As I walked up the stairs into the heated yellow terminal, it suddenly dawned on me that I didn't know how the principal looked like. And he didn't know my appearance either. Before my arrival, it was agreed that he & the current music teacher would greet me at the airport. But because of the 3 hour delay, I doubted that the music teacher would be present because she was nearly due. Upon entering the main terminal room, I looked for someone holding my name on a board. No luck. I proceeded to the baggage conveyor belt and waited for about five seconds before an older gentleman tapped me on the shoulder and asked if I was Adrian. When I replied yes, he introduced himself as Terry, the principal of Inukshuk High School, and explained that Mary, the music teacher, couldn't make it.
As we waited for my luggage to arrive, he gave me the keys to my classroom and explained how things worked at the high school. Terry was a Newfoundlander who lived in Iqaluit for over two decades, and had been principal of Inuksuk for many years. I could see that he was well established because he was frequently interrupted by people he knew. Perhaps he knew everyone in Iqaluit? He also explained that I would be staying in a hotel because they had yet to find staff housing for me. He hoped that a place would be found by Tuesday.
After collecting my luggage, we proceeded to his truck where he would drive me to the hotel. He was also giving another teacher a lift because he had come to run a soccer workshop at Inukshuk. Instinctively, I started putting on my seatbelt when I sat in the truck. "You don't have to put that on," said Terry. "Wearing seatbelts is not enforced and nobody wears them anyway."
"Why's that?" I queried.
"Not enforced and because we wear so many layers and jackets."
I was surprised to see so many cars and trucks as we drove into town. Since he chose to drop off the other teacher first, I got a free tour of the main part of town . . at night. I noticed that there were only stop signs at every intersection; no traffic lights. But most importantly, I saw the high school where I would be teaching. He dropped me off at the Nova Inn, now called the Hotel Arctic. Before leaving, he told me to get in contact with Mary so that she could show me the school and the music room. The hotel room I was given was pretty nice with a bed, washroom, small fridge, microwave, tv and plenty of closet space. After bringing in all my luggage, I switched on my laptop and checked my email and Facebook, and then collapsed on the bed, relieved that I had finally made it.
The next morning, Mary picked me up in her truck and drove towards the high school. Before we pulled in, she drove around town, showing where all the important stores & facilities are located. She also explained that most buildings, especially houses are all built on stilts because the hard rocky ground prevents the construction of basements. As I gazed out the window, I was surprised that reality still hadn't hit me. Maybe on the first day of school, I thought.
Once inside the school, she explained that the building was split into 4 sections: green, red, orange, & yellow, and that the music was located in the yellow section, next to the library. The room itself is pretty spacious, with plenty of chairs & music stands. Thirty steel & nylon string guitars hung from two walls, most of them brand new, added Mary. There are also three smaller rooms: teacher's office, storage, and practice. After showing me where all the teaching resources were, explaining what classes I would be teaching, and what routines to do on a regular basis, she left me alone so that I could plan my lessons for the upcoming week. Gazing around the empty classroom, I sank into the nearest chair and humourously wondered, 'What have I gotten myself into?'
Shaking off the thought, I went about preparing for my first day at Inuksuk. I was tasked with teaching Grade 10 music, Grade 11 & 12 music, Grade 9 guitar, and a fourth class that had yet to be determined. These classes were spread across four blocks, each 75 minutes long. In New Zealand, I had only taught classes that were 60 minutes in length. While planning my lessons, I also took some time to practice piano and guitar. Walking back to the hotel was a small challenge because of the cold weather. I must have been obvious that I was a new arrival because I was wearing a face mask, neck warmer, and a toque on my head. But the cold didn't stop me from taking pictures of the beautiful landscape.
On Sunday, after spending another day of planning, Mary invited me to dinner at her place. Since other teachers were attending as well, this was a perfect opportunity to meet them. They asked me where I was from & where I did my teacher's college? When it was my turn, I asked them what the teacher life was like in Iqaluit and at the high school? As they filled my mind with their knowledge and experiences, I realized that despite my best preparations, I was still heading into the first day blind because I didn't know my students and how they would react to my personality and teaching style. As Sunday came to a close, I hoped for a good first day.
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