Puppy

Here is a picture of Jill trying to teach Bogart not to climb on furniture.  He does not want to listen.

Shake-check
Down-check
Speak- sort of check
Stay-check

Stay off of furniture- to be determined

Down Hill from Here

Today is my birthday.  I woke up to a headache.  I decided to power through.  Went to the post office and came to school.  I decided to head back home to rest, since my headache was persistent.  I went down to Jill's room and when I got there I ended up with something behind my contact lens.  She got to see me cry from one eye.  I then realized, I am 33 and I am falling to pieces.   It has all gone to pot.

Countdown

I am counting the last things that I will do here before heading out.  The next few days will be filled with trying to finish up all the last things I will need to do.  I am packing up my classroom and making sure it is ready for the next teacher.  Getting ready a portfolio for each child, in the hopes that it will make their transition into 2nd grade that much easier.  Lastly, getting the apartment packed up and shipped out.  All of that seems like a lot, except it isn't the only thing on my mind.  The river has finally broken up.  After taking us into May with a frozen river, it has warmed up.  Will it be ready to travel across on Wednesday.  I REALLY hope so!

Last Friday

Today was my last Friday of this school year.  I had a fun day with my kids.  We cleaned the room, put together memory books, and watched a Walt Disney World video.

Jill had the idea of composing signs for the Friday.  Mine is a nod to something fun on Friday!  ;)

Bushism's

As my time winds down here I find myself trying to be in the moment.  I want to enjoy my time with the kids.

One of the things I love are the little things they say.  I call them bush isms.

Here are a couple of my favorites:

Me Mostly:   Anything referring to themselves as the best at something or wanting something the most.

I Never:  Something that surprises them or they want to deny something.

You Go Anchorage:  I heard this a couple of times before I would leave for Anchorage.  They were happy  that I was traveling somewhere that they knew of.

He Copy: Anytime someone copies off their paper, and even when they aren't.  I really think they just like saying this.

Happy:  One of my boys says this whenever someone gets called up to the board.

How This Say:  When they need help reading something.

So-So Do Me Like This:  If someone does something to them they don't like.

He Skip Me: Skippers in line.





Two things they say that I am not so fond of:

Haaaard:  Anytime something seems to difficult or they didn't read the directions and I make them do it over.

Cheap:  When something does not go the way they want it to.  Although, one boy did use it when his pencil bag ripped.  I got very excited he used it in the right context.  I am pretty sure he had no idea why I was excited.







Here are two pictures I took this week.    It was a much needed comic relief after a long day.  Jill tried to scoop me on these pictures (she said she just wanted to see them and I didn't buy it), but I held on and here they are.

She is trying to get a student to pose like Charlie's Angels.

Hopeful

I am sitting in Anchorage going on overload.   That can happen to you if you live in Bush Alaska.

I came in for the Education Job Fair.  I am very hopeful that something will come from the contacts I have made at the job fair and that I can make even more tomorrow.  In the meantime I spent the rest of my time in a whirlwind.  It started on Thursday.   I had an afternoon flight out of my village and into Bethel at 12:30.  I called to set up my ride (which is a snowgo-snowmobile for those elsewhere) to get to the airport.  When I called they told me the flight was pushed back to 1pm.  I tried to be really patient and wait.  1pm hit and no call from them about a pick up.  I called them again at 1:20pm and they still had not heard anything.  At about 1:30pm I got a call that I would be picked up.  I did not get on the plane till around 1:45pm and did not get in to Bethel until 2:00pm.  This was a problem.  My flight was leaving at 2:26pm.  I did everything I could to rush over to the Alaska Airlines terminal to get on that afternoon flight.  I was late and they had closed the security.  They did not let me get on and I was told I would have to re-book for the night flight.  When I went to the counter to re-book, the lady told me no seats were available.   I am sure they saw the look of horror come across my face.  I was panicked.   Everything was taken care of 3 hours later, 5,000 airline miles depleted, and $100 out of my pocket.  I didn't care.  I was just happy to have a seat.  I arrived in Anchorage at 9:30, got my bags, got my rental car, and I was on my way to the hotel.  I even sprang for a GPS.  Well, I became a raving lunatic.  I programmed in the address to the hotel I was going to and the GPS told me wrong.  I set that GPS lady straight and ended up getting to the hotel an hour later than I wanted to.  I was tired, exhausted, and just ready to crash.

That brings me to today.  I have a long and exhausting day again.  I got up early and did my job fair rounds.  I waited around the hotel in case I got called for an interview.  That has not happened yet, but you never know.  After that I had a spa appointment.  Then I made my rounds trying to find a hat for one of my students.  I promised him a hat and I was going to deliver.  I finally found it at REI.  REI comes through again.

 Then I picked up a new camera.  I have been thinking about getting a new camera for a long time now and I finally did it.  I got back to the hotel with some take out food and have been enjoying unlimited internet ever since.

I am very tired, but can't pull myself away from free, unlimited internet.

The view from my room

Practicing with my new camera

Trying to fight being tired to enjoy some more internet time

Change

Contracts for the coming school year came out last month.  I really have enjoyed having job security, working with my kids, and knowing where I will be working the next day.  However, I have made the hard decision to not sign my contract and to instead look outside of the Bush Alaska area.

My main job focus will be in Alaska, but on what they call the road system.  I am nervous and excited about where it will lead me.

Keep me in your thoughts and prayers as I go back into job searching mode.

Thank You!

Living out here in Bush Alaska can be very difficult.  At times it is so isolating feeling.  Then comes a surprise package in the mail and it is truly heart warming.  I appreciate it and my kids appreciate it.
Thank you to everyone who takes the time to send out things for the kids and for myself.  It is appreciated!!

Do you like freaky?

Yesterday this is what happened.

I was giving my students a test.  I had passed out the test to the students and we went over the rules.  No talking, after you answer cover it up, and no looking at anyone's paper.  If the students are caught looking at someone's paper, I take it away and make them finish it later on.

I start the test and I caught two students looking at someone else's paper.  I took both of those student's papers away from them.  I continued on with the test.  I noticed one of the students, that I had taken the paper from, was looking around the room.  He began looking over at another student and then he asked the other student this:

"Do you like freaky"?

Needless to say I started laughing and some of the other kids started laughing.  The best part was when he smirked at us and then looked confused like "why is everyone laughing, I really want to know if he likes freaky".

I was able to pull it back to together, but I wanted to giggle about it all day long.

My Week in Pictures

We started the week by working on our rules and procedures.
Some kids needed a little extra incentive.

On Tuesday one of the kids decided to write on my board.
Not a big deal, except it was in marker and not the dry erase kind.
I got it erased, but not before Jill came into my classroom and began wondering
what kind of teaching I was doing by writing the word Shot on my board.

After a long day at school we came home to our sink drain froze AGAIN.

On Wednesday night we came home to a blizzard warning.
This is our door to the outside.  

This is what the inside of our kitchen window looked like.
I don't think this is normal.

Jill trying to warm up next to our chilly
 living room window.

I ended the night baking for a birthday
 the following day.

Thursday school was cancelled due to the blizzard.
So I celebrated two birthdays for the price of one.  They just had cupcakes.  Those are some happy kids.

Groundhog day came a day late for us.  We still celebrated.

Does that groundhog have a crown?!

I ended my week with this 7th grader coming into my classroom.
He was curious about my camera on my desk.  He was telling me to take a picture
of this and that.  Then finally I said "Why don't I just take a picture of you".
What a happy face to end your week with!

The Cold Weather

The cold weather has finally done it.  We closed school today.  Half a day, but still we closed.  I am going to take this gift and start my planning early. 


Here is a riddle for the day.

I am big.

I am white.

You can write on me.

What am I?


One of the kids "You".

The real answer was the whiteboard.  

Ughhhhh, I am going to try and not take offense to that.

Warmth Before the Cold

I am finally getting back into the swing of things.  That being said, I am still not crazy about the frigid temperatures we are having.  It is -24 today, with a wind chills making the temperature feel like -55.  You know it is bad when a bit of my coffee dripped on my cup and froze instantly.

I choose instead to remember Hawaii.  A place I got to visit right after New Years.  We get an extra week off before coming back.  Of course that means we don't get a full week off for Spring Break.  My roommate and I chose to use that week to enjoy some warm and sunny weather.  I am going to recall that on this cold, cold day.