One of the biggest barriers in the classroom is the language barrier. Issues will often arise between the students and I am out of the loop as to what is going on because the students are speaking in Inuktitut. I learned very quickly to read the student’s expressions and to listen carefully to the tone in their voices. I always try my best to resolve any issues that occur but the students are not always willing to explain what has happened. When I ask the students about what just took place the response I often get is “She/he is bugging me!” This comes with no further explanation.
Another issue I find particularly difficult to deal with is the fact that when the students get upset with me, they will often call me names, or say negative things about me to the other students in Inuktitut. The other students are quick to tell me what was said but dealing with these issues is not easy. I usually ask the student(s) if they are making good choices. But it is hard to discipline the students when I am not sure what exactly was said. The most important thing I will take away from this experience and which I will use in the future if I am to ever work in the North (which I hope is the case) is the fact that you cannot take anything the students say personal. These children can love you one minute and hate you the next, but when all is said and done we always leave the school on a positive note.
One thing that is very different here than from the South, is the amount of physical contact the teachers have with their students. On a regular basis the students will come up to you and give you a hug. Or they will put their arm around you and tell you how much they like you. From my experience, in the schools in Nova Scotia, physical contact is not permitted nor accepted. There is of course a line here in the North that must be drawn, but many of the teachers allow the students to hug them and then gently redirect the students back to their desk/work area. I was informed that this is the case because a hug from a teacher might be the only positive physical contact these children are getting.
Another issue within the school that is particularly challenging, is the lack of school attendance. The students often come to school late or not at all. Many of my students don’t arrive until after the lunch period and this is disheartening because these students are missing so much instruction time. Although I am in a grade 5 classroom, many of the students are at about a grade 3 level. The fact that these are ESL students is of course a major factor, but poor attendance certainly doesn't help!This seems like a gloomy post but these things are what life is like here. That being said, life here is pretty incredible. I think it’s important to remember that there are always negative aspects to any community, not just those in the North, but there are always positive aspects as well. We just have to find a balance between the two. If you allow the negative to outweigh the positive then of course life is going to be horrible and in my short time here I have seen this happen to a few people.
I keep thinking of more things to comment on, so as they are coming to my mind I am writing them down and hopefully over the next week I can continue to update my blog about what life is like in Cape Dorset.
Ataumie (one of my students)
No comments:
Post a Comment