A Day for Remembering Jordan Wabasse

Well I woke up this morning and stepped out onto the Reserve. There was a strange calmness that seemed to hang over the community. I took an early morning walk wanting to clear my mind. At 9 Am I was at the Band Hall with the other teachers making hundreds of sandwiches. I then volunteered to make the big pot of Chili and a roast pan full of chicken.
I was amzed at the organization and the way that this community pulls together and takes care of each other. I was informed by a former teacher that several planes came to Webequie from the community of Summer Beaver. The Grand Chief  Stan Beardy and his deputy Grand Chief Terry Waboose were in attendance at the funeral service. I smiled knowing them from a conference we both attended in January 2010. But the smile left my face when I reminded myself why they were present. It was nice to see those people that had moved from the community. One of my former students from Grade 4, Robyn Sanganequeb was there, my how she had grown since Grade 4.
I tried to keep my mind on other things but I could not help it. The tears threatened constantly, I looked over at Jordan's siblings and a new rush of tears would fill my eyes. The searchers read a poem and still mere tears. Now, I am a religious person and do believe with my whole heart that Jordan is with God, more than likely smiling down on us all, and still the deep sadness filled me.
But why? Jordan was not my son, and I never had him or any of this siblings in my classroom and yet I do feel this incredible sense of personal  loss
I do do know why and it has to do with this incredible community. In some way over the past 3 years they have become my family , every single one of them. I know this to be true because we meet each other with great joy, when we bump into one another in Thunder Bay. I belong here and with Jordan's leaving us, I feel like a part of my own family is gone. Also, Jordan had managed, with his getle ways and winning smile, to take up a specail place in my heart. He truly touched all who knew him.
Jordan you will be missed, but now that you sit in heaven, I will pray to you as my own special angel.

The People of the Web Mourn the loss of Jordan Wabasse

I know that as people have been reading my posts that they assume that teaching here in the north is all about the foibles and follies of my teaching expereinces here. But we must also acknowledge that I am also living here and am part of the community of Webequie Ontario. as hard as teachers may try to be a seperate entity from the community, it dose not stick. we become part f this incredible family.
Yesterday after 3 long months, we learned that Jordan Wabasse has passed. It was something that as long as he was simply just missing, he wasn't truly gone. But Police recovered him from the Kaministiqua river in Thunder Bay, and confirmation came last night that this much loved boy has crossed over to be with the Creator!
The entire community has been touched by this tragedy and we are all in mourning over such a senseless loss.
Being Irish, I beleive in the old "Irish wake" where we take time to celebrate the person who has passed. So I will share my Jordan story with you.


It was my first year teaching here in the Web and in fact I had only been here 3 months, and I was asked to chaperone the boys hockey team to Fort Hope for a tournament. We arrived in Fort Hope late in the afternoon after a long 9 or 10 hour drive on the winter road. The boys quickly unpacked and left the residence we were staying at to explore. Only one boy remained behind. Jordon was 12 at the time but even then he was some where near 6 ft tall. He was a giant to he at my 5 foot 2. He was checking his eqipment and was satnding in the asement with his goalie gear on. The home we were satying at had a small 2 year old boy named Jermaine and he tood there in a tshirt and a diaper looking up at this giant before him. Jordan looked down and removed his goalie mask and put it on the young boy who then squealed and giggled with delght. Jordan then played with the toot by handing him a little stick and shooting a ball about the basement with him. As I sat on the basement steps and watched this gentle exchange it brought tears to my eyes, It was at that moment I knew that Jordan was a gentle and caring boy and took the time to notice others around him, especailly those little ones literally looking up to him.
Jordan has crossed over and he will be greatly missed, and as long as we remember these sweet moments of his life, he will always be with us!
May God Bless and keep him, and until we meet again!

Spring rains brings thoughts of ....indoors?

Well yes indeed Spring has come to the Web. Along with the spring weather conditions comes rain. I have been hoping to take my class out for a Nature walk this week but mother nature is not cooperating. But I should not bee too disappointed as there is rain in the forecast everyday for Thunder Bay as well so I am not missing anything. Of course I peeked ahead to the 14 day forecast to see what May Long weekend would be like when i go home to plant my garden, and so far yes there seems to be a promise of sunny weather.However, I have learned that Mother  nature can be something of a witch and often reneges on her promises and can be spiteful and send torrents of rain, or just drizzly miserable weather.
I will try to be hopeful, and remember that there is no place like home, even if it is raining. But I do hope old Ma Nature cooperates with me. I only have 2 days to get my seeds in the ground if I want corn by August.
As for here in the Web, the kids are getting antsy and they do want more time out in the sun, if we ever get some sunshine.  guess I should not complain we did have sun on the weekend and most people would rather have a sunny weekend. But its different here in the Web, we can take advantage of being out doors more than we would if we were teaching in the schools back home.
I personally enjoy using the land and all it has to offer in order to make those connections to our learning, Its a blessing sometimes to have this kind of freedom at our fingertips. But at times the gorgeous weather can be a demon too, beckoning the students to escape from the class, to roll up their pant legs and wade into the warm water.Often times when you have a full class attending, after recess you are guaranteed to lose a few to the call of "hooky" on a warm afternoon.. Oh dang now I want to play hooky myself! Well here is hoping that Mother Nature dresses herself as alluring temptress to tease us all into wanting to escape the day and lay in the sunshine and daydream for the hot days a of summer.