Well, we have entered the time of year I like to call "The Time of Year Where Nothing Happens." Yes folks, we are knee deep into winter and have entered the time when literally nothing exciting happens. There are no extended breaks, no exciting conferences, no holidays, no major events, no sunlight, no warmth - you get the gist. Not that I am really complaining or anything, but I find myself reluctant to write anything here because, well, there truly is nothing much to write about! Oh well, I will squeeze blood from a stone and find something to update you on!!
Okay, well living with Bobo is still a lovely treat (read with a hint of sarcasm). While he is the love of my life still, he really can get on my nerves with the constant chatter (aka barking) he is so good at! I am also a little concerned because I think he is going blind. For real! Of course I am no veterinarian but I noticed his eyes are a little cloudy (and have been that way for about a year) and recently he has been displaying some odd behavior, mainly walking into doors, getting spooked by newly moved furniture or a snowpile that wasn't there before, diminished depth-perception, barking at literally EVERYTHING and it appears he isn't seeing things that are directly placed in front of him. Very weird! This could be a result of his diabetes or semi-old age, I think he's only 7? Anyways, he seems to be getting on just fine but is explains a lot of the barking he does which I think may be because he can't see who is there and he is scared! Poor little fella. We'll get him checked out on Goosebreak for sure.
School has been trucking along and working with my student teacher Christine has been an absolute dream. She is creative and ambitious and works hard to engage the students. It is great to have an influx of creativity and new ideas in the classroom and the kids are doing really well with an extra pair of hands. She has taken over pretty much all aspects of the classroom as far as planning, teaching, facilitating and management. She takes advice and feedback like a champ and actually puts it into play which is refreshing. I am so lucky to have been "given" such a capable teacher-in-training and I am really looking forward to the next 10 weeks we will have together. I am also very lucky to have an extra pair of hands while we enter the season of heavy testing. I have already taken advantage of the sharing of supervision by pulling students to test and provide 1-1 support to when otherwise I would have had far less of myself to give. I am grateful!
Last weekend was quiet but I did attend Meghan's house-warming party. It was great to hangout and see people outside of school and it made for a nice night while the snow was blowing outside! At school last weekend I got some good organizing done and planning and prep for our new focus in Grade 2, fluency. I did some research and prep for new centers and activities to develop or enhance this skill in my students and already I am seeing positive results!
Tomorrow I am having some friends over for a nice dinner which I am really looking forward to! It's always nice to get together outside of school in a setting where you can just relax, vent, laugh and have a good meal. You have to find ways to entertain yourself in these long and cold months and for me, that often involves something tasty and a glass of wine HEHE.
So basically all the new teachers have been placed which is great! We were without qualified or permanent teachers for 4 positions for quite a while and now with a bunch of new hires and Raquel (Monika's sister) the classes now have teachers!! It is great to see new faces and get a breath of fresh air in the school. I am really looking forward to getting to know these new ladies some more and am happy that the kids finally have some consistency! Last week was also a half-PED day which took place in the afternoon. Meghan, Meredith and I were asked to present to small groups about surviving your first year at Maquatua Eeyou School. We put our heads together and tried to compile a list of must-know and do tips for a smooth first year of teaching in the north and I think we did quite well! Afterwards the Cree teachers cooked up bannock and made tea and we all hung out in the lodge which was stocked full of Cree crafts, handmade items, language documents and artifacts. So cool and I learned to spell my name in Cree!! I also checked that my Cree tattoo was correct, looks like it haha.
I am sad to report that my vaccuum cleaner broke and then approximately 24 hours later, my Swiffer broke too. So my house is filthy since I took the excuse that I couldn't properly clean to abandon the act altogether. I am living in one giant dustball and it is disgusting. Also it appears my snowblower is on the fritz as well. Perhaps a belt is lose/broken or it could be frozen. How I will find this out is by letting the machine thaw. THAW? WHEN!? I live in eternal winter-land! I have been offered some space in a kind gentleman's shed to let it thaw when I get around to it, so this story is not finished yet!
Well, I am impressed. I managed to write quite a lot about nothing, hooray! Until next time...
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