Hi friends! Happy New Year 🙂
The last time I posted on my blog was seven months ago. A lot has happened since then. Here’s a quick recap:
- Summer Break – Spent my six weeks of summer at home in Toronto. I completed an online course in Guidance and Career Education, hung out with family and friends and enjoyed the break from teaching.
- Back to the North – In the first week of August, I came back up north to begin my second year of teaching grade six in Mistissini.
- Moving – Thankfully, I was able to move into a new, much bigger apartment that is only a 3 minute walk from the school. This makes it super convenient to come home at lunch time and I’m really enjoying all of my newfound space.
- New Class – My new class is really great, much fewer serious behavioural issues than my class lat year, which makes for a much easier and more pleasant time teaching. I have 16 students in total, only four of whom are girls! That means I deal with lots of rowdy, 12 year old boy stuff on a daily basis, lol.
- First Half of the Year – The first four months of my second year of teaching and living here went very well overall. I bonded with my class and continued to build on the friendships that I had made last year, along with a few new ones!
- Christmas Break – Then came a much anticipated Christmas Break. I enjoyed a lovely two weeks at home in Toronto. I came back to Mistissini at the beginning of January feeling rested and refreshed.
- January – There’s a saying that goes, “Thirty days has September, April, June and November. All the rest have thirty-one, except for January which has 947.” That has seemed quite true this month! It has been the coldest I’ve experienced in Mistissini with temperatures dropping below -53 degrees Celsius! Because of this, I haven’t been spending too much time outside thoughI do try to get to the gym for Zumba and Insanity classes, which I’m really enjoying.
- Upcoming Events – This year, all of the grade six students (three English classes and two French classes: a total of 75 students) along with five teachers and 13 chaperones will be going to Quebec City for a Graduation Trip in late June. We have been planning and organizing many fundraisers to help cover the cost of the trip. This has been a huge undertaking, on top what is an already busy schedule. The students are very excited for this trip and so I am!
Prayer requests for the last five months of the school year:
- Please pray for motivation and stamina. I won’t have another break until the first two weeks of May, when our school is closed for Goose Break. I know from last year that this will be a long and draining stretch of teaching. Please pray that I would be able to keep my head and heart in the game, and not burn out.
- Please pray for the Girls Mentorship Club. The Daughter Project Canada has a weekly club for students in grades 4-6 that I will be implementing at my school starting this week. The curriculum is amazing and teaches on important topics such as bullying, self-esteem, building character, and overcoming obstacles. Please pray that my team and I will be able to guide and mentor these young girls well.
- Please pray for Christian community. Having Christian friends with whom I can pray and grow is so important to me. Please pray that I would be able to connect with other believers who I can share life with with throughout the next five months of this school year.
Thank you so much for your prayers, friends. I wish you all an abundant 2019!
Tasha ❤
A Girl After God's Heart 