So what's new...

Not too much is new up here, but it is worthwhile keeping the folks at home updated on the happenings in the life of their inveterate arctic explorer.

I have registered for an Additional Qualifications course, so I will be as busy as blazes for the next three months. Since I am teaching Math, I thought it might behoove me to become qualified as a Math teacher! The qualifications requirements are not as stringent here as they might be in larger population centres. The thought is that if you have learned HOW to teach, the WHAT you teach becomes immaterial. Good point. I always felt that, given a text and a curriculum, I could manage my way through any subject. It is reassuring to see that belief reflected in my employer!

I have talked to the boss with regard to moving into a more permanent contract as soon as one comes available. He is delighted! The words were something to the effect of "hitting the jackpot" when I was hired. Yay! Way to make the employee feel appreciated! Colour me a happy Northern camper! :-D

I am also up to my elbows in plans for my seminar presentation at the Piliriqatigiinniq Conference for all Nunavut teachers this February. I plan on running them through many of my hands-on classroom activities, such as my homemade clinometers to show the special tan ratio for a 45 degree angle, my "key" understanding activity for Math "Sign" language, using pizza fractions to have conversion races from improper to mixed fractions, as well as a variety of games like MULTO, Math Snap, Krypto, and the Area game. It will be a very active 90 minutes!

Not like I haven't already planned for enough work to fill the next few months, in addition my roommate and I are busy planning a two-day Winter Carnival for March, complete with Inuit games, an igloo-building competition, ice fishing, scavenger hunts and other fun activities for the two schools. No set date, as it is very weather-dependent and we have certainly had our share of blizzards this year with another one predicted for tomorrow...number 10? 11? I have lost count...I must take a picture of some of the huge snow piles and drifts!

I have re-embarked upon my exercise plan. I am recording my activity and nutrition information on a very helpful site at http://www.fitday.com/. I highly recommend it, as it calculates calories for you, tracks how well you are meeting basic nutrition requirements, and even has a mood and body journalling section. I am using teh gym at lunch to walk/run/stair-climb for 20 minutes each day. Yesterday I did 2 walking/3 running laps for 30 minutes. It felt GREAT!!! (Oh yes, the arthritis medication has arrived, see previous post, LOL!)

And once again, I am already hard at work planning the Science Fair. When we had the grand opening of Paatsaali School, CBC North and APTN News were in attendance. They were fascinated by my magnetic levitating globes and I asked if they would be interested in covering the Science Fair. They said that they would be VERY interested, so I must set a date and get Sanikiluaq into the news in the best possible way, with students having a great time learning how much fun science can be.

I think that this summer, I am going to curl up in a ball and hibernate for two months, LOL! For those who think teachers get too much time off, let me say this: we have put in the extra time busting our behinds for 10 months working crazy hours, so we have definitely earned it! And I definitely enjoy it!

TTFN!