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Have not had time to update - I just got back this afternoon. Feeling worn out and just need a lot of rest. A big part of Cree culture is to be able to laugh at yourself. I'm too tired to laugh right now but enjoy this video.

Four More Days

The science exam starts at 9 am in the morning. I've prepped them as much as I can. My work here is done. Tomorrow, I'll be in at 8 am cooking bacon, eggs and toast to help encourage them to be here on time. Some of them will intentionally miss the exam. Next year they will repeat Grade 10 for the third time. Others will hope that this is their ticket out the door and will work harder than they have in all the years they've been to school. I cross my fingers and wait for the results.

It's been quite an adventure the past four months and I'm ready for a break. There are a lot of people who say to me, "You've got a tough job" and I laugh. I never thought it was taxing, maybe because I fit well into my role. It didn't feel like work. I did it and I knew it had to be done.

But the reality of it is that I'm worn out. Not physically nor mentally but just in my heart.

I work with kids that rarely show appreciation. On a daily basis, I could hold a door for students without getting a simple 'thank you'. A lot of them won't talk to you or show any emotions in their face. I am often turned down when I make a simple request. Sometimes, I'll be ignored outright when I ask a question. I make appointments a lot and if I am lucky, the student will show up 45 minutes late. Half the time, I am stood up despite pinky swears and promises. I've even made batches of cookies for no one, even after knocking on the doors of houses, only to have parents tell me that the student is sleeping in after coming home at 9 am in the morning from drinking and partying. I spend a lot of time having high expectations, only to have them lowered repeatedly, time and time again.

Being the Optimist in everyone else's life isn't easy.

And it's definitely not a job that many people can do well. Yet what comes out of it has been amazingly rewarding and worth all of that. There really isn't a secret to it. You just have to do it to figure it out on your own, if you haven't already. I appreciate everything that I've learned up north and feel lucky to have had such wonderful experiences up here. But I'm also happy to be headed home in 4 days as I finish up my contract.

I can't give anymore love right now. My heart just needs a break.

Safety

Reading about the shooting at the Eaton Centre in Toronto, I'm appreciative of the extremely low crime rate here in Whapmagoostui. I've left my iPad with little kids at the gym, as they sit on the bleachers and play games, come back to it as it sits in my backpack (hockey sticks are more likely to be stolen).

So no, this never happens to me up north!

Teaching electricity

Three more weeks before my job ends. 

Exams are coming fast and soon! We're not getting a lot of students coming out to our after-school program to prep for exams. My lessons need to be more engaging, so I went through some supplies at school and made this awesome matching column quiz with a few basic materials:

• wire-cutter and wire-stripper
• 9-volt battery
• wires
• metal paperclips
• bulb
• cardboard

I worked with four kids after school. Only two stuck around long enough for me to show them this. We stayed until 6:30 pm. It was a long but extremely pretty productive day.

 ABOVE: The front of the matching-column quiz. Students have to place the two wires to the correct answers for the simple circuit to work and the bulb to light up.

ABOVE: I couldn't find a nice cardboard sheet so I rummaged this scrap box from the kitchen! The back of the board, where you can see which wires are connected to each other.