It was a bright and sunny Wednesday, as I walked up to Inuksuk High School, eager to start another day of workshops. The mood was a lot livelier than before and that could only mean one thing: David Suzuki had come to town. I saw him enter the building with his agent (I'm guessing) after getting a cup of hot chocolate. The 75 year-old academic was about my height and his right arm was in a sling. The gymnasium was packed with teachers, all eager to listen and to get a glimpse of the academic celebrity. Sitting in the balcony section, I watched David Suzuki slowly making his way to the stage only to be stopped by waves of people wanting to take a picture with him. He politely shook hands, spoke with his fans, and let them take a photo. This continued for about another 15 minutes before his agent shooed everyone away. I wondered if he could still see because many photos were taken with flash.
The morning began with the usual opening remarks from the MCs. Then it was David Suzuki's turn after he was formally introduced. Standing behind a wooden podium, in front of 600 teachers (several of which were filming), he launched into his 45 minute speech, titled 'The Challenges of the 21st Century: Setting the Real Bottom Line'. I have to admit that he was a very good orator, speaking passionately about the need to take better care of the environment and to put more resources into education. He was given an extended applause and a gift when he finished. The MCs also added that he would be doing a book signing during the morning break.
I had to skip the book signing and meeting David Suzuki because I had to quickly make my way over to Aqsarniit Middle School for the American Sign Language workshop. I had already missed the bus, so I had to take a cab. I had arrived on time and successfully found the classroom, only to be informed that the workshop had been cancelled. The news had been communicated earlier but I guess I didn't hear it. In the blink of an eye, I now had 3 spare periods. Since it was a beautiful day, I decided to walk back to Inuksuk and see what classes I could sit in.
It was lunch time when I entered the high school for the second time; the morning workshop period had just finished. As always, lunch consisted of a meat or vegetarian sandwich with an apple or orange, slice of cheese, and dessert square of some kind. Good but not great.
The first afternoon workshop I decided to sit in on was called, 'Pyramid of Behaviour: 7 Keys to Positive Learning', and it was presented by Tom Hierck. Hierck had been involved in education since 1983 as a teacher, administrator, district leader, and an executive director. His presentation focused on his recently completed book, (collaborated with two other educators), that had the same name as the presentation. Basically, he argues that the 7 keys to creating a positive learning environment are: common expectations; targeted instruction; positive reinforcement; support strategies & interventions; collaborative teams; data-driven dialogue; and schoolwide systems approach. He was a good presenter, engaging interest in those who attended, and making a good case. Many teachers, including myself, bought copies of his books which he happily autographed at the end of the period.
For the second afternoon period, I stayed in the gym to see a newly made documentary film called 'Going Places: Supporting Our Students'. The film was produced by Gemini award winning film maker Mark Sandiford who was in attendance. Going Places looks at the factors contributing to student graduation from the high schools in Pangirtung & Clyde River. The film also argues that 'when parental & educator support to students is based on principles of the Inuit Qaujimajatuqangit and sustained by school-community partnerships, improvements in graduation rates can take place.' In short, the more everyone helps, the more successful students will be. The film was well done in my mind and many of the other attendees thought the same way. Several people in the crowd were given an opportunity to comment on the film and the challenges of keeping Inuit children in school.
Wednesday concluded with an evening square dance performance in the main foyer of the high school. The main attraction was Simeonie Keenainak, a retired RCMP officer and an accomplished accordionist. The accordion instrument was introduced to the Inuit by European fur traders in the 18th & 19th centuries.
The following day (Feb 16) was considered to be the last day of the conference because many teachers would be flying back to their communities early Friday morning. The morning keynote address was split in two: the first part would be a panel discussion on the evolution of education in Nunavut, and the second part would be a presentation about education by Tom Hierck. The panel consisted of 3 Inuit female teachers who had been teaching for many years. Two of them spoke in Inuktitut and the other spoke in English. I was tempted to take one of the black listening devices, but I chose to listen to the Inuktitut being spoken even though I had no idea what was being said. Tom Hierck's presentation touched on his 7 Keys to a Positive Learning Environment and about his time working as an educator.
The morning took on a more darker tone when I attended a workshop titled, 'Legacy of Hope: Teaching about the Residential School Experience.' It was an introduction to a new Grade 10 social studies module being developed to teach about the causes and lasting effects of Canadian Residential School system. The presenters were hoping that the module & its resources would be ready for introduction in September of this year. At the end of the presentation, we were free to help ourselves to complementary books and CDs about the controversial topic.
For those of you who don't know, the Residential School system is one of Canada's dark chapters of its history. From the 1840s to 1996, these schools were established (by Christian churches) to assimilate all Aboriginals into European-Canadian society. Children were forcibly removed from their families and communities and were required to live on school grounds, forbidden to speak their native languages and practice their culture. Corporal punishment and physical & sexual assaults were used to maintain order. Many died from tuberculosis because many of the schools were underfunded and lacked proper medical care. It wouldn't be until the late 1990s when reconciliation attempts were introduced to heal the wounds. In mid-2008 the Conservative federal government at the time formally apologized for residential schools and the lasting impact they created.
After lunch, I made my way to the Iqaluit Visitor Centre for the 'Walk Through Northern Culture' workshop. For the workshop, myself and a few other teachers listened to a local author who told several Inuit legends and stories in English that he learned from his mother. Several of the stories have been published.
Thursday's catered dinner was the best, with prime roast being served to you by well dressed cooks. The taste was so good, I felt like I was eating at a five-star restaurant. Naturally, I had a second helping. Of course, you could help yourself to side orders of salad, bread, fruit, and dessert. While eating with the other teachers, we pondered on how much the entire conference cost. Some guessed $2 - $3 million. While standing at the dessert table, David Suzuki walked up. Turning to him, I congratulated him for making a good speech. He said 'thank you' but in a tone that I interpreted as 'If you're wanting a photograph, not now because I'm eating.'
The day concluded with the closing ceremonies, meaning more speeches, but awards were also given out to those teachers who had been teaching for 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, & 35 years. There was also the draws for First Air tickets to anywhere in Nunavut. Sadly, I didn't win them.
On Friday, there was only the keynote address and morning workshop because many teachers had to leave on morning flights. I felt sorry for the morning presenter, Catherine O'Brien, because she didn't have a big audience to hear her presentation on 'Sustainable Happiness.' The last workshop I attended was called 'Safety in the Workplace', presented by Marc Lefebvre, member of the Workers Safety and Compensation Commission (WSCC). He explained to us the rights we have as teachers, how to properly refuse to work in a dangerous environment, and how to promote safety in the workplace.
Overall, my first Nunavut teacher conference went over fairly well. I learned many new things from the keynote addresses and the workshops I attended. If there was more time, I would have attended the other workshops I wanted to sign up for. I also got to meet many teachers from all over the territory, many of which congratulated me for getting the music teaching job and stating that I had the best equipped music room in all of Nunavut. Speaking of the music room, I now had Friday afternoon and the entire weekend to put everything back in order and to plan my lessons for the following week.
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