One of our favorite things to do is road trip. We purchased a Toyota 4Runner in part because we were pretty sure that it would take us just about anywhere. We’ve put her to the test this last three days with a trip in torrential rain that took us over the ‘top of the world’. It was both exhilarating and at times terrifying with zero visibility and often very little in the way of saftey. Oh and muddy roads that we’re slippery even in 4WD. Fun times. Now we are back and heading towards Whitehorse before we set forth on our trip to Red Deer and a new life in Alberta. (Until December anyway.) Both Christa and I will have more to post and say about the trip when we have more time. For now let me end by saying that if you haven’t been to the Yukon and you are a Canadian, especially if you are a Canadian, you should come visit her, she’s something to be mighty proud of.
June has come and gone. In that time my wife had her birthday, my in-laws came to visit, school ended, my son finished daycare, I discovered that I wouldn’t be eligible for EI and I had my place CONFIRMED at the University of Alberta. So it’s been a busy four weeks. Another four weeks where I realise that one blog post a month won’t cut it. But then on the other hand, I have finished assignment 2 and well on the way to completing the reading for assignment 3. So it’s not like I have been idle. (Did I mention my wife is away more than she is here now that Air North is so busy?)
The view from our front room. Summer is here, the solstice past, which means that we are now heading towards fall and the end of our stay, for now at least, in The Yukon. What a magnificent place it is, full of wilderness, amazing vistas and great people. There is certainly something about Northerners, whether you are in the UK or Canada. They can be a taciturn lot but once you get to know them there isn’t anything they won’t do to help. I’m going to miss this place for sure.
June has come and gone. In that time my wife had her birthday, my in-laws came to visit, school ended, my son finished daycare, I discovered that I wouldn’t be eligible for EI and I had my place CONFIRMED at the University of Alberta. So it’s been a busy four weeks. Another four weeks where I realise that one blog post a month won’t cut it. But then on the other hand, I have finished assignment 2 and well on the way to completing the reading for assignment 3. So it’s not like I have been idle. (Did I mention my wife is away more than she is here now that Air North is so busy?)
We’ve also given an end date to our landlords. We move from here on August 16th so if anyone is looking for a great place to call home then we heartily recommend here. We tried so hard to stay but it just wasn’t possible. We’re planning a weeks camping in the North before heading East to Edmonton.
I have signed up for my courses at UofA, that run from September 3rd to October 3rd. Art and Social studies, which I am ridiculously happy about. I love both of those subjects and while Math and Language of course are a priority, these courses will be an opportunity to learn something different. Besides if what I am reading in the news is right, there is a good chance in the next few years how Math is taught in Alberta will likely change. One of the great things about Art and Social studies, because they aren’t the priority they should be, is that they don’t get messed around with every time the government changes.
Now I have to try and get a teaching placement organised. I’ll be in a classroom from October 14th until December 12th. While I am not worried about the the teaching aspect of that, I am somewhat nervous about the planning aspect. Fortunately I have only 3 hours of lectures a day in September, so I should have plenty of time to get organised.
There is no doubt that I am getting excited about the whole prospect of being qualified to teach again. It has been a much more involved process that I thought, and I thought it would be long. But you know good things are worth working for so hopefully this time in six months I will be, fingers crossed, certified and teaching full time.
I am still waiting to hear from Alberta Professional Standards. At this point paranoia starts to seep in. Is there something wrong, my degrees not up to par, my grades were sub par. Of course that’s all ridiculous I was a qualified teacher in the UK and so I would fall over backwards if they turned around and said my degree had no meaning here in Canada.
The view from our deck, Mount Lorne, Yukon
I am still waiting to hear from Alberta Professional Standards. At this point paranoia starts to seep in. Is there something wrong, my degrees not up to par, my grades were sub par. Of course that’s all ridiculous I was a qualified teacher in the UK and so I would fall over backwards if they turned around and said my degree had no meaning here in Canada.
At the end of last year there seemed a possibility that I could teach in NWT. Apparently each year in January a number of teachers don’t return from their holiday vacation and consequently the territory is desperate for teachers to take their place. Unfortunately having spoken to the lady in charge of recruiting teachers they are unable to consider me as my degree has not been validated by any Canadian teaching organization. It turns out that until that happens I will be unable to find a position anywhere in Canada.
On a brighter note; on the way to discovering that it turns out that in the Yukon you are able to substitute teach with pretty much no qualifications at all. If you are qualified it a bonus and you get more money but the bar to entry is finishing school and a police record check.
So having talked to the substitute teacher co-ordinator here in Whitehorse, a lovely lady called Lynn, we decided to pack up our bags and relocate from Midland ON, to Whitehorse, YT. After travelling 8 days and covering around 5500km we arrived safely. You can read more about the journey at theroadnorth.ca.
We have settled in a place outside of Whitehorse (more of which I will write about at a later date) and tomorrow I will be introducing myself to the elementary schools in the area in the hope that I will be getting some substitute teaching work. Wish me luck.
