Mike W. Bryant
Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Aug 18/00) - There are probably very few people who made it through their school years without getting that dreaded back-to-school assignment, forever simply entitled, "What did you last summer?"

As unassuming as the question always seemed, there is little doubt that more than a few felt hard-pressed to give an answer any more eloquent than "watched TV" or "played with my friends."

This week, Yellowknifer put the question to the teachers. Surely, they would put some effort into their stories.

As for Janet Diveky, who is the librarian at Weledeh Catholic school, she had little problem relating her summer experiences.

"I sailed out to Reliance with my husband and had a wonderful time," Diveky says.

"We found John Hornby's cabin. He was an eccentric British guy who thought he was God's gift to the bush."

Even though Diveky had fun on her sailing adventure, she ensures us that she is anxious to get back to work, considering that she has a brand new library to fill.

"I'm dying to get into my library," Diveky laughs. "I have 382 boxes to unpack."

Apparently boating activities scored big with Yellowknife teachers. Maybe Bill Gilday, the music teacher at Sir John Franklin high school, might consider trading in his motor boat for some sails after this summer.

"We went out camping several times to the many islands on Great Slave Lake," Gilday says.

"Unfortunately, I damaged the gears on my 50 horse power motor on my last trip and had to travel back to town with a nine horse."

In between what he calls R&R time -- "rest and repairs" -- Sean Daly, who teaches at William McDonald school, was still keeping his students in mind when summer began.

"I read some good books," Daly says.

"One of them was a book called Pack of Lies. It's a book for junior high students. I often read a book with my students in mind, to see if they would like it later."

Well, there you go.

You can take the summer out of the teacher, but you can never take the teaching out of summer. Now, students, what did you do last summer?