Learning a Different Way

If you've ever been in a classroom, you should realize that it's not an easy job. It's hard, especially today in my opinion. Times are different now, even compared to when I went to school, and I'm not just talking abou behavior wise.

A lot is put on teachers today. We're expected to cover curriculum topics and outcomes according to the provincial government. We're expected to deal with large class sizes with more needs. We're expected to be on top of it all. I have days where I sometimes feel like I fail as a teacher-that the lesson wasn't good enough or my approach wasn't the right one. Teaching is not an easy task. It requires a lot of hard work and a lot of patience.

I'm in a new position at a new school. A split classroom. Do I feel like Superwoman? Heck no. I'm trying to stay afloat and meet all the different needs of the students. Am I doing it? I think most of the time I am except maybe when I have a lesson flop. I may finally be figuring out a system that I can live with, that may just lead me to some success within my class.

At the end of the day, I want to come away knowing that I did absolutely everything possible to help the student achieve everything possible for that particular student. I want them to know that they are important no matter their test mark, assessment level or ability.

Just a sidenote to share that I'm sick-got a bad cold, and was diagnosed with Vertigo a week ago. I feel pretty shitty right now, but at least I had a good school day!

First Week of School and Then Some...

So, I have finished my first week of school! Every morning I came in, the secretary would say to me, oh good, you came back! Ah....I like it, I do. Different in a sense from Sandy Bay, but I really like it. Sandy Bay had over 1000 kids plus over 120 staff whereas my new school has about 140 kids, and only 8 teachers-so it's different, but it's a good different.

I have a large class-I'm teaching a split grade 5/6, but I can honestly say that despite not having a honeymoon period, they all have something wonderful about them. I have quite a few more girls than boys, and more Grade 6's than Grade 5's.

I was told the other day by a sister of my student, that their mom thought I was pregnant. My response, nope, no baby, no baby. I felt like saying (though I would never say this to a child), "nope, I'm just fat..."...lol...I love the honesty of kids, honestly. I had to choose to laugh, because what else was I going to do? Actually, I'm not fat...I have very lovely curves!

So as I said no honeymoon period, but I wouldn't call the kids bad...they're just testing the waters. Heck, I would be too. I remmeber being that age, and I tested the waters a lot!

I'm excited by what's to come-I'm exhausted, but I'm really excited. I really think it's going to be a great year and I'm really excited about the group of kids I have. So, I'm going to toast a new school year with my diet coke...cheers!

A Bit Meloncholy

I learned about the word meloncholy when I had to perform a song with the title of meloncholy in it. Tonight I feel a little sad, and don't know why. Maybe I'm a little sad that the summer is coming to an end? Or maybe I'm just a little afraid of starting all over at a new school? Or maybe all the above?

I managed to finally finish a star blanket tonight that I have been dragging my feet over for some time. This was only my 2nd star blanket,and for some reason, I had more difficulties with this is everything being as "tight" as it should have been. This star blanket was done for Tresayda, a baby of two of my students from Sandy Bay.


For those of you who don't know the relevance of a star blanket, it is the greatest gift that one can bestow upon a person. It shows a true respect and honour to whoever you're presenting it to. According to Diane Hill, who I consider one of the foremost experts in star blankets, they are sacred. Traditional to the Plains Indians; they also represented Star Knowledge. They're commonly given for ceremonies, births, weddings, and funerals.

As much as I love doing this for others, I feel I need to focus on my own now. Some time ago, I purchased all the fabric I needed to make an esquisite star blanket, that is traditional, yet not quite traditional. I think I need to focus this next one one me to balance myself out. I haven't even been able to cut the strips yet for my star blanket, and that's heavy on my heart-that I haven't been able to have the time to do it. So, now that this one is ready and going to be given tomorrow morning, next time I sit down to do a star blanket, hopefully it's my own!

All in a Day's Work (and an ode to a tree)

So despite all the drama of yesterday, I have been busy today. I'm quite proud of myself for just how much I've gotten done...maybe the stress will be relieved a bit. I think right now I'm a little out of balance, so hopefully the last 24 hours has helped me to get a bit back to normal..or whatever normal is.

I finally finished my mosaic last night. Yes! I was so scared of it for the whole project. Unlike my other mosaic pieces, this particular one was my own design (of sorts, there was inspiration) and contained only random pieces of glass (so no pre-cut and grounded bits of glass). I think it turned out rather well.

So, I'll describe it for you. The inspiration came from an Ojibway beaded jacket, dating back to the late 1800s. I've included a picture of the inspiration. What I love about Ojibway beading, especially the beading of the late 1800s and early 1900s, is the organic nature of the style of beading as well as the intricate detailing. It appears somewhat simple, but really isn't. And if you look behind the layers, it tells a story. How I intrepreted this story was that it was like a tree of life. A tree that sustained growth, beauty, and goodness.

It might sound a little silly, but I find a lot of comfort in trees. I find them peaceful and beautiful and a reflection of a community. A tree must be nurtured and cared for. In return, it does the same for you. One of my favorite things to do is listen to the wind blowing through the trees. It takes me back to a happy time in my childhood at the lake where things may not have been perfect, but in that moment, were good. I truly believe that a community or an area that has an abundance of trees is a healthier place. I wouldn't want to live in a community with little or no trees. Where I live now, there are some but there aren't enough. To me, it reflects that a lot of people don't take pride in their homes or may not be willing to make a committment to stay in an area.

When I have children, I want them to be able to run amongst the trees, rake the leaves only to jump in them, build tree houses, climb them, get stuck in them, lean against them as they read a book. As trees have meant so much to me, I want them to matter to the coming generations. I want them to remember that it's a living organism given to us by the Creator. That is should be valued and even honored.

Daily Struggles

You ever have those days where everything seems to get to you or rub you the wrong way? Yeah...that's my day today. I'm stressing about everything-from money (was waiting for a $600 cheque to be put in my bank account which I just found out now is not going in), to school (a lot to do), friendships, when to keep my yap shut, and finishing up committments.

Sometimes I wish that one could just wave a magic wand and that everything would be okay. That everything would be great. Do I have a good life? Yes, I do, and I'm not trying to take anything for granted (though we all do in some way). But I feel like I need a break. I need a vacation from my life.

When I was young, all I wanted to do was to grow up. Growing up isn't easy. There's a lot of responsibility, whether or not you want it. Sometimes, you just want to go back and freeze a moment. But the past is behind us, and all we can do is move forward. So as much as I feel discouraged today, I'm going to look to tomorrow as a brighter, newer day. Tomorrow is a new day with no mistakes.

Update: my cheque from work wasn't put into my bank account, nor was a cheque i was expecting worth a hefty bit of something...I have to go collect my cheque on Monday (an hour drive away), get someone to sign it there, and then go Keeshkeemaqua to find someone to sign it there...I pray that I can get it Monday, or I could be in a bit of a bind.

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things...

Ah, so summer is coming to a close...I mean that's good and bad. September is one of my favorite times simply because I love the start of the new school year. But alas, it means that I have to say goodbye to nice days out on my swing reading a book.

Got into my new classroom today...and I'm quite excited. I know that I'm lucky to have a job in our economy today-so lucky. There aren't a lot of teaching jobs out there. I'm happy where I've been placed too-I'll be working at a K-6 School that has a high native population of students-which is right up my alley. What I get that we often take for granted? Paper, school supplies, and technology! I now have a Smart Board-no longer do I need to bring my own T.V. and DVD player. It's almost like getting a pedicure. You get to reap the rewards that someone else went to the work to do. :)

Mowed the yard today too...exciting huh??? Lol...I need a man who likes to mow, 'cause I hate it. Love my yard, but hate the mowing. My mother is coming tomorrow, so I want everything to look nice, but ugh... I'd rather be weeding.

Anyhow, those are my ramblings for today. Here are a few pics of my new classroom when I got in the door, but picture it without all the junk that I brought in!

Screw Up???

So in my midst of being inspired by Alendro's Indian cooking, I thought I can try this...so I tried a recipe from Anne Lindsay's light cookbook, a lentil and vegetable dish. I went out and got the ingredients and got all stoked. The results? Yuck, yuck, yuck...that gross...maybe the problem was that the recipe came from a white woman??? Go figure. I had planned on putting the recipe up if it was any good, and yah, no, so I'll put up another recipe, though it won't have anything to do with Indian cooking unfortunally.... :(

Mom's Banana Bread

1/2 cup margarine
1 cup sugar
2 eggs
1 3/4 cups flour
3 medium bananas, mashed
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp baking powder
1/2 tsp salt

Cream margarine and sugar together. Beat in eggs, one at a time, beating until smooth. Add mashed bananas and blend.

In second bowl, stir in flour with baking soda and baking powder, and salt. Add to banana mixture, stirring only to moisten. Transfer to greased loaf pan. Bake in 350 preheated oven for 1 hour, or until knife inserted comes out clean.