Courtney Strutt
“The world is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”strutting somewhere
St. Augustine
Travel Blog Posts
Youth Leadership in the Gr. 5/6 Classroom
Published: February 19th 2012North America » Canada » Ontario » Fort Hope
February 19th 2012
Four months have passed in the flash of an eye… a whirlwind of lesson planning, managing behaviours, trying new strategies, ditching said strategies, all the while tottering on the edge of a plate much too full for one’s own good. Despite the rocky road that the first few months of my teaching career have been, I have also learned a great deal – about myself, the demanding nature of this job, and the many sides of my students. Not a day goes by that I do not reflect on one or more of these topics! Alas, the halfway mark has been reached, incredibly enough. We are now entering into the last four months of the academic year, and time seems to be speeding by faster then ever. Despite many challenging times in the classroom over the ... read more
October 10th 2011
There have been times in my life when I have felt busy, sure. Stressed? Yeah, definitely. All of that pales in comparison to the beginning of school for a first year teacher. While I count my blessings that I am entering into my first professional year in a community that I am familiar with, I did not anticipate the hectic, overwhelming workload that would greet me! The key word for getting through this year with my mental health intact will be balance. Balancing how much time I spend at work or thinking about work (desperately needing to cut back on the workaholic-like hours that have seen me consistently putting in 10 hour + days and weekends to boot!); balancing my personal life and relationships (reminding myself that some days all you need is a good laugh ... read more
Stolen Heart. Culprit? 10 year olds!
Published: August 7th 2009North America » Canada » Ontario » Fort Hope
August 6th 2009
I seem to be running 100 miles an hour towards the finish line these days as it is hard to believe that camp is over in a little more than two weeks! Despite the race against the clock, life continues to go well here in Eabametoong as there is never a dull moment between camp, running after-camp activities, hanging out with cool kids, and the many community events that go on during the weekend. Since the last time I have written, I have had the privilege of attending Fort Hope’s annual summer pow wow, their very own UFC style fight, a cookout with the family of one of our counsellors here, and an intense back country paddle, not to mention the many adventures that camp brings each and every day. All in all, it’s been lots ... read more
Politics Week and the Nishnawbe Aski Nation
Published: July 18th 2009North America » Canada » Ontario » Fort Hope
July 18th 2009
While it’s only been a little over a week since I have written, I feel as if months have passed as so much has happened since I last wrote. Camp took off in full swing last Monday and I feel as if I have been going 100 miles an hour ever since. Despite a large number of registrations during our preparation week, only about half of those registered showed up on the first day. While this was slightly discouraging, we continue everyday to actively recruit new campers as we have discovered that attendance is at best, inconsistent. One of the first things I learned was that the kids here do not go to bed at a time that one considers ‘reasonable’ - for example, I have on numerous occasions had kids as young as ten telling ... read more
July 6th 2009
The more I travel, the more I seem to learn the same lesson over and over again - all of the experiences that I gain contribute to an ever expanding learning processes about the injustices and inner workings of the world that we live in today. By no means an idealistic attempt at changing the world, the experiences I have chosen to involve myself in have guided me on a path to a greater understanding about what it means to live in the 21st century around the world and the history that has shaped the world we find ourselves in today. Currently, I have the good fortune to be employed within my own country by a reputable, non-profit literacy organization by the name of Frontier College. Since 1899, Frontier College has engaged itself in literacy teachings ... read more
June 10th 2008
OK OK, I know that I haven’t been updating for a while, let’s blame it on my time is wrapping up, I have had serious writer’s block, and I was trying to make an AMAZING entry (which this is unfortunately not, but stay tuned)! Save yourselves for the amazing entry in the coming weeks :P. As for life, as always in Ghana it’s cool. Hard to believe I only have 5 weeks of work left! As much as I don’t want to leave Ghana, I won’t be too sad about leaving work - while the Coalition has been a wonderful learning experience, I think I have gotten all I can out of it due to insufficient leadership of the organization over the last 8 months and my lack of professional experience to truly use me in ... read more
April 18th 2008
At the insistence of several avid readers of the blog, I have concluded that I am long over due for my next entry, so here it is! Since I last wrote, I have had the privilege of having my lovely Mum come to visit me! She arrived just before Easter weekend to kick off her 8 day visit to Ghana. The reunion at the airport was sight to behold with both of us waving frantically at each other over the crowd and then meeting in a crashing hug, of course with a few happy-Mummy tears! We decided to stay at a guest house not too far from where I live in order to make sure that Mum was comfortable (in keeping with the needed “creature comforts”!). We spent the first night chatting until the wee hours ... read more
March 17th 2008
Since the last time I have written I have yet again embarked on the incredibly long journey to Northern Ghana - apparently I can’t get enough of 12 hour + bus rides! I have also managed to run myself into a confused circle about thesis and get my hair braided (crazy rasta style!) - however neither of these things are as exciting as my trip, so I will begin with that! The purpose of my trip was for the WUSC Annual General Meeting (the first one of which I attended in October in Wa) which was being held in Bolgatanga. Well, considering I was taking a 14 hour bus ride to get there and have obruni friends in the North, I wasn’t going to let this opportunity to travel pass me by! I hopped on the ... read more
February 15th 2008
So this entry is a bit outdated as the African Cup of Nations concluded last weekend, however the events of the games made quite an impression on me and I wanted to include it in my blog. The Cup of Nations is a biannual football (soccer for all us crazy North Americans) tournament held for the continent to display the talents of the various nations. This year, the games were held in Ghana, which only amplifies the excitement of your country playing in any major football tournament! The games lasted for three weeks and were played in four stadiums across the country. Although I completely dropped the ball on buying tickets and never actually went to the stadium, I did get to watch a number of matches in some crazy scenarios! The most striking aspect of ... read more
January 23rd 2008
As the Francophones say, Joyeux Noel and Bonne Annee toute le monde! Please forgive my long absence on the blog, however being on holidays is the best excuse I know for going AWAL, and what a holiday it was. Then to make the delay even longer, the internet at my office has been down for the last week! So grab something to sip on, sit back and relax because this is going to be a long one… Over the last three weeks I had the good fortune of being able to travel to two other West African countries - Burkina Faso and Mali - with some friends from home; Nathalie a fellow IDSer working in Ouagadougou, the capital of Burkina Faso, and Renee another WUSC Ghana volunteer living in Bolgatanga. The adventure began when Renee made ... read more
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