With two weeks of teaching under my belt, I was surprisingly treated to a week-long break from schooling. In fact, all teachers were. The reason for this is because the 3rd week of the semester is a Professional Development (PD) week for teaching staff. The big event planned for the week of February 13-17 was the second Piliriqatigiinniq (Working Together) Teachers Conference, where around 600 teachers from all over Nunavut would converge in Iqaluit to listen to guest speakers, partake in numerous workshops spread across 3 schools (Inuksuk, Nakasuk, Aqsarniit), network with other teachers, and eat food catered by the Frobisher Inn. So basically, the teachers were going to school as students. Naturally, my music room would be used for the duration of the week.
Before the conference began, teachers were required to register for workshops online. It was a first-come-first-serve, meaning a lot of workshops had been filled on the first day of registration. Thankfully, I was able to register for most of the courses I wanted. To avoid the morning Monday rush, I checked in and picked up my welcome bag in the cafeteria of Inuksuk High School on Sunday. Like all professional conferences, the welcome bag contained a nametag, program booklet, pens, notepad, mug, flyers from the program sponsors, and your timetable.
Each day of the week was scheduled the same way: the morning would begin with a keynote address by a guest speaker followed by a break and a workshop period. Next was lunch, two afternoon workshop periods, an hour to look at education displays, followed by dinner. Breakfast was only being served at the hotels where the visiting teachers were staying. The heart of the conference would be Inuksuk High School.
On Monday morning, I entered the high school after walking past two large whale bones that had been placed at the front entrance. The main lobby was crowded with teachers holding their blue welcome bags and silver gift mugs filled with hot coffee. After filling my mug with hot chocolate (because I don't drink coffee), an announcement was made for everyone to file into the gymnasium for the opening remarks. Once inside, I noticed hundreds of small black devices lying on three tables near the entrance. Upon closer inspection, I realized they were listening devices. On the stage next to the main podium, sat two enclosed cubicles for an English & Inuktitut translator. Once everyone was seated, the conference officially began.
The opening remarks were done in both English & Inuktitut, with the MCs welcoming everyone to the conference in a traditional Inuit greeting. Because the weather was acting up again, not everyone had been able to fly in and that included several presenters. If the weather kept acting up, some workshops would have to be cancelled. However, we were reminded that should that be the case, we would be free to join other workshops that weren't full. As an added bonus, there would be buses ferrying us between the schools and other venues.
The first keynote address was delivered by Sandra Herbst, titled 'Engaging Students' and lasted about an hour. It was PowerPoint presentation filled with colourful pictures and quotes. Since break period was to follow the address, the Frobisher Inn staff began setting up several tables at one of the far ends of the gym. Near the end of her presentation, Sandra was interrupted by the sound of hot coffee spilling on the gym floor. One of catering staff wasn't careful enough with the large coffee container. After the keynote address, everyone lined up to get their first take of the catered food . . . without fresh coffee. The snacks included muffins and fresh fruit.
My first workshop was 'Working With Orff Instruments,' taught by Dr. Anne Dolloff, the University of Toronto professor who I met earlier. Orff instruments include miniature xylophones, marimbas, glockenspiels, and metallophones. For the workshop, Dr. Dolloff explained the Orff Approach (aka Orff Schulwerk), a simple teaching method used to introduce music to first time musicians. There are 4 stages: imitation, exploration, improvisation, and composition. We looked at a few songs & rhymes, learning and expressing their rhythms & melodies through singing, chanting, clapping, dancing, patting, finger snapping, and playing on the instruments. It felt like elementary school all over again.
The bagged lunches were good but not great. There were two options: take it or leave it. No, actually it was meat or vegetarian. Inside was a sandwich, fruit, stick of cheese, crackers, and a desert of some kind.
The next workshop was led by John Gann, a retired teacher who came to Iqaluit to promote an education resource that was created and launched by the Canadian Superior Court Judges' Association back in 2004, called 'Try Judging'. The resource introduces students to the role of judges in the Canadian judicial system and encourages them to learn more about the rule of law. The program is available online and in hardcopy. The resource is meant to compliment the Grade 10 Civics course. The only thing I didn't like was the website's retro look.
The last workshop of the day turned out to be the most intense. It was called, 'Daily Physical Activity: Why, What, and How', and it was led by Doug Gleddie, a well experienced phys ed teacher. After hopping over to the Nakasuk school by bus, about 20 teachers and myself moved around in the school's hexagonal gym, doing various physical activities that promoted healthy living and having fun. It certainly gave me ideas on what to do if I ever got stuck supply teaching a phys ed class. Unfortunately, the buses had to be cancelled after the last workshop because a blizzard decided to pay Iqaluit a visit. Several teachers walked back to Inuksuk while the rest (including me) got rides from local teachers who had brought along their vehicles.
From what I remember, dinner was the better meal that day, with fresh pasta, buns, salads, vegetables, and fruits & cakes for dessert. Being a teacher sure felt good at that moment. I sat down at a table and talked with teachers from all over the territory. The night ended early because the blizzard also forced the cancellation of the official opening ceremonies.
The blizzard was gone by Tuesday morning but it still caused problems at the airport forcing several flights to be delayed and/or cancelled. Because of this, the morning keynote address would not be done by David Suzuki. Yes, thee David Suzuki. Canadian born academic, science broadcaster and environmental activist. The people in charge of the conference were still hoping he would be able to make it for Wednesday morning, otherwise they would have to pay for a $30,000 no-show, so the rumour was. Instead, the address was done by the phys ed teacher, Doug Gleddie. Let's just say his presentation was a mix between a PowerPoint lecture and his workshop I attended the day before.
For Tuesday, I only attended one workshop, Introductory Inuktitut, but it was spread across all the periods. Since I was staying in Iqaluit for the next year, best to learn the local language. For the workshop, everyone received a free complimentary English-Inuktitut glossary, full of common phrases & words. Our teacher, Ms. Pujjuut Kusugak, started with the syllabary chart, showing us how to correctly pronounce each syllable. Some of them are quite difficult to master. Knowing a Slavic language helps a little bit. We then moved on to writing our names in Inuktitut, naming animals & items, and saying phrases that we could use in the classroom, such as, 'sit down', 'do your work', 'and 'look everyone.'
After another well catered dinner that featured pork chops, the official opening ceremonies began at 8pm, featuring speeches from the Nunavut premier and several prominent academics. While sitting in the gym's balcony section, listening to one academic ramble on about the importance of education, I felt that the conference was off to a good start.
Qauppattauq! (See you tomorrow!)
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