Eat. Run. Sleep. Repeat.

Views from a village run:) 

Everyone has their own way of unwinding after a long day; something that can help them recuperate and de-stress. My personal favorite is to go for a run after school, especially in Alaska where I get to see incredible views along the way. Running, in my opinion, is a great way to spend time reflecting on the day and getting out any frustrations. Last year when I moved to Pilot Point, I had been excited to have the opportunity to coach cross country because I thought it would be fun to inspire students to take up running as a hobby. While I wasn’t able to convince my three eligible students to run, I had been able to chaperone the jamboree in Naknek. It was such a fun experience, and in starting the new school year in Nondalton, I was hesitantly excited at the thought that I might get to attend as a coach this year. 

Luckily, my wish came true and I had nine students who signed up and joined me after school everyday for practices! While our sporting seasons are shorter than average high-school seasons, my students followed through and came to all of our practices. Many of them had not run cross country before, but at my request, they agreed to give it a try. Without much complaint, they ran all the paths I created around the village, ran sprints in the gym, and they absolutely hated loved me for all of the 1-minute ab exercises I had them do (I gave them a taste of the Insanity workouts!). While I don’t know that they would say running is their favorite thing, I think they all enjoyed our time together as a team.

A great night for the
Newhalen River Race!

After a few weeks of practice in the village, some of us were able to take a ride across the lake to run in the Newhalen River Race. Considering this wasn’t a school sponsored race, I was happy to see how many of my runners chose to hop on a boat with me and run a hilly three mile course. This event was especially fun because younger students who aren’t eligible to be on the team (7th grade and below) joined us and were able to run shorter courses with other students their age. One of the third graders from our school came in first in her age group! 

Off they go!

Finally, their hard work was rewarded and all nine of my athletes were cleared to travel to Naknek for the jamboree this past weekend. Last Thursday, we boarded two planes and made our way south. Once all of the teams arrived, the students were able to walk the race course to get a better feel for it. Shortly after, the girls were the first to run and off they went! I was a proud coach as I watched all of my runners giving it their all. Regardless of their time or the place they came in, all of them did their best and proved to themselves that they could complete the course! I was beaming ear to ear as I watched my one normally sluggish runner come barreling through the finish line. All of the athletes seemed happy to have the race behind them and were ready to spend the next two days visiting with their friends from other schools. 

Some of the final
bridge creations

On Friday, professors from the University of Alaska led team building activities for all of the students. They were placed in groups and asked to use limited materials to create a bridge and a tower, both of which would be tested for how much weight they could hold. This task was a lot harder than it looked, but the students came together and had some awesome creations. Later in the day, they were paired up and asked to make a basket to safely house an egg as it plummeted to the ground. It was a fun, but long day and all of the students were eager to go to the dance that was held that night. There is also a community pool across from the school we stayed at, so many of the students took advantage of that during their free choice time. 

At the same time that the students were happy to see friends they don’t see often, I was eager to have time to catch up with teachers that I rarely see. Honestly it was just nice to have some adult time in the midst of being surrounded by students 24/7. Then, before we knew it, Saturday morning came and it was time to head back to our home villages. However, the weather did not want to cooperate, and only some of the teams were able to fly home that day. Nondalton, and five other teams were “weathered” overnight, something our students were more than happy about because it meant watching movies in the auditorium all day and spending the night splashing around in the pool. As much as I wanted to sleep in my bed as opposed to a hard classroom floor, I was glad to see that my students were having a good time.

Riding co-pilot is my favorite!

On Sunday, I was awakened by the sound of heavy rain hitting the school and I feared that we would not get home. However, the rain slowed and with the help of a larger plane, we were able to make it out of King Salmon. My students and I were glad to be on a bigger plane and I quickly claimed co-pilot seat as we were flying with one of my favorite pilots. Our flight was uneventful and thanks to a powerful tail wind, we made it home in record time. Being able to shower in clean water (Bristol Bay water is kind of icky) and sleep in my own bed brought a great end to a busy, yet fun few days spent away from home. While I enjoyed the chance to travel and was proud of my runners, I am happy to be home and content to stay in my quiet little village for a little while as I recover from this trip! 

**As most of the students were enjoying the activities on Friday, two boys and two girls from our district packed up and flew down to Unalaska (yes it’s a real place) to compete in the regional cross country meet. On Saturday we found out that all four of these students had done well at regionals and will be able to travel to Anchorage to compete in the state cross country meet! We’ll be keeping our fingers crossed that all of these students continue to run their hearts out! 

Getting Back Into the Swing of Things

A great way to start a weekend

While I find it hard to believe, it seems that three weeks of school have passed us by in Alaska. Our first few weeks have been four day weeks as teachers have had in-service days on Mondays. Thinking of all that has happened in a matter of twelve school days is enough to make my head spin. From getting new students and having visits from the dentist and public health nurse to a visit from the President, this school year is shaping up to be one very crazy whirlwind!

First of all, it has been both stressful and exciting to get my schedule in place and get the kinks worked out. As a special education teacher, I have ten students on my caseload ranging in age from pre-school to seniors. This may seem overwhelming, but for me it is a fun variety of personalities to interact with each day. Due to having ten students at such different age and ability levels, I am currently working in a pull-out environment. This means that instead of having all ten students for the whole day, I remove them from their general education classes throughout the day to work with them on their specific IEP (individualized education plan) goals. The stressful part of this process has been trying to make sure that I am working with each student for the hours that are required by law for their unique IEP while also making sure I don't take them from their classes at a time that is inconvenient for their general education teacher. Thankfully, I have some very flexible co-workers who continue to work with me as I try to develop a schedule that works for my students and their needs. I will cautiously say that after three weeks, I have finally gotten a solid schedule in place that is working out for everyone in the school. However, I know that this schedule could change at any minute and I will just have to adapt and just go with the flow if that happens.

Out for a ride in Iliamna :) 

Another aspect of teaching special education in the bush is that I am the one who tests students and develops their IEPs. This requires using a special (non-user friendly) program that I am becoming more familiar with by the day. I began working with the program last spring, but it's a lot different doing it on my own as opposed to having my mentor sitting next to me to answer questions and offering advice along the way. While there are other special education teachers in the district, four of us are new to working with the program, as is our new special education coordinator, so it can be tough at times. We have all been working through it together and I have been thankful to have two very helpful veteran special ed. teachers who have answered many questions as I try to become more comfortable with using this program.

Bear Creek Trail in Iliamna

All of the technical stuff and paperwork aside, getting to work with my students has been so much fun. I am enjoying having students in different age groups and getting an understanding of which skills I need to work on with each student. Most of my lessons go by smoothly and without issues, but there's a special time in my day that both excites me and makes me anxious. Every afternoon, I work with three pre-school students for an hour and these little ones keep me on my toes! One of my students likes to run out of the room any chance they can get, one is very feisty, and the third watches the other two in awe and helps me clean up their messes. It is such a funny little group and they have such different personalities that I love learning about. The part that makes me anxious thought is that one of the students sometimes has meltdowns (and by sometimes I mean every single day) and I need to take precautions to make sure they don't harm themselves, the other students, or myself. My patience is tested daily and at the end of the session I am usually physically and emotionally exhausted. While it may not seem like it to most, we are making progress with each day and this knowledge is what gets me through some of our tougher sessions.

Six Mile Lake in Nondalton

As much as I enjoy learning about my students, I feel like I have hardly seen some of them I'm the past two weeks. We have had some visitors in the village including a health aide, the dentist, and a public health nurse. This has caused many disruptions for all of us as students were being pulled left and right each day this past week. Other students have been absent because of a cold and case of strep-throat has been getting passed around. Another one of our students, along with a few others from our district, was invited to go to a local village to meet President Obama when he visited Alaska last week (everyone's opinions aside, this was an incredible experience for students in our school district to be invited to take part in). Due to all of these events and absences, we haven't been able to get into a true routine yet, but we are all doing our best and doing what we can to keep students on track.

Nondalton from Six Mile Lake

One routine that I have been able to get my students into is daily cross country practices. I am excited to say that I am coaching cross country this year and have a group of about eight students who come to practice each day. They might complain sometimes, but they continue to show up and bear with me as I learn to coach this sport for the first time. Students need to be in eighth grade and up to be eligible to travel to the sporting jamborees, but we also allow younger students to practice sometimes. I've had students in third grade asking me if they can come practice with us! I have really been enjoying working with our older students, especially those who I don't get to see often throughout the day. In two weeks I will be heading to Naknek with the team to attend the cross country jamboree. Last year I was able to chaperone this event, but I am looking forward to be attending as a coach this year. 

Blueberry picking in Iliamna

While work is a huge part of my life out here, I have also been able to enjoy some relaxing weekends filled with fun adventures. Two weekends ago, I was able to get out and pick blueberries on the tundra with Sam and some of our co-workers which was a lot of fun. We spent an entire day picking berries, riding around on Hondas, shooting guns, and we even had a nice lunch cooked over a fire we made by a lake. Sam and I have also been able to visit with other friends who work in both of our schools and it has been great to catch up with everyone and hear about their summer adventures. I continue to feel blessed to have ended up in Nondalton with great co-workers and to be close enough to Sam's village where I have found even more people who relate to the joys and challenges of living and teaching in the bush. I enjoyed my time in Pilot Point, but I have to admit that I feel much more content and at home where I am living now.

This year has gotten off to a chaotic start, but I am enjoying every second of it. I can tell that there will be struggles along the way, but getting through each challenge will hopefully help me grow and learn what works and what does not. I am continuing to try to be less panicked when the schedule changes or students are pulled for different reasons. Each day is a learning curve for all of us and my motto continues to be "take it one day at a time". One thing I know for certain is that I will never complain that I have a boring job! 

Back to the Bush

Much like my first trip to Alaska, returning has been a whirlwind spent in an endless stage of movement. However, as I sit in my new apartment looking out on the beautiful lake I live on, I realize I wouldn’t trade the craziness for anything. Considering how much has happened since I left the east coast, it seems impossible that it’s only been a week and a half since I’ve been back. From marathon shopping and shipping to setting up a new apartment and getting settled into my classroom, I have spent many of my days feeling like a chicken with my head cut off. 

After a Costco trip for 5 girls

While it has been chaotic, I look back on how I reacted to the same situations last year and can see the amount of experience I have gained since my Alaskan journey began. During my first few days, I was able to stay with the district’s new hires and do my shopping with them. Many of the girls came out as tutors in January, so it was great to see them again and catch up. We spent two very long and tiring days in Anchorage running between countless stores to get all of the essentials we will need until we can re-stock over winter break. Whereas last year I wandered the stores unsure of how much or what to buy, this year I found that I was helping the other teachers decide what was important to bring. Luckily the two days we had were enough for all of us to get all items crossed off our lists, ship totes, pack and then re-pack to make sure we could get everything to the villages. Not only were all of the teachers able to get food and personal items on board, we also got three ferrets, three fish, two dogs, two cats, and two hermit crabs home safely (which on bush planes is an accomplishment in itself). My new beta fish Percy is swimming happily in his temporary home as his fish bowl didn’t make the trip unscathed; one thing in the bush that you learn quickly is how to make use of your resources.

To be honest, I am really happy that Percy survived his first two bush plane rides, because in true bush fashion, our travel day was a bit dicey. The day I flew into Nondalton was a gloomy day which is something that does not bode well for flying bush planes. The flight from Anchorage was smooth and we (myself and three others heading to Nondalton) were supposed to go straight to Nondalton, however the visibility was too low so we had to take a detour to the next village over, Iliamna. Knowing that we would be able to stay in teacher housing if necessary, but wanting to get home, we hoped for the skies to clear enough to fly. I did not want to get weathered out on my first day back in the bush. For almost two hours we waited and waited.. 

Finally we were told that the decision would be made by 6:00 because that’s when the church service in the village started. I can’t help but laugh at how different things are in Alaska than the lower 48. Thankfully at 5:45 our pilot told us we would give it a try but that we might have to turn around if things weren’t clear enough. He also warned us that he would have to open the window during the flight to clear the windows of fog.. Knowing that our pilot is a seasoned bush pilot who has flown me before and that one of Nondalton’s elders got on board, I hopped on the plane and said a prayer. When we were up in the air, the ten minute (yes, that’s really how long it takes) flight was relatively smooth. The anticipation and circumstances made for an uneasy trip though, and I have never been happier to set foot in my village. 

Once I got home, I spent the next two days unpacking and getting moved into my new apartment. The views from my place are incredible and I’m happy to be able to see the colors of Nondalton in the summer. I also have a spare bedroom which currently has no use, so visitors are welcome; trust me when I say the scenery is well worth the trip! During my unpacking, Sam was able to come visit and he convinced me to pause long enough to go out for a boat ride on the lake. After spending so much time in planes, stores, and post offices, it felt great to get outside for some fresh air and the lake is the most beautiful blue I’ve ever seen. 

After getting my apartment set up, I next had to tackle my classroom. While last year I only had a few days to do this before students came, I’ve had about a week to work in the school, and with float planes waking me at 6:30 in the morning I’ve been going in early. Luckily I was able to clean out my classroom in the spring and when I got back I just had to worry about moving desks around and bringing some color to the space. For a special education teacher with few students, I have a huge classroom! I have been trying to make it feel bright and welcoming for my students and I can’t wait to be able to add their work to the walls. 

In an effort to not spend all of my time in school this year, I have been forcing myself to call it quits at a certain point. I am trying to convince myself that the work will be there the next day and that I shouldn’t spend all day in school, something I was guilty of a lot last year. Hopefully I can keep up this mindset once the students come back. This past week, I have left school early(ish), visited with co-workers, driven my new honda, and have gone on runs and walks around the village. On my outings, I’ve been able to see many of my students and other locals in the village. I have been so excited to see them, and in their quiet way they have made me feel that they are happy to see me return. 

Coming back to Nondalton has been both tiring and refreshing. Today has been my first day to relax and I have been taking advantage of a rainy Sunday to catch up on sleep and be incredibly lazy. With school starting in two days, I know that I need to take advantage of the quiet days while I can. I even started a new book today and after I finish writing I plan to continue reading as I sip on some tea while curled up in my comfy chair that overlooks Six Mile Lake. Tonight, and every other night, I feel incredibly lucky to be able to continue my Alaskan adventure. 

The Countdown is On!

Wild Horses in the Outer Banks, N.C.

Whoever coined the phrase “time flies when you’re having fun” really hit the nail on the head. It feels as if the end of the semester happened in hyper speed and I kept putting off blogs, waiting for a lull in the action. However, the school year rolled into an action packed summer which has left little time to blog (as if to prove my point, it’s almost one a.m as I type this, exhausted yet fueled by the need to put words on paper). I don’t know where the past few weeks have gone, but what I do know is that my “sleeps” in the Lower 48 are suddenly winding down. Seemingly without warning, this summer has flown by and the time to prepare for another year in the bush has arrived!

Seeing Matilda on Broadway in N.Y.C.

While I have butterflies at the thought of going back to Alaska, it is a much different sensation than the panic I felt at this time last summer. When I got ready for my first semester in the bush, I felt less prepared than I ever had before. My childhood and time in college had not been meant to prepare me for life in an Alaskan village; and yet I found myself packing up my life in a few totes and trusting in the leap of faith that I had taken. Fast forward twelve months and here I am gearing up for my second year. I remember being so nervous about sending my totes last year, terrified that something would not make it. Today however, mailing my only tote from home was just another thing to cross off my to do list. I suppose my priorities have changed and I realize that there are more important things to worry about than whether or not a tote of replaceable goods is going to make it to it’s destination.

Spending a day at Epcot in F.L.

Another difference I see in myself, as I try to plan for the upcoming school year, is that I have come to accept the lack of control I have in many aspects of my life in the bush. Teaching (and life in general) in rural Alaska is much different than anywhere else in the

Some history during my trip to M.A.

country. The truth of the matter is that I don’t know which students will be in my village when I return. Maybe all of the families will have stayed put over the summer, or maybe they decided to hop over to another village to live with relatives. Perhaps they went to Naknek for summer fishing and won’t return until halfway through the semester. Will I have more students on my special education caseload, or fewer? What problems, if any, will the village have faced over the two and a half months that I was on the east coast? These are questions that once would have overwhelmed me and caused sheer panic. Now, however, they are just passing thoughts I have but do not dwell on. My questions will be answered in a few weeks when I return to Nondalton, and from then on I will roll with the punches. One thing I know for sure is once I step foot in Alaska, the craziness will begin and I’ll just have to hit the ground running. Until then I plan to keep appreciating fresh produce, taking advantage of free shipping (to the bush nonetheless!), and soaking up as much family/friend time and sunshine that I can!

Land of the Midnight Sun

Early April, Nondalton 8:00pm

While this is something I have mentioned a few times in blogs past, I wanted to take some time to talk about the phenomenon that is daylight in Alaska. To me, that’s what it is; a beautiful and mind-blowing thing that I am still getting used to. When I came out in August, I was on the "losing daylight" side of things. Sure it was light at 11:00pm and again at 5:00am, but I knew that slowly we would lose that daylight. This still amazes me as much now as it did when I first arrived in Alaska. 

Mid April, Six Mile Lake at 9:30pm 

This semester, however, I am on the opposite end of the spectrum, and I get to experience the gradual increase in daylight. Each and every day since I have moved to Nondalton, I have gotten to see the tiniest increase in light. At first it wasn’t anything too noticeable, but now, it is hard to miss. For example, last night when I went to bed a little past 12:00am, there was still a faint hint of light in the sky. It was dark, but not nearly as dark as I am used to for that time of night. 

Late April, Iliamna Lake at 11:00pm

This morning when I woke up, it was rainy, but it was still light out. Back home on really stormy days, it seems as if it is night-time and there is no daylight to be seen. In Alaska however, even when it looks as if the sky is going to open up any minute with a rainstorm, it remains light out. As one of the other teachers who has lived out here a long time has said “we can guarantee daylight, but not sunshine”. 

As I look out my window, the sun is fighting its way out from behind the clouds, and I hope that it makes an appearance today. Regardless of whether that happens or not, some of the other teachers and I are going to go for a honda ride down the beach. We have been wanting to get out and explore a little bit to soak up the beauty of the village before we head to our respective homes for summer. Today is my last Sunday in Nondalton, and this time on Wednesday I will be heading into Newhalen for a few days before making my way back to the lower 48! I am looking forward to getting home, but I know that I will miss the seemingly endless amount of daylight that is found here. 

Going Postal

My Alaskan certificate finally made it to me! 

When you live in rural Alaska, you have to adjust to the inconsistency in the postal system. Mail only comes to villages a few times a week and that is dependent on weather and room on the planes. It takes some getting used to it, but you just have to accept that no matter what the estimated delivery date is, your packages will most likely arrive a week or so later. Sometimes larger packages take even longer, but eventually all of your mail will get to you; unless you live in Nondalton that is. 

Over the past month or two, an odd thing has been happening and I am just baffled by it. Apparently when people attempt to mail things to my address, the postal system confuses Nondalton, Alaska for North Pole, Alaska.. My dad first encountered this issue when he tried to send a package and was told that he had the wrong address. He texted me for confirmation and then had to go as far as pulling up my school’s website to prove to the woman at the post office that he had the correct address. She adamantly told him that my package would not get to me, but he sent it anyway. Two weeks later, my mom had the exact same problem at a different post office! Similarly to my dad, she knew she was correct and sent her package to me. Seemingly without issues, I received both packages about a week after they were sent. 

Mail days are fun:)  (Thanks Rachael!)

My next run-in with this issue was when I placed an order with Target in early March. After three weeks of waiting, I got an email saying my shipment saying my items had been delivered; to an address in Indiana… I was getting ready to call customer service when I got an email saying that I would be getting a refund for my items. The end of the email stated that if I didn’t initiate the return that it meant they weren’t able to deliver my package. The confusing part about this is that I have had things shipped from Target to Nondalton a few times in the past without any issues at all. It just doesn’t make sense to me because clearly there is something going on when my address gets input into the post office database. Yet none of my packages went to North Pole, so that doesn’t make sense either. 

Another teacher at the school wasn’t quite as lucky and a package that her husband sent her, from Alaska, actually went to North Pole and back twice before finally making it to her in Nondalton! In her search to find her package and figure out why this was happening, she spoke with different people in the postal system who had no answers as to why this was occurring. Even after she explained that this had happened to packages sent from NJ and PA, they blamed faulty addresses. No amount of explaining that she knows her address could convince them otherwise. For now, the problem remains a mystery and I play an annoying game of Russian Roullete in ordering online and asking for packages to be sent from back home. Oh how the quirks of living in the bush certainly keep things interesting! 

Academics and Athletics Anonymous

It was a snowy week!

The past few weeks have been busy here in Alaska! This is the first year that schools in the state have switched to the Alaska Measures of Progess (AMP) test which is computer based. This whole school year has been spent preparing for the transition but like any standardized test, the weeks leading up were crunch time. Not only were we preparing for that, but in the middle of our allotted testing window, many of our students and teachers were gearing up to travel to Naknek for the annual Academic and Athletic (AA) Meet (side note- not the best name to give to an event for teenage students who all understand what AA typically refers to). Again, a switch-up for the district because the AA Meet is normally held in Newhalen, but this year it took place at a school that we partner up with often. The two weeks in which these both occurred were quite the whirlwind! 

Blood Spatter Analysis 

Cold Water Survival Training 

After the first week of testing, with the knowledge that I had successfully proctored my first standardized test behind me, I was eager to head to Naknek! From the time I arrived in Alaska I had heard about the AA Meet and I knew that I wanted to be a part of it. While it meant spending four nights sleeping on the floor of a school, I was willing to pay the price! To make a long explanation short, the AA Meet is designed for any eligible middle and high-school students to come together and spend a week taking part in different classes/activities. This year’s classes ranged from geocaching and compass orienteering to launching bottle rockets and learning crime scene analysis techniques, and more. As a chaperone, I was able to sit in on all of the different classes and learn alongside the students. The sessions were led by visiting students and professors from the University of Alaska as well as LPSD teachers; the mixture of experience levels and variation in subject matter made for a great week. 

One of the NYO games

While our days were quite busy, our nights were equally jam-packed with events. Nightly activities included a science fair, a talent show, and competitions for the Native Youth Olympics (NYO). The NYO events were both exciting and impressive to watch. I’ve spent the past few days trying to figure out the best way to explain the activities that are apart of NYO but it is a difficult feat. Students have been trying to explain the activities to me since August, yet I still wasn’t able to form a clear picture until I saw them in person. The games are meant to represent different historical native traditions and events; for example, two events signify jumping from icebergs. A few of the events are the “Seal Hop”, “Indian Stick Pull”, “Eskimo Stick Pull”, and “Wrist Carry”. One of the activities requires students to hang from a pole by one wrist while two people carry the pole as far as the hanging person can hold on; one student hung on for an entire lap around the gym! Another includes students fighting for control of a small wooden stick/pole. The hard part about that one is that the stick has been greased with Crisco! Hence the difficulty to explain the competitions to people who have not seen it or who have not experienced native culture*. Several of our students received scores that deemed them eligible to travel to the state NYO competition in Anchorage this week! 

As fun as it was to watch the NYO games, I think the most exciting night of the week for everyone was the prom. The middle school students traveled home a day earlier than the high-schoolers so that the older students could have a fun-filled night to dress up and dance. While most students in the bush wear the same clothes for days on end, this was a night for fancy dresses and dress pants. Boys and girls alike were anxious as they got ready for the big dance. The student government hosts prom and they did an amazing job of decorating the gym to make the night even more special. Pictures were taken, roses were given, slow dances were plentiful, and fun was had by all who attended. Then, in true bush fashion, the students came together to help tear down and clean up the gym afterwards. It was a long end to a hectic week, but everyone contributed and it was a great time. 

Recovering at the beach in Newhalen

Once prom was over, everyone was ready to get home to their respective villages. It had been a busy and tiring week for both students and teachers and I think I can speak for everyone when I say we all desperately wanted a long shower (Naknek= sulfur water=gross tasting and smelling= dehydration and quick showers) and then to sleep in real beds. Friday morning was spent waiting on flights and hoping that the random snowy week we had would not keep planes from making it to our villages. Luckily planes to the north were not affected  and when my group got to the runway, there was an open space on a plane headed to Newhalen so I took advantage and hopped on. When I got on the plane I had to laugh because you simply cannot do something like that anywhere but here in the bush.

As I write this, it has been a week since I’ve returned from the AA Meet and I think I am just finally recovering from the lack of sleep and general exhaustion caused from a week’s worth of being with middle and high schoolers during every waking and non-waking minute. Once again I am feeling thankful for each chance that I get to bond with the district’s students and travel throughout this beautiful state. The adventure just keeps getting better with each passing day! 

*I wish I could describe the NYO games better, but since I am unable to, I have included some links for those interested in learning more:

http://www.anchorage.net/articles/nyo-games-alaska

http://www.adn.com/node/1614746
https://youtu.be/0HY6LCaIhi4