Busy Busy Day

Bushed. It was a good day, but it was really hectic. I think that I got everything done that I wanted to do, and if I didn't, it is simply going to have to wait until tomorrow. I feel the need to post, but I have almost nothing that I can think of to say.

We went to a one-year feast tonight. This was the second one for the second day in a row. The feasts are held on various anniversaries of a loved one's death. There are 20-day feasts, 40-day feasts, and one-year feasts. There is generally a pretty fair crowd of people at each, and the table is usually filled with people eating. When one gets up, another sits down. There is a pretty constant flow of people in and out of the house. There is a lot of food as well. I went for caribou soup both days. There is always some sort of little gift that is given to each guest. If you get invited, it is probably a good idea to go.

And now it's late and I'm feeling kinda drowsy. So, enough for trying to figure out what to say, at least for tonight.

Snowing And Blowing

It looks like there is a little weather out there this morning. I have not braved it yet, but I do need to get going, because there is laundry to do. It is time to pick up the pace of this thing. The basketball season in nearly upon us, and it is time for students who want to play to think about eligibility. I intend to make that point this morning.

I am also going to try to get my math students through the two indicator tests on measurement that they need to get out of this desert that we are in. We seem to be stuck and need to move on to greener pastures, without a doubt. The question is how many willing followers I can count on after a long holiday break.

When Joe Wants It Hot...

...Joe gets it hot. And so it was tonight. A good one. Let me say this. I have only steamed at Joe's. I have no basis for comparison. I hear stories about legendary hot steams. I have no first hand experience. Nor do I wish for any at this point. I did get some nice compliments suggesting that I seem to keep getting stronger. However, I am also interested in keeping my skin intact for now. Joe's steam is hot enough for me. I will let the young bucks worry about what they need to prove.

The other (better?) half just was leaving to go steam when I got here. It is not quite 10:00 PM as I am writing this, so I expect that she will be back at a decent hour.

It has gotten chilly here, as I learned when three dogs discovered the need to go out in succession after I had gotten out of my warm socks and long johns. There is a blizzard warning out for tomorrow and the promise of several days of sustained snowfall. It could prove to be one of those cozy, snowy weeks around here...

A Steam Tonight

We went over for the one-year feast commemorating the death of Joe's mother, and he invited us to steam tonight. I could use it, as the bathtub just backed up again, and it looks increasingly as if I may be showering at school for the forseeable future. I hope that all of this turns aout to be a simple case of things not being done on time because of the holiday weekend, and it can all be fixed with a bottle of bleach and a good scrubbing.

Relaxation is in order tonight, because tomorrow marks the beginning of the mad dash-a little over three weeks until the end of the semester and a nice break with friends and family. Three weeks from Tuesday, to be exact. Not that I'm counting or anything. Twenty-six days before we see students again. Not that I'm counting or anything. I will try to coax as many of my students through the remainder of their work for this term, and try to get as many as possible of them to pass.

I would reflect more, but I just got the call-time to go steam.

A Pleasant Weekend

Saturday night, and the low rumble of snowmachines can be heard outside my window. The basketball tournament apparently is still going on over at the school. I have been working on a few things for school and teaching. I have made some progress, and I will just keep plugging away at it in the next few weeks. There are a couple of lesson plans in the book already, and I will get some more done tomorrow. Church is probably on the agenda.

We didn't steam tonight, so I assume that something came up. Maybe tomorrow. I think that I will read a little, and get some sleep. Maybe a workout and a shower in the morning. It has been a nice chance to get a breath and a break from the grind. I needed it. It should get me through to the break.

Saturday Market Adventures

It was up and off to Bethel this morning, albeit a little later than expected. The crafts at the market were all very nice, and I picked up a little Christmas something for someone. I think that I will play it close to the vest for now. I did break down and pick up something a little warmer to put on my head. Sara Rearden is one of the teachers here. Her mother lives in Bethel and also works for LKSD. She was selling some of her work, and I took a liking to a hat made of seal and beaver. Very warm. Especially good for the back of a snowmachine. This scenic shot was taken at the gas station, where the price of gasoline will make even the most hardened Californian blanch with terror and disgust. See above for confirmation. After the market, we headed to a store that was described to me as the local equivalent of Sam's club. In other words, big packages of stuff. I picked up a 28-pack of popcorn, which should stand me in good stead until Christmas. The holidays will be here very quickly. Tuesday is the first of December. As I type this, it makes me excited to think about going back to Michigan to see friends and family. It also makes me realize how much has happened since August. The adventure continues...

And Oh, By The Way...

Joe has promised another maqiq for tonight-he says this one will be hotter. I don't necessarily feel all that brave. But I will go. I can never predict how long I will go on any given night. It becomes a combination of detachment up to a point, and heavy breathing and determination after that point has passed. Or, I just think, "to hell with that nonsense," and get out. It varies...

I do not know how the tournament went last night. It will resume today. Today promises to be a busier day than yesterday. Basic services are not working here, so it may be another day for taking care of basic functions at the school. Sometimes that is how it goes out here, and I am having to learn to just deal with it. I think that the septic needs to get pumped. We ran out of water on Thursday, and it is not clear when it will get delivered. It may just be a long weekend for that kind of thing.

I will need to find some time for my masters in Juneau in the next day or two, and, of course, the lesson plan monster needs to be fed before Monday morning. It has still been a pleasant and relaxing few days, and there are still two more left...

Woo-HOOOO!!!!

It all started with a phone call. I was standing on the sidelines at the basketball tournament. "My dad says to come steam." It was all I needed to hear. I was out the door like a shot, over to the house as quickly as possible, got my maqiq bag filled with necessities, and walked down to Joe's house double-time.

Now the story can be told. I have achieved a milestone in my steaming career. I ran one of the locals out tonight. Yes. No, I'm not making it up. I even stayed in for the next pour, as I was told the "rules" require. I got a fist bump from Joe, and there was lots of crowing about it when I emerged into the cooling area.

I am trying to be modest about it, which does not explain this entry at all. Many smiles were had all around, and the vanquished was gracious. Of course, all of this is immensely silly, which is why it is so much fun.

Tomorrow will find us at the Saturday Market in Bethel. I imagine it will be interesting.

A Lazy Day...

Not doing much all day until the past couple of hours. Went and worked out. Didn't get in contact with the spinning people in time. Guess that I will try during my prep period on Monday. There is a basketball tournament at the school tonight. Think I will go check it out. I need to get my parent contact log, and pick up a blank DVD at the school for my submissions. We have a veritable shitload of things that we are supposed to submit quarterly to AKT2. I guess it's time...I will work on it between now and Christmas. Whoopee. GF sez she's quitting teaching if this is the wave of the future. It might be-I think it might be the Federal influence involved here. Don't know, tho.

Multitasking tonight includes trying to Skype a couple of people, and texting with my law partner about the latest and greatest news from back home. And eating a sandwich, and typing this. And realizing that it's only Friday night. That's cool...

A Nice Thanksgiving

It turned out a little differently than planned, but it was fun just the same. We discovered, much to our chagrin, that we were out of water, at about 1:00. That necessitated a change of scenery for the gathering of the group, but it went off hitchless, and it appeared that a good time was had by all. We had a guest appearance by two distinguished PKA alumni, who also partook of the food and company.

In order to wash dishes, I ended hauling over about six five-gallon buckets of water from the school. Not so much when you consider that many families have to haul water from the well for daily use. It did give me a bit of a workout. We ended up showering at the school, which was handy to have available under the circumstances.

Dinner was delish, with many fine delicacies, and the conversation kept us there until nearly 11:00. A pleasant day. I believe that tomorrow will be another such day.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Well, what did you expect me to say?? I slept in, and the laundry is going, and I have had breakfast and coffee, so I reasonably resemble a human being at this point, and that is probably a good thing for all those around me.

On my way from my perch at the computer, I noticed to my horror that it is already time for DishBitch to spring into action. His nemesis MessWoman has been up to her usual nefarious deeds, making a tiny house look as if a small-scale nuclear device had been detonated in the kitchen. MessWoman's alter ego is the mild-mannered (!) schoolmarm CGunnerson, who seems to turn, much like the Incredible Hulk, into MessWoman almost without warning...(for students reading this blog, think about her desk-you will understand perfectly.) DishBitch's alter ego, LaundryBitch, has already been at work this Thanksgiving morning, after dog-hair infested clothing was dragged out from under the bed, where an informal storage unit had apparently been set up by MessWoman's assistants, DumDog and DumDog2.

Anyway, the house is a mess, and KitchenNazi, MessWoman's other avatar, seems to think that today is a good day to cram 20+ people into a house that is kind of squeeky for two. It is time for DomesticBitch to come to the rescue. Wish us luck...

Well, The Heat Wave Ended...

It's -5 as of the last time that I looked, and the skies are clear. The girls had a pie making shindig, and I hung around for a little while, fetching eggs and such until it struck me that I was sort of a fifth wheel and decided to come back over here. I am having a nice quiet night.

We had our thanksgiving meal at school today. The turnout was either better than or worse than last year's, depending upon the person doing the estimating. Things got cleaned up in reasonably short order, and we got pressed into duty by a couple of graduates who returned for help with a paper and a resume, respectively. It was kind of fun, in a gee-think-I'll-bitch about-it kind of way. Then we made a home visit, and I got back in time for a phone conference about our extremely simple, user-friendly, intuitive software that we are supposed to be using to submit all of our evidence to AKT2. My personal take is that the unhappiness and stress level among this group will increase exponentially when they start using that stuff. It sucks. Hope that this entry gets read. I have threatened to just upload all my lesson plans and this whole blog and crash the server in Juneau. It would serve 'em right.

So tomorrow is the big day. It seems as if a bunch of people are invited, and some of them will show up. It will be held at the small house with all the dogs instead of the larger house with two loveseats and space. This is because some people are crazy and sentimentalize this holiday which is miserable for so many other people and reminds even others how they have been occupied and invaded. Yippie shits. I actually began to enjoy thanksgiving most when I began to spend it by myself with a shitty football game and pizza from G&D in Cadillac.

I suppose that it will all be fine, as long as the General Patton of the kitchen does not rear her ugly head. As is true in so many situations, I suppose that only time will tell the answer to that question. Who knows, amybe it will all turn out to be a blast, and I will turn out to be nothing more than an old grouch. Naaah, that couldn't happen!

A Quiet Night

...on the old plantation, but pleasant. The gf is, unfortunately, feeling under the weather, and decided to sack out early. I have just been chatting on line with an AKT2 buddy, and trying to suss out some kind of quick and dirty Thanksgiving writing exercise. I think I have an idea, but think that I will sleep on it and see how it feels in the morning.

I am thankful personally for having had this opportunity, because it has been a unique experience in my life. I still am waiting to see how it will go in the long run. However, for the time being, at least, some sleep would seem to be the best choice in the short run.

OOOOOO....

Almost there-the holiday starts tomorrow...a festive lunch at noon, then off for a few days...if you don't count the phone conference for AKT2 at 4 o clock, and the entries that I need to make for that program this weekend, and the lesson planning, and trying to figure out what to do with the math class and the middle school and the freshmen, and etc, and etc...at least we get summers off...doesn't seem especially relevant way the hell out here right now.

I have a new assistant dog walker. She stays for the after school program, and then comes over to help with Dan and Buddha. She referred to it today as her new after school chore. She sat looking at the clock until it was 5:00, and not in an especially patient fashion, either. I finally got the message that my presence was required, and soon, at my house, so that she could get along with her duties. Her dedication should be an inspiration to us all.

It does sound as if the lunch will be fun, even if I get to be a server. I expect that I will enjoy that.

A series of blogs are breaking out around the school, which may lead to a need for vaccines...perhaps the government will make supplies available for all...but watch out for the side effects...I wonder how many people will read the student blogs. I know that I will be interested to do so.

Short Week...

I just keep telling myself that...the gf is feeling pukish, and I am into another day of not feeling it. I don't expect great concentration from the young 'uns as the week gets shorter, and the pressure is nonetheless there to do something creative with them. I understand the teachers who mostly show movies sometimes, although I think it is a bad idea. I hope that maybe the resistance will diminish somewhat after Christmas, when they see that I did return. The turnover problem out here really leaves a strong residue of skepticism, which I understand, but don't especially like.

Happy 200!!

Whoopeee!!! It's time for a big celebration!!! Post number 200!!!!! Unfortunately, there are no wonderful prizes to give away or anything like that.

I would like to welcome the newest reader of this blog. WELCOME! Glad to have you along for the deranged mutterings of a 55-year old guy who hangs around with middle and high school students all day. Actually, most of them are pretty nice kids. Even most of the ones that I wish to drag off to the swamps on a regular basis. I am still trying to figure out exactly what I was thinking when I decided to come here. The good news is that I think that it was probably a good idea. Mostly.

The middle-schoolers (I am tired of typoing junoir-high) were a real exercise in foolishness today. Mondays can be treacherous, and this one was no exception. If it came to a choice between rational behavior and idiocy, they pretty much chose the latter without fail. Even many of the good ones were sketchy, and the middle of the roaders were just nuts.

The site administrator is thinking about shifting the times for reading and writing to later in the day sometime. He is thinking of moving Yup'ik to the morning, as the kids seem to like it. We shall see.

High schoolers were pretty much better, and that seems to be getting pretty consistent with the freshmen. Of course, about half of that class has moved elsewhere now.

I must be moving on, as it is nearing 9:00 pm, and DishBitch has yet to make his appearance. LaundryBitch has already done his thing. Hope that all of you enjoy our 200th post here at No Roads...

Not Feelin' It This Morning...

I was looking forward to a short week, but I definitely got up on the wrong side of the bed this morning. The title of the post tells it all...it is just not working for some reason today. I dread leaving the house. Things feel claustrophobic. It's weird how quickly my outlook can change in this job. I hope to make things better as the day goes on. I probably just need to focus on the minute-to-minute, rather than thinking about the day as a whole, or it will seem overwhelming.

Lazy Sunday

MMM, sleeping in...the melatonin does a nice job of regulating my sleep now, and that is a thing that I am happy about. There is not a whole lot of things to do today, as it is a short week, and I have material for lesson plans left over from last week. I have a quick meeting this afternoon, and I guess that will be it. The dishes could stand washing, but not much else is pressing.

We have two and a half days this week. We will have a community dinner for Thanksgiving on Wednesday, and I plan on helping serve. Maybe I will get some pictures from that for a post.

Aw, Shucks...

There was a christening tonight at the church. It was a nice ceremony. One of the women who works at the school as an aide brought her new baby in for baptism. There was a nice little crowd there, and everyone was in a pretty smiley mood. Lots of hugs and pats and oohs and aahs. Lots of little kids, which means future students. They all look so cute and innocent when they're young. What changes??

I don't go to church too much for the liturgy or the philosophy. I mostly go for the warm fuzzy feeling that I get from Father Vasily's warm greeting, or Father Victor encouraging Chelsea to move forward so she could see better. It is the feeling of invitation and inclusion. There is no reason that these folks have to be nice to me (well, that may not be entirely true...). The fact is, though, that they are. And I appreciate it trememdously. It is what has kept me here all of the many times that I wanted to quit. It is what keeps me here. It is what makes me love this place, despite all its problems, despite all its isolation. It is the warmth of the people who have accepted me into this community.

Going Rouge?

Yes. I know. It is on purpose. No, it's not all that subtle. No, I don't care. Those of you who know and at least like me know that wiseass is what I like to do best. Whether I do it well or not is neither my decision to make nor my concern. The top picture is the shiny beast that takes us Betheling, in the parlance of one of my favorite co-workers' daughter. As for the bottom, well, the less said about that, the better. I did want to show that I have not lost my eye for coordinating my wardrobe. I was also looking for continuity with the tie-dye shot that I posted back in July.

We finished the big inservice today. It started with breakfast, cooked by our site administrator, who makes a reasonable omlette. Lots of yummy bacon, which did not bother my digestion for a change (a nice one-I love bacon). French toast. Coffee. MMMMM...a good way to start. We were reading and discussing a book on cognitive coaching. There were some really interesting subjects in the book and we had some pretty interesting conversations about it. The time went by pretty quickly.

After we got out at noon, we knocked together a quick shopping list and headed up the river to Bethel. Groceries first, and then off to a restaruant called V.I.P. for some sushi, tempura, and teriaki. It also has a fair number of Korean dishes, which makes sense, the place being owned by Koreans and all. Please do not ask me to explain the two main expatriate groups in BET (airport designation), the Ukranians, and the Koreans, and how they happened to wander down a river in Western Alaska and stay. I do not know. I do know that you can get pretty good oriental food here. After lunch/dinner and some football highlight watching, we went back down the river towards the setting sun, which illuminated the mountains off to the south beautifully. The skies have been insanely clear and sunny during the cold spell of the past several days. The sky has been beautiful, both during the day and the night. Sunrise is now at 10:05 am, and sunset is at 4:57. Just under seven hours of daylight. We have about a month left until the winter solstice.

Church is on tap for tonight, and I plan on spending some time at the school tomorrow, to do a little lesson planning, and do a quick meeting with our site administrator. It would have been fun to stay up in Bethel, as three of my students are wrestling for the district championship in their weight class. However, there is a blizzard warning up for later tonight, and wandering down a mile-wide, unlit river in a blizzard just seems like a crappy idea. I hope that the boys win. One of them is my buddy Joe's son.

I don't have to do a lot of lesson planning, because this is a very short week, with Thanksgiving coming up. Given the way things seem to be turning out, I feel as if I may have a lot to be thankful for...

A Bit Nippy Out There...

The temperature has been hovering at a remarkably consistent -14 for about 24 hours now, with an equally consistent windchill factor of -36. The windchill factor is often a number that is regarded with much suspicion back in the States. I believe that is due to the pernicious influence of television weathermen, who pump it up for no good reason most of the time. Out here, especially when it is in this range, it describes the speed at which your skin will freeze, resulting in frostbite. At -36, it is much quicker.


We are in the second of two professional development days. This one will be over at noon, because we went last night until 6:30. We get breakfast in the bargain, so it seems resonable to me in the balance. We are going to discuss peer coaching, which sounds like a reasonable concept.

After that, it will be time for the first snow-go run to Bethel, which will likely be chilly at these temps. There is a blizzard watch for later tonight, so it probably would behoove those of us that are going to get it done...

I Shall Be Observed...

(To the tune of "I Shall Be Released.") Betty is here, so I get to get watched some more. It was kind of a really sketchy and mixed day. Kids were together in the morning and really screwy in the afternoon. One of our special needs kids, who is becoming big and scary strong, broke the window in his room today. The room is right next to the junior high room. Of course, everyone of those chuckleheads immediately wanted to go see the fun. They had break, and didn't want to go back to their classroom, but rather, to head in the same direction that this kid had gone. Christ. I suppose if he had killed one or two of them...I actually do like a couple of the little gremlins, so I probably would have been sad. On the other hand, there are a couple of them...



I got to see and talk with Alex Chaney outside on the boardwalk. He is one of the 2008 senior class that stayed at my house in Cadillac. Life seems to be going well for him. He wanted to know how I was enjoying the cold weather. I asked him what cold weather he was talking about. He didn't know that it gets this cold back in Cadillac. I have had some interesting conversations while taking the dogs out the last couple of days. Last night, I ran into Father Victor on the boardwalk. We chatted for a few minutes in the -7 cold.

It hasn't been much above zero for the past several days. I just checked the weather on kusko.net, for any of you out there who like to check out that kind of thing from time to time. It is currently -4, which is actually warmer than it has been, but the wind has picked up, and the wind chill is -22. The forecast suggests that it may actually warm up slightly in the next few days.

Time to finish the SIOP book-I got reviewed again today. Everyone is laughing because I have been getting followed around so much lately. It goes with the job, as far as I can tell...time to relax and eat dinner-tomorrow is the long day's journey into PD...

In Bed

It was a decent day. We had several speakers in to talk to the students about drug and alcohol abuse. I hope that some of them listened. It is sad to think that some of them will not, and will find out about addiction and alcoholism personally. It is a terrible problem out here, and I wish that I had something intelligent and philosophical to say about it.

We have long inservice this weekend. The district can require one Saturday per month, and they are doing it. We will go until 6:30 on Friday night, and half a day on Saturday. Next week is short because of Thanksgiving. We have a luncheon for staff and students on
Wednesday.

I met with our SIOP coach today, so that she could observe my class. That is three in eight days. My mentor is coming tomorrow. That will make it four in nine days. I feel very observed. Kind of like the apes at the zoo. Not really. It's ok-I think that I am recovering my sanity. As I trudged across the frozen wastes to my warm little teacher house, I thought, "I could really get to like it here."

Holy Cow, It's Been a Whole Day Since I Posted!

Yeah, I have been negligent today...shame on me. I am suffering through a video of me teaching. Actually, it went pretty well, and my evaluation was pretty good. Now, I have to review the video to find material that I can submit to the state in support of my permanent certification to teach here. We have multiple submissions to make over the course of this year and next. The AKT2 people have kind of been relaxed about it, because of the burdens of new teachers, but they are beginning to push a little bit. I'll work on the first half of the year between now and Christmas. Woody had a pretty cool gizmo for shooting video that has a self contained USB attachnment and can plug directly into a computer. I have to check it out.

I am leading the wild bachelor life, which is to say, boring. I need to get some more jammies, and call it good for the night. The 11 pm temperature has risen to -9. Things are looking up all over. Staff meeting in the morning.

Because We're Professionals, Dammit...

I'm not sure what was really going on entirely, but we slogged through somehow. I thought that it actually went rather well under the circumstances. What it looks like in the long run, I cannot say, but we all survived. Of course, there was an annoying e-mail with a list of criticisms out in the afternoon, and I decided to respond directly and in person to them. Enough of this nonsense already.

The rest of the day was good, if spotty at time, and Woody and I got to have a nice visit. He had some helpful suggestions, and I was actually ready to listen. I wish we had this kind of chance more often. He demonstrates the essence of constructive criticism. He is positive, and communicates enthusiasm along with suggestions to make my teaching better. I genuinely like him, and realized how much I missed seeing him since back in Anchorage. I am glad that he will be here tomorrow.

It appears that my 3d and 4th hour classes will be pretty much washed out tomorrow because of the diabetes ladies and a chat about drugs and alchohol with the junior and senior high kids. Something different for a different day...

Here Goes Nothin'...

Details to follow later in the day...

Guess What I Did Tonight...

Yep, time for maqiq...Joe is back from Anchorage. He seemed refreshed, and he was beginning to plan for girls' basketball, which he has coached in the past. It was a pretty low-keyed steam for me-I wasn't much in the mood to prove anything, so I just took it easy. There was a small, but pleasant group there, and I am looking forward to more now that my buddy is back.

This is the last long week before Thanksgiving, and all of a sudden the year 2009 seems to be running away in a hurry. This will be a memorable one to sum up once New Year's Eve comes...
Many big changes, and many more likely in the new year.

The snowmachine came sputtering down the ramp at the BIA building, so we are motorized once again. We still hoof it around the village, but now Bethel, and all the pleasures of "city" life are relatively easily available. Who knows, maybe I can even scheme out a trip up for football watching and beer. MMMMM...

Time for melatonin and nighty-night. Wish me luck with this new thing tomorrow. It won't go perfectly, but I hope that the bumps are not too severe.

Woody's Here!

OK, so I was kind of dreading this, mostly because I am in a funk over this silly English class crap, and its inception. I am getting phone calls at home on Sunday and I am being told that I need to take this to the union over that and the proposed training session for next Saturday. I just wish that it would go away, but it won't. I could try to just avoid the whole thing, like my co-teacher, but she has tenure and I don't. Blecch.

But, on a lighter note, Woody's here! I was actually glad to see him when he got off of the plane. We got to talk and hang out, and eat some lasagna, and brownies, and all kinds of good stuff. He is going to get spoiled, and then he will get sad, because the home cooking thing is going to come to a screeching halt when the gf heads to Bethel Tuesday afternoon. Tuesday night, he gets frozen pizza...

Well, it's off to a new week full of idiocy and adventure. Stay tuned-it may be a bumpy ride. I'll write with all of the horrors...

Sunday Morning, At a Crawl...

I wonder if Kristofferson could do something with that...it does scan with the original lines...no ambition today. Still in PJs at almost one o clock. The dishes are nearly done, and that's a subject that needed addressing. Now for personal hygiene, the last lesson plan, a poster, and Woody at the airport. Woody is the project manager for my certification program, and he will apparently be here through Wednesday. Then I get my mentor Thursday night. Everyone is coming here to make sure that I don't get lonely...

I might just as soon do without, but I guess that's not an option.

I am not sure that I want Woody in the junior high first thing in the morning. They are easily distractable, especially for a novel audience. We are implementing this new reading scheme that has been mandated, and I frankly expect a level of chaos. I hope that I am wrong, but I expect many headaches this week during first and second hours. Woody's presence, however well- meaning, may well serve to accelerate that process. They already go nuts when the principal comes in. I suspect that my wishes on the subject may go unheeded.

I was doing the instant messaging thing on Facebook with one of my pals from Michigan who is temporarily exiled to Texas. She suggested going into practice together, although she likes hanging out with her kids right now. The idea has some possible appeal, but it may take a while to get there. Think I'll stick to teaching school for now...

It's Late and I'm Tired...

I got home from school at 10:00, just as the curfew sirens were going off. It was kind of a long day, but I got a fair amount of stuff done, including most of my lesson planning. I need to put some final touches on Ak Studies, mostly because the lesson is kind of big and complex. I don't really quite know how to write up junior high, because it is so weird and crazy. We are implementing the new changes ordered from on high, which include me working with the two most difficult groups in the classroom, and somwhow getting two other groups to work independently. It sounds a little unrealistic to me, but I am a professional, and I did previously make a living cleaning up after other people's shitty ideas. This should be right up my alley...

Even though I am tired and have to keep correcting my typing errors, I don't really want to go to sleep just yet. Maybe some melatonin will do the trick.

Tomorrow is another day...

Damn, It's Getting Cold...

Just came back from working at school-the temperature has dropped significantly, and the wind has picked up. The clouds have cleared off, too, and the forecast for tonight suggests windchill readings of -20. Brrrrr...I had the dogs out for a while, and was wishing fervently for long underwear. I suspect that it will be a required item tomorrow. I will be returning to the school later on to get more work done.

There is loose talk about a snowmachine trip to Bethel tomorrow, or maybe next week. I am getting chilled just thinking about it. I do have the bundle-up stuff and the helmet as a windbreaker, so I guess it will be ok ultimately. Still, that is one cold ride-I have made it before...

The idea we have tonight is to get all school work done and have tomorrow to do other things. It may be a long evening...

What More Can I Say?

How much do I love Fridays? No telling, there's just no telling. No way to do it real justice. It really is the best night of the week. By Saturday, reality has set back in, and there is almost always work to be done. I have a long list that insures that I will be working most of the weekend. Saturday night is church time. Sunday, of course, is lesson planning time, because ya know that those masterpieces have to be submitted by Monday morning. I heard about the teachers who got called out for not having theirs in on time. One of them was the principal's wife. And much hilarity ensued...

Just got off the "phone" with folks back home. It's always nice to hear from them-I like it quite a bit. I also have to make sure that I give a call to mom and dad this weekend. It's due.

Rumor (well-placed) has it that the river is now open, which means that snowmachines will be coming out in earnest this weekend. The road to Napaskiak is now open...I even modeled my new helmet tonight for some excited Skype viewers.

Much wonderment...I got the new Kindle this evening, and I'm all excited. Fun reading for the flight back home at Christmas time, which is rapidly approaching...how cool is that? Suffice to say that I am VERY appreciative...muchas smoooches to all of my girlfriends-BTW, my self-styled "gangsta" student saw some of the old pictures on this blog and decided that I was a "playa" with the ladies...now THAT'S funny...

Coming Down The Stretch...

The Thursday of another quickly moving week...tomorrow is my favorite day. A half day w/the students, and then PD in the afternoon, followed by Friday night, the best night of the week...it is funny to see how my point of view has changed with the dynamics of this job. Even though I find PD sessions sort of overly earnest and silly sometimes, they do involve snacks, and I have mentioned several times how much I enjoy the company of my co-workers.

My challenge in any given day is to get through the first five periods of the day in some sort of neutral mood. Depending on the general mood in the junior high, that can be a significant hurdle. However, the boss seems to think that they are beginning to improve, based on his samplings, which may well be more objective than my perception, as I am perhaps too close to them on a minute-to-minute basis.

I suspect that I will spend a minute or two this weekend trying to figure out exactly what it is that we are doing with this "new look" reading project that is to start on Monday. It will feature groupings and different aspects of reading programs that are someone's pet idea. Maybe it will work. I have no idea.

My AKT2 guy is coming out Sunday afternoon, which means that my lesson planning time will get cut into. I get lots of visitors next week...

Well, I Guess It Ain't Hawaii, After All...

The balmy weather turned out to be short-lived. The temperature dropped sharply overnight, and everything froze. To make it more fun, the wind has been blowing hard all day, with gusts of over 40 mph. I hear that it's even worse down closer to the Bering Sea coast, which is not actually all that far away. Of course, this should freeze the river up nicely, which means that soon, it will be time to get the snowmachine out and go up the river to Bethel, for something like civilization. There is supposed to be an excellent Saturday market there on Thanksgiving weekend, which is approaching quickly. Probably time to do some xmas shopping. I would like some nice fur mittens myself. Because it gets FUCKING COLD up here-that's why. Enough of that.

I got my review today. It is the first formal one required by the district. I'm off the hook for a while now, although my SA is pretty much a stickler and wants things done a certain way. I guess it's up to him, at least to some extent. He feels that I have made a good deal of progress since the beginning of the year. Some areas still need improvement, but overall, it went well.

Tonight, I relax. Tomorrow, I go back to trying to get better at this stuff. We'll see how it goes.

Heat Wave Strikes Y-K Delta; Hell To Freeze Over...

It continues to be strangely warm here, after all of the cold temps of the past couple of weeks. It actually rained again today. Some of the local (!) fellas say this will actually be a good thing for river freeze-up, as it will help to melt the snow on top of the ice, thus removing the insulating layer at such time as it does get cold again. AND IT WILL GET COLD AGAIN.

Nothing else especially interesting to report. Jr high was their usual charming selves...had to get one girl's father to take her out of the classroom at the principal's request because she refused to do what he had requested. The weird thing about this girl is that she comes from one of the steadiest families here in the village. I find her to be consistently impossible. She is actually much harder to deal with than many of the kids that come from tougher circumstances.

Got my formal observation today. I'll get the post-mortem tomorrow. If I still have a job, I'll post. If I don't, I'll post. Whichever way it goes, I'll post...

It's Not Tuesday Yet, But Almost...

Got through this one without too much turmoil, and I'm happy for that. Some of the local hoods just hit the windows with snowballs, but nothing broke. I'm told by a reliable source that one of my junior high kids was pretty drunk Saturday night. The source was pretty shocked and saddened.

I'm getting ready for my first formal review on Wednesday. The first one in October was informal. This one counts. I don't feel real anxious. I feel oddly detached from most of this at this point, and I don't know why. I suppose at some point that the constant scrutiny becomes sort of invisible.

We had some pretty pointless meetings that kept me from doing grading. You may wonder why I just didn't do it at night. There are other duties then, like laundry, and dishes. I was, nonetheless, writing notes to the parents of my students at 9:50 this evening. It is hard to find much personal space outside of this job here. I would like some, but I hear that is simply my unrealistic take on things.

Anyway, an O.K. day for the record books. I am mostly interested in a quiet week this week and next. Then Thanksgiving is here, and it's time to relax...

The Weather Has Changed Dramarically...

It is 34 degrees at this moment. It was 11 degrees yesterday in the middle of the afternoon. I suspect that this will slow down the freezing process, at least temporarily. It is actually raining. The forecast suggests a very slight warming trend compared to last week. Actually, I think it will be a good deal warmer...time to break out the sunscreen.

And what can I say about school?? We apparently have another funeral today. I don't think that I will be going. The weekend sounds as if it was a rugged one-the usual Monday morning round of bleary-eyed kids...not much more to say about that subject.

Think that I'll just get through it and call it Tuesday.

The Bucs Won!

Well, it wasn't much, just the Green Bay Packers, but it was a first for the season. I'm not sure exactly what it is that I got done today, but the time did pass right quickly. The lesson plans are as done as I can get them, because we are going to change the way we do the junior high reading and writing. I don't know what to think of it all, but more experienced heads than mine are telling me that it will be this way, so that is the way that I guess that it will be. If it proves to be totally chaotic, then it will undoubtedly be due to my herebrained implementation, not to any defect in the plan or its timing. Time to learn about guided reading, AR reading, etc...

It is cold here, and the river is pretty close to being totally frozen. The locals, and not just the natives, are pretty happy about that...

There is not much else to say right now. I feel much more relaxed than I have in a while, and I have my first formal observation coming this week. No sweat. I can't explain my mindset, but I'm not exactly complaining, either.

Back Across The Frozen Kuskokwim

After two days of training in digital storytelling, I have returned to Napaskiak. We were met at the airport by a festive delegation including the school's 4-wheeler and a trailer. There were four passengers and an impressive array of cargo, including two fish tanks, five vegetable boxes, at least six boxes of groceries, and we haven't even begun discussing bags. People in the Bush definitely tend to travel heavy. I have nostalgic reveries of my days traipsing through airports wearing a t-shirt and shorts, a pair of flip-flops, and a knapsack. Travel here tends to resemble more closely the movement of Napoleon's army across Europe. I feel curiously leaden on these little jaunts. Even a quick couple of days in Anchorage require several plastic totes, because, after all, there is always the obligatory trip to Fred Meyer or Sam's Club.

I understand the necessity and the economy of this approach. It is the way that it has to be. But it makes travel more of a drudge. Of course, any travel that involves six hours in a plane is going to have serious drudgery issues, anyway...

Oh, and by the way, Apple and its damn iMovie app anyway. It lost two projects that I was working on, or at least two versions of the same project. I don't know why, and our tech muse, the amazing Erin Kavanaugh was not around on Saturday night to try to explain its disappearance. Bummer. Looks like it's back to square one. The app is supposed to auto-save projects. Guess what...

...And I can't Be Trusted...

Interesting presentations so far today. We are supposed to make a two-minute long movie tomorrow. I guess that I will figure out all of this technical stuff between now and then, although I have been so distracted by the simple fact that I can make a slide show with iPhoto that actually has music and effects that I haven't gotten very far past it. I will have to be more conscientious tomorrow if I am to fulfill my promise as a budding filmmaker. It is interesting to think about using this stuff in the classroom and letting the kids take control of storytelling. There are good ones to be told out here.

I had lunch and dinner with many of the new teachers that I came into the district with this year. It is interesting to hear their stories of struggle and conflict, although the conflicts all seem more like minor annoyances. They all have had previous teaching experience, which tells me that even veterans find the conditions out here frustrating. It can be awfully hard to cope when I feel as if I am the only idiot on the island.

Tomorrow we will learn about storyboarding, which I will try to use to wean my kids away from the habit of going straight to the computer to write. Most of them are far too prone to start goofing around, leaving me to chase them around the room pulling them back on task. Now, the search for an affordable video camera begins...

I have gotten the shipping estimate for my spin bike. It wil cost $177 to ship it to Alaska. Not bad, really. I desperately need the exercise-might as well consolidate the gains (losses, to be more accurate) from my stress-induced weight loss. Make the best of the bad.

A Thief In The House of Love...

I am at the Arts Grant retreat in Bethel for a two day exercise involving digital storytelling. I hope to find information, inspiration, or something helpful for the future. Mostly I feel like I have sneaked in here and will be caught at any moment and pitched headlong into the closest snowbank. More as the day continues...

Blecch....

Up at 4:30 because my mind was racing. Managed to go back to bed and get a little more sleep...more stories of stress circulating among staff members. The perception is that of much pushing and criticism and very little support. Change is often necessary. It seems to me that getting folks on board with the idea of change would be a good first step. That means inclusion, not just commands...

As For The Day Itself...

It went pretty well. I tried some new things with the junior high, breaking up into smaller groups and that sort of thing. I sort of thought it blew, but it makes the boss happy. Now the critique is centered on my writing class. A moving target...what makes me really happy is that tomorrow is the last day of class for me this week. It's off to Bethel tomorrow night, right after the afterschool program.

I have plans for the subs, and I will make a folder up tomorrow with specific quizzes and activities. I already e-mailed links to the same stuff to my co-teacher, so that she has it as well.
I hope that that suffices. Then it is off to fabulous Bethel, for dinner with Erin. There are dark promises of drink in my future.

I hope to learn strange and wonderful things about video storytelling this weekend. Erin is presenting. I hope that she is good.

What's On For Tomorrow?

So, it's finally time for dinner and lesson planning for afterschool programming for tomorrow. I think that giant vocabulary games are going to be on tap. I went to my first union meeting tonight. A fair amount of anxiety was on display. The district is pushing the SIOP implementation project pretty hard, and a number of the staff is having a hard time keeping up. Above that, the local management has decreed that structured group instruction is mandated, and has ordered its implementation without a whole lot of preparation. There are a few other issues that I will not go into. Kind of an unhappy staff, on the whole. Too bad.

I just agreed to put my name in for nomination to the NEA delegate assembly in Anchorage in January. No sense being here if I can't be a troublemaker. Maybe the negotiation team next. Just kidding. Not really...

Finally...

After school program starts tomorrow, and I am in it. I didn't even know there was extra pay involved when I first said yes. There is, however, no set agenda or schedule yet.

I am working on a new approach to maintaining distance between me and school. I do not check my school e-mail after I leave the building at night. Downtime is important, and administrators out here have a bad reputation for crossing those boundaries with some frequency/impunity.

I am working on a possble spinning bike order, although the shipping cost alone may get me to opt for a trainer and my 29er bike. I can ship that bad boy a lot of times for 499+shipping...

An Interesting Day

Many inservicings and things of that nature today. Stories of various interesting natures. News that I did not previously possess. Now it is the evening. Tomorrow we get students back, and I am kind of looking forward to it, even though they drive me nuts occasionally. Thursday night, I leave for Bethel and a promise of a homecooked meal and -gasp-alcoholic beverages, and two days of learning about digital storytelling. I have lesson plans for Friday done, along with instructions for the sub, and I hope that they will serve to be adequate for the actual half day of school that I will miss. This is shaping up as the breather that I needed.

Hell, if I miss the little buggers, it must mean that I got the breather that I needed.

NYO Video-Hope Ya Like It...

Inservice Fun

That's what we did for our day away from students. We get to do more tomorrow. I was struck by the fact that when it came time to group up to discuss, I kept getting pushed toward the junior high, despite the fact that I work an equal number of hours in the high school.

It bothered me for a while. I have the idea that I am going to get pushed into a totally junior high role. I didn't necessarily ask for it. I'm not sure how much I like it. My feelings were hurt. Wah wah and all that stuff.

After a while, it occurred to me that the move is probably inevitable. I might as well get used to it. I would still like to teach some history/government stuff in high school, but if not, no big deal. Maybe I would even get my own classroom and stuff, and I could fix it up the way that I wanted to.

It is probably the wave of the future.

Tomorrow, I apparently get to show people how to incorporate learning structures into their lesson plans, even though they probably have not read the book on the subject, and were told that they didn't need to. Hey Rock, watch me pull this rabbit out of my hat!

Up Early

My mind is active this morning, seeking a solution to the dilemma that is the junior high. It is my Gordian Knot. I keep hearing that it is a problem years in the making, yet I feel pressure to solve it now, and I have not a clue. Cooperative groups, chunking, PBS, some sort of mix of all of the above...beats me right now...

Just Checkin' In...

Sort of a nothing day. I did enjoy the extra hour of sleep quite a bit. I also was amused by seeing both Father Vasily and Joe go flying by on 4 wheelers at what was really 8:30, but would have looked like 9:30 if you had not set the clock back. There were services scheduled at 9:30. I assume that they worked it out.

The rest of the day was pretty blah. I am stumped and stymied by lesson planning for jr high. Some sort of edict is supposed to be forthcoming, I hope in the next two days, so that I know what it is that I am supposed to be doing.

Everything else, including directions for subs, is done. The room reservations for Thursday and Friday night are made. We just need the plane tickets.

And that, ladies and gents, is my Sunday in a nutshell...have a great week.