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.