there aren’t a lot of places to spend my money up here...

Patuanak version of Timmies!

I went into the school on Sunday evening and there were some community members in the gym playing volleyball. A few of the students came in to help me and we re-arranged my desks for the coming week. It was fun to get ideas from the older kids...neat to hear about what they remember from their primary days!

Monday the 3rd was a rainy day...apparently I was coming down with a cold (according to my journal list) and I spent the morning catching up on finances, emails and talking with family/friends...typical weekend day. I went into the school later that afternoon and felt the burn of procrastination, once again. Classic Mars.

so neat to see three cars in the driveway :)

the lovely view from my classroom window

I had a lil organizing to do...

Teaching is like...Canoeing on the Rapids!

Day 22: Friday, August 31st 

It was so nice going to school on this day - knowing that Kathleen was in the community! She went in for an interview (recreation coordinator position) and it was exciting for my students to see her in the hallway, since I had explained to them that she was coming. I told them she came from Ontario too, and the question asked was “is she blonde like you?”

Some of my students were complaining at the carpet about not feeling well, and I said “yeah, I think that there might be something going around”...one student replied: “I think the flea is going around.” I asked if she meant to say “flu” and she made some comment like: “ahh yes, flu and fleas are best friends!” 
SO RANDOM. So cute. (I can’t remember exactly how this story went...but it went something like that. I remember thinking it was so funny at the time.)

It's funny how many things we casually say without first thinking about the meaning. For example, “I grew up on the water.” It made perfect sense until I tried to explain to a class of grade 2 students. How can you possibly grow up on water?! Discussions like this prove that my students are listening...and this was the question I received afterward, “You growed in the water?”

The RCMP officers came right into my classroom to deliver my police check, that was nice! I expected I would have to go in and pick it up. They reminded me that I shouldn’t be a stranger and that we should feel free to drop by. We still haven’t really hung out with them, but I’m sure as we continue to settle in, we’ll crave social life more and more!

This is gross, even to write about - but it was one of those “classic first year teacher experiences” - students aren’t really grossed out by anything! I had a little boy hold my hands and inspect my face, he pointed to a pimple and inquired about it. He even touched it. EW! I tried to explain that he shouldn't touch my face, haha...it was quite an odd/funny interaction.

I got my first ‘teacher orange‘ and one of my students said “you’re kinda fun.” Well, I suppose ‘kinda fun‘ is better than “I wish I was still in grade one.”  I went home at lunchtime to see Kathleen and ask about her interview. Walking into the house and smelling food cooking was such an exciting thing! Some students were in my driveway waiting to catch the bus...there’s really no line between professional and private life here.


An unfortunate first experience: one of my girls had a beautiful charm bracelet at school and I took it from her since she was distractedly playing with it at the carpet...put it on my desk...sure enough, it was missing by the end of the day! I still have NO clue who took it or where it ended up...but we all learned a lesson that day. A) Don’t bring valuables to school and B) if Miss H is going to take something, she better put it in a more safe location. Needless to say, I think that I owe my student a bracelet. She dealt with the situation VERY maturely. It’s funny and sad to see how the kids automatically suspect and accuse each other of stealing. I had them check their pockets and I reminded them it’s important to be truthful, even if they made a mistake by taking the bracelet. I was REALLY hoping someone would confess...but it hasn’t happened yet.

After school, a couple of the male teachers asked us if we wanted to go for a lil canoe trip. Heck yes! Happy Friday :) Kathleen loves canoeing and she’s good at it - it was a great start to her weekend in the Patch. We took out a few canoes and the conditions were nearly perfect. Warm, sunny, a bit breezy...we went on the baby rapids and under the bridge...canoed right by our house and back to the school.

Teaching is kind of like...canoeing on the rapids! It is exciting...it is doable...but it takes a lot of focus, patience and some courage, too! I needed Kathleen to instruct me on how to paddle properly through the rapids, and I REALLY need my heavenly father to direct my teaching, in order to be successful. 

Cheesy comparison - but the two are quite relatable, I think!

Welcoming Kathleen to the Patch - Thankful for God's good timing...

Have I mentioned that it's BEAUTIFUL here??

Day 21: Thursday, August 30

My day started off with the janitor teasing me about my phone bill - suggesting that ‘my boyfriend must be calling me every night to tell me he misses me.' He’s such a funny guy, calling me Lucy and always making comments about my supposed boyfriend.

We read a butterfly book during read-aloud time and my students know all about butterflies from grade one; it amazes me what they are able to remember! At this point, I still didn’t know where my kids were at from an academic standpoint, so much of our days were spent figuring each other out. I randomly had them count for me at the carpet and in unison, they counted to 100! I was impressed to hear that. Some of them didn’t bother joining in, of course - but many of them are capable. As soon as they got to 100, most stopped and one little boy proudly said “101.” It was cute.

We were talking about something fairly important when one girl randomly interrupted our discussion to tell a story about how someone killed her cat. These children are HILARIOUSLY random at the best of times.

I always appreciate the questions they ask, “Who’s your mom and dad?” (out of nowhere) so I showed them a picture I have of my parents and I from Grade 12 graduation. Or, the classic Micaela questions: “What did Micaela look like when she was a little girl?” One of my students asked to take home some math practice! :O Keener! One of the boys wanted three extra copies of the math worksheet to take home -  he seemed so proud of himself, he gave me one of the copies and I put it on my bulletin board! This same boy was helping to pick up garbage at recess and helping me hand things out in class, I was very grateful for his attitude (it’s not always this way....) Most of my students seem eager to read and during independent reading time, they often ask to read with me. Two students said “I LOVE YOU” and hugged me as they headed out the door for lunch! It’s taken us a week to grow in our love for each other...these things take time. I had been coming home during the lunch break (as most teachers do) but today I packed my lunch, I feel much less anxious when I just stay at school all day...but then I had to rush home at lunch to grab a sweater, starting to feel a bit chilly around here.

I realized today that I’m not very effective at getting my point through to my kids...not yet, anyway...I had to keep them in and they missed part of their recess today. Unfortunately, and I’m ashamed to admit it (because I was HEAVILY warned against teaching this way) - but I think I was a bit too easy/too nice/too pushover-able at the beginning...and now I’m trying to come down on them and it’s EXHAUSTING. This is so new for me and I was warned before entering this profession - you have to be FIRM. You can be fun and fair - yet still firm. It’s probably the trickiest balance to find. It is SO hard to be firm!

I wouldn’t ever want to say that an entire day was “bad” because of something so small...but I really don’t think today went very well. Not only did I keep the kids in to miss part of their recess (I can’t remember why now...but I have it written down that I kept them in for the first time...probably because they were interrupting/not listening when I was talking.) Today I raised my voice. A lot. My voice even cracked! I’m not proud of that. Can I be content in this circumstance? In Christ, I can be.

I went outside after keeping my kids in, I had tears burning in my eyes, I was trying HARD to hold them back...I felt bad for keeping them in but I also felt defeated - this in combination with likely being exhausted (adrenaline was starting to wear off?) Anyway...I felt mean, bottom line. But, children - in their forgiving ways, they went outside, played...happy as ever. One even gave me a flower! Another student held a dandelion in my face and instructed me to make a wish! They held my hand, they wanted me to watch them on the jungle gym...one of my boys (the one who often takes off from the classroom) he wanted me to push him on the swing...the joy on that boy’s face when he exclaimed “you gave me an underdog” - that joy melted me! He smiled and had FUN...my students were free. Wow, playing outside is HUGELY significant for children - fresh air, new perspective...it was good for me, too. [Note to self: having a bad day? go outside to cool off - everyone benefits.] I started to tear up with relief and happiness when I realized that my students can handle firm, they can handle discipline...it’s good for them. My parents often remind me that they love me, they’ve always loved me - but they had to be firm, too...I didn’t get spankings for nothing! 

I’m having such a hard time finding the balance between freedom to live and learn....and boundaries to guide the learning. I’m sure this is something that EVERY teacher faces - but I’m feeling clueless in the midst of it. Trial and error. Trial and error. Trial and error. It’s exhausting BUT, I have a loving heavenly Father to guide me. Thankfully.

Wow, I still can’t believe I’m teaching.

Pathetic confession / funny teacher moment: today I had tears brimming in my eyes when I read a story about two moose getting married. What a sap. It was just one of those days!

One of my students did not come in after recess...hmm. It was a different boy than the first runaway and this one concerned me more - because the kids said he’d never done that before. Oh my. Dear Lord, find this child. The kids said he was hiding somewhere...I checked outside but couldn’t leave my class so I sent a note to the office. The school counselor called home but no one answered...after school, she drove to find him and I kept calling, looked outside...I had a strange peace (thank you Jesus) and I wasn’t feeling frantic...I was just feeling VERY defeated and a little overwhelmed.

The janitor came into my room after the crazy day and reminded me that “you learn the hard way.” I still wasn’t sure where my student was...but the other teachers/admin that I spoke with didn’t seem worried at all...they reassured me that it’s typical for this to happen with students. I finally learned that the dad had gone to Beauval and could have picked him up on the way? It’s possible that I just didn’t notice a parent coming onto the playground to take his son? I was doubtful. I eventually learned that he had left school and walked to the Northern store - his parents passed by the store, saw him there and picked him up - that was it! They figured it must have been an early dismissal...my student’s explanation the next day was: “I was tired.” Hmm...wish I could just leave every time I feel tired, too! :)

I actually broke a bit at the end of this day - there we go - you’ve probably all been waiting to read about my first real breakdown as a new teacher: I think it happened on this day. My beautiful grade 1 mentor teacher across the hall gave me a hug.

GOOD NEWS: (I’ve failed to mention this in my blog so far, but I am incredibly blessed to have a sweet sister-friend from my University days come and join me in Patuanak!) I found out in July that she was officially planning to come and it’s on THIS day that she arrived! I have written down in my blog-diary on this day: “So thankful Kathleen is coming today. I’m REALLY ready to see her. She came on my worst day!” I was sitting at the school waiting for she and her dad to arrive - I had put a sign on my car directing her to my classroom.

* Kathleen arrives *

KATHLEEN IS HERE! It feels like a complete turn around in comfort, peace, AHH - it’s SO nice to have a Christian friend to live with! She and her dad came to the school between 6:30 and 7. It was almost as if I forgot about the rough day! I learned from it and moved on. It was now time to get settled with Kathleen! She brought a HUGE truck and car load full of groceries and beautiful house accessories! The house instantly felt more like home and she was such a welcome addition! Kathleen and I are both incredibly blessed with awesome parental support - her dad drove up here with her and helped her move in. She dove right into cooking and made us all a nice pasta dish. I felt incredibly spoiled and unbelievably blessed.

meeting King, her favourite dog!

hardcore chef lady

 
Kathleen is a much more eloquent writer than I - and she also posts updates as a blogger, feel free to follow her at: http://asthepelicanflies.blogspot.com/ ... She will offer great insight into our Patuanak life - and rather than blogging about boring day-to-day teacher details, she actually writes descriptively about the community and our cultural experiences, too.

I’ve ‘plagiarized’ and included an excerpt from her first post, to explain a bit of the background story in her decision to move up here...it’s very neat to re-read about how God has directed us here (we think):

 It started in 2008 when I met Marsena and we started talking about how we wanted to someday live and work on a northern reserve. The thought of living in a place that embraced traditional ways of trapping, dog sledding and canoeing seemed incredible. But what really drove us to head north were hearts that wanted to see those lives rescued from brokenness and made new by the truth of Jesus. So we prayed that if God would have us go to the north that He would make it clear to us when it was the right time.

I didn't think that 'right time' would ever manifest itself in my life. It was the start of 2011--I was going to graduate, Mars still had a year of teachers' college ahead of her. We still talked about going up north, but we both knew it wasn't likely that in another year it would work out for us to go. I was working full-time doing respite care for families with special needs, loving my job yet knowing that life could take me anywhere at all. But it didn't. I stayed in North Bay for the year and made plans to go to school for massage therapy the next fall. 

....................... (checkout her blog for more, it’s SUPER interesting!)

Now it was the last half of June. Marsena was finishing her additional qualifications for teaching in North Bay when it blew upon facebook that she'd gotten a job. I was excited for her.. Really excited.. Thenn mostly excited.. turns out it was a teaching job on a reserve in Northern Saskatchewan. Ungh. 

I had my moment of "ew, Saskatchewan" then messaged her to say I was coming. And that was it. Suddenly the dream of two 19-year-olds that seemed like it would never materialize... DID! 

First meal together in our new home!

(So I think it goes without saying...I’m often in AWE of how God has given me this job, this new community and now a roommate. As much as I thought “I could live alone” - and by God’s grace, I COULD...I’d MUCH rather share this adventure with someone and I feel super thankful to have Kathleen here with me! I enjoyed the first 2 ish weeks of settling / experiencing living alone, embracing A LOT of new things, setting up the house, phone, internet, etc...but it is SO MUCH BETTER to come home and have a close friend to fellowship with. She moved up here without a full-time job and she sacrificed a lot to come here. She has a new niece back at home and her sister is getting married in November - a lot of reason to NOT move halfway across the country - and yet, I believe she responded to God’s call and now that it’s actually October 7th as I’m writing this - His purposes for her here are becoming clearer everyday!)

One teaching week in...Apparently it feels like 100 days...

Day 20: Wednesday, August 29

A new teacher came to live with me last night. She is staying here until her house is ready. We aren’t sure how long that will take, but it’s okay because she’s very sweet and I really appreciate the company! I've been alone for a full week, so it's nice to have someone at home to chat with. She’s teaching Grade 4 because the former teacher is unable to be here right now. I had a lovely Wednesday morning - enjoyed the sunrise behind our house (hadn’t really noticed it before, but I took the time to catch it before driving into work!) I have had a full week of teaching now, so I suppose I was feeling a little more accustom to the routine - I was able to relax and feel a bit more confident this morning.

I had a little meeting with Al however, and I felt a little shaky, but it went well. I have a “tips for new teachers” book which offers me some helpful advice - I read that and felt very encouraged! Anytime I’m reminded that SEVERAL others have started scary new careers and survived through it - I’m encouraged!

One of my students brought in an orange plastic microscope today and I thought that was pretty cute, since we’d briefly talked about microscopes during our read-aloud in health the day before. Once again - it’s proof that they’re paying attention! This morning, the Lord’s prayer wasn’t over the intercom so we said it together anyway and then I said a quick prayer for our class right after...the kids didn’t object, so that’s good!

I was explaining a little bit about the importance of talking with God when one of my students randomly raised their hand and started talking about a monkey....huh?! Oh Grade 2 brains - they’re always amusing to me! I asked my class if it felt like we had been together five days already - some said it felt shorter, because time is flying...some said it felt longer - like 100 days! I’m not sure how it feels to me...still way too new to be 100 days though.

We read a Whinnie the Pooh book about Tigger losing his stripes, feeling like he lost his identity....after some soul searching, he spoke with Eeyore who reminded him that he’d always be Tigger, even without his stripes - it’s what’s on the inside that counts...awe! This was a nice story to read, I enjoyed it a lot. I’d like to thank my Mom and Glennys Eddy, a lady from my church. They both sent me with some childrens‘ books which have provided me with a great start to my classroom library. The kids are enjoying them in morning read-aloud and personal quiet read time!
My VP & the Meadow Lake Tribal council superintendent came into my classroom at one point, I honestly can’t even remember what we were doing when they were in there, but we did show him one of our songs! He seemed impressed...it was the calendar song. 

I’m just listing some random thoughts that I have listed from the day...
Before heading home for lunch, one student said: “I like school.” I responded with “I’m so glad, I like when you come to school!”
All of my parent surveys have been returned - praise the Lord!
We had thunder/lightning in the afternoon and it was SO DISTRACTING! 
One student informed me that “angels cry when you lie.”

I have been teaching gym since I started, but soon the regular gym teacher will take over my class and that time will become my prep (three times a week for half an hour). Today was gym and I had my class lined up outside the gym when their normal gym teacher walked by they said: “Miss Henderson doesn’t know how to teach us gym” - I felt a little deflated...but it was also SUPER funny - and it’s true, I’m not sure HOW to teach these seven year olds gym - they are a HANDFUL in the gym. They want to run, play and be free - which is good for them, but it stresses me out to have them running around like a bunch of wild kids with equipment. I’m not quite at that comfort level yet...

One of my students wasn’t paying attention....so I used her full name...she replied with: “you said my name wrong .. and proceeded to tell me her ENTIRE name, including her two middle names. It was shocking to hear the attitude but also so cute and funny.

We had a discussion this afternoon about what school is for. Here are some of my students’ opinions:

“School is about having fun and learning and being kind to each other so that you aren’t dumb when you grow up!"

“School is about fun and you have to care and you can’t be mean and you have to take care of others and you could love each other, and then you could play with people. You have to learn and get different teachers.”

“School is having fun, not hurting each other and going outside. The higher the grades, the higher the numbers on math.”

“School is about at recess if you have snacks, you have to share with people and don’t be mean and don’t fight.”

Today felt like a Friday, probably because our first week of school was only three days long.

There is a replacement janitor cleaning the school right now. He’s a community member filling in until they hire someone full time. He’s so sweet...We’ll call him X for the purpose of this blog (we agreed upon that nickname). Sometimes after school, he turns the lights out on me once he’s done cleaning my room, as if to say “go home”... last night, he said...“as they say in hockey, get the puck outta here.” :) He always asks me, “what’s the matter Lucy?” and if I ask him how he is, he’ll say “okay” in Dene. We have some neat little chats and I’m thankful that someone is teaching me something about the language here! Anyway, there’s a little blurb about X. He usually brightens my day!

It’s amazing how productive you can be when you’re procrastinating...(I started planning after midnight tonight.) Part of my procrastination involved going through various teacher resources...I came across this and was really refreshed to read it: 

As a first-year teacher, you are going through a transition from being a student to being a professional educator. A transition like this involves a redefinition of your own identity. You are probably recognizing that this new set of professional expectations is demanding. It is not unusual for beginning teachers to feel overwhelmed by a workload that at times involves working late into the night, on weekends, over lunch and at recess. Does this sound like you? (YES!) Are you possibly getting pressure from your family to spend more time with them? Do your friends wonder why you’re not meeting them for coffee anymore? When you do catch up with them, do you find your mind drifting to what you are going to do in your second period class?

The first years of teaching are filled with high expectations, excitement, anticipation and lots of change. You are facing a challenge that all beginning teachers face – striking a balance. Balance in our lives does not happen incidentally; it needs to be planned for. 

[Side-note: now that I'm a month in, I'm learning to PLAN for the balance and God's been SO gracious to me in giving me time to get things accomplished - as well as some personal and family/friend catchup time! It's still tough, but it's getting MUCH better - especially in comparison to way back here!]

I had some country music playing and the other teacher staying with me said, “oh, you’re a country girl eh?” I didn’t mind that one bit, I think I am a country girl...which is probably why I feel right at home in Patuanak. It is a tiny little town, incase I have left that detail out. I think there are around 800 people total. We have  a Northern store, gas bar, church, post office, band hall, health clinic, school and a youth centre. I think that’s it? I love it! Everywhere is familiar and people are SO friendly.