Iqaluit

Iqaluit is the capital of Nunavut, a growing town with a frontier feel. Coming into Iqaluit, you fly down the length of Frobisher Bay and land, as my companions in Row 15 told me, on a runway long enough to bring home the space shuttle. Like most of the towns on Baffin Island it is strategically place both along the water and near water; the ocean for hunting, transportation, and commerce, and a freshwater source for drinking water. It is growing quickly. High school students remember a time when the population was half the six thousand residents it is today. What issues do you think have accompanied this growth spurt? One could compare Iqaluit to many fast growing communities they know of and deduce many of the challenges. Yet Iqaluit is uniquely positioned, both geographically and culturally, compared to other fast growing communities. What issues, unique to Iqaluit and its "place" in the arctic, might arise from this rapid development?

By my count there are five schools here, a high school, middle school, two elementaries, and a french school. One of the elementary schools is relatively new, replacing one that was destroyed by fire a few years back, and the middle school is in "under construction" mode. Those of you who have taught or learned in a similar setting can likely relate to the craziness and stress of trying to carry on as normal when things simply are not. I made some very promising school connections yesterday and hope to make more this morning and again on Friday when I return from Iglulik.