Here we are, a third of the way through November, and still no snow. Last year at this time it was a winter wonderland. The kids have been saying that they remember trick-or-treating as something that was always done in at least two feet of snow, and we have only ice right now. It's so slick that we cannot use the school vehicles for anything - the dirt is encased under about an inch of clear ice. Poor Leah was driving the truck down to the preschool this Friday when she started sliding and maneuvered it into a ditch.
As for me, I can't wait for snow because I want to get out and start cross country skiing again! I've been playing basketball on women's night, which is fun and a good way to relax. And hey, my knees still work, so that's a bonus!
The kids are restless lately, due very much to the lack of snow. At this point, the river is frozen over, the eels have come and gone, and now there is nothing to do but sit around and wait. Without snow, the snow machines are stalled, which makes for some very antsy kids. They want to be out riding around on the trails, but no luck. I do feel for them because outside of school, there's really no other place for them to go. The school has been trying to hold some sort of event every weekend, whether that's a dance, open gym, movie, or some combination thereof. Attending these events hinges on behavior, attendance, and turning in schoolwork, and I think it's working for the better. The kids are starting to make that connection between good behavior and the opportunities it brings on the weekends, so the weeks are a bit calmer than they've been in the past.
I have to say that this year is going much more smoothly than last year. There seems to be a greater commitment from both the school and the community to create positive experiences for the kids, and that is something I'm not taking for granted. I also do not feel as though as many things are on my shoulders this year as I thought there would be; a community member is coaching volleyball, so I only help out when necessary. Academic Decathlon does start this week, but that's working with just a handful of kids who really want to be there, so that's nice.
At the end of October I attended a health conference in Anchorage, which was fantastic just like last year. The same brain scientist was there, and she discussed how the traumatized brain not only prevents learning but also how the traumatized state can also lead to obesity. Trauma, in this sense, refers to anything from physical and verbal abuse to lack of food; from being a witness to domestic violence to experiencing the loss of a loved one. The effects of trauma are fairly common knowledge at this point, but she also discussed the nuances of what's actually going on in the brain during these situations, which the neurophysiology geek in me loved. I also received suicide prevention and postvention training, which, sadly, is something that is needed in every educator's tool belt. In rural Alaska, it is needed even more so.
My trip back from this conference was quite memorable. About 10 minutes outside of my village, the pilot informed us that there would be turbulence due to some nasty cross winds. I prepared myself; turbulence doesn't usually bother me. However, this wasn't the usual turbulence. We nose-dived three times in our caravan (slightly bigger than a 6-seater 207). The first time was quick and it felt like being on a roller coaster, which I dislike anyway, except with the full knowledge that nothing was underneath me. The second time was longer, and I was sure it wouldn't end. The third time, I just started praying that there was still some water that wasn't yet frozen and that we could land there. I don't even know if that thinking is logical, but that's where my brain went. One woman vomited; the guy across from me was sleeping; an elder was seated in front of me, so the guy across from her and I tried to calm her and hold her down as we nose-dived. I didn't scream but found myself reaching up every time, grabbing for...what? The clouds, I guess?
When we landed, there was silence until one passenger started clapping and we all thanked the pilot. My feet were never so happy to find the ground. I got in the school truck, thankful. However, the threats to my life were not yet over for the day. On our trip back, the driver of the van tried to answer his phone while driving, and we almost veered into the ditch. This time I found my voice and yelled to get his attention. He sort of laughed and said, "I guess that's why they say no cell phones while driving..." I couldn't laugh at that point.
I went home and prepped for a Constructing Meaning presentation through VTC for the following day (Friday), about which I had only found out 3 days earlier. The presentation went fine, but I don't think I stopped shaking from all the previous day's events until after my presentation. Luckily I have some pretty great friends who let me ramble about that experience just so that I could process it, as I didn't want to alarm my mother or father. October is the time for those kinds of flights, so we should be in the clear for the rest of the year.
So that brings us up to now! Hope that this finds you all well. Ciao!
Sunday, November 11, 2012
Saturday, November 3, 2012
The Week I Only Taught Half a Day
Hello! Sorry for the lack of activity lately. It's amazing how quickly the time passes in the early part of the school year.
So, I thought I'd make good on that promise to fill you in on the tale of when I flew in -60 degrees F weather. It's sort of a long one, but it was quite the nutty week. Here goes...
At the end of January this year, I was in charge of Academic Decathlon for my school, and I had three wonderful students with whom I was working, but only one ended up competing. Unfortunately, one student had too many absences so he could not attend, and another could not find his snow pants the morning we were to leave for the district competition in another village so he couldn't go either; district travel policy dictates full cold weather gear for any trip. (As you will see, it's a very good thing that this second student did stay behind.) I was disappointed for them, but they didn't seem to take it too badly.
The day we flew to the competition in a coastal village, I believe it was 45 degrees below. I wore 2 pairs of my warmest socks with boots; long johns, jeans, and snow pants; two thermal shirts, a sweater, and a thinner coat topped off with my winter coat, plus a hat and mittens of course. I both looked and felt like that boy from A Christmas Story because I could only barely put my arms down. I was quite comfortable in terms of warmth, which is the only thing that matters.
So, we flew on a Monday and were to return the following day. I was informed Monday night that I would be rerouted to another village - this one the furthest upriver of our district - instead of going home. The principal wanted me to attend a training in Constructing Meaning, which is an accelerated approach to teaching academic English to our students.
"Great," I thought. "I've only packed for one night, two at most. Oh, well." A more experienced teacher called and told me that I did actually have some choice in the matter, but I figured, well, why not? Sometimes ya gotta carpe that diem. (Just as a side note, this would be one of the smartest choices I've made - more on that later.)
Well, my student, "Dan," performed well and placed 3rd in the district! However, we ended up being the only ones who got weathered in due to high winds, and the principal there seemed as though he went the extra mile to let us know how much of an inconvenience we were to him. He's not there this year. Good riddance.
The next day, Wednesday, I chilled in the library for a bit and found the book you see in the picture below. Who'da thunk?
Not knowing when I'd be getting on a plane, the district had me tune into the CM training through VTC (video teleconferencing). I was there for only a half hour before the call came for Dan and I to be taken to the airport.
At this point, the temperatures had dropped from their balmy state of the negative mid-40s to a biting negative 60 or so degrees. Even with all of my gear, staying warm was a chore. Dan and I were routed through a different hub city, where many passengers were just sitting (or standing around) and waiting. We landed and the winds were so bad that we had to sort of shuffle backwards into the building so that we could breathe. We were outside for no more than 20 seconds, but that was long enough - we got inside, and after checking on Dan, I noticed that I couldn't feel my nose. Worried, I batted at it.
Nothing. I felt nothing - neither with my nose nor my hand. More worried, I kept batting at it, just praying that my nose wouldn't turn black and fall off of my face. After about five minutes, feeling returned. Whew! I'll never complain about the shape of my nose again!
About 10 minutes after the nose debacle, another plane arrived, and a very hip-looking girl walks in wearing just leggings, no socks, teeny flats for shoes, a denim jacket, and a scarf that served only a decorative purpose. She was also holding a Hollywood messenger bag that said "Director's Assistant" on it. The rugged men in the airport almost glared at her, probably thinking along the same lines as myself: "How stupid. You're going to get yourself or someone else killed dressed like that."
Being one of the few girls in the airport, she turns to me and says, "Wow, it's pretty chilly, huh?"
I wasn't going to even address that ridiculous comment, so I said, "Honey, where is your bag? You need your gear."
Hopping from foot to foot, she tells me that her bag is lost. "But that's OK, right? I mean, I can just go to the store and get what I need." Oy.
"No, you can't. There are no stores here. There might be a few things, but not all of what you need." At this point, I decided she needed help more than ridicule, so I dug in my bag to give her my extra pair of Smart Wool socks and made her put them on. She tried to resist, but I told her she couldn't have her skin exposed to the air like that. Clearly, no one had told her where she was going or what she would need.
After putting them on, she says, "Oh, I look so silly [wearing thick socks with the dainty flats], but these are warm! Thanks!" Sigh.
A few minutes later, we were called to leave, and Dan and I headed out to the plane. It was at this juncture that I would finally see a smile out of Dan - he's the quiet and serious type. He climbed into the little 207, and I tried to follow, but with my puffiness, I failed to get enough leverage to hoist myself into the seat. I started falling backward into what might qualify as the world's slowest fall. Knowing I was headed for the ground, I hooked my leg around the single step that protrudes from the plane, snagged part of the door handle, and broke the rest of my fall with my other arm. All the extra padding served another purpose - my landing was pretty soft! So there I was, on my back under the plane in -60 degrees with crazy winds, legs tangled in the stair and wheel. At this point all I could do was laugh hysterically. The pilot felt so bad, but Dan was grinning from ear to ear, so I actually felt like I'd accomplished a great feat that day.
The rest of the trip went fine, and I eventually got to the CM training after dropping off Dan at home. At this point, I'd been flying around or in the chilly airports for about 3 hours. I hate making a fuss, so I tried to be discreet as I entered the training, but that wasn't going to happen. When I sat down, 2 blankets were thrown over my shoulders, and a plate of food and hot chocolate magically appeared in front of me. I was trying to figure out where we were in the presentation and just move on with things when a hilarious woman from the district office, Sandra, blurts out, "I can't even focus on this because she looks so cold! Look - she's BLUE!"
Well, thanks Sandra. So much for a quiet entrance. My stupid lips turn blue even if I'm slightly chilly, so that day they were a little Halloweenish looking.
After the afternoon portion finished, two fellow new teacher girlfriends came up to me, grabbed my stuff, and all but held my hand as they showed me where I'd be staying and where I could get a hot shower. A teacher from the hosting village, John, approached me and said, "I know what it's like to be on unexpectedly extended school trips like this. What do you need?"
Grateful and not really knowing what to say, I said, "Umm, a sweatshirt?" He gave me one of his in royal blue, presumably to match my lips, and told me to call him if I needed anything else.
Later, while taking a shower, I shook uncontrollably for a good five minutes in the hot water. I remember thinking, "so this is what 'chilled to the bone' really feels like." Finally warmed up, my friends and I ended up hosting a tea party/picnic for some teachers' kids in the kindergarten room where we were staying. The rest of the training went very well, and we returned to our villages that Thursday night. The next day was an early release at noon, so I only taught Friday morning that week, yet somehow didn't miss a day of work. Crazy, huh?
Since then, I've had the opportunity to present on CM at the district in-service in September, and again just yesterday via VTC. It's been fun and a great way to travel!
So, that's my story. I'm sorry again for such a long post, but I wanted to tell the story in its entirety. Reading back through it, I can barely believe that it all happened the way it did! Ciao!
So, I thought I'd make good on that promise to fill you in on the tale of when I flew in -60 degrees F weather. It's sort of a long one, but it was quite the nutty week. Here goes...
At the end of January this year, I was in charge of Academic Decathlon for my school, and I had three wonderful students with whom I was working, but only one ended up competing. Unfortunately, one student had too many absences so he could not attend, and another could not find his snow pants the morning we were to leave for the district competition in another village so he couldn't go either; district travel policy dictates full cold weather gear for any trip. (As you will see, it's a very good thing that this second student did stay behind.) I was disappointed for them, but they didn't seem to take it too badly.
The day we flew to the competition in a coastal village, I believe it was 45 degrees below. I wore 2 pairs of my warmest socks with boots; long johns, jeans, and snow pants; two thermal shirts, a sweater, and a thinner coat topped off with my winter coat, plus a hat and mittens of course. I both looked and felt like that boy from A Christmas Story because I could only barely put my arms down. I was quite comfortable in terms of warmth, which is the only thing that matters.
So, we flew on a Monday and were to return the following day. I was informed Monday night that I would be rerouted to another village - this one the furthest upriver of our district - instead of going home. The principal wanted me to attend a training in Constructing Meaning, which is an accelerated approach to teaching academic English to our students.
"Great," I thought. "I've only packed for one night, two at most. Oh, well." A more experienced teacher called and told me that I did actually have some choice in the matter, but I figured, well, why not? Sometimes ya gotta carpe that diem. (Just as a side note, this would be one of the smartest choices I've made - more on that later.)
Well, my student, "Dan," performed well and placed 3rd in the district! However, we ended up being the only ones who got weathered in due to high winds, and the principal there seemed as though he went the extra mile to let us know how much of an inconvenience we were to him. He's not there this year. Good riddance.
The next day, Wednesday, I chilled in the library for a bit and found the book you see in the picture below. Who'da thunk?
 |
| Yes, I'm a geek and checked it out - it still sits on my shelf. |
Not knowing when I'd be getting on a plane, the district had me tune into the CM training through VTC (video teleconferencing). I was there for only a half hour before the call came for Dan and I to be taken to the airport.
 |
| The server room where I tuned into the presentation going on upriver. Cozy, right? |
Nothing. I felt nothing - neither with my nose nor my hand. More worried, I kept batting at it, just praying that my nose wouldn't turn black and fall off of my face. After about five minutes, feeling returned. Whew! I'll never complain about the shape of my nose again!
About 10 minutes after the nose debacle, another plane arrived, and a very hip-looking girl walks in wearing just leggings, no socks, teeny flats for shoes, a denim jacket, and a scarf that served only a decorative purpose. She was also holding a Hollywood messenger bag that said "Director's Assistant" on it. The rugged men in the airport almost glared at her, probably thinking along the same lines as myself: "How stupid. You're going to get yourself or someone else killed dressed like that."
Being one of the few girls in the airport, she turns to me and says, "Wow, it's pretty chilly, huh?"
I wasn't going to even address that ridiculous comment, so I said, "Honey, where is your bag? You need your gear."
Hopping from foot to foot, she tells me that her bag is lost. "But that's OK, right? I mean, I can just go to the store and get what I need." Oy.
"No, you can't. There are no stores here. There might be a few things, but not all of what you need." At this point, I decided she needed help more than ridicule, so I dug in my bag to give her my extra pair of Smart Wool socks and made her put them on. She tried to resist, but I told her she couldn't have her skin exposed to the air like that. Clearly, no one had told her where she was going or what she would need.
After putting them on, she says, "Oh, I look so silly [wearing thick socks with the dainty flats], but these are warm! Thanks!" Sigh.
A few minutes later, we were called to leave, and Dan and I headed out to the plane. It was at this juncture that I would finally see a smile out of Dan - he's the quiet and serious type. He climbed into the little 207, and I tried to follow, but with my puffiness, I failed to get enough leverage to hoist myself into the seat. I started falling backward into what might qualify as the world's slowest fall. Knowing I was headed for the ground, I hooked my leg around the single step that protrudes from the plane, snagged part of the door handle, and broke the rest of my fall with my other arm. All the extra padding served another purpose - my landing was pretty soft! So there I was, on my back under the plane in -60 degrees with crazy winds, legs tangled in the stair and wheel. At this point all I could do was laugh hysterically. The pilot felt so bad, but Dan was grinning from ear to ear, so I actually felt like I'd accomplished a great feat that day.
The rest of the trip went fine, and I eventually got to the CM training after dropping off Dan at home. At this point, I'd been flying around or in the chilly airports for about 3 hours. I hate making a fuss, so I tried to be discreet as I entered the training, but that wasn't going to happen. When I sat down, 2 blankets were thrown over my shoulders, and a plate of food and hot chocolate magically appeared in front of me. I was trying to figure out where we were in the presentation and just move on with things when a hilarious woman from the district office, Sandra, blurts out, "I can't even focus on this because she looks so cold! Look - she's BLUE!"
Well, thanks Sandra. So much for a quiet entrance. My stupid lips turn blue even if I'm slightly chilly, so that day they were a little Halloweenish looking.
After the afternoon portion finished, two fellow new teacher girlfriends came up to me, grabbed my stuff, and all but held my hand as they showed me where I'd be staying and where I could get a hot shower. A teacher from the hosting village, John, approached me and said, "I know what it's like to be on unexpectedly extended school trips like this. What do you need?"
Grateful and not really knowing what to say, I said, "Umm, a sweatshirt?" He gave me one of his in royal blue, presumably to match my lips, and told me to call him if I needed anything else.
Later, while taking a shower, I shook uncontrollably for a good five minutes in the hot water. I remember thinking, "so this is what 'chilled to the bone' really feels like." Finally warmed up, my friends and I ended up hosting a tea party/picnic for some teachers' kids in the kindergarten room where we were staying. The rest of the training went very well, and we returned to our villages that Thursday night. The next day was an early release at noon, so I only taught Friday morning that week, yet somehow didn't miss a day of work. Crazy, huh?
 |
| Staying in the Kindergarten room is the best - look at all the cool toys! |
 |
| Notice the make-believe comfort food in front of me: a bagel, pancakes, cookies... |
 |
| I was really disappointed that this brownie wasn't real. |
Since then, I've had the opportunity to present on CM at the district in-service in September, and again just yesterday via VTC. It's been fun and a great way to travel!
So, that's my story. I'm sorry again for such a long post, but I wanted to tell the story in its entirety. Reading back through it, I can barely believe that it all happened the way it did! Ciao!
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