Thursday's are always hard. I hate mornings and for five minutes I briefly think about calling in sick, but then I'm remember how much curriculum I have left to teach, and get out of bed. I shower, get dressed, brush my hair and teeth and have a glass of water. I don't eat breakfast, I'm hardly ever hungry enough in the morning. Thursday is grocery shopping day so when I leave the house that morning I make sure to drag a childs sled behind me on my way to work. I comicly lay a reusable shopping bag with my laptop and sketchbook on the sled to keep it from blowing around if there's any wind and set off, happy that it's finally warm enough to go outside without snowpants. I am a first year teacher and I'm teaching high school in a tiny little town in the arctic. There are no cabs, cars are rare, and I don't like to bother people with skidoos, so I bought myself a sled to carry packages and groceries from the store to my apartment. A student meets me outside on the way in and offers to carry my sled upstairs to my classroom. I thank her, say good morning to a few early students and staff, and go about my morning, making a vanilla lattee with my classroom Keurig and checking over my lesson plans for the day. A co-worker joins me in my room and we wait for the visiting scientists to set up a lab in the classroom nextdoor. First period for High School is canceled due to the presentation so I don't get to teach art, but it's a nice break to sit back and watch others (the scientists) teach. I only have to yell at one student to stop touching the heat lamps, that they were warned not to touch, and to remind him that thermometers are not drum sticks. 🙄 My morning picks up with my second, two hour class being my worst behaved and largest. The grade tens are just a smidge too immature for my likes, and I feel like I always have to be 'on' with them. If I don't watch them at all times they will stab pencils into the ceiling or start picking at things. Today when I go into the hallway for literally a minute to check on a student who prefers to work alone in quiet, they hang a roll of tape on the skylight. A lecture about wasting supplies ensues. Being constantly on my feet with this class always makes my step counter happy, but I do wish more of them would take school seriously. I have lunch in the staff room with the usual staff members who stay for lunch. The two scientists are staying at a co-workers since the hotel is so small here so they join us for lunch as well. I brought chocolate chip cookies that my roommate made for everyone, and I trade barbs with the shop teacher who loves to try and push my buttons while eating. The afternoon seems to take forever as I only have two students for my class after lunch. Both are happily working on independent assignments so I do some correcting and prep. Students in grades 11+ are more my cup of tea, and I think they approve of how I make independent assignments and don't bother them unless they look confused on my rounds. Last periods lesson is all about STI's, which as one grade twelve student exclaims "this is so gross!"I tell her I'm just as happy to teach it as she is to learn it, but that "I'm glad you find it gross. I hope now you'll practice safe sex!" Cue a fantastic eye roll. I'm hilarious, she knows it. Anyway, I planned a lesson and worksheet using tablets and an excellent Government of Nunavut website on sexuality, gender, and wellness called irespectmyself.ca. The topic might be gross, but the students all work diligently through the class and I am glad the tablet is more engaging than the dusty module book. One of my grade 12 students has down syndrome so is on an IEP. I struggle to come up with lessons for him as I have no training in Exceptional Students and I find our Student Services teacher to be severely lacking. After asking for a new lesson for my student he gives me a photocopied booklet of money worksheets way too advanced, and a pack of fake money. No instructions, no lesson plans.The Student assistant and I agree that the worksheets are useless, but I like the idea of the fake money. I ask the SA to work with the student to recognize the money while I sit at my desk and try to think of something at my students level that could help with money recognition. I eventually come up with an idea for money Bingo where he will have to match the fake money with the word or money value, and if he gets a line, he gets a candy. I print off some labels, snag a bristle board and explain my plan to the SA. Hopefully we can finish the board tomorrow and have it laminated so he can use it forever. After coming up with a solution for the money outcome, another of the SA's praises my game idea. We bond a bit over our frustrations with the SST, and suddenly a thought comes to me. I bet I would like his job. Now, I have no training but, that's what I like about teaching outside of art. The planning. Looking at the outcomes and coming up with a worksheet or lesson plan at the students level that might engage them. I like to use games, visuals, videos, and technology and I like to come up with innovative projects that get my students thinking outside the box! I wonder if I should take an online special Ed course next year? After class I make sure all my teacher duties are done and make my way to the store, my little sled dragging behind me. The day is warmer than I thought and most of the snow has melted off the roads. I decide, starting to sweet in my down filled Ookpik coat, that it's finally time to take out my Newfoundland winter coat and put away the one that's good for -30°. The store is pretty empty, which is why I usually go on Thursday. I check the mail and get four packages, including the comforter and cushions I have been waiting on for my bedroom! My old comforter was used when I bought it at Value Village, and it was literally falling apart so while I did splurge on my new bed set, it was a necessary purchase. The boxes will take up most of my sled, so I know I can't buy potatoes like I wanted, or anything large. I shop, and by now I've stoped freaking out about the insane prices, although a visiting customer staring at the price of flour says "I can't believe the prices here!" to me as I pass by on my way to the soya sauce. The stores out of green beans and everything bagels, but I buy some snacks, milk, sour cream, bananas, chicken breasts, shrimp, eggs, bacon, and conditioner since I'm almost out of the good stuff I brought back from home. I remembered that we were almost out of qtips so I buy 400 as that's the only size they have. Since I know I'll be too lazy to cook on a Thursday I grab some microwave sweet and sour pork and chow mein. Somehow I managed to spend $160, because God damn Northern prices! My friend walks home with me on the now very slushy roads. If we don't get anymore storms or snow this might be the last time I can use my sled and I'm glad my comforter came in time! Half way home my friends sister in law and her children drive up on a skidoo and offer to drag my sled home and lay it on my step, which is very sweet of them. My friend and I get home and gush over my packages while I heat us up some quick chinese food and bake some spring rolls from the freezer. While putting away my purchases I realize that my roommate had bought qtips yesterday so we now have 800, which makes my friend and I laugh. After she leaves for a town meeting I clean up, remake my bed with my new comforter and of course snapchat it. I do a quick sketch of a narwhal and eat a slice of lemon meringue pie in my new bed, which is how my roommate finds me when she finally gets home. It's still bright as hell 9:53pm as Nunavut is currently going through 24 hour daylight. I hate this. I miss darkness, my old friend. I find it really disconcerting to look outside when it should be dark and see a bright blue or pink sky!
gummygunk
stormborns
pixelskylines
turnnoffyourmind
