After the rush and excitement of getting settled into a new place last week, this week I focused on enjoying life in Port Hardy and living like a local! I worked at Fort Rupert Elementary School (FRES) in the small community of Fort Rupert – a town which lies in-between Port McNeil and Port Hardy. The school itself is quite small and sits between the forest and the ocean – you can really smell the sea when the wind blows towards the school! There are around 45 students in 3 multiage classes. Students are from both the nearby reserve and the tiny town.
Having done my practicum in a Montessori school, multiage classes are very much the norm for me. Spending this week at FRES really reminded me how much I love them! Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday I worked in the K/1/2 classroom, Thursday I was with the 3/4s and Friday I visited the 5/6/7s. Each class was very unique but the students in all of them were very energetic and they all loved spending time outside. These students are so lucky to have a deep connection to nature and place – something that I think a lot of city kids unfortunately miss out on. We did a lot of beach exploration this week because the ocean was right outside our classroom and found everything from a crab the size of my head to gooey ducks to a dead seal with it’s ribs exposed.
Visiting the Big House on Wednesday was really a highlight of my CFE. Being invited to the Big House and able to see students from schools across the district perform cultural dances was incredibly moving. Each dance was so carefully prepared and the regalia was beautiful. The building itself was really awe inspiring – a huge cedar frame with an opening in the roof for smoke to escape and large totem poles at either ends of the building. I was able to help dress the FRES K/1/2s for their Salmon Dance and learned how to put on the button blankets, aprons and headpieces. Coming from Toronto (where indigenous culture is unfortunately not very visible), this was such a memorable experience.
This week we also got to go to a restorative yoga class, make our own pizzas with our homestay family, discover a new cafe in town and (fingers crossed) get to go kayaking on Sunday. I can’t believe next week is our final week!
