Non-Stop November

Getting ready for a morning
flight from Port Alsworth

I’m going to start sounding like a broken record, but I just cannot seem to wrap my head around how quickly this school year is going by. The days seem to blur together and before I know it another week has gone by. One thing that definitely makes the time pass is traveling, and the last time I wrote I was gearing up for a volleyball jamboree. While I did coach volleyball for one student last year, I knew my lack of coordination was no match for coaching our school’s nine players. Luckily, one of our high school teachers called dibs on this one and I happily tagged along to make sure our students didn’t cause too much mischief. With some snow on the ground and more in the forecast, we made our way up the lake to Port Alsworth.

Six Mile's first freeze of the year

It was exciting to go there because I’ve not yet been to this site, and I am determined to get to as many of the villages in our district as I can. I was blown away by the beauty in Port Alsworth, not only outside, but in the school as well. This village just opened the doors of a new school this August, and it is an incredible building. I can honestly say I have never seen such a student friendly and state of the art school anywhere, let alone in rural Alaska. Students and teachers can write on the walls, they have almost sound-proof study rooms attached to the classrooms, and the classrooms in the main hall have windowed walls that are basically like garage doors that open and close. I bet students that dislike school would want to wake up and race into this building each morning. 

A great night in Kokhanok

The only flaw that I found was the fact that the lights in the school gym were activated by motion. I suppose it’s important to note that all of the girls slept in the gym and I’m not exaggerating when I say that on the first night we were awakened every half an hour by a loud click and bright lights coming on. It was a long night and thankfully the controls were switched for our second night because we had some cranky students and chaperones after the first one. Other than that, we had a fun two days in which volleyball matches were non-stop from 9:30 in the morning to 9:00 at night. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves and I was glad to see that a few of our students went out of their comfort zones to try a new sport. 

Bundled and ready
for adventures

My next stop was Kokhanok where I joined a few other special ed. teachers for some training on one of the assessments we use. While the training was necessary and helpful, I was much more excited to spend Friday night visiting with the staff. We all gathered for pizza that had been brought up from Naknek and had an intense Catchphrase tournament. As I looked around the room, I couldn’t help but appreciate the fact that only in this environment do we gather with so many different people that we normally wouldn’t and have so much fun. I wish I could have stayed longer, but unfortunately it was a short visit and I had to get home the next day. As it always does after traveling, it felt nice to be able to sleep in my own bed. 

Taking a look at the rapids
on the Newhalen River

While I was able to spend the rest of the weekend recovering from traveling, I woke up sick on Monday morning and spent the rest of the week fighting a cold. My students couldn’t help but laugh at how funny my voice sounded. On the day I was feeling the worst, I had my first formal observation of the year and a special ed. meeting so I stocked up on tea and made the best of it. I was able to get some rest on Thursday, and sick or not, I was counting down the minutes until I was in Newhalen for the weekend. My friend Kelsey was going to be visiting from Kokhanok, and although I’d seen her briefly during my trip there, I was looking forward to a longer visit with her. 

Getting his workout in!

Unfortunately, it had snowed quite a bit this week and the road between our villages made for a less than smooth trip for Kelsey and Sam when they came to get me. In addition, the lake froze up last week and while two people crossed over safely mid-week, it is not something to mess with and we will wait until the path has been marked. The good this is that the lake flows into the Newhalen River and we are able to cross by boat where the river begins. However, ice builds up on the sides of the river and it can make for a difficult time to get a boat into the water. Not only that, but they had to shovel out snow from the boat before they could put it in the water. Sam and Kelsey were cold and tired by the time they picked me up and we were all soaked from the snow on the ride home, but the excitement of the upcoming weekend kept us all in good spirits. 

A beautiful trip across the river

I can only speak for myself, but I had a great weekend visiting with Kelsey, Sam, and the other teachers. Saturday was a nice, clear day and we spent it outside riding around on the honda. We got to show Kelsey some must see spots in Newhalen, and even though I have been to them plenty of times, it is always fun to see how they change with each season. Our days just keep getting shorter so it's nice to spend the weekends taking advantage of the daylight while we still have it. It felt so refreshing to get outside and soak up some sun! I think we were all tired today, so we had a lazy morning playing games and getting some Christmas shopping done. I was bummed to have to get home this afternoon, but we had a much easier trip than the one on Friday and for that I was thankful. 

Another see you later after
a great weekeend

This weekend was just what I needed, and I am so happy that I was able to visit with a friend who I never get to see. We have a short week ahead of us and then I get to go back to Newhalen for Thanksgiving and a long weekend. It’s hard to believe, but there are only 18 days of school, 10 progress reports, 3 IEP meetings, 2 days of parent-teacher conferences, and a Christmas show standing between me and winter break. But who’s counting, right? 

Cars and Roads, and Stores, Oh My!

The Newhalen River

Last week, after three months spent in villages without restaurants, movie theaters, malls, and many other things, I re-emerged into civilization. So maybe that’s a bit dramatic, but when you go back onto the road system, it takes some re-adjusting and can be really overwhelming. An unplanned broken tooth took me out to Anchorage last week, and I have never been happier to have to go to the dentist. Due to the way the flights work from the villages, I had to fly into “town” on Wednesday and was able to spend a few days in the big city.

Anchorage Highways

Once I got in, my principal from Pilot Point picked me up at the airport and I was able to spend a few hours visiting with her and her daughter. It felt so strange to be able to eat at a restaurant, drive in a car on a highway, and walk around a mall! I quietly took it all in and tried to get my bearings; it took a few hours to get back into the swing of fast paced city life. Knowing I didn’t have long in Anchorage, I didn’t waste much time before hitting all sorts of stores in an effort to stock up my cabinets at home. I almost forgot what it felt like to walk through the doors of a Target and see all the aisles of promising treasures calling my name. I may or may not have gone into shock and spent hours aimlessly wandering the aisles.. There were just so many options! 

The cutest little nurse

Aside from my dentist appointment, my only other obligation while in town was a podiatrist appointment. I hurt my foot while running awhile back and the pain has just not gone away. Luckily, I found out that the pain wasn’t in my head, and they are treating me for what they believe to be tendinitis. No so luckily, I got “booted” for at least three weeks which doesn’t mix well for Alaskan adventures. However, I will gladly skip weekend adventures for a few weeks if it means my foot gets better and I can get back to running around my beautiful village. 

One of MANY delicious meals

Once my two appointments were finished, I spent my days in Anchorage shopping around and just appreciating little things that we take for granted. While I was in town, Sam was also there for some computer management training, so we even got to go on some dates like normal couples! On Friday we met up with two other friends and went to the movies, and it was nice to watch a movie on a screen larger than that of a smart-board. Afterwards, we all reflected on how strange it was to be hanging out together in the city, but I for one enjoyed the company. 

Pretty and yummy coffee<3

As if going to the movie’s wasn’t weird enough, I got to spend Saturday morning shopping with one of the teacher’s from Newhalen. I think we were both fueled by the excitement of being able to have girl time and shop in a mall. We went from store to store just appreciating the ability to touch the items that we wanted instead of viewing them on a computer screen. It was a much needed morning spent in great company, and I look forward to the next time it can happen. 

On Saturday night, Sam and I were excited to get to meet up with a friend from King Salmon who also happened to be in Anchorage. Later, my dad laughed and commented that this was the weekend to be in town. I was glad for the way the timing worked out, especially because I hadn’t seen this friend in eight months! It was so great to be able to see her, and hopefully it won’t be so long before we can hang out again. 

Reunited after 8 months!

After four busy and fun-filled days in the big city, I was ready to get back to my quiet apartment looking out on “my” lake. While I did get home on Sunday, it wasn’t exactly according to the plan. We were supposed to fly straight to Nondalton from Anchorage, but when we started to prepare for landing, I realized that we were flying over Iliamna. It was rainy and the wind was blowing when we landed and while the weather was not the same in Nondalton, they unloaded my stuff and told me that I’d fly out the next morning on the mail plane. I wouldn’t have minded spending a night in Newhalen, but I knew that my friend Cailtin was going to be crossing the lake that night, and I didn’t want to miss another day of school. Instead of taking a plane, I grabbed my stuff, threw on some cold weather gear, and hopped on a boat to get home. When I called the air taxi company to tell them the next morning, they weren’t even phased by what I said. The fact that I was even able to do this, paired with how casual it sounded to the woman on the phone, just reminds me of the unique way of life in rural Alaska. 

Cook Inlet, Anchorage

My time in Anchorage was great and I am thankful that I was able to go out to the doctor, visit with friends, do some shopping, and fill up on delicious foods. However, my trip was also overwhelming and tiring and it feels so nice to be back in Nondalton. The past few days were just what I needed to rejuvenate and gather the energy to get through the next few weeks of school craziness. I don’t get too much rest though, and I spent tonight packing and getting ready to spend the next few nights away from home again. I am going to be joining our school’s volleyball team at the jamboree in Port Alsworth (the school site that is just north of Nondalton) and then heading to Kokhanok for some special education training. While I’d much rather go back to sleeping in a hotel than on a classroom floor, I am looking forward to the next few days! 

Writer's Block

Forever exploring

While I have no clue how it is possible, the calendar tells me today that we are already well on our way through the month of November. As I type this I realize that somehow I let a month go by without even so much as a short post. Truth be told, I have thought about and even attempted to write an entry over the past few weeks. However, I seemed to have gotten into a funk and just could not get words onto the page. Not only that, but things have just not slowed down much and I have been busy with one thing or another since the school year began. The life of a teacher, right? Tonight though, I was finally motivated enough to try to recap on the last month of craziness here in Nondalton.

Flying home from
 King Salmon

Unfortunately, October began on a somber note as I learned the news that a close family friend had suddenly passed away. After hearing the news, I once again struggled with an overwhelming sense of homesickness. My initial desire was to be home with family and helping out in any way possible. However, home is no longer a short drive away and it now takes at least three planes and almost a day's worth of travel to get there. Most people know that I am a family oriented person, and being so far from my loved ones is without a doubt the hardest part of living in Alaska. In the past month I have been able to mourn this loss on my own time and in my own way. I have also spent a lot of time reflecting on how quickly life can change and the importance of making the best of every day. 

I got to live in a
lodge for a night:)

In regards to school, I have become more confident and comfortable in my role as a special education teacher with each passing day. While I loathe still don’t particularly like the system we use for our special education paperwork, I have come to tolerate it and feel that I have a solid grasp on the ins and outs of working with it. I am lucky to be learning the ropes at the same time as some other newbie special ed. teachers and we are helping each other day by day. In the past month, I have flown solo on quite a few IEP, re-evaluation,and amendment meetings and I’ve learned something new each time. 

Not only have I been adjusting, by our school team has gotten into a pretty good routine and we are working together to keep our 34 students under control and on track in their studies. In the middle of October, we were able to travel to King Salmon for a whole-district inservice and we all brought back new ideas to use in our school. My friend Caitlin and I were even able to present a session on the classroom management system, Class Dojo, that we use in our classrooms and explain how we use it as our school-wide behavior management system. It was fun to be able to share what works for us with other teachers in our district. 

It gets colder every day!

We might have been flooded with new information, but October inservice is a loved event by all. One disadvantage about teaching in rural Alaska is that we rarely get to see teachers from other school sites in our district. I hadn’t seen many of these teachers since last year’s inservice, so it was great to catch-up. In addition, I got some much needed girl time with some great ladies, and appreciated the chance to just talk about struggles, triumphs, and everything in between. 

Later sunrises are
still just as beautiful

Since we’ve been back, it has been another blur of visitors, traveling, meetings, and I think somewhere in there we have managed to squeeze in some teaching. The constant chaos certainly helps the time pass by quickly, and it will be Christmas break before we know it (43 sleeps until I’m back on the East Coast, but who’s counting?). Although I know without a doubt that the next month and a half will be busy and tiring, I am fueled by the knowledge that I will soon be rewarded with a trip home to see family and friends:)