Liz Has a Culture Shock
Well, Liz was in such a sour mood yesterday @ the fam cookout, she barely spoke 2 NE1, & I didn't even realize that the Glenallen school is, like, the only public elementary school in Canada that started B4 Labour Day! Liz decided 2 write abt her 1st coupla days in a post l8 last nite:
NEway, school starts 4 me 2day, an' I'm kinda bummed that summer's over, but in a way I'm also looking 4ward 2 it, cuz I was getting a bit bored. I hope I like my teacherz an' classes an' all, but I have a feeling I won't really B tellin' U much abt that this week. I'll prolly focus on Liz adjusting 2 her new school. That's more interesting, eh? Thanx 4 the upd8, Liz.
Apes
Well, people keep pestering me to hear about my first few days of teaching from the end of last week, now I will tell you so you will have something to write about tomorrow for your blog, I didn't want to tell you because I'm still kind of mad, but Mike says you need material despritely.Wow, Liz, it's gr8 that yr new principal seemz nice an' all, but U mite wanna dial back on how U learned all kindsa superior ways up in Mtig, and mayB have the attitude that U've got stuff U can learn fr. them, 2. I heard principals like that kinda thing fr. teachers.
Okay well what happened the first day was a little weird, we start right out by teaching about the geography of Canada, in particular the rivers and what provinces they go through, that is very important information to know, fishing and other river activities are an important part of the native economy, I was very glad to see that Glenallen already was willing to let me make Native ways a big part of my teaching. Then after teaching about the longest river which is the Mackenzie River in the Northwest Territories then I went to the teachers lounge to talk to some of the people there. The principal asked me how I liked teaching there and I told the truth, that it would take me a really long time to get used to teaching in a school with so much stuff, the principal admitted that he didn't think it was enough and had been asking for more! We had a long conversation about that, where I told him how the Native ways could teach him a lot about not being greedy, and I think he understood my point, that all we really need to teach is a blackboard and a piece of chalk and those teacher editions of textbooks with the answers in the back. He seems so much nicer than the principal in Mississauga, I just know I am going to be very happy here, maybe I will tell you more about that conversation tomorrow if you need more blog material.
NEway, school starts 4 me 2day, an' I'm kinda bummed that summer's over, but in a way I'm also looking 4ward 2 it, cuz I was getting a bit bored. I hope I like my teacherz an' classes an' all, but I have a feeling I won't really B tellin' U much abt that this week. I'll prolly focus on Liz adjusting 2 her new school. That's more interesting, eh? Thanx 4 the upd8, Liz.
Apes
posted by April Patterson @ 6:04 AM
6 Comments:
At 9:33 AM,
Anonymous said…
April,
Boozhoo (Hello).
I read your writings about your sister in her first day at her new school in Glenallen. My sweet girl is right about the poor quality of First Nations schools including the one in Mtigwaki (Land of Trees). Canada’s largest study on First Nations student academic achievement, done in 2003 and 2004 by the psychologist Mary Beth Minthorn-Biggs showed that more than 80 percent of First Nations children are as much as two grade levels behind their counterparts in the public education system by the time they are in grade 4 – and this climbs to 95 percent for grade 8 students. The percentage of special-needs students is staggering, and the lack of resources available to these students is overwhelming.
The problem is that First Nations education is a federal issue, but the education system is handled under the provincial body of Ontario. Many believe First Nations education is outside their jurisdiction and their hands are tied. This is true to a certain degree. In Canada’s Constitution Act, the federal government is responsible for First Nations education. However, large numbers of First Nations students attend provincially-funded schools. They live on reserves and are bused to school, and the school board provides education under a tuition agreement with the local band council. For example, the Mtigwaki First Nations school children go to high school in the nearby town of Spruce Narrows under this kind of arrangement.
My friend Susan Dokis, whom I call Chipper, is trying to turn around the education of the children in Mtigwaki (Land of Trees), just as my sweet girl did before her. It was one of the things I liked best about your sister and I think when I saw your sister teaching the Mtigwaki (Land of Trees) children, I knew I was falling in love with her.
Chipper is now facing that tough job. Just like I was very proud of your sister last year for doing this job, I am proud of Chipper for doing it this year. Chipper says she plans to be teaching at the school in Mtigwaki (Land of Trees) for a long time. She is a fantastic woman and so dedicated to helping our people. Like Chipper, I believe education is the key for our people's future.
Gi'-ga-wa-ba-min' na-gutch! (See you later!)
Constable Paul Wright
At 9:38 AM,
Anonymous said…
april, since ur ritin' 'bout ur sis' skool 2day, i guess i will eatin' w/u & eva. ur bf, gerald looks awful & so duz rebeccah. wut were they doin' yestahday? wen i asked rebeccah, she only sed she & gerald 8 sum rancid food, which made them both sick.
i did not miss these unis ovah the summer. they r way 2 warm 4 the weather rite now. eva still looks hott n hers, & she duzn't evn hafta roll up her skirt 2 show off more leg, like rebeccah duz.
At 9:46 AM,
Anonymous said…
April,
After reading what your sister wrote, I feel sorry for the kids in Mtigwaki. If someone was special needs like me, it sounds like they would not have any help. I would have a hard time in school, if I didn’t have Justin to read things to me, or my classroom assistant. You didn’t see my assistant all last year when we talked, but I still have one. She doesn’t have to walk me from class to class anymore, and she doesn’t help me with everything. This is because I am trying to be more independent. But the poor kids in Mtigwaki have to hope no one there is a special needs student, because they would have nothing for them. It makes me sad. I think I am going to my apartment now.
Love,
Shannon Lake
At 10:06 AM,
Anonymous said…
April,
Little sis. Don’t worry about the Lizardbreath alienating people at her new school by comparing her prior school to her current one. She is a Patterson, and in short order she will have selected the young scamp student who is going to be her teacher’s pet / comedy relief and she will be recognized as the best teacher in all of Glenallen. It’s the same wherever she goes, as it is with all us Pattersons. Well, except Liz is the only one of us who needs someone to be funny around her. Sometimes, I think she is pun-impaired, but don’t tell her I said that.
The only thing that could cause any concern is if people get too close to her and smell her breath of a lizard. I expect that in the place where she was teaching before, they were so desperate to get a teacher of Liz’s quality, they could put up with a little bad breath, but in Glenallen, someone may say something. I know I have been telling Liz about it for years, and she has not anything about it. Even when she talked about that little boy from wherever it was she was living before coming back to Milborough, who wanted her spirit name to be Lizard Breath, she still did not get it. My hope is that someone from Glenallen will mention it, and then it will finally sink in.
Love,
Michael Patterson
At 10:08 AM,
howard said…
April,
Becky was sick as a dog this morning from all the Brennevin and rancid shark meat she consumed yesterday, during her competition with Gerald. Your boyfriend, Gerald looked pretty bad too. However, their competition did liven up what was just going to be another Labour Day barbecue of drunken, gay, Viking, biker gang members. Fortunately, Becky was not up all night, since she seemed to have gotten most of it out of her system in the first couple of times vomiting. She did make her point with her father, that she was just as Viking as Gerald. I suppose that’s important, although I am quite happy now my father was not a Viking.
The next time we have time off, Marjee Mahaha has suggested we go on a camping trip and boat the Mackenzie River system. I don’t know why it is, but suddenly in Milborough, the Mackenzie River system is the talk of the town. It may have to be just me and Marjee doing it. Becky says the only camping she does is in hotels.
I hope your first day of school is going well, even though you are only writing about your sister’s first day.
Howard K.
At 7:02 PM,
April Patterson said…
hey, every1, i guess u have prolly seen the letterz fr. my fam. gah, i don't think i'm in the mood 2 do a special post abt them this time. just one comment abt mine. i asked mom y she edited my letter 2 put in that line abt dunc an' eva being 2gether, when my letter sed dunc an' zed. mom was all, "it will happen, april, just w8 and c." sorry dunc, zed, eva, and jeremy.
apes
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