Rain also means indoor recess which as a kid I LOVED. As a teacher, it is a true curse. That precious 15 minutes of outdoor time twice a day can really make or break it, and I like to get outside as often as possible knowing that old man winter is knocking on Wemindji's door and soon recess will be a thing of the past as we trade outdoor temperatures of -30 and below for warmer "free time" inside... a teacher's nightmare.
Anywho, this past week it was certainly very drizzly and rainy but we braved the wet and went outside anyways. It was a short week coming off of the Thanksgiving long weekend and even though it was technically shorter, welcoming the kids back after a 4 day weekend (we had a PED day in there too) was stressful and the week seemed to stretch forever! When the weekend rolled around however, it was great. I had a very busy weekend with farewell and welcome dinners and lots of work in between.
Stacy, my first teaching partner in Wemindji has taken a position as Academic Counselor (like a guidance counselor) in the high school (original MES) and has departed our cycle. My cycle members and I were so sad to see her leave our school but of course this is Wemindji and we will likely see her every day!! I even saw her today! So while we will miss her and the loss is certainly ours, the high school is very lucky to have such an asset and she will be great over there. So Friday night I hosted a little Cycle 1 dinner for the grade 1 and 2 teachers so we could send Stacy off. I attempted for the first time to make Indian Tacos using a recipe from a friend Jeremiah. The taco part, called "fry bread" was fairly simple to make yet I managed to mess it up anyways and the tacos came out very VERY dense. Still edible and delicious but like a rock. They are supposed to be slightly fluffy breads, more dense than a donut and more moist than a tea biscuit, like much thicker naan?? It's hard to describe. You make them with milk, flour, water, salt and baking powder. I didn't add enough baking powder. Then you fry them in oil until nice and light brown. To eat, you pile on chili, lettuce, tomatoes, sour cream and cheese (and whatever else floats your boat) and voila! Indian Tacos. They are probably my favorite thing ever. I tried making the fry bread again the next night for a welcome dinner for a new colleague and this time I paid very close attention to the amount of baking powder I put in and followed some added instructions and they turned out WAY better. So great, now I know how to make even more "bad" foods. LOVELY. Anyways, the dinner turned into a long night of hilarious games and conversations and it was a truly nice send off!!
I will elaborate on the welcome dinner now. So because Stacy left Grade 1, we hired a new staff member Emily! She is from the GTA and a great addition to JORMS. She is bubbly, full of energy and the kids seem to have taken to her!! My class was full of compliments and questions for the new arrival! Anyways, she arrived Saturday afternoon and the Welcome Committee (me, Meredith and Meghan - and Stacy as well) welcomed her at the airport and gave her a tour of the town, took her home and then had a dinner for her at Stacy's house (round 2 of Indian Tacos!!) and got to know each other!
Today was a busy day with lots of ups and down, more ups than downs! I teach a fairly "rowdy" class who until recently have been testing my every limit. I started implementing an AWESOME behavior management system, Class Dojo which has been very effective. The kids are really responding to earning points and setting class goals and motivation for good behavior is becoming more intrinsic and the kids are having a lot of fun earning points! We have rewarded ourselves so far with an ice cream party, a popcorn party and this week, a games party! I am so happy that things are improving and happy that the kids are finding motivation to behave better in class!
Anyways, I have a busy week ahead of me, testing tomorrow, a half PED day on Wednesday and lots of assessment as end of term is coming up FAST! I better get some sleep....
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| 29 gifts for my 29th birthday from Monika! |
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