TEACHING IN ATTAWAPISKAT

HOUSING: Your house will be adequate in that it is fully furnished. There are several points to keep in mind.

Decide yourself what you need to operate a kitchen (within limits, of course). Then ask specific questions about the contents. For example,

Is there a toaster which works?

Is there a coffeemaker?

You will need to bring the following:

 Dishes, cutlery, and dish towels, most likely a bread knife, a paring knife, scissors, a wooden spoon, and baking pans. REMEMBER EVERYTHING YOU BRING IN HAS TO BE EITHER USED, SOLD, OR TRANSPORTED OUT.  The people with whom you work will be helpful. Your vacuum probably will not work well and a broom and mop are costly at the Northern Store. You may want to bring your own. You also need bedding and towels. Flat sheets may be best because the size of the beds can vary. Power outages are common. Bring a good flashlight and spare batteries; both are expensive to buy in Attawapiskat.

SHOPPING: The Northern Store and a couple of convenience stores provide the only shopping. Prices are high. Decide what you need to ship in. Suggestions include pasta, rice, spices, paper products, dried fruit, and some tinned goods. 

BANKING: Arrange to have direct deposit for your payroll deposits. Make an arrangement for your bank to accept faxed, telephone, or email instructions from you. There is a bank machine at the Northern from which you can make withdrawals only. A bank card is a necessity. Do not plan to have cash on your person, in your house, and definitely not in school.

CLOTHING: When Spring comes, it will be warm. In winter it is cold. Bring clothes to keep you warm. Do not worry about making fashion statements. You need a warm parka ( downfilled or something like that), ski pants, warm socks, the equivalent of skidoo boots, extra warm mitts, thermal underwear, and a face protector. For the Spring, you will need rubber boots because it will be muddy. You need sneakers. Regular shoes are fine for school. Bring your own toiletries.

SCHOOL: Your expectations here will be different. You need patience to deal with students individually. If you have teaching resources to enable you to drill concepts and to simplify material, bring them. The library is inadequate. The Internet is unreliable. Actual teaching resources are few.

TELEPHONE: Bring a phone. Forget cordless because it depends on electricity. If the power goes out and you have a cordless phone, you have no phone. 

MAIL SERVICE: Your address is c/o the school in which you are teaching, either Vezina Secondary or J.R. Nakogee, Attawapiskat, Ontario, P0L 1A0. Anything you send in the mail, either in or out, plan to register it or send it ExpressPost. That way, delivery or compensation is assured.

RECREATION: You can walk, cross country ski, skate (maybe), rollerblade, or visit other people. Bring books, wool, craft supplies, or whatever it takes to amuse you.

CABLE: There is cable - $40.00 a month plus $100.00 for a hookup fee.

ALCOHOL: This is  to be a dry community but liquor is brought in illegally. Luggage is searched at the airport, and parcels have been searched coming out of the Post Office.