Another Good Thing!

Today was a GREAT day!

I was able to teach at my students' instructional level and some of the positive comments I heard were, "I had fun today!" and "School's over?" and this is just a sampling.

It lifted my spirits to hear those words mentioned above. Isn't that what we should hear everyday?


And since it was such a glorious day- one that allowed us to practice our fire drill procedure without developing frost bite- four of us teachers headed outside for a walk along the coast.

Skipping rocks.

Bogart and Jack.

It was quite the beautiful day with very little wind. Great start to a week I believe:)

TGIF

Today a great day. My students, for the most part, didn't have a major meltdowns and therefore I was able to reward them with popcorn for their good behavior. They seem to be practicing more of the "Let's put others first" and "Let's not throw things or hit others when we are upset" rules. I can see more breakdowns and meltdowns in the future, but at least I got to relax a little today. It does help that it's a half day and the fact that I have now been given permission along with the materials to teach my L2 ( language 2) learners their letters and sounds. The materials came in today and I found out that I get a possible additional aide in the classroom next week.  I am SO grateful that I have a team of teachers that are stepping in and reworking their schedules to get my students as many opportunities to get help as possible.
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Getting work down for my course and benchmarks completed for my 3rd/4th graders has been a trip this week. I struggle with finding time to rest and complete what is required of me in and out of the classroom, but it's slowly but surely getting done. I am learning quite a bit about my students and how they learn a new target language right now, and I am seeing how important it is to not put the same amount of pressure on my bilingual students as I would a monolingual student. Being able to share that with Dawne has been good in that we are both looking for ways to help our students grow, but keeping in mind that we need to set goals for them that are realistic.
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It was interesting this week- probably one of my hardest weeks so far, to come near a complete meltdown, only to be encourage by those that are around me, and my parents at home. Asking for strength to make it through the day is common practice, and reading about others and how they cope is important to. I loved reading this from one of my favorite bloggers this morning
http://thepioneerwoman.com/blog/2013/09/the-klutziest-morning-of-my-life/ and being reminded that there is always an opposing force. I look forward to when things calm down a little more and I can enjoy being in the presence of my students. I am getting geared up for Fall Festival among other fun events and it's my hope that they get in the spirit of doing things for fun, too. My favorite thing to do is put together goody bags for them and create fun crafts.

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Packages and Progress?

Yeah for packages!!!

My parents sent up some goodies that lifted my spirits today- can't wait to dig into the pita bread and biscotti!! Thank you:)

In it was also a big bag of gummy bears. I should write a poem about gummy bears and how they pretty much help me "bear" the constant chaos that is one of my classrooms right now. It is across the board a hard year in most classrooms and I feel like part of  stems from the fact that PFDs are due to come out soon.

I am grateful that mine will arrive in the next couple of weeks as these "treats" are starting to add up. But it's what necessary to keep things running semi smoothly in the classroom. We are experiencing A LOT of ups and downs, and I can't tell you how grateful I am that in two months I get a break.

Following that it's Christmas and then in March both Dawne and myself are making a break for it.

We both enjoy talking about upcoming trips simply b/c out here- when faced with constant classroom drama- we need to know where the light at the end of the tunnel is, so to speak. I know where my strength comes from, but I also love to know when my breaks will be: ) So that being the case...I am still working with my colleagues in figuring out how to jump start a class into respecting each other, their teacher, and their learning environment b/c I am not down with seeing another broken desk. I think the count is now up to 8 thrown desks in the last 6 weeks.

Let's hope the numbers drop as the year progresses:)

Love This Dog

This dog keeps us entertained, on our toes, and makes us feel somewhat protected.

Last night I took him out for a quick run when I heard a very heated, loud, and disruptive argument b/t two men right behind our home. I quickly called Bogart in and got ready for bed as it was late.

It was my hope that the VPOs would come out and handle the situation, but sadly they didn't. Once I got snuggled into bed I heard Bogart barking at the door. That was my cue to make sure that I locked the deadbolt and turned off the light.

One never knows what an angry person might do out here, so I am thankful for a four-legged beast as my built-in alarm system.

He is quite the addition to my Alaskan adventure and I am thankful for the moments of protection that he brings and the moments of laughter.

Yesterday I pulled out cupcakes from the freezer for a student. Everyone out here now knows that Bogart makes an attempt to steal and eat anything that is a eye-level. Well, I forgot the cupcakes on the table when I left for school. I knew that very moment I went to go pull them out that not only did I leave them at home, I put pretty much offered them up to Bogart on a silver platter.

Well wouldn't you know- he didn't eat them. When I came home after work to survey the damage...there was none to survey.

But, of course, Bogart being Bogart....he thought he'd give me a preview of things to come if  I ever forgot to take them with me again.

Managing My Time

So far this has been quite the exercise in flexibility as I have never had to balance more than two or three plates at a time: work, Bogart, and personal time.

Those days are over:) With two classrooms to teach- both demanding in their own ways, and a new program to implement, I have found myself wondering how this year is going to pan out with coursework for my Master's program being due every three days.

However, all things are possible if I take responsibility for how I spend my time and who I look to for strength. I find that every year I walk into a classroom, I am brought to my knees and that is very humbling place to be. But this year I am surrounded with a very supportive roommate- shout out to Dawne:), staff, parents, and my co-hort. I find it funny that when we get on Elive for our courses on Wednesday- we all pretty much experience the same thing weekly. It just helps to be surrounded with folk that make it a daily effort to wipe the slates clean and start all over again if its necessary for the sake of our kids- but it's not easy.

So-that being said- my life is rather busy. I am coming home exhausted, only to lug out my bag o'papers that need to be graded and journals to be written in and homework to be completed. BUT- I am also coming home to a place that is warm and inviting with a dog that makes me get up and walk and a roommate that listens with an attentive ear:) It's a good thing.

As the weeks move us forward to October, I am seeing the weather drop and the frost layer the ground early in the a.m. on my walks with Bogart. Man- Alaska can be rough sometimes.

Thankfully my new Bogs came in as the last pair had to be thrown out after my adventures on the tundra turned to my one boot sinking three feet down in dirty water.

So here they are- and here I am breaking them in:

It is a little breezy these days, but I love how the gray skies and winds bring about a different kind of blue green waters.

Here is my recent science discovery. Each type of berry has a different "bouyancy" factor. Each colored berry in the water layers just about the same way they do on the tundra. Crazy.

 And b/c it's Fall, my decorations are up:) It brings a smile to my face.

Can't wait for October to roll on through b/c I am all about the Fall Festival that we will start planning for this weekend. Something fun to look forward to.

Bringin' A Little Nature Inside

Not that I found sunflowers growing on the tundra, but  I thought, "Wouldn't flowers be a nice pick me up after the week I have had?"
And so I purchased some from Full Circle. I find that color always helps lift my spirits.... well, that and chocolate, lighting candles, and knowing that the week is almost over helps as well.

This week has been one for the books. Another suspension, another two lunches spent meeting with guardians, three meltdowns, and the list goes on and on. Thankfully my master's course is done for the week, along with the VTC that was on the schedule( if I complete all ten before March- I get two days off:) Anchorage- here I come!).

What makes my day somewhat manageable is that the first class I work with in the mornings seems to get school and therefore my mornings are falling into place, unlike the afternoons. But - we are getting there, slowly. On a positive note, my school district is sending out two individuals tomorrow to help my in figuring out how to help my kids and with what program. What we have currently in the curriculum dept. is not working. I look forward to their arrival tomorrow and hopefully they bring with them good tidings of joy!

On the docket for this weekend- lots of sleep- I can't seem to kick this cough, lots of homework, and a little grading mixed in with some lesson planning.

Can we say overwhelmed?

It's my hope that I manage all that's on my plate and make it to November when I meet up with my parents in Anchorage. What a nice start to the holidays:)

My New Buddy!

 My Buddy Wherever I go, he goes My Buddy My Buddy and me! 

Just like the song says, wherever my kids and I go, so does the gummy jar. Sadly we are attached at the hip until my students understand that there are boundaries in a school. It's gonna be awhile.

Saturday Smatterday

Today was one of those days where I knew that my mind needed to ready itself for a ton of reading, grading, and planning....

and my body said, "that's a negative."

I woke up this morning ( 5:30 a.m.)  instantly knowing that I needed a few more hours of sleep, so I let Bogart out, fed him, and crawled back into bed.

Waking up at 9:00 still was not good enough. I made a cup of coffee, ate some breakfast, and headed to school with Dawne to let our students in for Open Gym Reward Time. Most students accumulated a number of minutes over the week for good behavior and so we gladly sat down on the bleachers doing our thing while a handful of students woke up "early" enough to join us for open gym. We had a total of 40+ students that were supposed to show up, and I believe we saw 5. Hmmm...some students didn't set their alarms.

I am glad that we made the trip down to the school for the simple fact that not only do we like reward our students, but my FULL CIRCLE box finally arrived. It has been MIA since Wednesday and I was sad that I had to go without my fruits and veggies for a number of days. Thankfully, only the spinach and tomato were past their prime and into the trash they went. Its a good thing Full Circle credits my account when that happens considering that those two cost about 8 buckaroos. 

Once our students' time was up, we headed back home and I crashed again for a couple of hours. I had some very strange dreams, but I could tell my body needed the extra sleep after the week we just had. 

LKSD sent out two individuals to test my fourth graders and I was happy to be told that they will be placed in a replacement program for the next year. This takes a load off my shoulders as I was becoming frustrated with the fact that I was once again spending 8+ hours on my Sundays just planning for this class. This doesn't even take into account the papers I have to grade for both 3 & 4th grade. Not only is this a healthy move for me, it's a healthy move for my kiddos who are climbing the walls right now. They HATE reading time even though I have continuously tried scaffolding it to meet their needs. It wasn't working. Let's hope this helps in a big way:) 

Following this joyful news, we went on lockdown for 3 hours right about the time the students were to go to lunch and then be released to go home. Talk about bad timing. We all love our Fridays as we only have a half-day. Sadly this did not happen and I had to keep 15 kids busy for three hours in a very warm room. It was LKSD decision to put the island on a lockdown b/c of this: 

http://www.ktuu.com/news/ktuu-ast-tununak-man-accused-of-murdering-his-son-20130914,0,5968345.story

Very troubling times. 

It took everything Dawne and I had to keep our kids occupied when all they wanted to do was go home. We couldn't tell them we were were keeping them, and it just made for one long afternoon. 

So all that to say that I went home and was numb to the world. We both watched a movie and then I crawled into my bed and crashed. 

Currently I am working on my homework assignment for a class and grading papers. This comes after a nice evening of eating pulled pork hamburgers with Sara & Jessica. Shout out to my mom for bringing up the pulled pork- it was delicious!

Jessica brought over a pie that was made with tundra berries that her students picked for her. She invited said students over to make the pie and then kindly shared it with us for dessert tonight!

It was right after dessert that Simon came over to measure Dawne for her first Kuspuk. Simon made me four in the last year and I have enjoyed seeing how creative he can get with each one. This will be his first time making one out of flannel, so I am anxiously awaiting what it will look like once he is done.

Tomorrow will hopefully be that day of rest that I so desperately am craving:) Here's to 14 more weeks of school til break!

Toksook Bay Represents.

 Today before the morning assembly my colleague shared with me that the store, aka NYC, was selling sweatshirts with a Toksook Bay print on it. Finally! And b/c I am pretty much certain that I can no longer fit anymore sweatshirts in my closet, I opted for the sweatpants!

Pretty excited:)

Packages!!!!

Thank you mom and dad for my Starbucks among other tasty and necessary goods:)

And to Kelly from UAF for hooking me up with some great songs to help get my mornings in the classroom started:)
It felt nice to have something like Starbucks & music to look forward to as my mornings now start in the classroom at 7:15 a.m. and not 8:00 like the good ole days:)

Cause and Effect

When this happens...

then this happens....

then this happens:(

Saturday Mornin'

Summer is over as the fireweed flower has bloomed all the way to the tip.

 People taking advantage of the gorgeous weather and going fishing:)

Inservice and a Guest

It's that time of year again when we, as teachers, become students once again. All the teachers from 20 + villages fly into Bethel for a couple of days to become better acquainted with new district mandates, programs, computers, and friends!

On top of all of that- the final blessing was my mom coming and visiting/dogsitting. This makes her trip trip the third one in one year. It is nice to have her come and visit, especially with there being so much change out here. I find that these visits really help in keeping me connected to family a little more in that it closes the distance gap that exists when teaching out in rural Alaska.

So while my mom stayed in Toksook and helped with making precooked meals and watching a couple dogs, I was on my way to Bethel to learn more a Dual Language.

Sadly my accommodations for this visit were altered and instead of staying at a hotel that I reserved back in May, I found myself in a dorm with new teachers. This was not a comfortable situation for me as I don't like rooming with three other people that I have never met before in a place that is so far off the grid, getting anywhere would be an issue. SO- I bummed a place on the floor of a friend for the first evening and was reconnected with a great teacher that gave me some awesome ideas to try with my students:

My room for the first night- complete with dog.

And off to inservice in the morn'

where  I picked up a new laptop:

which is nice now that I am in two classrooms daily. This way I can leave a laptop in each classroom without having to carry one with me all day long. 

During this inservice day I was able to meet up with other teachers that share the same concerns that I have about teaching in rural Alaska. It was also neat to sit down and share dinner with my VP from the previous year that is now the administrator in a new village. I really treasure the times that I have with this lady as I learn a lot from her.

After a nice dinner out with her, I was picked up by Dawne as she offered her place for the evening. It was such a nice gesture as we got some shopping in:

View from the bedroom window of my accommodations that were so graciously provided by Dawne's friend :

It was nice to have another evening with people that I taught with in Nunap., eating Key Lime pie, all while listening to some pretty crazy pranks that were pulled by a couple of people back in the day. I haven't been so impressed with someone's ability to pull off stunts like the ones that I heard the other evening in a long time. 

And after two days of inservice, it was back home for me. It was in the sky that I passed my mom, I think, as she was heading back to Boise. Only two and half more months and we meet again in Anchorage. 

It was a good short week- now here's to a straight five week haul until we get a short break:)

Happy Three Day Weekend!

 I’ve never valued the 72 hours off as much as I have this weekend.  It’s not about the three nights of relaxation and resting.  It’s more about having 2 complete days where my mind can be occupied with other tasks other than those revolving around teaching. That's what Monday afternoon will be for. 

And then what makes this week even more exciting is that my mom is coming up for the week. As much as I would have loved to be here the entire time that she will be here, I have district wide inservice and therefore will be flying into Bethel- which means on top of seeing my mom- I have only two days of "work." Happy dance! 

Until then- I am spending time outside enjoying this beautiful weather: 

Can I just say how hard it is for me to not count down the days until it begins to snow? I love the sound of rain. I love the gray skies. I don't like the muddy streets, but my dog does:) 

He loves muddy roads and the new VPO. We have a new one and he brings a smile to my face whenever he walks by and Bogart greets him with a few "woohs"  and a wagging tail. I feel better knowing that the VPOs in this village are comfortable around him and no what he is and isn't capable of. 

So today- I will be working on laundry, coloring my hair (I know, exciting, right?) and maybe grading a few papers. 
With a Monday off, I feel like I have all the time in the world!