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!
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