There's nothing we can't reach....

The past month has been a blur of constant motion in my classroom and social life.  More so class... but still.  I apologize for the lack of posting.  But here are some updates.

My kids have done another round of MAPs testing.  Which should give more insight on the growth they've made in the past quarter.  With all the hardwork we put into writing and math I hope to see some of my strugglers make some major improvement... especially with the tutoring and homework I give them. 

Behavior in the classroom has had a great change.  It's great to see the maturity of my kids as a whole.  Yes, I still have some pistols that challenge me daily.  Yes, I do struggle with keeping some kids in line sometimes.  BUT, the class as a whole has come together.  They have began thinking of themselves almost like a family unit.  They take responsibility for each others actions, and talk with one another about problems.  Maybe all the social skills training I did at the beginning of the year has finally paid off?

I've got to make this statement:  "I am lucky to have the opportunity to come out and teach in this amazing and sometimes challenging enviroment."  Where else would I be able to walk to my job everyday?  Where else would I have the opportunity to bring in animal parts to study anatomy?  Where else would I feel like I'm making such a difference because I see the kids EVERYWHERE? 

But.... I'm going home in 4 days and will be walking into my best friend's and boyfriend's arms in 5 days.  To say that I've been looking forward to this is kind of an understatement.  Thanks everyone for  the support and love I've been getting.

And For A While, I Will Take This Day By Day...

Wrestling

 This post is about business.  Wrestling business.  I’m not sure if I’ve addressed this in past blog posts, but I took on the roll of female chaperone.  I’d like to call myself the “Wrestling Mom”… During this past wrestling season I had many little jobs such as counting snacks, fixing booboos, wrestling with the girls on the mat, and sometimes running the workouts.  For the most part I’ve really enjoyed the “job”.  I loved seeing how the kids were growing up and maturing, not only in their wrestling but also personally.  

Teaching

Being the perfectionist that I am, I have been trying to handle my own views of how things are going with the feedback I get from my principal, mentor, and colleagues.  Sometimes I get hard on myself and feel like I’m not doing enough, or not doing it the right way… but I’m starting to give myself more credit. Within the weeks leading up to my Thanksgiving break, twice my principal observed me.  The first one was informal and was more for her to practice observing with her principal mentor.  The second one was my formal observation for my job, which was even more nerve-wracking.  But, after a meeting and looking at the feedback, I am being a kick butt teacher.  “YOU ARE DOING EVERYTHING YOU CAN.”  And “I LOVE YOUR IDEAS.”  These are the statements I’m holding on to the most. 

For the rest of my time until Thanksgiving I was holding on... taking everything DAY by DAY

There is a song beneath the song... they will learn and discern it's true meaning.

I find myself sitting at the school on a Sunday morning.  It's a usual thing to see Miss Wilson at the school after hours and during the weekend.  Reasons behind this?  1.  I am a new teacher and constantly need to complete/prepare/clean/organize/etc.  for the next day.  2.  It's the only place with internet access.  Which makes it necessary for keeping relationships back home going, as well as allowing for retail therapy.  In approximately 25 minutes I will begin the regular race to be ready for the week which I will attempt to complete before church service at 7pm.

Recently I've had people asking via social networking sites how my life has been and also what I miss from back home... so I will take a moment to answer such questions.
1.  What are you up to?:
I am teaching, tutoring, volunteer, and experiencing living on my own.  That pretty much sums up how things have been going.  I teach from 8:45 AM until 3:45 PM and then begin tutoring students that want to stay after school in my classroom.  That usually ends around 4:45PM and I run home to change into work out clothing so I can help  the wrestling coach work with his girl wrestlers.  Some time after that and/or on the weekends I go on mini adventures.  These include house visits, walks at midnight to see the Northern Lights, boat rides to other villages, and church services.  These things are kind of the everyday "mundane" things that I do... but sometimes I find myself saying in  my head... "HOLY COW... YOU REALLY ARE LIVING IN ALASKA!"
2.  What's the weather like?:
It reminds me of Indiana weather.  Not that it is warm and humid, by any means.  What I mean is the weather has a mind of its own.  It'll be frosty one morning, snowing the next, and raining another.  It has snowed 2 times since I've been here but usually there's a slight drizzle and a bone chilling wind that accompanies it.
3.  What do you miss back home?:
There's a list I'm making of things I want to do when I go home, so I'll just include those.   I miss driving to be honest.  It sounds weird but I miss the feel of the wind blowing around my hair and the smell of fall wafting into the car.  I miss being able to have a conversation with friends back home over a meal or cup of coffee.  The best I can do here is Skype which is an amazing technological tool for keeping relationships going... but still it's one thing to hear someone's voice and see them on a screen than to actually be able to reach across and touch that person's hand.  Finally I miss church.  Sounds silly, but I miss going to a church that I can easily understand and is applicable to the things I'm going through right now.  I also miss the friends and family I created.  I really look forward to going to a church service or two while I'm home.  :)
Those are the major things that I miss.
4.  Anything great going on?:
My kids are learning a lot and finally producing work.  We will be sending penpal letters this week to our friends in Indiana.  Last week we finished up a geometry unit by having a picture scavenger hunt.  I'll have to post pictures of the event.  I have been offered several puppies to help combat the "new teacher blues".  I have an awesome group of new teacher friends who I skype/text/call/ plot with regularly.  I'm looking forward to my trip to Anchorage for Thanksgiving with my aunt and friends from out here.

I should be grading....

Here's a new post.  Life here is an adventure.  In a few words... I am constantly busy.  Hence the delay in posting.  I'm actually writing 2 quizzes for my class so I'll make this entry short and just write by topic.

Visiting the dump...
As a means of stretching our legs and blowing off work for a little while 2 other teachers and I rode a boat to the village dump.  It's about a mile upriver from here and it is quite the experience.  We were greeted by the smell of trash.  What else would you expect?  We did a bit of scavenging to see if there might be something that was once someone's rubbish and could be our treasure.  No such luck.  Although we did get some neat pictures standing on an old scale and playing a video game guitar.  After a bit of picture taking and tundra squishing we made our way back.    Here are some pictures taken on our adventure.

Interesting lessons
I feel like I should include times where I feel like I'm doing the right stuff at my job.  Sometimes in this field it's hard to see the progress/successes because "you're elbow deep in the trenches".  Recently I've seen major growth in student behavior and engagement.  It's been great to see that change because now we are able to do fun lessons like while learning about rocks and the earth's make up we created "sedimentary sandwiches" and "metamorphic chocolate chip rocks".  Some other lessons have been building polygons with straws and even drawing geographic features on an Alaskan map.  Cool stuff right?

Coaching/Tutoring
In a past post I told you all about a cross country practice that helped me feel accomplished.  I should have posted about the meet we had.  It was a great experience and totally worth all the sore muscles and tired bodies.  I got a chance to meet other students and new teachers.  I even received an offhand compliment from another coach.  Evidently the students are rubbing off on me.  Be aware that I might give you an eyebrow raise or use village lingo when talking on Skype or over the phone.  Now that that season is over it's time for wrestling to begin.  I'm not really a coach for the team, but more of a volunteer.  It's fun to see the kids work dilligently at their workouts and practices.  I'll be chaperoning and helping keep the girls going during the season.  Outside of sports, my principal has approached me about doing tutoring for my students.  I think it's a great idea and totally necessary for a majority of students.  To put it simply, I am very busy right now... and it will probably only get busier.

New Teacher Support
Last but not least, I'm super lucky to have the support system I do.  I have an awesome significant other, rocking best friends, and mentors cheering me on.  It means a ton to have everyone back home giving support, advice, and packages (HINT HINT!!!).  Aside from Indiana love, I've got my own group of friends developing right here in Alaska.  First there is Gia, my gal pal up here.  We bonded over internet grocery shopping during our first inservice.  Most recently we have come to share sushi and diet cokes at our favorite restaurant in Bethel.  I also have 5 guys that pretty much make my inservices and experience up here worthwhile.  Here's a break down of who the guys are.  Matt is the unpredictable one.   I say that with complete honesty.  For example, you never know when he'll randomly yell out "WILDCARD".  Ken is the teddy bear.  He is one of the sweetest and generous guys I've met.  I love listening to his impressions of our our favorite district staff member.  Eli... he's pretty much my brother up here.  We have become roommates that don't actually live together.  We share meals and new teacher woes.  Ben is the mastermind of all the planning for the group.  If there's something going on he's usually behind it.  I also love that he's the other elementary teacher of the group... which makes complaining about curriculum that much easier.  Finally there is Pat.  Pat is the Patriot's fan.  (I KNOW I KNOW... I shouldn't even talk to him. ;))  Aside from that flaw, he's the quiet and sarcastic one.  He's always got a comeback... usually centered around Indiana.

Take My Hand & We'll Make It I Swear... Ohhh Living On a Prayer.

They say that your first year of teaching is often your most challenging.  I will definitely vouch for this statement.  I am so tired when I go home at night.  The weekends are a mix of playing, picking, and planning.  The week days are spent mainly teaching, planning, grading, and just plain old classroom managing.  I'm holding up pretty well though.  I'm really lucky to have all the support I have from my staff, family, friends, and significant other.

In more uplifting news... I am now a co-coach for the cross country team with the other new teacher.  Those of you who knew me before moving to Alaska might remember that I am NOT the most active person.  But the kids here REALLY wanted a team.  We actually have about 20 students ranging from 5th grade to seniors!  Now I must say the kids here really surprised me with how enthusiastic they were with running.  We started with warm ups and stretching then had the whole group start with an easy tempo run.  The bigger kids took off and stayed at the head of the pack.  I, on the other hand, was happy to be the cheerleader at the end group.  That was quite the experience.

The kids in the back were the 5th graders that joined cross country just because they were eligible.  About 1/10th of the way through the run I had my first kid want to give up.  As I said before, I'm not an avid runner so I understood how the kids were feeling but for some reason I was not going to let them see me give up.  So I spent the rest of the time yelling, "YOU CAN DO IT!" or "WE'RE GOING TO MAKE IT TO THE END, EVEN IF WE HAVE TO HOLD HANDS THE REST OF THE WAY."   By the end I had one student that didn't want to keep running with me or the other 5th graders.  So I let him fall behind and got the rest to the last checkpoint.  As the group sprinted to the school (our starting and finish line), I turned around and saw my last runner still struggling.  Somewhere deep inside me there was a surge of energy that killed the exhaustion and pain my body was feeling, and I  backtracked to the kid with a genuine smile on my face.

When I got there the kid must have felt the same surge of energy because he began smiling and ran as fast as he could to the final checkpoint.  We sprinted together the rest of the run and collapsed at the top of the school steps completely exhausted and soaked from the rain.  After catching his breath the student said to me, "Big kids like me don't run.  I can't believe that I made it all the way."  I was proud to have made it to the end with the team, but what the last runner said to me made everything worth it. 

Pictures of the classroom.... before the first day

Girl you know you got... you know you do it better.

I apologize for any followers that are upset with my lack in posting recently.  This past Wednesday 8/17/2011 was my first official day of teaching.  That being said, I've been incredibly busy with prepping, teaching, and sleeping.  But, as my Atmau brother says,  "That's to be expected!"

On my very first day my stomach was filled with butterflies of how the day would go... what the students would be like... if I was ready...  The kids came in and we made it through the day.

By the end of the day, I went for a walk to the general store and was greeted by the very students I'd taught.   They treat me as the town friend outside and their teacher inside the school.  It's quite a paradox to be honest. 

It's not really surprising that these students struggle with working with one another or have behavior problems, because constantly there are new teachers that cycle through the school.  That makes for students having a lack of trust in school and each other.  I hope that I'm not going to be one of those teachers that will let them down.

Thursday and Friday, I took the advice from some more experienced teachers.  They gave ideas which I've been trying to mold together to help with classroom management.  On the bright-side I feel like things are shaping up a bit more than before.  Also the students seem to need REALLY structured interactions, rather than working in partners or groups.  That is a goal of mine, that by the end of the year these students will be able to get along and work cooperatively.

Finally, I've got to say that I'm really lucky to be on the staff here.  Everyone is positive and keeps each other motivated.  I've been blessed with neighboring with my friend Miss Cindy.  She's like a friend, mentor, and mom.  For example, on my first day she came by the classroom to take a picture of me outside my room.  :D  Couldn't have asked for a nicer gesture.  Besides having a mother here, I've come to feel as though I have a brother/friend too.  Eli, the other brand new teacher, and I have been pretty much inseparable these past few days.  It's been great to have someone who knows the nerves, stress, and unknown that comes with your first year of teaching.  Planning, prepping, and eating have pretty much been how we spend our time.  And yes there has been a bit of lamenting and complaining... ;)

Alaskan sunset... 11:30 at night.

I've been spending most of my time this past week either in training or working at the school.  It has taken me over 3 days to finally get the set up of my classroom the way I want it to look.  I decided to use the cooperative learning set up with desks in groups of 4-5.  I also decided to set up the room based on learning centers.  I have 3 Mac computers for my technology center, 2 tape players for my listening center, a very small library, and a writing station.  I promise to post pictures soon.   I want to finish with the decorating before I do show everyone how it looks.

Some days I forget that I am here in Alaska... and some days it's really apparent that I'm "not in Kansas anymore".  I was brought to this realization today when I finally took the time to really think about all that has happened in the past month.  It's unreal that I am beginning my first year of teaching this week.  It's unreal that I'm living in my first apartment that sits on stilts.  It's unreal that I live in a town of less than 300 people.  My life in Indiana was quite the polar opposite.  Back home I would just drive down the road to pick up my groceries from the local store... here I either fish, hunt, or the food online.  At school, I was one of many... now I'm one of 100.  

Our school year starts on Wednesday.  Unbelievable if you ask me.  It'll be my first year of school, where I'm not the one sitting in the desk looking up at the person at the whiteboard.  I can hardly believe it sometimes when I think about it.  I spent the better part of my life trying to get to this point.  Now it's here, I find myself wondering if I can do it.  But then I have moments where my undergraduate training comes into use and I feel like I'm right where I should be.

I had one of these great moment during the district wide inservice that almost felt like an out of body experience.  During one of the sessions we were discussing the SIOP model, which is essentially "best practice" put into specific use.  We began to do an interactive activity called 4 corners, which I am quite familiar with thanks to RA interviews and training.  For those who don't know, during this exercise the moderator poses a general statement that you can either "Strongly Agree", "Agree", "Disagree", or "Strongly Disagree".  These were mainly about the benefits and drawbacks of using cooperative learning in the classroom.  At some point our district superintendent came into the room to observe.  One of the questions left me standing in a corner all on my own, which meant I would have to voice my opinion in front of the whole room.  The statement was about the noise level that is caused by cooperative learning.  I gave my opinion, stating that the noise level increases, but with proper procedures set in place... the noise doesn't have to be a distraction, but rather constructive and useful.  As I was making that statement I kept thinking that all of my answer has come from the training, the experiences, and my own inner understanding of a classroom.  And I couldn't believe it was coming out of my mouth.  When I was finished I looked up and noticed people's reaction and a nod from the superintendent.  :D

I Miss the Internet

So... I apologize for the lack of posting.  The internet in my village is evidently not as reliable as I thought it was.  :)  Oh well...  Currently I'm sitting around all the other new teachers.  It's kind of a great feeling being surrounded by other people going through the same experience.  Plus we all seem to have similar personalities and dry sarcasm.  Isn't it funny how quickly you can become close to people in situations like this?  Some of us are already making plans for when we come up for Christmas.

What has happened in the past week?  It's been quite the experience.   I have gone to a throwing party, a Yupik/English Monrovian church service, a Fiddle Dance, and exploring the marshy lands around my village.   I will try describing each ones as best as I can.

Throwing parties are a Yupik tradition that woman put on for various reasons.  For example, when a child get's their first catch or kill they have a throwing party.   The reason for this throwing party was a 1st birthday.  At throwing parties the women crowd around houses, or in this case a junk car, and the people who are hosting this party begin throwing items to the crowd.  Things like towels, laundry baskets, soap, even underwear were thrown.  It was quite the interesting to see how the women would compete for each object.  It was also terrifying to see huge objects being propelled through the air.  I wasn't in the adventurous mood and just watched on the boardwalk.  On a side note, if you're a male don't go to these.  It's a very feminine practice, so boys and men are usually not present.

The church service was also a highlight of my week.  One of the other new teachers and I made the trek to the Moravian church at 10:45AM.  We heard the bell's ringing and rushed over thinking we might be late.   We opened the doors and were surprised to see only 5 other people.   Including the pastor.  I'm guessing the more popular service is in the evening.  All in all the service was pretty cool, because we heard scripture in Yupik and English and sang old hymns in Yupik.

Finally I attended my first Fiddle Dance.  It reminded me of the kind of dances you went to as a kid in middle school.  Only the entire town was attending.  I actually enjoyed watching all of the people dance to the country rock band singing Johnny Cash songs.  The kids seemed less reluctant to dance than the older people.  But I loved watching the older couples dance as though they were teens again.  It was also neat to see the entire town all congregate together for a fun event.

It's officially 12:05 AM and I have training at 7:00 AM.

One of the Many New Teacher Blogs

These past few days have been spent meeting, learning, and eating.  Mostly eating...

Day 1 of training...   We did lots and lots and lots of introductions.  With the amount of introductions and get to know you activities I felt like I was back at RA training all over again.  It was neat though, to meet all the people that make my district tick.  We also got a brief overview of  instructional models and curriculum mapping.  But my favorite part of the day was spending time with the other new teachers.  It's neat to meet all of these people from different places and walks of life.  I actually stayed up most of last night with a girl from Wisconsin.  It's neat to see how, after only knowing a person for less than 24 hours, well the two of us clicked...

Day 2 of training... Today was spent learning about the culture of my future students.  We learned all the different aspects of culture ranging from music, dance, storytelling, and food.  There was sooooo much information that I feel like the Yuppik  pronunciations, the gestures, and experiences we learned about are about to dribble out of my ears because there is just no more room anymore.  We tried new food such as dried smelt, whale blubber, and seal oil.  Let's just put it this way... waiting in line to try the new cuisine smelled like it does at a harbor.   When we were dismissed for the day I was invited by the 3 musketeers or new male teachers to trek to a little store in town that I was told sold pets.  This store actually reminded me of a mix between a cheap Uncle Bill's Pet Store, a Dollar Store, and a Radio Shack.  After looking at possibly getting a hamster for the classroom we went into the local grocery store and picked out the necessities for our next week out in the village... which I only spent a grand total of $175.  (If you've seen prices here you'd know that was pretty good shopping.)  The day ended with a 45 minute boat ride down the river to a fish camp with stories.  What made this SOO memorable was the fact that it was constantly raining and super windy during this boat ride.  I'm pretty sure  my face and body are still recovering from being that cold and wet.

So far I've loved this district... and the people... and the time I'm having.

I Just Found Out There's No Such Thing as the Real World

It's been interesting how similar the experience has been to being in Mexico.  Everything is foreign to me.  Everything is a brand new experience.  Everything is unknown.  I guess I shouldn't be shocked with this... since it is what I signed up for.    I'm happy though.  This is EXACTLY what I said I wanted to do when I graduated.   I wanted to get the heck out of Indiana.  I wanted to meet new people.  I wanted to start somewhere new.  I did it!  I actually did the unexpected and I'm loving it. 

This morning was an example of how much of an adventure this job is.  Flying in teeeny tiny airplanes to and from the village into Bethel is still something I'm getting adjusted to.  Today was the first day for all the new teachers to fly out for our 3 days of training, because new teachers receive extra training for culture shock and district expectations.   This morning we were to fly out at 12, but our flight was postponed until 1.  So around 1pm the two of us made our way to the village airport, which if I haven't already described it is rocks and a windsock...  The walk is about 15 minutes and it was drizzling rain.  By the time we got to the airport we both were pretty much soaked from head to toe.  We waited for about 20 minutes before receiving a call saying our flights were cancelled/delayed for the day.  To this we both laughed and trudged back home.  After stripping out of the sopping wet clothes, making lunch, and putting a movie on I heard a pounding on the door.  It was one of the other teachers saying our plane had landed and was waiting for us at the airport.  Needless to say, I was in my pants and boots in less than 2 minutes, grabbed my book bag of clothes and purse, and was ready to leave.  We hopped on the school's 4 wheeler and hightailed it. Thankfully we made it with no problems, minus getting soaked again with mud and rainwater.

Again, I rode in a teeeny tiny airplane, this time the pilot was more cordial and spoke to me when I was boarding.  After getting to Bethel we met several of the new teachers and were transported to one of the dorms for the local college.  Girls on one side and boys on the other.   It's funny.  I lived in dorms for all of my undergraduate years.  And now that I have a big girl job and a big girl apartment... I get put back into a dorm.  Thankfully it's just for the inservice trainings.  But in all reality it's not that big of a deal, just comical really.  The ladies I room with are very sweet and seem to be just as unsure of things as me.

Today has been mainly been a chance to get paperwork in order, get the district issued computers (MACBOOK AIR :D ), and a chance for everyone to meet and get to know one another.  I've met several Midwestern people, a few people from Cleveland (cough cough Ram Rearls), and several East Coast people.  Everyone has their own story of how they made it out here.  It's been great hearing the joking, laughing, and talking between everyone.  I even found out that one of the new teachers was an RA when she was in college.  We'll be the best of friends leading everyone in the icebreakers.

Tomorrow starts the actual training.  Tomorrow we will actually listen to district expectations.  Look for more updates soon.

Nothing sweeter than summer time and American honey...

As I type this I am sitting at a pretty little round table with a red flowered table cloth and colorful place mats.   I’m surrounded by a neat quaint little kitchen complete with a grocery list and calendar for future events.  Behind me sits my washer and dryer which have yet to be run…   A little bit further is my turquoise living room where I’ve been sitting doing most of my reading, movie watching, and Skyping.  Down the hall, take a step up, and to your right is my green bathroom, complete with a frog toothbrush holder.  At the end of my hallway is my little bedroom which is just big enough for little old me.  It’s outfitted with pink and black and soon a bit of zebra flair. 

Getting here was an adventure… as you figured out in my last post.  Being here was also a feat in itself.  I moved in to the apartment and began to make it my own on July 26^th.  There were several kids here to greet me so I was able to use their extra hands to help with cleaning out the stuff from the teacher before me.   

So far I’ve not had too much time or chance to go through my classroom.  It’s quite nice in size though, which 2 whiteboards and 1 Smartboard.  There’s also a fridge, kidney table, and kids things.  I can’t go through the room and make it my own just yet because most of what is in it right now is actually the 2^nd grade teacher that is moving into the room next door.  What I do know is that it has a view directly to my apartment.  I literally walk 20 yards and I’m home.

Since being here I’ve been setting up the apartment, going in and out of the school, reading up on some of the curriculum, and meeting the towns people.  The children around here seem excited to meet the new teacher, and can definitely tell that I’m not from around here.    Every person I’ve met has said hello and then asked what grade I am teaching.  Guess I stick out like a sore thumb.

There are a few things that keep catching me off guard.  The ground itself around here isn’t exactly stable.  The town is actually on wetland, which means if I step in the wrong spot I might be going under.  Instead of roads or sidewalks we have dirt paths and boardwalks.  All of the buildings here sit on stilts because of permafrost.  There are almost no working cars around here, so most people use bikes, 4 wheelers, and snowmobiles.   The thing that strikes me as strange is how much the children spit.  I found out that it’s because they are chewing tobacco that is specially made so that the pH level is changed.   Kids will be spitting regardless of whether they have the tobacco or not… which still catches me by surprise.

So far… I’ve had dinner with the principal and her husband, aka: my next door neighbors.   This will definitely be an interesting year.  I’m looking forward to what has yet to come. 

She grew up in an Indiana town...

This is another long post.  This is your warning. 

Trip to Atmautlauk

1.  1st flight....
My trip started in Chicago at the O'hare Airport.  Getting checked in was quite the process, because I was hauling around 2 MASSIVE suitcases and sent to 3 different stations.  Thankfully there was a kind worker behind the desk who gave me a break because I was flying out to Alaska to teach.  God bless good Samaritans.   Then when I went through airport screening, I was pulled out to do extra screening.  This made me laugh because I just so happened to be between 2 huge buff looking gentlemen.... Guess it's those small people you gotta watch out for. ;)   When I finally made it on to the plane I was placed by a married couple form the UK.  They were quite adorable and very friendly.  The first four hour flight went by with no turbulence and 2 diet cokes.  That's a great flight if you ask me. :)

2. 2nd flight...
My second flight was from Seattle to Anchorage.  This flight was a bit different than the first one because there were tons of children on my flight.  I LOVE kids... but red eye flights and kids don't exactly mix.  My seatmates this time was a single mother and a 2 year old.  I know what you are thinking... :/  But it wasn't too bad.  First the mom asked me if I was a teacher, which took me by surprise, and told me her name.  She's a second grade teacher in Seattle and her name is Ms. Wilson.  Small world eh?  Anyway the rest of the flight was pretty decent thanks to more diet coke and really good headphones.

3. 3rd flight...

First glimpse Alaska

Those are mountains in the distance.

My third flight was from Anchorage to Bethel.  The flight itself was not terrible at all.  It was the waiting for it that was the most terrible.  When I landed in Anchorage the temperature outside was 54 degrees and the airport was running the AC.  :/  Besides the neat decoration the airport had (this included polar bear taxidermy and Yupik artwork) the stay there was cold and long.  The flight itself was actually really nice.  I might just start flying with Alaska Airlines all the time. :)

First Alaskan sunrise at 4:00 AM

4.  Rest of the time spent traveling...

This is where things got crazy!  I got off the plane in Bethel and waited for my luggage. I waited for 20 minutes and until the beltway was turned off.  As you can probably guess... my things were left in Anchorage.  Someone didn't properly check my baggage all the way to Bethel, my last major airline flight. Thankfully the people in Bethel are the nicest people ever.  One of the women who works for my school district came out and helped my get things in order to come directly to my town.  She also drove me around Bethel, which by the way is incredibly small compared to a town like Avon.  I also met the assistant superintendent while I was in town.  It happened to be incredibly awkward since I was still wearing my sweatpants and t-shirt. :/  Thankfully everyone was understanding about my situation.   When we left the office we stopped by AC, the closest thing they had to a Walmart, and picked up a few things.  You know... food, pots & pans, and drinking water.  Then it was time for my last and final flight.

Meet the pilot of my first bush plane

That's the size of the plane I rode in.

My final flight was on a teeeeeeeny tiny airplane which was just big enough to carry 4 people and packages.  I was kind of freaked out when I first got into the plane because of how unfamiliar this process was.  When we finally got into the air, my mind was blown by how beautiful and foreign everything seemed.




5.  First time in the village...

Aerial shot of my village at the district office.

I was greeted by my principal's husband, also the school's 4th/5th grade teacher, who took me to the school on the back of a 4 wheeler.  That was the first sign that things would be completely different here than what I've been used to.  At the school, I was greeted by town's children, my principal, and my new apartment.

Since this has been such a long post, I will make another one soon describing my classroom, apartment, and town.   Stay tuned for more Alaskan updates.

Baby You Were Born to Run

This is post one.  I apologize ahead of time for the length.

Post one means... this is my first time writing about my move to and living in Alaska.  In case you hadn't heard by means of mouth or social networking sites, I applied for and got offered a 3/4 grade teaching position in Atmautlauk, Alaska. 

The questions I've been asked:

1.  "Are you serious?":  Yes, I'm serious about this.  I do plan on picking up and moving from Indiana and making a life in Alaska for a little while.

2.  "How'd you hear about this/ get the job?":  Before graduation I attended a job fair in Danville, Indiana.  That morning when I was getting ready I saw my binder from interviewing for student teaching and decided to bring it, even though we all know how interviewers hate stuff like that. 
      While at the job fair I noticed a booth that wasn't completely bombarded with prospective teachers.  It was for Alaska.  I decided it wouldn't hurt to introduce myself and maybe get a "practice interview".  The gentleman told me all his slots were taken... but he'd squeeze me in during his lunch break.  When I sat down he did the normal get to know me questions and asked about my experience with technology, diversity, etc.  Then he asked what was something I'd done that was exciting with 3/4 graders.  REWIND back to when I said I'd brought my binder... Junior year our class was required to come up with reading and writing lessons about sled dogs.  My kids wrote a How to Raise and Breed Sled Dogs for Dummies book!  Perfect, right?! 
       I got a call back from the district 2 days later asking for me to file a full length application.  With graduation and open-houses, I was incredibly busy... but they kept calling.  I turned in the application and within 3 days I received a phone call from the assistant superintendent.  I was the #1 candidate for the job!  A few days later I'd talked via phone and email with the principal 5 times.  Then there was silence for about a week span of time.  With 2 days left before my mission trip to Mexico and vacation to San Diego, I decided to call and ask about the status of my application.   No answer from the superintendent.  Spoke with the principal, who by the way told me I was her #1 pick!  Left a message with the HR department.  Waited 4 more hours and found a voice-mail with the official job offer!

3.   "Where is this place and where are you living?"  Above is the picture of the town I'll be living.  I've been placed in an apartment across the street from the school.  The town is itty bitty with few roads, cars, stores, etc.  Think of the Mayberry from the Andy Griffith show and think smaller.   When I get there I promise to take pictures and email my address to those who want to send care packages from the Lower 48.

4.   "When are you leaving?"  As of right now I'm looking at leaving the last week of July.  My contract requires that I am in Alaska on August 1.  I think it'd be good for me to be there at least 3 days before then to get my things ready and moved in before training.  I do not have an absolute date set out... merely because of ticket prices. $576 is the lowest one way ticket I've seen. :/

5.   "Can we hangout before you leave?"  Of course.  Unless I don't like you... but you wouldn't be reading my blog before then.  I'll keep everyone posted on my final plans for leaving and if you want to spend time before my departure feel free to message/text/fb/tweet... And who knows I might end up having a going away party for myself.  ;)

There are probably a million other questions people have... but I have already spent too long staring at my computer screen.  Again this is only post one... of many many many more to come.  I think I shall set a goal to post at least once a week while I'm actually in Alaska.

Now... as Bruce once sang, "Baby You Were Born to Run".  Time for me to wash clothes from Mexico and San Diego, as well as get ready for Independence Day.