The joys of teaching in Northern Ontario #1

Two months (minus the two weeks I went home for the Holidays) have flown by! My class is a Grade 7 and 8 split class that consists of 14 students - only 3 girls and the rest are boys. In some way or another they are related, either as cousins or siblings. At first when my Educational Assistant (E.A.) told me that I did not believe it. But for the most part they are. The weeks before the break were spent getting to know my class, establishing new norms as I was their third teacher just this year. Never mind how many teachers they had in years past. It was a bit of an adjustment however the respect and re-pore was built almost instantly. My students have an indescribable understanding of animals, wildlife and the outdoors. There are times when I let them just teach me. I allow them to laugh at me and I show them it is okay to not feel embarrassed about something you do not know. I am honest about how my life was in the city and they think it is crazy that I did not spend much time outside because I did not like the cold... whereas the cold in the "South" (aka Southern Ontario) was rarely below -15. I have come to realize that in the south it is such a damp cold because of the lakes whereas it is not as cold here. Here it is cold.. very cold but in such a different way. Because of our average -30 weather, indoor recess is common and you rarely hear them complain about it. I recall being a student and strongly disliking indoor recess. The students are great and I look forward to being with the Grade 8s until they move on to high school and with the Grade 7s next year for their last year before leaving the only school they have ever known.