This whole past week as been really cold! With the wind chill, it
usually feels like -30 to even -40 degrees each day, usually being
around -18 or so for the real temperature. Also, winds here are blowing
at 30 mph, which, without trees and taller buildings, rips across the
landscape with a great force. I hear it howling against the house and
windows, and definitely have to fight it during my walks to the school
each morning. I enjoy listening to the sound as I go to sleep.
Multiple
nights this week, myself along with many of the other teachers got
together for group nights of playing Rock Band, which was a whole lot of
fun. We had guitars for bass and lead guitar, drums, a mike, and even a
Yamaha keyboard for songs that offered that option. It was a pretty big
setup and a huge success in my opinion. It was a whole lot of fun to
play the different instruments (except singing, because if you know me, I
don't sing in public), and we had a really fun time jamming out to a
whole bunch of different songs. I totally didn't realize some songs and
artists that I've known for years, but never really listened to. I grew
up with a lot of my parents music, and so I'd not recognize a song until
we played it, and it would all come back to me. I definitely have a few
bands to look into for music when I have time now.
Side
note, Eric Church's album "The Outsiders" came out, and I was able to
download it here. Rocking my world once again, there is more than one
favorite on there already. I love my Country music.
So
Monday was an average school day, everyone was shaking off the weekend
in order to gear up for a brand new week. However after school, Andy,
the other intern, told me that one of his students, Rickie was taking him out
for ice fishing, and that it was open for me to join as well. Naturally,
I accepted. We set out from the school with a bunch of other guys,
mostly some of my middle school students, to grab hooks and lines to
fish with before heading out. I have to say, it's quite a thrill to know
that you're standing on the frozen ocean, a couple hundred feet from
the shoreline. We walked up to one of the first sites with holes dug
into the ice, and were shown how to fish. Basically, you're holding a
wooden plank, that has two 'V' shaped cuts out of the top and bottom of
the board. The fishing line is wrapped lengthwise on the board, securing
in the 'V' shaped hole. You unravel the line until it touches the ocean
floor, then wrap 3 times to pick the hook off the bottom. Then you
stand at your hole, teasing the line every so often in order to lure
fish, and make sure that the hole doesn't harden up. I wasn't able to
catch anything that day and had to leave because of the cold (I hadn't
brought my bibs or baklava), but what an awesome experience! I haven't
ever truly gone fishing, much less ice fishing! Some of the kids are
actually really good at it, and can catch dozens of fish in one day.
Even without casting my own line, it was definitely a great time
watching each of the young boys pull up one of their catches from the
ice below.
Tuesday as I was getting ready for my day, I
got a phone call from the school and it was Ginger. I learned that the
Science and Shop teacher John L., wasn't feeling well that day, and
needed a sub. I thought, 'Hey, why not!' This is what I'm here for, if
anything else to be as helpful as possible in whatever situation
presents itself. So I went in for the day and looked desperately for a
sub folder or a lesson plan, or something. As it turns out, whenever
John goes out (which as it turns out is not uncommon), the students use
the class time to finish any of their readings or back work, or future
assignments. So while students worked, some asked questions about home
and about me, and I in turn asked some questions about them, so it was
fun to actually meet and talk with some of the kids that I would
normally not see too often during the day. One class I did actually
teach, and we covered the different types of bone, bone marrow, as well
as the 3 types of joints found in the human body. It was a lot of fun,
especially because I'm still a Social Studies guy. The second half of
the day, instead of Shop classes, I traded schedules with on of the
aides, James (who knew all about the Shop classes), and got to work in
some of his groups. It was also cool to be able to sit down with 3 boys I
already interact with during the day, and help them read through a
corrective reading activity, and then have them try to answer questions.
Wednesday was almost an exact repeat of Tuesday, so I got to do almost
the same thing all over again. Now I did have some difficulties here and
there, but I expected that. I was in High School once too, and I
remember full well the torture we put subs through. Switching seats,
changing names, lying about how class time was used, etc. If anything
that's the karma of education coming back to get me. All things
considered, a great new experience for me to enjoy.
I'm
also starting to see some development to my role here. The kids I'm
working with, are making progress in some of their areas, and I'm
starting to notice and give feedback too. Hopefully now we can continue
to improve on a more academic note. Another thing is that it also helps
that I'm getting tons of feedback from fellow teachers on ways that I
can really improve my style of teaching, and different strategies that
they have found to be effective up here. Some portion of the tactics and
strategies that are praised down in the lower 48, hold no power up
here, and so trying to fight and make them work will only result in
wasted time and energy. Luckily, many of the teachers are there for my
benefit when it comes to explaining things, and even providing some
materials and books I can read through for help (I've got a lot of
reading to do). The biggest thing now that I've settled into a rhythm
and a schedule, is to try and take some larger steps with the kids that
I'm working with. We know each other and see each other everyday, so now
it's time to work on ways that they can get back into the grove, or
continue and improve their academics. I'm definitely anxious to get
started, and will probably need a lot more help as we go along. Exciting
times ahead for sure!
Also, Andy and my COD finally came in, so we now have all of our food! My half (the much larger half) cost me a total of $170, but now my breakfasts and lunches are covered, as well as a couple dinners, so I did well for myself (although I certainly haven't been starving so far). I can't imagine what a COD for a full time teacher must look like. You have to budget and purchase enough food for the first half, or even the entire year, and it's all gotta be non-perishable or freezer friendly. Plus, shipping is close to $1 per pound, and there's the waiting period. Our food came in Thursday, but we ordered it January 26th. Fresh food is possible, but difficult. A lot of the teachers use companies that ship out of Washington, and the prices are expensive, but worth it if you can't live without good produce. Meats are also obtainable, even from some of the stores close by, like in Nome. Unless you decide to get your meat by other means. Bullets are still cheaper than beef, and much of the wildlife here is quite hospitable. Caribou, Moose, and Muskox are easy to find during their seasons (although recently Muskox have gone back under protection, so hunting them requires a special lottery sustenance ticket). Plus, if not by land than by sea, marine life of all kinds are found. Seals, Walrus, Whale, Salmon, and other fish can be caught and are edible. One type of food (that I may or may not try) is Ushuk (spelling?), which is fermented Walrus meat. It's done by burying the meat in the ground. If it passes the nose test, I might just try a bite! The land is also hospitable to many fresh berries in the summer months, but I'm not sure about growing crops during the short warm season. That being said, I think there is a great profit to be made for anyone who could build a greenhouse up here in the bush to grow and sell fresh fruits and veggies. That might just be my back-up plan.
After school on Friday was
another Intern support meeting, and another great time to collaborate
with some of the other teachers, get some feedback and advice, and some
guidance where needed. This Friday, Ginger had a few points of interest
that other teachers covered, in order to help us continue to do well
during school. It was great to have some things explained in greater
detail, and in a tangible way that I could really grasp. Some things
were pretty much common sense: being into school on time, being flexible
to pick up slack where needed, maintaining professionalism inside and
outside of school, and filling our free time responsibly. Because of the
community culture here, how we act outside of school is just as
important, if not more important than anything we do inside of the
school. Being a shut-in or a hermit just won't do. That being said, it's
pretty easy to do. Lots of people tend to be out and about while the
suns up, and you can almost always count on visitors at least 2-3 times a
week. And frankly, its fun to hang out and interact outside of school. I
definitely am enjoying all of it.
Friday night was
another Girls basketball game at home, while the Boys set out for
another village, and the little dribblers when to one of the closer
villages, Wales. From what I heard, each of our teams did great this
weekend and played great games. I again got to work on concessions, and
had a fun time making and selling pizza, pretzels, chips, soda, and of
course, slushies. It's a great way to see some of the kids in school,
but not 'in school', and it's also another time to meet some of the
other community members that I wouldn't normally see at any other time.
It was a great way to end a full week.
I'm not quite homesick because of the wonderful time I'm having so far, but I will say that I can't wait to see everyone again, and share all of my stories! Love you all.
Sean
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