Back Again

And boy, do I have some good marks to show for myself tonight. Of course, Joe likes to blow a little smoke up my backside about what a tough steamer I am, and I enjoy the banter. Who knows, he might even be serious. It is quite cold here, although I think that the wind is still blowing enough that the temperature will be warmer that it would be otherwise. People are quite excited and hopeful that the river will freeze up soon, which I now understand in a much more tangible way than in the past. It is the road to Bethel, and I am awaiting word from the State Troopers with expectations of my own.

Many locals are apparently getting caribou, which is pretty yummy stuff. We will see whether or not some of it drifts around over here.

It's extra sleep time tonight, and that is happy news. I am looking forward to a melatonin/maqiq induced coma and lots of fun sleep. This is a very short classroom week for me-two days only. That will give me a chance to recharge and think about some new directions and some better approaches to this job. I am finally willing to listen to everyone who keeps reminding me that I am a first year teacher and learn to relax a little. I was actually thinking about lesson plans tonight during church and how I can do them better. We both got a nice hug from Father Vasily after the service. It is nice how tickled he gets when we show up. It is nice to be greeted with such warmth.

And now, it's time for a few photos from the weekend. These are from the costume judging at the school and NYO.

Another Quick Update

It was a busy day yesterday, with NYO. Total disaster with the morning's Halloween theme from the New York Times. It SEEMED like such a good idea...however, as ususal, many of my jr high kids could not get the link that I e-mailed them, because their e-mail privileges had been suspended for behavior issues. I don't always know in advance who they will be because I may not be in on the decision in the first place. Our internet is all f-ed up, for reasons that are merely rumored at this time.

More on all of this later, but I have to run, because Joe sidled past me on the way out of church, and said "steam will be up soon." Gotta run-it's supposed to start in 10 minutes...

Interesting Day...

I'm tired, but happy. It wasn't a great day in every way (read: junior high), but I finally decided that if I was going to bother to do this thing, that I might be in the whole way. I have been playing too much of the Hamlet role, dithering instead of acting.

I feel pretty happy with the decision. In the junior high this morning, one girl that I think has one of those schoolgirl crushes asked me how long I am going to stay. I think that I may want to give her an answer. Today I just teased with her, but these kids see a lot of instability in their lives. Maybe it would be good to try to eliminate some of that.

Later on in the day, we were preparing for the Halloween carnival. Another of the junior high girls has attached herself to me, and was following me around, helping with preparations that we were making for the cake walk. I am the freshman class advisor. At some point, the subject of becoming suddenly rich came up. She began talking about some plan that she would have. I made a crack about retiring. I was not serious. Her face fell, and it took some convincing to get her to understand that I was joking. I was floored. Two conversations in one day in October.

I Don't Know About That Last Post...

Way too earnest and full of good old all-american self improvement for my jaundiced tastes. I tend to be a skeptic by nature, which may or may not be a good thing under these circumstances.

Not much by way of news today. There were parent-teacher conferences with remaining parents that didn't show up yesterday. We may be doing house visits to some of the others, which could be interesting as I understand it. Stay tuned for updates.

Halloween carnival is tomorrow night, and then NYO on Friday. I will try to get some good photos. We will also have costumes and an assembly on Friday. Maybe Joe will wear the geisha outfit.

We have two days of inservice next week, and then I leave for Bethel Thursday night. I am going to learn about digital storytelling through something called the Art Grant. All day Friday and Saturday. It should be interesting.

I think that the next ten days will fly, at which point we are only a couple of weeks away from Thanksgiving. Wow.

Breath Taken

Things can turn around in a hurry. It is very strange how that can be. I'm glad for it-no complaints.

It occurs to me that part of my problem is that other people are running my self-improvement. They mean well. I need to be in charge. I cannot necessarily pick the direction, but I must be involved in it in order for it to succeed.

That will be my task from this point. Getting better, an imperative. I can do this.

Gasping For Breath

Metaphorically speaking, that is. It's already Wednesday, but the end of the week doesn't feel nearly close enough yet. I got up at 5 am because I couldn't sleep and now I'm exhausted. I hope that this day turns around from yesterday.

On a good note, the internet seems to be working better. It's been kind of balky and slow the past couple of days. Internet is a big deal around here, given the other kinds of isolation that we deal with.

A Shitty Day...

...but a good maqiq. I have been needing that for too long. Almost three weeks. This one was a goooood one. I almost ran a couple of the yup'ik boys out. Fun, fun.

Well, drama continues, with too many observers in my classroom, and kids reacting like they had a new audience to entertain. Parent-teacher conferences weren't too bad, and I was hoping to get the day over. However, I had a little more work to do with my mentor. The phone call from Joe came as a welcome relief of the day's tribulations. Now I am relaxed. One more day with parent-teacher conferences, the Halloween Carnival on Thursday night, NYO on Friday, and we get kind of a long weekend, what with in-services on Monday and Tuesday.

I could use it. I will get pictures from all of the festivities.

Oh, and Joe says that the new guy is a good boss. If Joe says so, it's good enough for me. I will suspend disbelief for now. He has seen a few come and go in his time here.

Happy Days

Lots of stressed people around these here parts. I would say stressed-out, but I personally predict that the tension levels will probably get ratcheted higher as time goes on. It seems to be a management issue, or perhaps style. I don't think we have officially reached the "out" stage yet. I have heard a staff person verbally consider alternative placement in the district for next year, but that was a reactive kind of thing said in the heat of the moment.

Some steam is getting pushed out of some side vents. We will have to see if anything will blow or not.

On A Lighter Note

It was a very pleasant day in many ways today. I got to talk to several people, including Steve and Lorri King, Brian and Julie Valise, and Betty Walters, through the wonderfulness of Skype. I was able to do instant messaging through Facebook with two friends at the same time. I have been reconnected with another through FB. I got my desk cleaned up and some order restored there. I got to go for a nice, if chilly, walk, and take some fine pictures of pretty scenery. I got to pet the cutest, most wonderful puppy dog in the world. And I got cooked for by the best gf a fella could ask for.

Thanksgiving is coming early this year.

Sometimes It's Easy To Forget Who You Are..

And it can happen here really easily. How tiny this world is. How quickly it becomes the whole universe and affects everything that you try to do or say or think. Even enjoying the day becomes impacted. So tiny. So cloistered. Such a tiny number of personalities to become an entire galaxy. Not for any reason other than it is easy to get closed in here.

Thank heaven for technology, and Facebook, and Skype, and most of all, this blog, which still gives me a voice. Thank all of you for reading. I hope that I occasionally amuse, inspire, and even entertain.

And now the dog needs to go out.

That Which Cannot Be Cured Must Be....

...ignored. Words to live by when dealing with those who annoy you. I have one of those people in my life. I am much too easily knocked off my good days when I get to have them by this individual. Although it is understandable, I am getting tired of it. It is hard enough to be out here. It is hard enough to deal with my kids and the challenges that they face. More crap on top of this is not what I think of as a festive garnish.

So the benign indifference will begin. It will not cure everything, but it will help. Maybe it will help me forget how much this person annoys me.

A Stroll Around The Town

The view from the front door of the school...

It's not easy to see, but someone has left their boat down by the river. They need to move it before it freezes...

More housing...

Most of the people here have gotten their boats pulled up away from the river. They will next see use sometime in May. The partially frozen water here is actually Napaskiak Slough. The main river is beyond the island in the background.

This shot is looking down the part of the boardwalk that is immediately adjacent to the river bank. "Front Street," anyone??

This one is here just because I liked the faint glow of the sun across the church and the graveyard. The glow is going to get fainter over the next two months.

Freezy but not frozen...when it is done, it is the path to mobility and freedom around here. No more being stuck here. This is the actual road to Napaskiak.

Strolling Around Town...a Partial Post

Arriving passengers may claim their baggage at baggage claim belt number...arriving passenger at PKA...

This is the view of town as you approach from the airport. This is the first thing that you will see.

Some Village Snapshots

I get to share space, as I suffer from a definite case of no fixed location. This is the view from my work desk. During my prep period, there is a class going on in this space. We are a very tightly packed school. Space is at a premium, and there is almost never any to spare.

Over here is my beautiful desk, the nerve center of my educational enterprises...

This is what I see out the window when I sit at my desk during prep period...as you can see, the snow has arrived here in earnest.

Some of You Are Getting a Little Demanding...

Sorry about the lack of mention of maqiq lately. My friend Joe had the funeral for his sister last weekend, and is off in Anchorage now. It may be another week before I steam again. Yes, this is for you, Patricia...

We got through the PD marathon last night and today,and we actually get next Friday afternoon off, although we will be hosting a NYO tournament that evening. I will attempt to get some footage to post up here, maybe Saturday. I also plan to take a stroll tomorrow and get some snow-filled village pictures for your visual delight. It has only been snowing for a couple of days, but the snowmachines are out already.

I got lovely new LL Bean slippers to replace the old, insanely worn out pair that I have had for thr past 10-15 years. No sense in rushing things. I put together a nice new kitchen cabinet tonight, and it is a vast improvement on what it replaced.

Anyway, a good and productive day. Tomorrow, lesson planning.

Hello, Old Blog...

It's been a while. Seems like an eventful 48 hours since my last post. We just got done with a very long after-school professional development session. We have to go back in the morning for several more hours. We even get to present some material on cooperative learning. I actually started to get charged up about the idea last night as we started to look at it in preparation. It was a good feeling. So often I find myself stuck in the immediate minute to minute survival mode of the novice teacher that I forget about all of the good theory that we were given to work with. A step back to regroup would be a good thing now.

That may prove to be a challenge, however. We have parent-teacher conferences on Tuesday and Wednesday. We have a halloween carnival on Thursday. We host the NYO tournament on Friday. We have two days of teacher in-service on the following Monday and Tuesday. After-school programs start on Wednesday of that week. Of course, there is that school and lesson planning thing to keep in mind...it will be a busy time. I am also the freshman class advisor.

The junior high continues to be an enigma, an especially troublesome enigma. Word is apparently beginning to get around town about how bad they are. Extremely resistant to any attempts at reason. Increasingly nasty to everyone who comes into the classroom. Running off subs left and right. Just plain defiant. There are exceptions, but they are definitely in the minority. I wish that I had a quick fix, but I am frankly stumped. I think that even the principal is pretty confused at this point, although he obviously cannot admit defeat.

It will continue to be a challenging year, but time is beginning to accelerate. We are nearly to November, and the holidays will be closing fast. Home to Cadillac, and friends, and red wine!

It Must Have Been Gossip Girl's Fault...

...because all of a sudden I wanted to hear some old Talking Heads again. Now here I sit, having downloaded Stop Making Sense (the sound track), ordered Stop Making Sense (the movie) and True Stories (the other movie), and, last, but certainly not least, downloaded the Byrne-Eno collaboration My Life In The Bush Of Ghosts (please note the subtitle of this blog-yes, it WAS the inspiration...). So, here I sit, rocking out to "Burning Down The House" and "Once In A Lifetime" (one of my all-time favorites, along with "Like A Rolling Stone" and "Born To Run").

The dishes are done and it's time to relax. Let me tell ya. Education is full of very earnest, caring, well-intentioned people, very few of whom can agree with one another about how it ought to be done. Sometimes the catfights would be funny, if they weren't so time consuming. Kinda like the joke about how opinions are like assholes...

I got an unusual, backhanded compliment from one of my most fractious, resistant students today. I will not disclose the details, or how I learned it. Suffice it to say that she told me that I am having an impact of some kind here. She does not even know that she did it. In many ways, it was probably the first positive reinforcement that has counted since I have gotten here. I was floating the rest of the day. I'm sure the air will leak out of my balloon eventually, but I am in no hurry at all for that to happen.

Same as it ever was...

OMG

Undoubtedly not the last of these posts...nineteen degrees and 29 mile an hour winds sustained...very cold for walking dogs while in pajamas. It's probably going to be time to bring out the cold weather artillery here very soon. It is apparently snowing across the river, although no snow is on the ground here. It is probably blowing away. Another in a series of "what was I thinking?" morning moments. Not quite as nauseated as some mornings, and that is a good thing.

On a positive note, my clothes continue to fit looser, even my old tight jeans. I'm feeling a little sexy...(sputtering laughter)...appetite has definitely diminished, and I get full faster. There seem to be some lingering gastrointestinal issues, and I do think that I will get tested for GERD when I get back to Cadillac over the holidays.

My junior high kids are starting to work on short stories, and I have semi-helpful advice on that front. Much advice. Problem is that I always feel like I'm doing something wrong. I don't know if that is my fault or someone else's. I suppose everyone is trying to be helpful. It's just hard to sort it all out sometimes.

Late Updates

Grades are done for the first quarter. The computer glitches finally got ironed out, or at least made serviceable for the time being. I can now go back to the day to day grind of making a living teaching small human beings. I actually had a positive moment with an often intractable student today. I actually had several. On the other hand, another one probably got herself kicked out of class by the sub, who doesn't take any crap from anyone.

We have had a request for a 4-hour presentation for Saturday, with what I think of as pretty short notice. Like four days. It's not clear when exactly the members of this team are actually supposed to meet about this thing. Perhaps sometime between 4:00 and 7:00 am.

It is getting noticeably chilly here. OK, cold. There is a meteor shower tonight, and it's supposed to be good, but my interest is a little on the marginal side given the prospect of going outside in the early hours of the morning. Hell, I'm cold just sitting here...

Done For Now...

Got stuff done. Happy about that. Guess that the grading system is all screwed up, so we will have to do 'em later. One less thing to worry about now. All the grades that I can post are posted, for now. Dinner is over, and it's time to relax for a little while. The weekend went better than I expected, and I even slept in this morning. O Joy. Melatonin tonight. Bed soon.

Start all over again tomorrow.

Quick Update...

It's Sunday, which means lesson planning. Grading must come later. The next few days will be a grind. I may chaperone junior high speech,which means I have to go to Bethel Tuesday afternoon. Something needs to get done quickly. I predict no steam tonight. Too much work to do.

OK, the last go-around for today...

About 6:15, someone suggested church...I am now accustomed to the idea that dress is casual, and that even God operates on Yup'ik time out here, but it did seem a little short notice for 6:30 service. But a little church on a Saturday night can be a good thing. Even a backslid buddhist/agnostic can enjoy the service and get something out of it.



Father Vasily seemed genuinely delighted to see us there. We haven't been much, except for the recent funerals, and agreed that it would be a nice respite in the weekend to go to church on Saturday night.

Father and his wife are off to Anchorage for a conference. They are going to have a little get away at the same time, which will be a nice thing for them. I do like him very much, and always enjoy getting the chance to talk with him. He works as our site tech now, so I often see him in the afternoons during my prep period. I have also steamed with him in the past. I would like to get the chance to spend more time with him and talk about more things. Life is busy. Sometimes it is important to stop being busy for a little while.

By the way-the tired, cranky thing has passed...

Tired and Cranky

Don't know why. Have a naggy pain in my butt that I hope is just the result of sitting in a crappy chair for 10 hours last night and this morning. Think I just need to give it up and sleep...start over tomorrow with all of the other stuff that needs to get done. Assuming, of course, that I can put it out of my mind for long enough to sleep successfully.

Tick, Tock..

Wrestling tournament is over-it was a big success-the team from PKA (that's us) won...I managed to do the bracket setting and recording without too many screwups, and got a nice thank-you from Coach Jung afterwards...we didn't get out of there until 2:30, and I'm not sure how that will affect the rest of the day, but I guess we'll see how that goes.

The sun is out, and it's a little chilly, but pretty overall. Winter is definitely giving signs of showing up...

Sorry About That

I got very involved in scoring and the battery on the personal computer finally ran out. Anyway, it was a very busy evening and there is more of it tomorrow, followed by all the rest of the tons of crap that has to get done this weekend. My legs are sore and my back is twinging.

However, I have included some lovely photos of the view from the scorer's room for your entertainment...

Liveblogging From the PKA Wrestling Tournament

Here we are, folks...October 16, 2009, the annual Napaskiak Invitational Wrestling Tournament...liveblogging from the scorer's room, which in this situation means that I can't see much...Michele Larson just came by! She is a friend of the family, so to speak...her son Alex was one of the seniors who took the Fabulous Summer Of Love Tour of Northern Michigan in 2008...more action on the mat...but wait!! I can't see...folks are very excited, but there's no way to tell you out there what is actually happening...one of our girls is wrestling in the 75# weight class...oops she lost...oh, well...one of our boys and one of our girls won!...oops, one of our boys lost!...ain't it exciting, folks? Bummer...my man Moses just lost his match...one of my junior high kids...much festivity-lotsa people here enjoying the action-and here I sit with the view you see...

Tireder...

Joe's sister Martha was buried yesterday. This one was tougher, because I saw people that I have come to care about in a good deal of pain. Very sad.

Orthodox funerals last for about two and a half hours, and the congragation stands except during the sermon, when we sit on the wooden floor of the church. After I came home, I took a nap that could have easily lasted all evening. However, there was laundry to deal with and a lesson plan to get out to one of my students that will be gone next week. I was still in bed before ten o' clock.

Things will get more frantic today. I have an on-demand writing assignment to finish with both writing classes,which must be shipped today. We have afternoon meetings. We have a pep assembly. Then there is the wrestling tournament, which we are hosting. That won't get over until about eleven o'clock tonight, and resumes in the morning. Of course, lesson planning must get done, and grades are due by Tuesday.

Finally, of course, I must make sure to post to this little exercise in voyeurism. Just kiddin' folks...

Good Day...

Busy, productive, positive. Ya gotta like that. Tried something a little different with my junior high kids. We are studying measurement, so I took them into the gym with a 100' tape line and tried to do measurements of the gym for NYO. Mixed results. Not as well as I might have hoped, but better than it could have been with that crowd. They are a little squirrelly, but some of them actually worked hard at the measurements. They got a bit of a lecture from some elders yesterday, but I think that the punch of the message had worn off somewhat by the afternoon. They were much more responsive this morning. I actually teach that big group with another teacher. We have spent the majority of the term so far trying various combinations to turn things around. It is a tough combination to find.

We actually split up the math class. I work with a lower phase of students, and she works with the other group. She was gone this afternoon for a funeral, and my occasional maqiq partner Andrew was her substitute. After an hour, he was solidly of the opinion that many parents need to be brought in to supervise and watch some of their children's behavior. I couldn't agree more. I need to make some phone calls, and the ASB might also want to take a look at the situation. I believe that community involvement and pressure on these kids is ultimately what is necessary.

On the young and hoody side, the day has thus far passed without incident. I do not believe that the Troopers have yet been here to take the young man in question into custody. It is time for the annual Permanent Fund distribution, and things in the villages tend to heat up around now. They are very busy, and with much nastier business, by the sound of things. His younger brother stirred some shit last night after wrestling practice, and was apparently shouting racial epithets at the coach, which got him kicked out of school for the day. He was out on the boardwalk today talking some crap about practice, and it being disrespectful to the village. I believe that he was trying to suggest this in light of the fact that Joe's sister's body has returned to the village. I don't actually know that to be the case yet. If it has, then practice will not take place. It was ironic to listen to this little pipsqueak talk about respect. I have never seen much from him.

My understanding is that Joe's sister will be buried tomorrow. We dismiss at 1:45. The funeral will run from about 2:00-4;30. I suspect that there will be a feast afterwards. I will probably go. Her niece is one of the kids who did their senior trip from my house a couple of years ago. I saw her this afternoon, and offered my condolences.

On a lighter note, I was just getting ready to do my prep time when someone came to tell me there was a phone call for me at the office. Yes, I was freaked out...I got there in a big, worried hurry. It turned out to be someone from payroll saying that a mistake had been made, and that $2100 too much would be deposited into my bank account tomorrow. Whew. These things I can deal with. I offered to write a check, but they apparently prefer to take it out of my November deposit. OK, then...

I have mentioned Howard, the student that I am trying to get done with junior high before the end of the semester. He passed another indicator today. Only two left. I called his very excited mother to tell her the news. It felt good.

P.S. (2)...

It sounds very much as if the little friend that I wrote about last night is going to be gone for good. This leads to the question of how we will deal with his little brother, who wants to be the "criminal mastermind." I have the pleasure of his company two hours a day, although he was not to be seen today. I wonder how he will conduct himself if he returns...

Blah...

Well, it's over. That is a good thing that I can say about today. I did keep my sanity. No murdered children. I got some good insight from one of my students. The principal thinks that I am doing better and the classes are coming along. Nonetheless, I feel blah. Thank heaven it's Wednesday tomorrow.

The rest of the week will be weird. We have a district-wide forced writing exercise in our classes on Thursday and Friday. It appears that Joe's sister will be buried on Thursday. I will definitely be there.

Grades are due by Tuesday. There is a wrestling tournament here this weekend. The next few days are going to be weird and busy.

A Good Day, With a Bad Ending...

Well, that's another one in the books...most of it was good-the usual annoyances with juveniles, etc. So far, so good...

Unfortunately, we have been dancing a slow waltz toward confrontation with a student that strikes me (not literally) as having profound psychological issues and a pathological inability to control his own behavior. After school today, not long after we had left the building, he attacked another teacher who had asked him to leave the building. The teacher is OK (well, he does have a knot on his head), but a couple of kids who were in the classroom were badly frightened.

There has been some grumbling from the staff about the administrative approach to discipline, and I think that this will bring things to a head. The mud ball attacks resumed last night, and I wonder whether teacher housing will be under siege for the short-term future. I hope that the kid will be properly prosecuted, and consequences will follow. The student in question has had a really rough life, and it is a heartbreaking story in many ways. But the idea that we can just accept this kind of nonsense is, well, unacceptable. I suspect that this individual will not be around for a while.

Joe's sister's body will be back in the village on Wednesday, as I understand it. I'm not sure when the funeral will be.

What Is It About The Middle Of The Night?

Good steam last night, very relaxing. Coaxed me out of the Sunday blues. At about 2:30, the ruminating starts. Wakes me up. Then there is the run to the bathroom every so often. I think that sleep is overrated, although I wonder if my lack of it is gonna shorten my life expectancy...

Joe's sister will be coming back to the village for burial. It's not clear what day that will be yet. I think he is going to take some bereavement leave. He did not after his mother died last November. That might be a good idea.

Steam....

The word has been passed...Joe's, at 8:00. I could use a good one myself. Might be just the thing to get the week off to a good start.

Trouble On the Horizon?

The booze ballot initiative passed in Bethel last Tuesday, as near as can be told. From an article in The Tundra Drums:
Seven miles downriver from Bethel in Napaskiak, a dry village of 430, tribal chief Chris Larson said all the villages in the region will be hurt if Bethel goes wet.
People will be able to drive up the frozen river or go by boat in the summer to get their orders, and crime will rise, he said.
“Not only the people but the school children will be hurt,” he said. “I’ll tell you one thing, if Mom and Dad have drinks and party all night, then the children will go to school tired. They won’t sleep well. They won’t learn like they should learn.”

We already see this, especially on Monday mornings. More of it doesn't seem like an especially enticing prospect.

I'd Like a Nap...

Feeling sleepy on a Sunday afternoon. Still those last finishing touches to do on plans, because I am lacking inspiration, motivation, and cogitation. I usually start with my SIOP plans because they are the most complex. I always get hung up with the junior high, mostly because I haven't much of a clue what to do with them most of the time. The high school freshmen equally defy description, but they have some higher level of definition, because I can follow the other high school course leads. Junior high is just something that I get to make up myself. I have some items in there for the week, but I'm frankly stumped for the moment. Oh, well, it can wait a while yet.

My friend Joe's sister died in Anchorage last night. It had been coming for a while, but it is still sad news. I do not know yet whether she will come back here for burial. We are just a week past Ralph's funeral tomorrow. He had spent some time with her several weeks ago. I know that he wanted to be there with her. I hope for the best for him and his family.

Some of our junior league hoods were celebrating the PFD funds distribution last night by throwing mud balls at teacher housing. We called the VPO, and one of the officers apparently hung around for a little surveillance, because the hoods apparently came back for more, and got caught in the act. I giggled about that for a while.

Updates...

Lesson plans are nearly complete. Just a couple more items. We will have a district-wide writing exercise on Thursday and Friday, which knocks two days out of my planning needs. I just need to finish jr high reading and come up w/three days of writing stuff, and we're good. I need to do some grading and recording, but that can wait until tomorrow. There are some workers staying at the school over the weekend, so working in the classroom will be a challenge. I do need to get current with grades, though. Report cards coming soon.

The NYO team got back from Nunap a little after 3:00. One of my junior high students, Elena Larson, took first place in the Indian stick pull event. High-five to Elena. Yes, that's what they call it.

Rumor has it that veggie lasagna is on tap across the boardwalk at Ms. Sara Rearden's house. Maybe I'll get a call to steam tonight. We'll see. After a quiet night last night, it has been a busy, but relaxing and productive day.

By the way, I got my second lesson review from our district SIOP coach. It was good. I am glad to feel that I am making progress in learning that technique.

Friday Night, and Not A Care In the World...

How relaxing. The day, nay the week is over, and I have at least 14-15 hours before I start worrying about the next one. Scratch that-not worrying, thinking. Because I don't feel like worrying about this stuff anymore. I still want to be conscientious, but the obsessive worrying stuff needs to stop. That's that, and that's all.

Heard from my sister tonight, which is always a fun conversation, and I think that we have both become Skype fans. Now if I can just get someone out there to convince the folks about using the Internet on that fancy new TV set of theirs, maybe we could make Skype fans out of them...

I feel good tonight. Probably the best that I have felt since I got here two months ago. My mind is at peace. I do love and care about nearly all of my students, even the ones that annoy the living shit out of me. There are a couple of strong exceptions, but only a couple, and I pay less and less attention to them as the weeks go by. I look forward to a good night's sleep, and a productive day tomorrow.

Thanks for listening...

Blow, wind, blow...

High wind warnings for Anchorage tonight-gusts up to 85 m.p.h. it's supposed to get windy, although not that bad, Friday night and Saturday. May raise hell with the flight from Nunapitchuk. Still warm, but winter can't be far away...

PFD Funds...

...have been deposited, which means that there could be a wild and woolly weekend coming up. Not sleeping on the floor wild, but certainly 4-wheelers running up and down the boardwalk at 4:00 am wild. Monday morning could be ugly...

Rainy Thursday Blues...

Not really. Just sounded like a good title. It was actually a pretty good day, and I've got no complaints. I just have to study a little tonight for tomorrow's PD session in the afternoon, and figure out what I want to do with my junior high for writing. I'm going to try the old "make a PB&J" directions task tomorrow, and I am filled with a little trepidation at the prospect.

I plan on a quiet day of lesson planning Saturday morning, with the idea that I can get it out of my hair then and move on from there to enjoy the rest of the weekend.

I hope for a good steam tomorrow night, and a good night's sleep into Saturday. And tomorrow is pizza night. Oboy oboy.

Oh, yeah, and I think that I get to host junior high activity hour tomorrow. It should be a nice, quiet weekend. Aaaahhhh...the weekend.

Teacher Zombie...

Children naughty....must KILL.....argh....

A Slow Day...

Not much to report. I will be living the bachelor lifestyle this weekend, or at least Friday night. Something about some people getting out of town to avoid SIOP training. Hmmmph...

OOOOO-weeeeeeeeeeeeee...whatta day!

Holy cow...my associate in the junior high went home from work today. We got a sub in there before I went over to the high school side, but she damn near quit before the day was out. These little shits need to be horsewhipped, frequently...it was like working the highwire without a net-but in a kind of exhilirating way. My personal bete noire managed to get herself suspended, and I wasn't even involved in it.

Oh well, it was good to have in the record books, and that makes tomorrow Wednesday, and you know what that means. For some reason, with all the turmoil and illness of the past couple of weeks, it occurs to me that I just might make it here, and in this business. To quote one of the great philosophers of our time, "C'est la vie, say the old folks, goes to show you never can tell..."

A Reason Why I Might Stay

There was some loose talk around the hot stove tonight about how long I could hang around here before I lost my mind. I need to think about retirement, I'm already 55 years old, etc. The suggestion was made that I could only do five years here, because I'd go crazy by then. Life in Bethel is more civilized (!), there is more of a life away from school, so on and so forth.

It is true that there may be something in all of that. Here's the problem. Where would I go to maqiq? I happen to know that there are steam houses in Bethel. But it wouldn't be like going to Joe's. That's where I am getting my training, and that's where I feel welcome. Don't know how exactly I would feel about giving that up. Not good, though.

There is an initiative on the ballot tomorrow in Bethel that would remove the village from the local option law with regard to the sale of alcohol. It would open up the way for legal sale of liquor in Bethel. I hope that it doesn't pass. I am not optimistic, from what I hear. Alcohol is a terrible problem out here. It leads to huge tragedy, and small daily ones as well. I have a number of kids in my classrooms whose lives have been and continue to be scarred by its effects. The village just buried a nice man today because of it. All of this is true when the price of a bottle of crap blended whisky that costs $10 back home is $200 out here. What happens if the price is cut in half or less?

We will see what happens, I suppose.

The Sun Is Out (redux)

Yes it is, and that is a good thing after the past several soggy days. It was a nice day for a funeral, if there is such a thing. The folks here laid Ralph the VPO to rest today, so we let out at either 1:30 or 1:45, depending on who you were listening to. That was a little screwy, and my jr high math kids were unbelievably unfocused, and that's saying something...any way, it was a quiet day, and another one off the week's calendar, which is always a good thing.

I got called an "unqualified liberal socialist educator" by someone who has no idea who I am today. Nothing like a compliment to make a fella's day...I did a follow-up interview with the reporter from KTUU in Anchorage who talked to me back in the summer. The piece was run this weekend on the news, because a couple of people mentioned seeing it this morning. There is a print version on the station website, and an anonymous type offered the above wisdom. He (?) also expressed the wish that I bought a round trip ticket. Nice. Kind of a dick, if ya ask me.

Anyway, the sunlight is streaming through the window, and I think I'll check out the football game on my computer. Later on, I need to find some writing work for the little charmers. A good day in the 49th state.

Sunday's Over

11:00 on Sunday night. The plans are in. I have watched my movie. We went to Janet's house and delivered respects and apple cake. Arguments are raging about the proper way in which to fight about teaching reading. Ah, reading. One of my favorite things in the world. Who would think that so much gas could be expended on the subject of how it should be taught. The interesting thing about it is the amount of vitriol that accompanies the whole debate. You could almost get the impression that the real fight is about something else entirely. Hmmm...

Tomorrow begins another week. There will be a funeral tomorrow afternoon. We shall see what the rest of the week brings.

Oops, It's a Little Early...

Don't know what's got me up at 2:00 a.m. on a Sunday morning, but it may be time for that melatonin after all. Me and sleep are not exactly buddies all of the time. I actually had what was probably the best night of sleep since I've been here on Friday night. Maybe I need to take a steam more often. Maybe that will fix things. Whatever it takes. This insomnia crap is getting old...

Still hear the occasional 4-wheeler rolling along the boardwalk. Weekends have a way of going overtime around here, based on what I hear. I notice that the kids are generally pretty wasted looking om Monday mornings. Trying to get them started is generally pretty frustrating and slow. I don't remember looking that bleary-eyed myself when I was in college, and I had nearly turned my day-night cycle on its head by my senior year.

I have talked to several folks from back home over the weekend so far, and it's always nice to hear from them. It's easy to lose track quickly, and important not to. I should probably do more calling later this morning. I miss more than a few people out here.

Time to go back to bed.

Busy/Lazy Saturday...

Did a lot or a little, depending on what I think at any given moment today. I did some much needed recording of scores. Much more is in order. The power went out and kind of broke that up. The body is back in the village and the funeral will be Monday. We will probably visit Janet (widow) and pay our respects tomorrow.

The sound of endless episodes of Gossip Girl in the background is beginning to drive me insane, so I am downloading some movies of my own. Woodstock-my generational revenge. The download is going kinda slow.

Many lessons still need to be planned, and I need to brainstorm the whole cooperative learning thing, because a switch has been mandated for my jr high reading/writing courses.

My new glasses made it here from Anchorage, so I am now getting used to them. I got sunglasses, too. Time to send in my form for reimbursement. I get the exam and the regular glasses paid for. Not so much for the sunglasses. Not to complain, though. They were on sale for 99 bucks. Not a bad deal, all things considered.

I am still trying to decide the whole TV/no TV question. I do miss football, but I wonder how much time I would lose every weekend to that one-eyed beast. Any input from my largely silent audience would be appreciated.

I think that's about the news for today in its entirety. Keep those cards and letters coming.

Two Months...

I left the safety and comfort of Cadillac, Michigan two months ago today. It has been very interesting since then...what a roller coaster ride of thrills, spills, and adventure. It also seems like it has been longer. But I am glad that I did it. I cannot tell at this point whether I will become a good teacher, or whether I will even continue to be a teacher at all. The path is not one down which I can easily see. But it was a good idea to try.

My hunch bet after this week is that things will be ok. It was a really tough beginning, but seeing things through always seems like a good idea, even if it is painful (literally).

Got my first evaluation this afternoon. Generally positive, with some room for improvement identified. Pretty much what I expected. It was OK with me, and my boss and I sat around for 45 minutes afterwards just shooting the breeze.

Finished off the week with exactly what I needed, and am coming to love, a good, hot, Friday night maqiq. I got some good steam marks this week. Man, I do love some things up here. I just need to get better at dealing with the ones I'm not so crazy apart.

Ralph ( the fella who drowned) will be laid to rest Monday. I paid my respects to his widow yesterday. I will again.

It's Thursday...

And you know what that means...the weekend!! OK, not quite yet, but close. It will actually be pretty busy, because I have to do some heavy duty lesson planning this weekend-the last couple of weeks have pretty seriously depleted my quiver of arrows...but it will be nice to face a weekend feeling rested and healthy.

As for the job, it is ok. Some days, or parts of days, are simply better than others. There is no real way to tell which is which, or anticipate how it will happen. There is an enormous amount to learn, and never enough time in which to learn it. There are so many things that need doing, and never enough time. That is why we drink during our summers off. I have learned this already.

It has been suggested that the tone of this little blog is too negative. I can't say whether that is true. You folks need to tell me that. I'm just kind of reflecting what happens as it does, and as I react to it. If it sounds like I am miserable, the truth is that I am from time to time. I don't think that this is a bad place, or that everyone except me is a monster. Sometimes things just suck. On the other hand, some very good experiences have happened here already. Try to keep these pieces in balance.