Don't Break My Heart... My Achy Breaky Heart

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Happy almost Valentine’s Day...

It’s a popular legend that there are 2 types of Valentine’s Day people.  There’s the sappy people who get all worked up about the holiday and then there’s the anti-Valentine’s Day people who get worked up about the day but not in a good way.  This year I find myself in the in-between party.  I am all about holidays, duh… that’s half the reason I’m an elementary teacher!  But I’m also an elementary teacher who’s significant other is practically a million miles away.  So instead of focusing on the distance I’ve decided to get more focused on the classroom. 

Since I got back from break I started a few new things in my classroom that seem to be working quite well.  There’s been a new seating plan, post lunch work, and a focus on writing. 

The beginning was a new seating plan.  Something about my new seating arrangement has made things a little bit nicer when it comes to students getting along.  I know we’re supposed to be all about groups and working together, but who says partners can’t be a good alternative.  Also I’ve noticed the pairs I created have, for the most part become quite symbiotic.  I love when the academic decisions help making things socially 10x better!

Post lunch work came next.  All last semester I was struggling getting my kids back to focusing on working once they’d gotten all riled up at lunch.  Our school doesn’t have the equipment, space, or resources to have an outdoor playground so students finish their lunch and run around the gym.  Poor dears need a lot more time and space to get out that energy, but I don’t have the funds lying around to help them build anything.  Instead I put my money into creating a grammar folder.  Grammar Minutes are a great way to do a quick lesson on the parts of speech, proper sentence structure, etc. and still have them back on track for writing.  The kids took less than a week to get into the grove of getting their folders out and ready to work on the next 2 “Minutes” (We spend 10 to complete them. :/ )

Finally, one of my goals this year was to help my kids become better writers.  If you’ve been reading my blog for a while you will know that my students are all ELL students and are struggling readers and writers.  But, that does not mean they can’t learn to become excellent readers and writers.  Here’s where the focus on writing comes into play.  I wanted my kids to get excited about writing, but felt miserable trying to teach it.  Thankfully I have a wonderful mentor that took the time to teach my class a lesson on creative writing.  I don’t know exactly what she did to get the kids SOOO motivated to write their little hearts out but she got several of my kiddos who wouldn’t even normally pick up their pencils to write a 4-sentence story about a snowman!  

 

Below are pictures of a pretty amazing fish that some how ended up in my classroom. My class wrote 2 whole papers about the fish. One was an expository prompt and the other was more creative.  I've never seen kids pencils move so much during writing time!

Oh You Better Watch Out....

Something I've learned to do much better than last year?  Roll with the punches.  Or better yet go with the flow.  Not only is this week the last week of school before Christmas break... but we've had a death of an elder recently, many absences, and changes to the school day schedule.

My kids giggled at me because I had a bit of flour on my nose when we were rolling out our cookies.

Our Christmas plans were as follows...

Wednesday:  Gift Exchange and Cookies
On Wednesday a half hour before school ended Miss Wilson hustled back to her house (which happens to be less than 30 yards away) and brought over gingerbread cookie mix, cookie cutters, and boxes of presents.  When my class began to realize we were doing something out of the ordinary their eyes lit up.  We cut out gingerbread men, stars, hearts, and even reindeer.  After that we read How the Grinch Stole Christmas and they played Grinchical Chairs, an idea I got from Pinterest.  They then got open presents that were donated to my classroom by amazing family friends.


Thursday:  Polar Express Day
Thursday was supposed to be a crazy day anyway, because our school was putting on a Christmas program.  Unfortunately there was an elder who passed away recently, causing our school to get out early for the funeral which changed my Friday plans of having an all day Polar Express party.  So, Miss Wilson pulled on her big girl pants and got over the frustration of changing plans.  My class got to watch the Polar Express, drink hot cocoa, and eat the gingerbread cookies we made from the day before.

Friday:  Christmas Program

Today, was a crazy and fun day that reaffirms why I am a teacher.  I stopped all the students in the hallway and told them I'd gotten tickets in the mail for the Polar Express.  They had to write their names and dates, and then MOST IMPORTANTLY put the ticket in their right hand pocket of their coats.  Then the day went by with the finishing up our Polar Express movie, learning about new holidays such as Kwanza, Hannakuh, and New Years thanks to Brainpop Jr.  Between all of this we put on our Christmas play, which was a readers' theater of the Snowmen at Christmas  We went to lunch and Santa came in and traded out our tickets for bells for "those who truly believe".  I am not sure who created the tickets and tags, but I'm sure I found them on Pinterest somewhere.

Home FREE
 It's officially the end of the semester and the year for me.  See you all sometime over break with an update on how my Indiana Christmas goes.

I won't dance don't ask me... I won't dance Monsieur

It's been and will continue to be a quite eventful  month...
Testing

As my picture clearly indicates... standardized testing takes a lot of of the kiddos here.  I don't blame this buddy for being knocked out after finishing one of the tests.  This is year one for my kids to take these tests and is also year one of all English instruction.  As a teacher I am not permitted to help them read the answer choices or explain directions/questions on the test.  Quite frustrating even for me.  On the bright side we did do some fun things like making posters about how to take a big test and they got treats every morning before the test and we did a craftivity in the afternoon.  Here's hoping I've learned how to better prepare students for these tests for my kids next year.

Basketball 

Tournaments

 The village hosts kids basketball tournaments as a means of entertainment and recreation for the community.  My principal thought this was a great way to increase student attendance and involvement.  It was quite fun to see my kids work towards the chance to play with kids from other classes.  The teams that one got certificates and school recognition.  I just enjoyed taking some cool shots of the action and discovering my phone had these photo options. :)

Weather and Behavior Changes
It is starting to warm up here.. the closer we get to Summer Vacation the more the mercury rises.  With the heat wave also comes the extended daylight hours.  The more hours there are for light the more hours there are for playing.  The more playing the kids do, the less sleep they get... do you get where I'm going with this?  It's been great having the warm up come, especially since I LOVE the heat of summer.  And it's been great to see the kids playing on whatever they can find, be it unused lumber and an upturned barrel they've turned into a see-saw.  But it's causing some disruptions in my classroom that really are hard to ignore. But school is winding down and fun stuff is on its way to Miss Wilson's classroom.

Cultural Week

This week we've spent doing something completely different than our normal routine.  In fact I spent 80% of my day with K-2 students instead of my normal 3/4 grade class. I  enjoyed the change for the most part.  The students were grouped K-2 and 3-12 in mixed groups and spent the whole day going from room learning new cultural skills, hobbies, and lessons.  The older kids practiced survival skills, sled building, quaspaq making, and beading.  The K-2 kids did soap carving, sewing, mask making, etc.  I had my group listen to an Elder tell about how life was different when he was a child, explain the process of making otter, mink, and other small aquatic mammals.  He talked about the true meaning of subsistence living and how important it is to show respect and love for other people.  I loved hearing another adult teach these values.  When the Elder wasn't present or ran out of things to say my kids made wood boats from popsicle sticks and I read Alaskan folk tale stories.  On Thursday my morning groups helped make akutaq to present to the village at the potlach. 

Prom

Mr. Barsy and Miss Wilson Pose for Their First Prom Chaperoning Experience.
It was that time of year for Atmau. recently. Prom!!!! Dresses were short, dancing was held in the gym, and the kids were... kids. :)  Our staff spent 4 hours getting  the gym ready for the dance, which include decorating and food prep on Friday.  The next day was spent doing girls hair, make-up, and pep talks.  Only out here would you find an elementary teacher braiding hair, putting on make-up, and dancing with the high school girls.

 Countdown til the End of the Year
As I write this my last day as a first year Alaskan bush teacher will be 12 days from now.

A Spoonful of Sugar Makes the Akutaq Go Down...

In the past 3 days I have eaten more Native food than ever before.  Here in the village people throw parties for various reasons.  Birthdays, death anniversaries, and first kills.  During the summer and fall months they have the women come early and go to "Throwing Parties".  I think I've explained about these before, but if I haven't they are pretty self explanitory.  The person hosting the party buys tons and tons of items to give away, climbs to a high point on their property, and begins throwing these objects to the people on the ground.  Washcloths, socks, notebooks, bookbags, tupperware, candy... just about anything can be thrown.  After that comes the feast.

It's still winter here in Alaska, with some really terrible days of negative windchill.  But, people still have these parties.  Now, the village is invited to the house, given platefuls of food, and leave with presents.  You go into the person's house, find a place to sit, and wait for the family to come around and serve you.  Sometimes you end up in a persons room, other times in the living room, but hardly ever do you end up at a table.  That is reserved for the elders.  They get their food, drinks, and dessert first.  Then come the men, then the women, and children.
The feasts here usually consist of meat soups (moose, beaver, salmon, etc.), the occasional vegetables, and akutaq (crisco, sugar, and berries).  As you are eating the family members will come around with presents such as washcloths, shampoo, and tupperware.  The kids will usually get something to wash with, socks and gloves, and sometimes a toy and candy.  The end of the meal you are invited to sit at the table with the family. There is usally coffee and tea offered with cake, fried bread, or the occasional salted fish (still attached to the skin, bones, and eyes).

Personally I go because I know it's the best way for me to be involved with the community in a positive way, other than doing school activities.  Some meals are easier to swallow than others.  But, no matter how much sugar you add, akutaq is still hard to swallow.  I think it's the thought that I'm eating lard with sugar and berries.

You put your arms around me and I'm home...

Christmas Break  in Florida and Indiana

            I got in the day before Christmas Eve, which meant I was able to get in much needed last minute shopping.  J  God bless malls open the eve of a major holiday.  I spent more than I ever had in my life.  And that’s okay, because for the first time I had the money to really get my family, friends, and loved ones what they deserved.  Plus… I realized how much just being around these people made me happy.  Enjoyed my joint Christmas celebrations with Nate’s family and my own.  Always love opening presents with family.  That will probably never ever change.

            The day after Christmas was spent packing and traveling to Florida.  I was blessed to have the opportunity to spend a week with Nate’s family with their grandparents in their beautiful Florida summer home.  Lots of time was spent on the beach, shuffle boarding, shopping, and lounging around.  My favorite moments had to be the ones where I got to just be calm, quiet, and relaxed.  Guess that’s what a vacation is for eh?

Nate and I even managed a fancy dinner date in during the week. 

 On New Year’s Eve the family went to  Busch Gardens.  I spent the day riding roller coasters and seeing all sorts of animals.  I ABSOLUTELY LOVE riding rollercoasters!  And with Nate’s brother and dad, I was in great company.  There was even a fireworks show that night at midnight.  What a great way to ring in the New Year.

 During my final week of break I spent driving all over central Indiana visiting friends and family that I’d missed this past year in Alaska.  Grabbing lunches with gal pals from freshman year.  Starbucks gab fests with a fellow former RA staff member and friend.  Lunch and planning session with a fellow woman of God.  Chipotle with my favorite little man and best friend.  I even got in a slumber party with my bestie complete with future planning, pinteresting, and slushies.  It was sooo good to see people that I love. 

The day before I left it was more family, Shelly, and Nate time.  I cried when I was saying goodbye to everyone… I think it’s because this time it’s not as easy saying goodbye.  I know the adventure I was heading back to.  And I’d tasted what it’s like back home again.  But spring break (THE WEEK NATE WILL VISIT) and summer break (MEXICO MISSION TRIP/BUCKET LISTING) are on their way!

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.