First Week Teaching!

Hey everyone! Holy moly did we have a busy week!The week began with some very important introductions. We used our first Monday off to get acquainted with many important community members: from nurses at the nursing station, to Dean from the boys rehab centre (where we will be teaching every Friday), to the Mayor of Salluit! Everyone was very welcoming and had great advice and insight on how to tailor our health lessons to the specific needs of the community.On Tuesday, we spent the day going from class to class and introducing ourselves to the students. We played fun ice-breaker games with the students and they all seemed to really enjoy. Already, we can tell that they are warming up to us, teasing, giggling and being goofy with us! The students (and girls especially!) are particularly fond of and intrigued by Thomas, whose (apparently) uncanny resemblance to Harry Styles and overall boyish charm has caused quite the stir in the classroom. After class on Tuesday, we were invited to attend the General Assembly, which allowed us to formally introduce QHO and give an overview of the health curriculum we will be teaching over the next five weeks to all the teachers and staff at Ikusik.On Wednesday we began teaching!! Our topics this week included: Physical Activity, Nutrition and Hygiene which we taught in French and English in grade 5,6 and 7 at Ikusik, and at the Boys Rehab Centre. The students particularly enjoyed the nutrition relay-race (inspired by John & Laura) and had fun narrating the steps for proper teeth brushing and giving Emily the low-down on how it's done! On Wednesday afternoon, Emily helped out in the kitchen with the student cooking club, which was preparing delicious Cauliflower soup and Apple Oatmeal Muffins for the Saturday student market in Salluit. During this time, Thomas showed off his soccer skills as he played with teachers and older students from Ikusik.On Friday morning we taught for the first time at the Boys Rehab Centre and had a great time teaching all about physical activity. The boys impressed us with their enthusiasm, their participation and their questions! We had fun working out with them, and learning all about the "FITT" principle. We look forward to teaching there every week! On Friday evening, after a very, very busy week of lesson planning and teaching, we headed home, made a "feel good" chilli meal, and called it a night very early....not before indulging in a little rest & relaxation however (let's just say there was drawing, knitting and "Valentine's Day" watching involved...not saying who).On Saturday, we headed to the community centre to help out with the Salluit Market Day which featured food items such as quiche, muffins and cookies as well as earrings, CDs and posters all made by the students at Ikusik! Many community members swung by to purchase some of these beautiful and/or delicious creations. We also kept the kids entertained with some sports when things got a bit slower!Looking forward to another good week!Thomas & Emily