Under the Weather in Wemindji

Well, my permanent underlying cold that arrives around October and lasts until June is back with a vengeance.  Here I lay tonight, the eve of what is no doubt a very entertaining St. Patrick's Day party, binge-watching House of Cards and pounding back Neocitran instead of dancing jigs and enjoying green beers!!

I suppose I was running on empty after a very busy but awesome week and the moment I could rest, the cold took over!! This past week was full of fun and had me running around as busy as ever.  A full 5-day week with lots of planning and events had me exhausted but excited.  We were supposed to be writing a standardized test last week but the test arrived late and so was rescheduled to this upcoming week.  Our plans were pushed but luckily it helps to have a well-planned student teacher who had material to teach on stand-by!  If there is one thing I can recommend to any new teacher, it's always be prepared.  No matter what tournament or test might be taking place that week, always plan for a regular day, because with attendance like mine, every single child is bound to come to school no matter what else is going on in the community.

Speaking of, Wemindji is currently host to a huge hockey and broomball tournament which has over 300 players from Cree Nation communities visiting and competing.  Players of all ages for hockey and broomball are here playing games back to back since Friday! Some going long into the night and early morning.  This means lots of late nights for the kids and interrupted schedules, but that being said, hockey is a great motivator for most of these students and we teachers find many on their best behavior during tournament time as coaches take the teacher's reports on behavior, attendance and homework into consideration when allowing players to participate.  It is a great incentive for students to try their best in school and also a great card to hold as a teacher!!

So, with the testing pushed to this week, our plans got a little muddled but otherwise it will be a short week with Good Friday off at the end!  Last week we celebrated all things leprechaun and planned and built some incredible traps to catch our sneaky leprechaun Lucky.  We tried very hard last year to catch him to no avail and this year tried even harder but no dice.  That sneaky little green guy outsmarted our class again and fooled us all.  Perhaps next year...

Last week I also organized and hosted Maquatua Eeyou School's first ever Book Bingo!! It was an idea I saw from another community and really wanted to try here.  I planned it before I knew there were about 3 other major events taking place (tournament, confirmation class and another family-involved event) but we still managed to have a great turnout and it was so much fun!  It involved playing sight word bingo with kids and their families in grade 1-3.  Winners were awarded a choice of 4 books, pencils and stickers! I provided refreshments and advertised as best I could and it turned out to be a really fun night despite the competition.  I will host another after Goosebreak and will continue to host more next year.

My articles published in the Wemindji newsletter have gotten some very nice attention.  I have had people tell me in the store and at school how much they liked reading my pieces and I couldn't be more flattered!  It feels great to be able to speak about my experiences in Wemindji so positively and have others like to hear what I have to say.

Last night I hosted a farewell dinner for a dear friend Megan who will be leaving Wemindji to start work down south.  Having just arrived to work at the school and so quickly leaving for greener (literally) pastures, it is bittersweet but I have gotten to know a great person who I know I will keep in touch with (especially since she will be working in the board I would love to relocate to someday).  She leaves behind her sister, ever capable substitute Jill. (NEHH).

This week we also had a visit from native hip hop artist and youth worker David Hodges.  He worked with Cree youth all over the Cree Nation in collaboration for a song titled "N'we Jinan".  He and his crew made a stop in Wemindji on Thursday and the whole school gathered outside to be a part of the music video.  We are going to be famous!!  http://www.nationnews.ca/nwe-jinan-the-story-behind-the-music/ 

Anyways, this week will be crazy busy with testing and finding fun ways to break up the anxiety of filling in hundreds of little scantron bubbles as well as a 4-day Easter weekend!

I am still accepting orders for Cadbury's Mini Eggs.