Life in Boots

In order to fully appreciate all that life in rural Alaska has to offer, it is essential to have the proper footwear. Boots, people, are one of the keys to happiness here. Whether it's muck boots, warm winter boots, or wellies, the right pair can make or break an experience. Ice cleats are of the utmost importance for the slickest days.

So, imagine my dismay when all of our snow melted this past week and we returned to mud and puddles everywhere. It was 41 degrees last Friday, and, unfortunately, my Bogs have holes in them. This has meant some wet feet now and then, but I don't mind. In fact, it seems to bother others more than me. We're back to the mid-20s, but still snow is nowhere to be found.

Marshall students, here for a volleyball tournament a few weeks ago, said, "So NATIVE you are!" when they saw that I'd put duck tape over the holes. (Don't judge; one of my favorite coaches instilled in me the importance of duck tape. Or is it duct tape? I never can remember.) My friends encouraged me to get new ones, and I brushed it off, saying that winter was almost here and once it snowed, I wouldn't need muck boots until April!

The sad part is that I was in Anchorage for the majority of the month of November. You'd think I would find the time to go purchase some decent rain or muck boots. Nope!

Oops. Joke's on me! Here we are, December 10th, and here's what I've got in my mud room...

My trusty bogs. They're not as tall as they should be, but they've served
me well. At this point, a friend has volunteered to gorilla glue them for me.
Yes!

My Kamiks, recommended by a student who knows my clumsiness and that
I'm hard on shoes. So warm and comfy. Way too warm for the current weather! 

The ice cleats. No, it's not quite wise to have white cleats up here, but hey,
they're easy to put on and take off, and they've lasted two whole winters!
The $13 were totally worth it. May they last three winters more!

I remember ordering those cleats a couple years ago; the company called to make sure I lived where I did before they sent them because they didn't trust my partially made-up address.

We got to chatting, and he asks, "Hey, I'm sure it's a long shot, but I have a friend named Mary teaching up there somewhere...that's not near you, is it?"

My response? "Actually, yes, it's where I am, and I know Mary, too - she's my roommate!"

The poor guy didn't believe me until I put Mary on the phone. This would be the first of many occurrences proving that Alaska is just one big small town, and a reason I love it here. If you talk to someone long enough, you're almost sure to find a connection.

Coming back from the school the other day, I ran into these two fellows running their toy snow-go's through the puddles. I love how they make their own fun, and it reminded me of the trouble my brothers, neighborhood friends and I often found ourselves in making mud pies and pots and insisting that they be treasured inside the house as well, having 'who can kill the most box elder bugs with his hands' contests, playing in the flooded ditches, playing night games...ah, the memories!

Just over two weeks until Christmas...here's hoping I'm in snow boots by then!

Cheers!

Blessed

     Hi, all!

     As usual, time as flown and here it is, December, the semester almost over. It's been an eventful few months for our village and our school district. As many of you know, I've transferred downriver to Mountain Village, where I teach in the same capacity: 7-12 grade sciences. We've gone from a levelized system to a more traditional credit-based one where students receive a grade of A-F. Overall, it has been a greatly involved but wholly worthwhile change.

A beautiful fall view of my new home, Mountain Village, from the top of Cupcake.

Surrounding area.

I'm a fan of the winding side sloughs of the river. Following those bumps on the horizon will get you to three other villages in our district, or so I'm told. 

     The kids seem to be happier overall this year. One former Marshall student even said to me, "The work is harder, but I do more, and my grades are better than last year. It's good now." (There was a fancy conversion from levels passed to a GPA, so kids did get some kind of a grade at some point.) Another girl came to me with a thank you letter she'd written on behalf of the volleyball team to one of their sponsors. She said, "I just thought we should do this, because they helped us so much. Does it look okay?" In several ways, kids deserve more credit than we give them.

A 7th and an 8th grader wanted to help me get water from
the pump house. Later, they took me on a walk down by
the beach.

     Five minutes into my first city league basketball game this year, I managed to pop my medial meniscus, or "shred" it, according to the surgeon. There was no foul play; only my two feet and the floor were involved. Many thanks to Brittnay and Sam, who literally carried and carted me around after it happened!

     That, combined with the opportunity to speak at the Bilingual and Multicultural Education Equity Conference in late November, caused me to be out of my classroom for the majority of November - twice for over a week each time. Add in Thanksgiving week, and I taught a whopping 7.5 days that month! It was too few for me.

No one can say we don't get VIP treatment out here:
ERA workers wheeled me into the airport as I went into
Anchorage for surgery the following day. 

     I worried and felt guilty about being away from "my" kids; I've discovered this fall that I really do love this job and didn't want to leave them for that long. (This is a good sign, right?) I suppose that's a silly sentimental teacher thing to think, but it's true. Plus, how one successfully plans for 7 days of classroom work without much guidance that doesn't just include books and worksheets, yet still provides learning and keeps them on the newly adopted curricular map... well, you get the picture. It is neither fun nor easy.

Six days post surgery, Jamie (right), a 5th Grade teacher, and I spoke at the
 BMEEC about how using Constructing Meaning has helped our students.
I'd do it again in a heartbeat!

Kids hard at work building circuits. Once they got them done, they asked if
they could build more complicated ones. Sure, why not? I'm sure Grandpa Al
would do a much better job than I did!

     I needn't have worried. The kids worked so hard on their projects while I was gone. When I returned, kids rushed to see if I was really back, shouted "HI, WELCOME BACK, STOTZ!" and ran off. That was cute, but when class actually started, they were more concerned about showing me their work, making sure things were correct, and asking if they could add certain elements of creativity. It really was adorable and a bit unexpected.

     I'm sure many of you have heard about the tragedy of the recent plane crash bound for Mountain Village. It has affected all of us, and its timing is what inspired me to write tonight. Even with all the (mostly good) stress of this school year, I feel truly blessed to be where I am, with the job I have, with a bum knee and generous friends who continue to take care of me in that regard, with an iffy water situation, working with some pretty humble people who do awesome things for our students. Sometimes, one just needs to acknowledge those blessings. Take 10 seconds to consider your own blessings. Heck, take 20. What are they? Don't you feel better now? What if we all started our days that way?

     I do have a request of you. I'm trying to figure out what this blog is or should be. Do you like the stories and summaries? Want more pictures and less journal-like yammering and reflection? Would you rather I post about the realities - both good and bad, funny and sad - of teaching? Let me know. I think sometimes I put off writing because I'm not sure what y'all want to hear. Feel free to email me or leave a comment below.

     I hope this finds you all warm and preparing for the holiday season, whatever that means to you.

     'Tis the season...to know that you are blessed.