The Community Mourns Jordan Wabasse

There has finally come a sad ending to the mystery of missing teen Jordan Wabasse from Webequie. Jordan was a grade 9 student who left for Thunder Bay earlier this year to go to high school there. He was my student for a very brief period of time before he left and seemed a very pleasant, quiet kid, to me. His body was recovered in the water in Thunder Bay. It likely took this long to find because everything has just melted from the winter there. His family, many community members and tons of other friends and relatives have been tirelessly searching for him along with Tbay police since he went missing on Feb 7. While no one wanted this outcome, it gives some closure to the countless people who have had a dark cloud of worry hovering above them for so long.

Being who I am, I try to see something positive in everything. There is nothing positive about the loss of a child or of another Aboriginal person from this community, but from my perspective, the community's reaction and actions this whole time are something to admire. Yesterday when everyone heard that they would soon be announcing the news of the forensics of the body found, school was cancelled and everyone gathered at the band hall. Lunch was quickly made for everyone and their were speeches, and religious singing to help bring people comfort. Most people stayed there all day and into the evening until the news was announced. The band hall stayed open with music, support and food until midnight.

Something I also learned yesterday was that this community has a 24 hour a day Peacekeepers committee who answer phones and go out into the community on calls if there are problems or someone needs help. They asked the teachers to come volunteer to do dispatch for the lines since it is run by volunteers but many people did not feel able to come in. I was there from about 9 pm- 1 am and was impressed by the number of people who were willing to stay up late or get up in the middle of the night to come drive others around, or wait for those in need of help. They also arranged for people to be with the Grandparents of Jordan Wabasse (who are in the community, his parents are in Thunday Bay currently) on a 24 hour schedule, so they do not have to be alone. All this has been going on behind the scenes and I never ever knew about it! It warms my heart to see how much these people care about each other and I hope that it will help everyone deal with the aftermath of this difficult time.

I haven't heard any news about funeral arrangements yet, but I am assuming it will happen this weekend or early next week.

On an education based note, as a teacher...I must say that I think it is so unfortunate that the education system is so poor in Northern communities that parents want to send their student to Thunder Bay when perhaps they are not ready, in order to give them a better chance. The education system is not poor because of the lack of very hardworking and dedicated teachers, or because it is not well funded, which is what many of the recent news articles have published. In my opinion it is a poor system because of a lack of planning and management by a number of different parties. It is also no secret that education is not a priority in most FN communities (certainly not here) and that without the support of everyone which includes teachers, administration, the board, parents, grandparents and the whole community, it is never going to get better.

I wish that if students were going to be sent out to Thunder Bay, that the system there was better ready to recieve them. As a colleague suggested to me the other day and I quite agree; there should be a full live-in campus for students (much like a university with residence) where the students live among their peers, teachers and administrators so that they will have someone to turn to during difficult times and won't go through what Jordan must have gone through. There is no use in placing blame for this tragedy on anyone now. It is done and I know that everyone had the best intentions for Jordan and his future. Looking forward though, with all the new media attention, why doesn't anyone ask the teachers? This story has got a lot of press and even parliament has discussed it. They are starting to listen to the community, the band council but yet no one asks the teachers. I believe we may have a unique insight into the situation in remote communities because we have now seen both sides of the education system and what seems to work and what does not (in both places). I'm not saying I can solve these problems, but why not ask the last group of unheard people on the front lines of all this? Then again, I guess that's why I have a blog.

To read more news coverage on this issue:

http://www.thestar.com/news/canada/article/990030--tragic-end-for-missing-aboriginal-teen

or simply google "Jordan Wabasse"