Monday

I just love living here...you can't expect anything! Here is what happened today that was completely unexpected...

Over the loud speaker at the end of the day came the voice of one of the elders in the community. He was speaking in English thankfully. He announced that the food for the feast this weekend was in the shed. "what?" I thought. I guess the school has hunters, and today they killed three moose. Now, the meat is the school's shed. And the school will host a feast this weekend! But there is a catch...

The women tomorrow of the school must prepare the meat to be smoked. The home-EC room will be used for this, and the female teachers are encouraged to use any spare time they have in the day, lunch, preps...to go and help the female elders to prepare the meat. Once we have finished the preparations, the men will take the meat into the TeePee (which is being set up as I write in the school yard) to smoke it!

I am quite excited about coming to school tomorrow...and I have a prep in the afternoon, so I will get to help.


Last week, I was getting really frustrated. And I think that God knew...well...I know He knows. I spent the weekend at the school, working hard to organize the mess here that was left for me by the previous teacher. I think that I spent about 15 hours here on Sat and Sun. It's still not quite done. On Sunday morning, I didn't go to church because there are no services here and I didn't prepare to go with anyone to John D'or, and frankly...I wasn't feeling up to it. I was really discouraged. God reminded me that He has his own agenda and that he will see it through to completion...even if he has to bang on the door to our heart sometime. Well, last night...there was some pretty mighty banging.

Mary, the woman who lives in my four-plex who I have been praying with, had given me come CD's a couple weeks ago. I didn't listen to them because they looked kinda weird...not my type of music. I put one in Sunday night to listen to while I did some prep for Monday...and the banging started. The music was incredible, a live recording of a conference in Toronto. I closed my eyes and worshiped. God did something wonderful in my home last night. He was there the whole night, and he was there when I woke up this morning. He was there when the kids were misbehaving, and he was there when the kids were behaving. I felt lonely last week, but I am reminded that I am never alone, that my best friend is here. And I am so excited about that! He gave me the same vision that I had before I came here, kind of like a rerun...and my joy has been restored. My motivation has sky-rocketed and I have been given more that enough encouragement. I am not here because I accepted a job to teach. I am here because I obeyed God. He has placed me here and he will use me. Bible study will start next week, and there are four people who will come for sure. This is going to be good.

All he wants is for us to come...to open the door when He knocks. Did you come to Him today?

Friday

So, today was a crazy day. My TA was sick again today, so another sub was brought in. She is a wonderful lady, and I have seen her around the school before. She always has a smile on her face. Working with her was a bit difficult though. She flat out refused to do some of the simple tasks that I asked her to do, which made the day a bit difficult. My kids were wired today to, and just...off. Maybe it's a full moon. Things that have never happened before were happening today and it really threw me off. Upon reflection, maybe part of it has to do with my programming for the day. I think that when my vice principle returns, I am going to ask her for some advice. Maybe I have the day too structured for them, or maybe I have structured it wrong...I am feeling lost.

Sometimes I am happy that I was just given the class to teach...and with that the freedom to express myself as a teacher however I felt comfortable. But sometimes I wish that I had more guidance and boundries to work within because when days like this happen, it would be nice to have some feedback or support. But I am feeling quite alone. I want to be the best teacher that I can be. And I want to learn lots this year. But, how can I learn if I haven't anyone around to watch and provide feedback for me? Teaching is my passion, and I want to teach for many years to come. I want to be able to get a job easily because my references and evaluations are shining...so to do these things, I need to continue learning...here.

I want help but where do I get it?

Thursday

today i had a sub TA. Wow! She is amazing. I am looking around my classroom at the end of the day and it is so awesome. Everything is put away. I have no dishes to do and no water table to clean out. The art is all up on the bulletin boards and everything. She even cleaned up my desk and organized the drawers for me. I am heading to go and give a report to the principle who hired her...today was her first day as a sub and I love her. She is on my sub list!

I had five kids today and they were excellent. Their sounds that they are learning through the Jolly Phonics program are coming along great. Their colors and shapes are coming with our constant review and practice. We are classifying in math and I am proud of the work they are doing....and these are my four year olds.

Have I told you yet that I love my job and that i love fox lake? Cause I do!

Wednesday

First, to all my loyal readers, I am sorry that I have not put up a blog in such a long time. As you know, I was in Edmonton from Wednesday the 14th until Sunday, the 18th.

The Conference was the first Little Red River Cree Nation Board of Education's conference ever...and it was a great success. They had many quality workshops to attend, that touched not only on general education issues but also specifically on aboriginal issues in education. I feel much more comfortable working in a school with such a rich aboriginal culture after the conference.

Whenever there were group sessions, the Cree language was used first to speak, and then was later translated into English. And I must say, Cree is a beautiful language to listen to. The elders began our conference with a pipe ceremony, and ended the conference with prayer. Although they did not translate the prayers, I was able to follow along, simply by listening to the rhythm of his words. He was saying "The Lord is My Shepard". I think that it is wonderful that although I do not know the Cree language, or any other languages for that matter, that I can follow along simply by recognizing the rhythm of words and matching them to the rhythm of words in English...connecting them to recognize familiar poetry, such as The Lords Prayer, or "The Lord is my Sheppard".

I was able to spend time with family and friends briefly while in Edmonton, and if I did not get a chance to see you, I am sorry. Time was not great and I tried to fit in as many visits as possible. Of course the conference was my priority, but I also made an effort to get to know the teachers and TA's from my school...outside of a school setting. I must say, this has worked out very well.

Before the conference, I noticed a lot of segregation in the staff room, natives on one side, whites on the other. It really sucked. I am here to not only teach but to experience the culture here, and it is hard to do that when we don't intermingle. Anyways, Tuesday and today, Wednesday, have been awesome. We all smile at each other in the halls. Many of the men have approached me offering to look at my car...(word spreads fast here and I am sure everyone knows my car is having problems). Some of them have even offered to buy it already! One of the high school teachers here offered to take it off my hands if I give him 20$! There is lots of laughter and teasing and smiles. There is lots of conversation and comfort. I guess I made lots of friends with the Fox Lakers while I was in Edmonton because I have so many now that I am home. I am very happy to be home! I am proud to call Fox Lake home and to call myself a Fox Laker!

Tuesday I had five children. It was a bit wild in here because the children had had about a week off of school. We managed to get through the day though. I am so proud of how well their sounds are coming along and to see their interest in the math activities that I have planned for them. I put shaving cream in the water table today instead of water and the kids had a blast! It was really easy to clean up after and our classroom smells awesome!

Wednesday, today, I had the most children I have ever had in one day show up, 16. 17 if you include the boy who showed up an hour before school was let out! And wow...I was bragging in the staff room during my prep about what an amazing group I have. So well behaved and eager to listen. They were easy to manage today and just simply delightful children to have in the classroom. Activities were done with minimal distraction, worksheets done to the Best of their abilities. I didn't even have to ask more than once for the kids to clean up! Now that's incredible!

And what better way to end an awesome day than to go out on a date. Yes, you read correctly, a date. See, the grade eight's put on a Valentine's dinner for us Fox Lakers. It was postponed due to the conference, so tonight was the night. Dinner and a movie. Each couple had their own table complete with candle light. Each couple shared a pizza and had salad and pop. We watched the Illusionist with Edward Norton...one of the most wonderful actors on screen and most talented of men today in the arts. I adore him...so a perfect movie to "set the mood". The lights were dimmed. I sat next to my date. I wore my red dress and sequenced shall. I had done my hair up nice after school and put on perfume. My date had asked me out almost as soon as I came to Fox Lake...I think maybe a crush?

Just Kiddin!! my friend Joanne was my date! But all other details are true ") I dressed up, over dressed to try an embarrass her! It was awesome. There were lots of other couples there and friend couples. I guess the grage eights liked being waitresses so much that they have asked their teacher if they can do it again....and I will be there.

I am not quite sure how I survived in the city. I am not quite sure that I will ever love to live in the city again. I feel so alive out here and refreshed. This is truly a blessing, this job. I can not find the words to tell you what a wonderful place this is, and I do not even want to try, for fear that I will leave you feeling anything less than awe. I do hope that I am offered a position here next year, and I will accept the position. Hopefully, this is where God desires me to be for another year, because I do not feel in any rush at all to leave.

I miss you all and cannot wait for your emails. They are part of my joy each day. I felt joy when I came up here to teach and was curious how long the joy would stay for, but now I realize. The joy of the Lord will never leave you, only you can leave it. I am full of joy and I see no reason to leave it. Praise God for his many blessings and for his abundance of love! I am so happy!

Angela,
Miss Cassidy

PS The grade eights made some beautiful leather pouches, about the size of a small purse. some have leather tassels, some have native artwork on them. I think all of them have a shoulder strap. They are available for purchase. I will check to see how much they are. I am going to purchase one. Would anyone else like one?

The rabbit fur

My TA came to my house around 4:30 to pick me up. We went to the Northern Store, and I bought a pouch of Players Light tobacco. Then we headed all the way across town. It was almost a 10 minute drive, going 40km! As we drove, my TA knew which house belonged to which families, and pointed out all the homes of people who I would know. It really made the trip interesting, being able to match up my students and some of my coworkers with the homes they live in.

Fox Lake is really quite beautiful. There are so many trees everywhere. In the city, you might pay extra to have a home with a beautiful old tree on the property, here, everyone has them, and lots! Some homes have lots of vehicles parked out front, mostly trucks. Others have horses out in front, and most have dogs. Most homes have children playing outside too. The homes are far apart, but still close enough that neighbor children get together to play outside often.

We drove on the narrow road that bent and twisted over the rolling hills. skidoo tracks lined both sides of the road. Then, as we came over the last hill, the road just stopped. And there was Kokkum's house.

Kukum lives in the first of the newer homes to be built in Fox Lake. She proudly displays her house number, 1, oh the front of her house. It has a nice big window to the left of the front door. The house is a faded yellow. To the left of the house are two large Teepee's. They are covered with tarps and blankets. It makes them look orange and blue. There is a clothesline next to the tepees, going from the house to a tree and it is full of clothespins. To the right of the house, set back a bit next to a hill and the trees, is a log home. I didn't get a good look, cause we went inside.

Kukum is about my height, no taller. She is wearing moccasins that she made and a mauve sweater. She looks like a grandma. She is smiling and happy. I present her with the tobacco and she says thank-you in English. She knows some words to speak, and can understand most. The three of us talk together. I can talk directly to her, and then my TA translates for me what her Kukum says. It's nice and comfortable.

Her home is a grandma's home. the cupboards are overflowing with pots and pans, dishes and mugs, obviously someone who enjoys cooking for her large family. There are pictures all over the walls, some of Jesus, some that she has cross-stitched of some blue bears. There are plants on the shelves and hanging from the ceiling. Her TV unit has no TV, but is full of gifts from grandchildren and children. She is running out of room for them all. On her kitchen table, opposite from where she is sitting, is a beautiful antique sewing machine. It is almost exactly like the antique sewing machine my mom bought at an action last year. It is in wonderful condition. She tells me that she sews alot, and to bring over my clothes that need repair. In the summer, she takes it ouside and does all her repairs out there, in the sun.

Kukum gets up and comes back with a plastic bag. I know what is inside. My grin is ear to ear and she is happy too.She takes out the rabbit. I say it this way because it is almost like it is still a rabbit. I think that I was expecting to have a rabbit fur that iis flat, with no sign of it ever having been an animal except that it is rabbit fur. But this! She shows me the ears and takes my hand to feel the softness of the fur. The city girl in me wants to pull back from it. She is thinking about the fact that this is a dead animal. but, the Fox Lake girl, who would like to skin her own rabbit one day, with kukum's help, allows kukum to take her hand to feel the fur.

I thinnk that before I left I had volunteered to help her to tan a moose hide, to go berry picking with her, and to learn how to make moccosins. I can't wait to visit her again. This was the best experience.

I found out through our conversations that one onf the teepee's is used to skin the animals, and I can't remember what the other is used for. But the log cabin is now used to smoke them meat or to tan the hides. I am sure that with more visits, I will learn more!

Angela

Monday

Today is colder than -40, so I only had seven children today. We celebrated Valentine's Day today, and had all of our centers with that theme. It was great!

I noticed the children speaking English a lot today. I am not sure why the sudden change in their choice of language to communicate with eachother, but it was sure nice to hear. Their language, Cree, is a very important part of their culture, and I do not want to discourage them from speaking their language. The school as a whole has said they do not want to discourage them srom speaking their language. So, to hear them choose to speak English was an important part of my day.

Their were only seven kids, about half of what I was expecting. But, the buses weren't running, so I understand. Tommorrow will be an even quieter day.


On Wednesday, I will pack up the car at 5:30 am and head off to my TA's home. Her, her son and her sister and another teacher (I am not sure who) will come in my car to Edmonton. I am happy to have the company. Colinda is a great TA and an excellent friend. Please pray for our safe travel and also for good road conditions.

Sunday

I woke up at 7am this morning. I got dressed up nice...a skirt and long johns with a nice big sweater over my dress shirt and long john shirt. I put on my toque, mitts and boots. Then I started my car. While it warmed up, I filled up the trunk with all of my warm outdoor clothing, a box of candles and matches, bottles water and a big bag of trail mix, my tool kit and safety kit, and some cassette tapes. Then I went out, put the extension cord, all 125 feet of it, in the trunk. I filled the back seat with any blankets I have and headed off.

First I stopped at the 7-plex to pick up the grade 10 teacher. Then we headed to pick up the wife of one of the teachers in the duplexes. by 8am we were on the ice bridge. We are going to church. YAA!

These girls haven't been to church since Christmas, so it was kinda a big deal. They are both older than me, but we are all about the same age. The trip to High Level went by so quickly, just talking and getting to know each other. They have met many times before, so I guess it was them getting to know me and vice versa.

We went to High Level Christian Church, a mennonite church. It was a lively church, excellent songs. The people were very friendly. The service was about having the stamina to climb a mountain...can we do it alone? Can we do it with God? The pastor had some great stories, and all of us agreed after that we felt motivated to work out more at the school! We also talked about starting up a bible study in Fox Lake and making it available for any and all of the teachers. We will begin after the teaching conference. I am very excited. The grade 10 teacher has a study she is excited about doing with us.

we had dinner at one of the only restraunts in High Level...Boston Pizza. Can I compare it to Edmonton's Swiss Chalet? Most of the people we met at the church were later at Boston Pizza too! They smiled at us and we smiled back. I think that we will return the next sunday that we can.

God is starting something great in Fox Lake. The believers are getting together. We are bonding and making friendships. We are excited about our faith and eager to see things happening. We are making plans and I believe that they are going to get carried out. God's hand is over the people in Fox Lake, all the people in Fox Lake. And I know that His hand is about to come down on us in a powerful way. Just watch. Something is about to happen, and I can't wait!

Please continue to pray for me, but let's pray for the community as a whole. the school, the families, the workers. I am so excited to be here. We need your prayers as we begin our prayer groups and our bible studies. When two or three are gathered together in prayer, powerful things happen...so let's gather together in prayer for this wonderful community!

Tea Dance

The Scene

The school gymnasium's walls have chairs, hundreds of chairs, lined up by them. The are two or three rows in most places. Each chair has someone sitting in it. The bleachers are packed. At the front, by the stage, the sisters who began and taught our school 50 years ago are sitting. The chief is to their right, my left. He is wearing a large headdress. In the middle of the gym floor there are two long rectangle tables together to make an even longer rectangle. Children occasionally run across the gym floor to other family or friends they see. Everyone is coming and going through the gym doors, though, it only seems as though people are coming. They come to watch. They come to listen. They come to be a community.

The Tea Dance

The Chief is a large man, tall in stature. He has a large voice that is friendly. He smiles and he laughs when he gives his speech. I do not know what he is saying but I can follow along enough because he slips some English words into his speech every once in a while, so I think I know at least what he is talking about. Chief Floyd thanks the sisters for coming. They are in their 80's and not living anywhere near Western Canada...so it is wonderful that they have made the journey to Fox Lake to celebrate with us. He explains the tea dance. It is a rich part of the Cree culture, with a little bit of a faster beat than you would find at a Pow Wow. It makes you feel alive, he says.

Three elders take out their drums. They are all the same type of drum, making the same tone. A teenage boy holds up the microphone to the middle of them. The beat is "Da DA Da DA Da DA" over and over and over again. The men use their voices too. I wouldn't call it singing. to my ear, it does not even sound as though they are saying Cree words. But they are using their voices. The song...the beat, is played for a long time.

The tables in the middle of the gym act as an object for the dancers to dance around. Chief Floyd casually invites some of his friends...or maybe they are other elders...to dance with him. It is like a chain. there is a leader. each person holding hands and following the person in front of him. And it is simple to learn. simply step to the beat. Each individual that I watched danced there own way, so there is no right or wrong way to step to the beat. But, as I watched the chain of men following the Chief, I saw all of the men in that chain dance the same. on the louder beat...not louder, just more pronounced....there knee kicks a wee little, but not their leg. it makes for a very little step. Smaller than a baby step. When you watch, their whole bodies are reacting to the beat. their hands, holding on to those before and behind them, react to the beat. Up and down, up and down. But it is just little. The movements seem to take them nowhere. They very slowly travel in a circle around the table...but the reactions to the beat make it seem like a lively dance. The dance is simple. Children join the dance and they step to the beat. The oldest of elders join and step to the beat. The sisters are dancing. The chief is dancing. I want to join too, but none of the white people have joined...except the sisters.

I wonder, will I get to join one day, or is this a traditional dance rexerved for the Cree people and those who have been adopted into the Cree culture. I am hoping that when another dance happens, that I can join. Today...I simply soak it in.

A teacher and his wife were sitting next to me on the bleachers. I am going to church with his wife and another teacher tomorrow in High Level. he turned to me to talk during the dance and reached into his pocket for a tissue instead. I didn't thing that watching the Tea Dance would effect me as much as it did. Tears flow from my eyes. A Cree woman next to me smiles. I am overwhelmed that I am here. I am honored to have the privilege to watch this Cree dance. I am completely submersed in a culture that prides itself on their traditions and their language. The people here have made me feel so welcome and I feel very comfortable living here. I can only say that as I watched the dance I felt incredibly humbled. Each child here is growing up, learning about their culture, their history, and who they are. The environment is rich for their learning these things. They are Cree and they are learning everyday what it means to be Cree.

I wonder who I am?

I know. I am a child of God.

Friday

Today was great, and I thank God for that.

Last night, my neighbor came over...just to pray. It was really nice to have her come and ask to pray with me. She had some prayer requests and I did too. She introduced me to a new phrase. It's called "Soaking in His presence". This means anything from listening to praise and worship music, to singing, to praying or reading the bible.

Anyways, after last night, it was incredible to see the way that the class operated today. It was like watching God answer my prayer right before my eyes. I could feel my mood changing and my thought process changing. I saw the moods of the children changing too. I feel so motivated in my faith after yesterday's prayer session and seeing such visible results today.

Prayer may not always be answered so quickly, or in such a visable way, or even in the ways that we want our prayers answered. But when things like this happens, It's God's way of reminding us that He is here. He is with us, and He is listening to our prayers.

On another note, I am going out for dinner tonight with some friends. The dance was cancelled for this evening, but we have another one tommorrow anyways. The Dance is cancelled because it is colder than -40. Makes sense.

Tommorrow I am driving some girls into High Level, to get their car from the shop...They drove into a tree on this dangerous road, a very easy thing to do. There is no side to the road, so icy roads a sliding are very unforgiving. Trees everywhere. Then we will all drive back together, one car following the other. Please pray for safe driving for us!

I love you all,

Miss. Cassidy

PS My newsletter announcemnet made front page...complete with my picture and everything! How cool is that! I'll bring a copy back to Edmonton.

PPS My first assignment as part of the Athletic committee is to help one of the high school teachers to coach Badminton. I'll let you know how it goes. I am excited!

Survivor Update

Just so you all know...It was the girl that I was cheering for who got voted out last night, Jessica DeBen. Argh! Oh, well. My loyalties now switch towards YauMan, the Older guy on the island, he has skills.

Thursday

Today will be just a quick little blurb.

I am going to the Northern store for the first time today and it closes in a hour...so I have to hurry. I am excited about all the cool things that I will see there...or so I hear. Then, i am going to a teacher's house for the SURVIVOR PREMIERE! I am so excited and I just can't hide it...I know I know I know I like it, I love it!

How much do I pay you guys to be my friends? I might be crazy you know! OH, you do know and you still like me?!? Well, then you guys rock! Edmonton Rocks and I can't wait to come home next week!

I love you all!

Oh, and as of 10 minutes ago, You are looking at the new Cross-country running and track team coach! Call me..."Coach Cassidy"! Has a ring to it, Eh?

Wednesday

I am feeling a bit unstrung today. The class was a bit chaotic and it made me feel frazzled. I am not sure about today, mixed feelings. Is a successful day defined by the children participating in the crafts and leaning activities planned for them? Should I define success simply by checking off my list of things to do? If so, today was successful. But, I am left feeling like so many improvements could be made for tomorrow and the days to come. Maybe I am asking to much of myself and of them for being a new teacher in the room. The other days have been great, so maybe it is an off day. I shouldn't make mountain out of a molehill. But, I will still try to fix my molehill tonight!

After school we had our Survivor pool meeting. I will be cheering for Jessica DeBen to win or to come in second. Hey, there is $190 up for grabs for the two winners!

On Friday, there is a school dance and I have volunteered to help chaperon. On Saturday, there is a Tea Dance, to celebrate 50 years since the sisters came to teach school here. And either this Monday or the Monday following the conferences (I think the 26Th)...the school is cooking breakfast for all of the staff! I hear rumors that they go all out and it is awesome.

I haven't got a TV, so I took out some books on tape from the Library in High Level. I have listened to John Grisham's "The Juror", Stuart Little, and Anne of Green Gables. I can't wait to take out more books. It's nice to listen to them while I do my prep at home in the evenings and eat my dinner...all by my lonesome. Oh, don't feel bad for me. I hang out with people too. It's just nice to have the evenings to myself sometimes.

Tuesday

Today the temperature was -40, so we had what we call a cold day. On cold days, the school buses do not run, but we still have school. Anyways, I had three children today, the neighboring classrooms had one child and five children. It was really quite. I allowed the kids to have some extra time to play in centres, but still taught today as planned. It actually helped the day to go by quickly and the children and I got to know each other very well. It was a great day.

It's sad to send my kids home without a hat or mitts, especially in this weather. I am trying to brainstorm how to solve this problem. Any ideas?

Tonight I am going to relax at home, do some planning and studying (as usual) and go to bed early. Maybe I will come and stop by the school tonight for a peek at the kids school dance...should be fun!

Important dates!
FEB 14...Valentine's Day
FEB 15...Flag Day in Canada

Monday

Sudnay

I wanted to attend the Catholic church here in Fox Lake today, but when another teacher and I drove up to the church, no one was around and the padlock was still on the front door. We drove back to her house and I was going to walk home when she invited me in for tea.

I came to Fox Lake to teach because I really felt like this is where the Lord was calling me to be. After today's time with my friend, I am absolutely sure.

she prepared a light brunch for us and the more we talked, the more we realized we had in common. We are both Pentecostal Christians. We practice the gifts of the spirit and we both felt lead here...to Fox Lake...by God. She has been here for a while and was beginning to feel spiritually tired. She began praying for someone to come to town that she could agree with in prayer. I had been praying, with others, that God would prepare for myself people who I could fellowship with in Fox Lake. We are both answers to each others prayers.

We read some scripture together and prayed. As I left, we agreed that we should do this more than just once a week. maybe some others will join us in time!

I spent the rest of Sunday doing some intense planning and rearranging my classroom, and cleaning my classroom.....it will take a while I think. I got home at 7pm and listened to the entire book of Stuart Little on Cassette and then went to bed. Oh, and now I have heat in the basement for the first time since I 've been out here....I don't know why...but I am happy!

I have my lessons planed and prepped for the week. My classroom is superb. My home is settled in. I have friends. I have a prayer buddy. I am very happy to be here in Fox Lake and I miss you all too! I can't even count my blessings...there are so many!

Saturday

I have to go back to Friday night first.

After school I went home and made a salad while talking to my dad on the phone. A couple of the girls had invited me to join them for dinner. We had so much fun, they are super cool and we seem to have the same sense of humor and interests. After dinner we played a game and then went to watch Lost on DVD. I got home and....that's when everything got scary!

I came inside my house and went to go to the bathroom. When I got there I froze. The shower curtain was closed. K...I never close the shower curtain. Remember Psycho? So I never close the shower curtain. I was a bit scared. I carefully pulled it open and nothing was there. Hmmm...maybe I closed it by accident. I left the bathroom and when I got into the hallway....I froze again. You know that scary utility room I was talking about....Well, the door was wide open! I never open that door...ever! And there it sat, wide open. I hollered, "Hello?" No answer. So I gathered up every bit of strength I had to approach the utility room and close the door. I slammed it shut and ran as fast as I could upstairs. I picked up and apple and a Knife and began to cut that poor apple into a pulp, trying to make myself a snack to get my mind off of all of the scary things I wanted to think about. I silently prayed my heart out. I prayed...until...the front door. I heard a sound! I peered around the corner and could see the lock on my door slowly unlocking. Then the door handle began to turn! The door opened....AHHHH!

Apparently, my neighbor had left his window open and our pipes froze and the utility room is in my unit. The Public Works people had been in and out all evening trying to fix the problem. They didn't knock because I hadn't been home all night and didn't think that I was home. The three guys were very kind and made me feel better. Some one ended up coming in from High Level at 3am to fix the problem. I have heat now. OH, and the electricity went out...but that is solved too. All is well. It's good to know that they are very on top of any problems we have.

On Saturday, the two girls and I went into High Level together and did some shopping and just hanging out. We had a blast. I got a Library card and took out some books on tape. When I got home that night, I cleaned and cleaned and listened to the whole 6hr CD of John Grisham's "The Last Juror". An awesomely relaxing evening.

Friday

Ummm...can I say that today was amazing!

I came to school a half hour earlier than I have before, just so that I could hang out in the staff room for a bit to socialize. The ladies are so awesome! And today we have a new principal, who introduced himself to me. Anyways, we talked about our trip to Edmonton and what would happen for our conference and then I went to my class.

Today went by so smoothly! It was my first day with the whole day completely planned. I wasn't really sure how it would work because the class has been a bit chaotic...and I had planned a structured day. I am beaming right now! They rock! The children are amazing listeners and they play so very nicely. They are eager to participate and be involved in crafts, games, and music activities. My kids play well as a group and on their own. They are respectful of the equipment and the toys in the room. I can't believe how blessed I am to have these little miracles in my classroom!!!

Today we had assembly. Attendance is very low in this school, so every month at assembly, children with attendance of 80% or better get awards and a prize. I was very happy to see that more than half of my children received an award, rare for a classroom. And guess what...teachers get awards for attendance too! So I hope to see myself up there for perfect attendance next month! it was a long assembly...but (as I brag again)...my kids sat respectfully through the entire time. Three other classes ended up leaving, however.

I didn't put up a post for yesterday because I was feeling pretty awful. The day was very long, as we only had four children show up. By the end of the day I felt like my head was going to explode. I went straight home and decided to have some hot chocolate as I read my bible...but then I feel asleep. I didn't wake up till 6pm. I had some dinner, planned for a couple hours and then slept again. I think that Tuesdays and Thursdays are going to be long days having so few children.

This weekend I am planning on hanging out with my mentor teacher and her friend and hopefully whoever else they know! Oh, and there is a Survivor pool at the school that I have joined...so I still get to have my nights out where I watch Survivor! Whew....I was worried about that!

I will be coming home on the 14th and leaving on Sunday (we work on Monday, Family Day) I have conference on the 15th and the 16th...so please email me to book up my time on the 17th. I will be busy for dinner though that day i think.

Oh, and Telus can not hook up a phone for me until March the 6th, so email is the way to go I guess. I am kinda upset about this situation, but there is nothing that I can do.

TTYL, and I love it when you leave comments!