AC880: Toronto - Charles de Gaulle

The adventures of flight AC880, which started Wednesday night at around 19h20, have finally come to an end. It all started with a simple announcement, "Ladies and Gentlemen there are small "mechanical" problems with this flight, we should be able to leave after a short delay!" At 11 pm we learned that we wouldn't be leaving until 8 am the next morning, but they would gladly put us up in a hotel, we simply had to present ourselves to Gate N. I think someone forgot to tell AC how many people were on this flight, because for the first 35 minutes there were only 3-4 agents for the hundreds of guest.

After a bit of eye contact and some sarcasm, I found my group of people that I would be looking out for (and vice-versa) over the next few days. After 4 hours of waiting in various lines -hotel voucher, shuttle, check-in - we finally got into our rooms. The next day we were suppose to leave at 8, then 10 and finally by around 11:30 we were air born. There was a round of applauses when the first passengers boarded the plane. 

The flight itself was smooth - a couple of movies, a nice Bailey's coffee - I even managed to find a ride once we would land with one of my new group member's to my host family's apartment that way I wouldn't have to take a taxi because the trains don't run after 12 am. There was nothing else that could go wrong; I mean you would think that the airlines would pay attention to every detail of a flight that had already been delayed 12 hours....WRONG! 

When changing planes they left 2 full cargo containers in the broken plane and didn't tell anyone. Long story short, I was one of 60 people that didn't have my luggage, and one of two sets of guests that didn't have a fixed real temporary address in France, seeing as I'm hiking 800 km, so it was strongly suggested that I stay the night at the airport. The other couple in a similar situation are more or less my neighbours in Qc and they are trekking in the Alps with their 2 young children. 

Thankfully I wasn't alone there were about 8 of us having a sleepover at Charles-de-Gaulle and once again bonds were formed and great conversations, laughs, a few tears and a little drop in our sugars (me & another guest) were had. I can say this now, after sleeping 4 hours and having my luggage returned, I came to spend 3 days in Paris to discover a new city; instead I discovered new people and made a few new friends. 

So friends - those catching connecting flights to Iles Maurice, Vietnam, Portugal and Nairobi courage, vous êtes presque arrivés! Et, Stéphanie, Olivier et les deux petits aventuriers, amusez-vous et surtout bon voyage. J'ai hâte de voir vos photos en revenant à Québec.   

-Buen Camino

I Guess this is it....

Despite all the warnings, I likely overpacked!

It all fits!!!

After months of planning, shopping and dreaming the time has finally come for my journey to begin. And you would think that I would be excited - and don't get me wrong, I am - but there's a part of me that is anxious. I hate the unknown. I hate not knowing what to expect. I'm the kid who used to peak and her Christmas gifts before the big day. So the thought of taking off for 6 weeks and having very few reference points is a bit overwhelming for me right now. I'm definitely leaving my comfort zone and heading into the unknown. Have I told you that I don't speak a word of Spanish - thank goodness for Apps! What about the fact that I'm a social person? One of my favourite things to do is spend time with my friends - good thing I'm pretty good with "eye contact" - n'est pas mes amies de voyage! Needless to say, this adventure will byfar be one of the most physically and emotionally challenging things that I have done!

My first challenge - packing my 45L bag. I really tried to respect the suggested equipement - and only added a few "practical items" that will help me during the days before and after my hike. Funny isn't it, how the fear of the unknown pushes us to cling onto certain comforts, rather than trusting the instructions  - in this case the list - that have been laid before us. I wonder how many of times we've chosen to ignore the instruction sheet and/or to the warning signs placed before us, only to do things our way. When this happens we tend to justify it - at least I do! Letting go of control and being able to trust - despite the unknown - is one of the areas in which I'm hoping to grow during this next season. 

My biggest concern right now - pants - just take 3/4 length pants, or both? The list isn't giving me the answer right now - so, I'm making an executive decision - I'm taking both! I'm going to be a rebel - 2 pairs of shorts, 1 pair of pants and 1 pair of 3/4 length pants (I want to be confortable on the plane). I still have a couple of hours to change my mind. 

Right now everything fits and it seems comfortable, I'm just wondering if I'll be saying that after my first day in the Pyrenees or at the end of my trip!

- Buen Camino!

The Reality of Teaching in 2013...

Another teaching season is coming to an end, which means that in two weeks I will be starting my hiking adventure. Lately, I've been thinking about this past school year, which in many ways has been by far my most challenging year in my albeit brief teaching career (finishing year 6). I'm not sure if it's reassuring or alarming, but my feelings and frustrations towards the current reality of teaching in 2013 have been echoed on numerous occasions - be it in the media (see the Montreal Gazette, Feb 4, 2013), via blogs, and through personal discussions with friends and colleagues. The statistics are alarming; more and more teachers - contract and tenured - are choosing to leave the profession because the demands are simply unrealistic and the resources (i.e., human, material and financial) needed to do our jobs are limited or simply not available. Now I know that every job/career has it set of challenges and advantages. I even know that some of you are thinking to yourselves what are teachers complaining about they seem to have "days off" every month, they get Christmas vacation, Spring break and "two months off" in the summer.... I'm not going to argue that the holiday and professional development time (we work on student inservice days) is nice, but as I continually say, no one would be able to teach, and students certainly wouldn't learn a thing, if we didn't have these much needed breaks. With that said, let me share with you my 2 biggest teaching challenges that have frustrated me in this past season.

1. Lack of Time

There never seems to be enough time in a day. There's not enough time to go through my entire curriculum in a way that is fast enough for my strongest students or at a comfortable pace for my students who need a few more supports. I don't know how many times I have opened my class early, stayed at lunch, during one of my prep-periods or after school this year to work with students. What I do know is that at the end of a week (and the school year), I am absolutely exhausted. 

There doesn't seem to be enough time to have real heart-to-heart discussions with my students that need to talk about certain life issues - friends, drugs, alcohol, relationships, bullying, family issues, self-confidence, texting, sex, sexuality, and health issues. Our teens need guidance and support from a caring adult, but for whatever reason, they aren't necessarily getting this support at home. Our youth are facing adult problems, but lack the knowledge and maturity to face these challenges on their own. And yet, many times this is what's happening, they are being left to deal with these issues alone. Teens need parents to place limits in their lives and to talk to about some of these things, and when parents aren't there, they need someone to talk to. My heart breaks for these students and I would like to be there to support them - and I try - but the time constraints always makes these discussions feel rushed. Teens more then ever are hyper-exposed to so much information (via internet, media, their Smart phones) and yet many are not equipped to use this information safely. I wish that these tough conversations would take place more often at home, and if not that we had more time (and resources) to better equipe students at school. 

There doesn't seem to be enough time to support or to be supported by my colleagues, who are likely feeling many of the same issues and frustrations as I am; meaning that we are both left to deal with our frustrations on our own. Time is a precious commodity at school; consequently, I don't always take  (make) the time to just sit a talk with my colleagues without feeling guilty. The worse part is that when I do take the time to visit, I typically feel more energized and feel that I have gained time....it's quite paradoxical if you think about it! 

Most of all, there never seems to be enough time to disconnect from the job - that is until the summer - if I don't want to fall too far behind, I often need to prep or correct in the evening and at least one day on the weekend. There's even been times when my stress level is high that I have caught myself teaching my next day's lesson in my sleep. The school year often feels like a race that follows an unattainable/unhealthy pace... 

2. Feeling like a Personal Punching Bag or a "Bouche trou"

I've lost track of the number of times I have either been: disrespected (student/parent), insulted (student/parent), had my professional judgment questioned (student/parent), felt like a baby-sitter just thrown into a situation (without much supports) and expected to do whatever it takes to entertain, or rather keep control of a group of students. Somewhere along the lines teachers have become the scapegoat for any and all learning difficulties or subpar academic achievement experienced by a student. The days where parents expect students to take responsibility for their behaviour/achievement are becoming more and more scarce; especially as it seems much more simpler to point the finger (choose which one) at the teacher and state: "Why didn't you do your job!" Teaching some days feels like a war-zone or like a never-ending marathon race. After a while, fighting this battle or running this race, can become quite exhausting; which is why when we as teachers do make it to the end of the year, we often feel a sense of great accomplishment! Our years of teaching experience should be worn like badges of honour, as a reminder of the year that was, but also as a reminder to others that despite the never ending challenges, we made it! As I look at my school, I can easily identify a number of teachers worthy of badges of honour - for their years of experience (some nearing 20 years), course load, challenging groups, and for their endless dedication. But as the conditions become more and more challenging, I wonder how many more teachers will actually stay in the profession to earn 20+ badges of honour? Or, even retire as a teacher? 

As already mentioned, every year the number of new teachers (typically on contract) and experienced teachers (typically tenured) choosing to leave the profession is growing (nearing 40%). The Montreal Gazette raised a good point this past spring that has stuck with me all year. They said that if this statistic was present in any other profession (i.e., medecine), the provincial government would have no other choice but to make serious changes to adress the issue. And yet, nothing has changed...if anything the situation is deteriorating. It's as if teachers are replaceable, if one leaves or burns-out, they will simply be replaced by the next eager candidate  - in bon québecois, we're a gang  of "bouche trous!" It's disheartening to think about the years of studying and effort that was put into to becoming a proficient and professional teacher; only to realize that all of that doesn't really matter....if there's a hole some teacher will fill it. And if, during the course of the year a hole is created - for whatever reason - there will be another teacher to fill it. The problem of why teachers are either leaving or burning-out never actually gets adressed, we simply do what has always been done...put another band-aid on the wound.

I'm starting to wonder just how many band-aids are holding together our education system? Now, I don't just want to be another person criticizing the current state of our education system. I love my profession and I value my students. I don't have answers - but I know we can do better! I'm not ready to become yet another teacher that walks away from this great profession - but I do think things must change, and I would be open to discussing this with school board and MELS officials. I also think that while I'm away, I will seriously be questioning what my contribution to this profession will look like in the future....like I said something has to change!!!

Buen Camino!