Migrating back to the North

Now not sure if my heading back to the Web can be considered migration, since my home is really in Thunder Bay. However, its almost time to head back to the Web for the next round. I am eager in some respects and not so eager in others.

I am hopeful that my students will be happy and ready to get back to work, but I also know when i return we will be in the middle of the Community's Winter Carnival, so attendance will be low for Thursday and Friday, and after being out of school since December 15th , that is 24 days without the routine of school. History has shown me that it will take a few weeks to get them back into the routines again, sadly once we are in a routine it will be disrupted by a conference, then one week of class disrupted by March Break, 2 1/2 weeks of  school disrupted by Easter, then 2 weeks of class, disrupted by 2 weeks off for Goose Break...now it seems that from may till June there are no further disruptions to the learning scheduled, but as teachers we all know that by the end of May most of the work is done that we will report on for the final term. For myself as a grade 3 teacher there is still the matter of the EQAO test, and as I have learned in past years once the weather is nice, the attendance can drop drastically once again, and I will be lucky to get the testing done.
Although for me this is the easiest part of the school year because I am home so much, but from a teaching point of view its the worst as my students are not interested in being in the classroom working on math and language, they want to be outside, playing, fishing and anything that has nothing to do with learning.

So for them they begin to prepare to the migration out of the classroom and I begin to daydream of home. Its a vicious cycle when you teach in the north. Its love and hate at the same time. Desire to make a difference, and the pain of being unable to reach your students when families think camping is more important that attendance.
My survival suggestion, do what you can, hope for the best and don't worry when students are not present, because even of they were, their minds are often elsewhere, so don't bang your head against the wall. Just keep smiling! You will change someone's life not everyone's but then its why you teach, to make a difference, somewhere!