Ponies, Play Dough, Kitchen and Books

Today was the girls' first full day of school.

And, I'm happy to report... I survived.  Barely.  But, I survived.

Last night, I was a basket case. 

I did not see this coming. 

I've been a Kindergarten teacher for years. 

I've seen the first day of school half a dozen times from the teachers' perspective.  Nonetheless, it's heart-wrenching to pass over your beloved children to virtual strangers, who, on some days, might get to spend more time with them than me. 

Lucky people.

I think it was easier doing this as a Kindergarten teacher because I already knew the teacher those kids were going to get: 

Me. 

Loving and firm. 

Nurturing and supportive. 

I would kiss their boo-boos and wipe their tears. 

And, I'd hug the parents when they needed it too.

The girls have excellent teachers. 

But, it's hard to let go.  (And, it's a loooong day for little ones.) 

I don't regret saying that it's hard for one minute. 

Every word I type is true. 

I'm not embarrassed at all. 

Beginning a permanent and full-time 13-14 year educational journey at the ages of four- and five-years is a big deal for every family. 

And it should be. 

But, my opinion of societal norms for school, age, and pacing is for another place and time. 

My opinions would probably surprise you, given what I do.

Luckily, Eli will be there almost every day to pick the girls up at the end of the day. 

His daily work schedule will let him be at their classroom door when the bell rings everyday, unless he is flying in the North on a day trip. 

Can I have an "Amen!"?

Those other days, the girls will hang out in my room after school and watch a movie or play kiddie computer games. 

I will always drop them off in the morning.  They'll hang out in my room until bell time, as I have no duty in the morning. 

Can I have another "Amen!"?

I believe in maximizing our contact with the girls.

They are my very favourite people.

And, they are hilarious and fun. 

Just like Mommy.

I know you can appreciate my joy in having them in the same building as me.

I love it.

The girls' classrooms are right next door to each other.  Love.  It.

And, I'm right upstairs.  Love. It. More.

Space.  Security.  Convenience.

Love.

With all of the changes, travelling, and "see you soons," with our big move across the country, I think it's important for them to know that Eli and I are close by, and will always be there. 

They are resilient, but we can't expect them to have super powers and no emotions.

In the morning, Miss A marched pass my classroom on a school tour with her Preschool class.  She knew it was my hallway, and peeked in my room and yelled,

"That's Mommy's room!" and kept on going.  My students loved that.

My girls were happy to see me during the day (and I was happy to get glimpses of them!), and they seemed more settled each time I saw them. 

Do you see Miss G towards the end of the line? 

She was just visiting the school mascot (who can be a little scary for little ones). 

Her teacher told them that Chip the Husky was sleeping. 

Miss G pointed out that his eyes were open, so he couldn't be sleeping. 

He must be a costume and just pretend. 

Miss G's class continued their merry school tour by heading upstairs to my classroom. 

I was on a break, so I went to the staff room. 

And, I ate chocolate. 

It soothes me.

When yoga is out of the question for spiritual healing, chocolate has a similar effect. 

After school, the girls were in meltdown mode.

Hysterical.

Why?

They wanted to go on the school bus.

We live 300 metres from the school.

They were not impressed. 

Miss G was, however, impressed with her new Kindergarten crown. 

She got to decorate it with special stickers, and they are very meaningful to her.

She told me about every one.

She felt very special all day wearing it. 

And, she wore it to bed.  She did take it off for her cowboy hat for a while, though. 

Both are in bed, actually.

Miss A gave me an interview about her first day of Preschool, after an hour of playtime outside with their favourite new neighbourhood buddies, a warm bubble bath, and celebratory chocolate chip pancakes for supper.

Me: Did you like preschool today?

A:  Yeah!

Me:  Did you have fun with Miss P and Miss C?

A: Yeah!

Me:  What did you do?

A: Play!  Fun!  Friends!  Books!

Me: That's super!  Do you want to go again on Friday?

A: Yeah! 

I interviewed Miss G about her day, too.

Me:  Was Mrs. F nice?

G: Oh, yes.

Me: How did you feel about your first day of Kindergarten? 

G:  It was fun.  I was only a little bit scared and a little bit sad and a little bit happy and a little bit excited.

Me: What did you do today?

G:  Ponies.  Play dough.  Kitchen.  Books.  It was fun.

I was impressed with how much she could tell me about her day.  She told me which book they read.  I believe I own the entire Kindergarten library, so I should not be that surprised that she is familiar with most children's literature, and can report which books were read to her.  She told me about her friends, and asked me for mittens when she plays outside.

It's on my list.

For the record, I was also a little bit scared and a little bit sad and a little bit happy and a little bit excited about today, too. 

Satisfied Customer

I love books.  So does Eli.  So do the girls.

Books, in my opinion, are better than movies.  And, WAY better than television.

Though I do love the movie adaptations of some books.  Like Harry Potter. And Twilight. 

Team Edward, baby!! Huminah, huminah.  I digress.

This past Christmas, I bought Eli a Kobo eReader.

I was pretty surprised when I opened my present from my dad, and got one too!

Thanks, Dad.  (He's a good listener, and picks great gifts.)

I was so disappointed when my Kobo very suddenly stopped working shortly after we arrived in Yellowknife.  I was grateful to have had it for our cross Canada trek, but sad that it was so short-lived.  I had JUST finished The Help... an EXCELLENT book.  Read it.  You will love every page. 

Here is how my Kobo got broken-ease: When I pressed the power button, the screen had straight lines.  I could kind of guess from the placement of the lines if it was on the home page, book cover or a reading page, but there were no letters that you could make out.

You can't read a book like that!

I tried everything.  I reset it.  I charged it.  I drained the battery and recharged it and reset it.

You get the idea.

Since I used it so much (and it's SO handy, compact and cute), Eli and I resolved ourselves to buying a new eReader.  I began researching all kinds.  There are major bonuses to lots of them, but I was sad to give up on my Kobo. 

I loved it because it was purple and soft. 

I loved it because the e-Ink made it easy to read outside in the sun (unlike a laptop screen).

I loved it because I read hours a day, and this was a great way to read!

I loved it because it was simple and could not surf the Internet.

I like purposeful items:  its purpose is to be like a book.  Not a computer.

I like to "unplug" when I can.

I loved it because it was purple.  Lilac, actually.

As I was researching, I found the Kobo website, and decided to contact customer support.  Just to see.  And, sometimes, by reporting a problem it helps to improve future models.  I like when people and companies can learn from mistakes.  I'm all about improving for improvement sake.

I got to a customer service representative.

I explained my poor Kobo's symptoms.

I explained all of my e-medicinal attempts to cure my Kobo's symptoms.

But, my Kobo still had broken-ease. 

The customer service representative listened.

She typed.

She said, "It sounds like you've tried everything, so I'm going to send you a new one."

I leapt for joy!

Now, THAT is customer service!

I was so pleased.  She had a box and packing materials Purolatored to my house so I could return my broken Kobo.  She told me that it would take 10 business days for me to receive my new Kobo.

She also told me that they were out of lilac Kobos. 

I'll admit:  I was bummed.  I like my purple eReader.

I told her on the phone about my unnatural attachment to my purple eReader.  She laughed.  She giggled.  She was on my side.  She said that clearly, I loved my Kobo.  She made a note on my file that I loved my lilac Kobo, and if possible they should repair my old one so I could have my purple one back.  My alternate choice was grey.

True to her word, my Kobo arrived, delivered to my door with a Purolator smile in 10 days.  Not business days.  Days.  To Yellowknife.

When I opened it, this is what I found:

My Kobo!  Actually, a BRAND NEW KOBO in original, unopened, straight from the manufacturer packaging. 

Hello, Sweet eReader! 

As Joey, on Friends, once said:

"If you want something enough and your heart is pure, wondrous things can happen!" 

"Can you tell me how this happened?" 

"Miracle!"

It's a PURPLE Kobo!

Oh, sweet books, here I come!

I love you, Kobo.

I still have a major soft spot for real books, but this satisfies my unnatural consumption of books in an efficient manner.  And, I have no more space for any bookshelves.  We're full.  I would have to move Eli out to make room for any more books.  That's NOT happening.

This is so awesome, because I can buy a book online and have it right away without waiting for it to arrive...

Book suggestions, please!!

I already have a list, but I'm always looking for more!

Lessons from the North

Yesterday, was my first Professional Development day with my new school district, and it was awesome.  In the North, the school districts take care to make the Dene culture a large component of education, and this was a wonderful learning opportunity for me.

We all gathered at one of the schools, and were broken in to pre-arranged teams.  I was very excited to learn that one of Gramma's dear friends, Barb, was on my team.  Barb is a well-loved secretary in the school district, and she's a hoot to spend a day with!

All teams were given a theme for their cultural scavenger hunt.  The theme of my group was "Drum."  So, all tasks related, in some way, to the theme.

Our first stop was the Prince of Wales Northern Heritage Centre. 

There, we explored an Edukit prepared on the theme of drum called "From Tree to Song - Dene Drum Kit." 

In it, there was a video that showed all the steps the Dene use to make a ceremonial drum, and the spiritual meaning of the drum.  The museum even found us a little television and VCR to view the video.

I'm going to have to return to the museum, because there was so much to see and learn.  Do recognize the communities marked on this map?  And the languages of the regions.  It's fascinating!

We also learned about how the museum is preserving the oral tradition, as possible, and it working on the Dene Drum Project where they digitalize drumming done by elders in the 1980's.  It will be available for the public later this year.

There was also a puppet theatre with puppets and costumes. 

You can take the teacher out of Kindergarten, but you can't take the Kindergarten out of the teacher!  (This is a funny mirror, just saying...)

Next, we went to a school gym for an interactive geography lesson on the Northwest territories.  In the kit, there were two large blue pieces of felt to represent Great Slave Lake and Great Bear Lake, a long blue piece of felt (or rope) for the Mackenzie River, and two large brown pieces of felt for the two northern islands, Banks Island and Victoria Island, and we had to assemble it from memory.  

Then, we had to name all 33 communities (bonus if we also knew the dual names) and write them on sticky notes and place them on the map.

 We (I use that term loosely) also placed the tree line (the visible edge of habitat that transitions from trees to no trees, due to the temperature) and the arctic circle, the invisible line that sees exactly 24 hours of daylight on the summer solstice (June 21) and 24 hours of night on the winter solstice (December 21).  Yellowknife is on the 66th parallel, so we'll be pretty close with those lengths of time for daylight!

There goes Barb (in the red striped shirt)!  I was not terribly helpful, but I could have assembled a map of the provinces after having driven through them.  I think that being here for just about a month was a good reason to supervise.  I learned a lot!  Teachers, you could totally do this with your class and your own region. 

Next, we headed to the Yellowknife River.   

It was a beautiful and serene day, and we were all so lucky to be outside! 

Now, all the other groups had different themes, and we doing different tasks.  Some were collecting and learning about medicinal plants.  Others, were learning traditional games.  Some were setting snares (how lucky am I not to have been in that group... Twofour the bunny may have never forgiven me!), preparing the "camp," or the food for our feast.  But, more on that later.

An elder from a neighbouring community and his wife came to meet us to teach us how to make traditional drums, used for spiritual drumming. 

They had prepared the wooden hoops (made with a wood plane by hand) and the caribou hide.  The elder lady explained that it takes her about a day to prepare one caribou hide, including removing the fur, scraping both sides several times and washing it in cold water.  It was amazing. They began by showing us how to stretch the caribou hide around the hoop, and then to trim it.  They waste none of the caribou they hunt.

 If there was a small tear, she stitched it up very quickly.  She was so fast, I almost didn't get a picture! 

Here I am cutting the caribou hide to fit the drum.

 Then, we glue the caribou hide down (I think they used sap or something like that traditionally), before we let them dry. 

As I took the picture above, I noticed quite a sight beyond the elders, and I moved over to document it.  Danielle cleaning fish!

Danielle was in the food preparation group.  If you know her regular diet of chicken and fries, you will know how funny this struck me.  She was so in the zone, she didn't know I had come right over to take pictures until afterwards.

Another group was playing traditional games in from of the beautiful amphitheatre. 

Barb was helping with the careful gluing of the drums. 

And, Danielle was still cutting fish.  As a side note, another group went out in canoes and learned how to catch fish with the bare hands!

Danielle was pretty excited to show off her fish cleaning skill! 

They smoked the meat and the fish for hours over the fire.  That's Danielle adjusting her fish.

You can file this picture under "pride." 

Hot stew and fresh bread, too! 

The feast was getting ready... 

Meanwhile, our elder friends were preparing to hand our drums in the sun to dry. 

This elder was patient and quiet, and was happy when he could tell us his stories.  The oral tradition is very important, and he believes that by passing his stories on to the teachers, there is some hope that the younger generation will hear them. 

The drums looked beautiful spinning and drying in the breeze. 

The elder played the drum and sang a song to the angels. 

He told us the story of his prayer and song having cured him of cancer.   

The drums and song have very special meaning to the Dene culture. 

The bands of string used in the drum are also from caribou hide, and here, the elder is cutting thin strips for the front of the drum.  She cuts it in a wide angle to make long strips. 

As we were all relaxing for the feast, Danielle was still working over the hot fire serving food. 

Later, we moved to the amphitheatre for the Feeding of the Fire.   

The Feeding of the Fire is a special ceremony to celebrate God, the Great Creator, and to give thanks.  It is also an opportunity to connect with ancestors who have gone before us. 

Everyone puts in some food for the ancestors, to the rhythm and song of the drum. The Bishop (in black, beside the drummers) was also in attendance, and is a very engaging speaker.  

These drummers, Barb told me, also played for Prince William and Kate on their visit toYellowknife.

 

It is amazing how strong these drums are when you hear how powerfully they are played.  

We were all invited to join in to the Fire song dance, following the Prayer song.