The Goose Is on the Table

I couldn't wait until the weekend to post these two photos and share a story.  Today was a phenomenal day of teaching, and I am nowhere near ready for tomorrow, but I seem to give the best lessons that way.  Inspiration usually strikes within about 15 minutes before the bell.  I'm not worried.

The above picture was taken while canoeing on the Yukon River with a fellow teacher from the NE Nebraska area.  Again, Mount Pilcher is in the background, and the water was obviously spectacular that day.  My phone camera does it justice, no?  We took advantage of the sunny, 65-degree day and canoed for about three hours.  I even had a bit of a tan line going on my arms!  I was impressed.  And sore the next day, but it was so worth it.

So, remember that little story about how some students offered to go hunting for me, clean the game, and provide me with food because my own hadn't yet arrived from the abyss of the Bethel airport?  Well, Monday night, one of my darling 8th grade students delivered.  Truly. "Goose" showed up at my door at about 7:15 pm, the spoils of his Sunday hunting trip in one hand and a dish of aqutuk (a-GOO-duk; Eskimo ice cream) in the other.  I had just started supper, my mind trying to figure out what to teach the next day, and he said, "Here's your meat! I got you a goose and a duck, Miss Susan, but you gotta pluck 'em and gut 'em, because that's woman's work."  He grinned.

OK.  Game on, Goose.  I figured I better put up or shut up.  One problem: I only have butter knives in my kitchen.

I called another teacher who always has his knife on him, and invited him down to the fun. Since he lives at the school, he appreciates being called away for any reason at all.  For the next hour and a half, Math Teacher and I plucked and eventually gutted the birds after some instruction from Goose.  The anatomy dork in me really had a lot of fun, though the smell was a bit more offensive than I expected.  (Keep in mind this happened right on my kitchen floor, supper stalled on the stove, with only some packing paper hastily thrown down to prevent a major disaster.)  I've definitely been through similar and worse things, having worked in an anatomy lab skinning cats and also as a nanny.  I'm no worse for wear, and I'm sure Dad is (and Grandpas Al & John are as well) pretty proud!

Goose shows us how it's done.

8:45 pm rolls around, and the birds were ready to be baked.  We threw a few random sauces, spices, and onions inside and over the top.  Goose chose to add some honey as well, and in the oven they went.  This darling student stayed for a while and chatted, telling me about how his mom passed away last year and his dad lives in another village.  He has every reason to be mad at the world, but he is one of my kindest students, always on task, pushing in chairs at the end of class, and generally setting a good example for others.  I'm pretty lucky he is on my side.  Goose wanted to stay and try the meat, but I thought that maybe, just maybe, he should get home to his (apparently awesome adoptive) parents on a school night.  And maybe, just maybe, I should figure out what to teach the next day.  

[Just as a side note, I am not always winging it; we have had a crazy schedule this week due to high schoolers camping and one core teacher being gone with no substitute.  It has made for longer block periods with larger numbers of students in each classroom, and to make things worse, the weather is not cooperating--we've had rain all week, making for some very antsy teenagers.]

To close, the birds turned out really well!  I do favor duck meat over the goose meat.  I gave some to Goose and Math Teacher, and I plan on attempting to make soup this weekend.  Thanks to Mom and Dad for letting me bug them while they were making soup all these years!  That skill will definitely be valuable. 

Cheers!