The snow finally comes...bad timing!

Two days in a row, flights are canceled out of Tununak...visits to Denver, most of Michigan, and Wisconsin are out.  ON top of that I experienced some shadiness that is going to make next semester not so pleasant.

Oh well, at least I wasn't flying in unsafe conditions, that's a positive.  I have  booked flights from Bethel to Chicago the 22-24th as long as I can get to Bethel on the 21st...here's to hoping :)

Ahhhhh!!!!

This week has been very rough...I've got a few students that just won't try...its not even a "I don't get it" issue...its a "They won't even try"...

I find myself feeling pretty useless because I cannot get them motivated at all.  Ive sugarcoated, Ive dangled carrots, and I've given them reality statements...what do I do?!?!

Gosh I need this break, hopefully next week will be better.

How is it that Alaska has warmer weather than almost everywhere else in the US...well at least the cities my family are living in lol

Rough Week..

This week has been pretty rough...I think its a combination of MAPS testing and Christmas break almost being here...also the fact that I am out of peanut butter thats really the bad part haha

Anywho, Im attaching pictures of a fun day.  My 7th graders are working with the 3rd graders on a Christmas assembly song, one they already know, and I have been so proud of them watching them teach the little ones and taking bride in that task :)

Thanksgiving in Nightmute

I went to Thanksgiving in Nightmute...4 whole days of Settlers of Catan and Harry Potter.  Nightmute was beautiful, there is a wrap around boardwalk that is built into the side of a hill that has houses and stores on either side...well one store.  There is a beautiful natural spring that comes out of the hill and is deposited into little well that the villagers get fresh water from...no sanitation needed or anything. 

I am missing my friends and family in the lower 48 more and more these days.  I love my students, but Christmas break cannot come soon enough!  Here is my  break schedule, email me if you can visit :)

Dec 20 - Denver
Dec 21 - Wisconsin/Marquette
Dec 22 - Marquette
Dec 23-26 - TC
Dec 27 - Chicago
Dec 28-Jan 2 - Jacksonville, FL
Jan 2/3 - Chicago

Jan 4 - Anchorage

Videos from Tununak

Its how I get home every day :P

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oIutHpPFyFs&feature=youtu.be

Here's what happens when 10-12ft swells hit Tununak.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=agiTNkdUtgQ&feature=youtu.be

Fire Safety Week with Mommy!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kKlIJLUGFUA&feature=youtu.be

Mommy doing Wii Dance to the Dirty Dancing Song :)

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mDFLw-rng-4&feature=youtu.be

Mommy and I doing Eskimo Dancing, we are waaaay in the back

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S8nB52TBPsQ&feature=youtu.be

Halloween!!

Hey everyone!  Here are some pictures of the teachers and some of my students in their costumes!  I am the Yellow Ranger :)

Teaching is going well, I am starting to LOVE my coffee haha  PS - finally got some snow today, amazing it took so long! lol

Well Its been quite a while since I posted, but I haven't really done much since the last post.  Most important piece of information is that I successfully got through the first quarter of my first ever teaching job!!!  Its feels great, and I am not even in the "October Slum" that some teachers talk about.  I still get excited over new ideas that come to my head for lesson plans.

Mommy visited and had a blast!  She gave a bunch of Fire Safety Presentations and had a lot of fun learning with my students.  She made me lots of her home cooking I missed so am super happy about that :)

Pretty good end of the day...

I skyped in four USA Wrestling World Team members, an Olympian, and World Champ or two today with my wrestling club kids...absolutely amazing!!!  I mean seriously!!  My kids are more excited now about wrestling than they have been before!  It was great!

I've been making some yummy foooood!!1  Deep dish pizza, Pancake Cake, black berry yumminess!

Amazing Sunsets in Tununak!

Gidget sent me a box of YUMMIES!!!  Christmas in October!!

Skyped in an FAA friend to show my Math class how Math is used in the REAL WORLD!

Oh and I forgot to mention...

MOMMY'S COMING TO VISIT TOMORROW!!!

Simplicity..

Fun things to note in my life:

1) I have the most amazing support system by way of family, friends, and co-workers.
2) MOMMY is visiting soooooon!
3) I work in one of the best school districts in Alaska and at one of the most beautiful village sites in that school district
4) Even on my worst feeling days, my kids are able to make my day and make me smile just by being themselves.

Life is good...

End of my first month in Alaska

Hello Everyone!  Just got back from my week of in service in Bethel, OH WOW was that an adventure.  Made a lot of new friends and learned some fun new stuff I'll be implementing in my classroom asap!

Photo Update!

I caught a Devil Fish, they never die!  Even after I chop their heads off lol

View just before I start berry picking

Nap while berry picking lol

Yummy Back Berries

Making Eskimo Ice Cream for the first time!

First taste of Eskimo Ice Cream...not enough sugar lol

The Ice Cream making crew!

Ride out to Toksook across the tundra!

Playing catan while making soup!

Potato and Leak soup, freaking YUMMY!

Pot Luck with the group :)

Classroom Website

At my school, all teachers are required to fill out two Individual Development Plans (IDP) to improve our teaching.  Essentially, this means we are defining two goals, listing strategies we can use to meet our goal, and evaluation tools for administration to track our progress.

One of my goals was to improve parent and student communication.  Specifically, I want to keep everyone informed with what is happening in my classroom.  To do this, I will be posting the daily objectives for each class on my board everyday.  This will enable the students to have an understanding of what needs to be accomplished before the lesson is complete and homework is assigned.  On the parent side, I have made a website to post assignments, a calendar, and news for each class.

Feel free to check it out here and make sure to give me some feedback!

Classroom Set Up

Friday the 23rd was my last day as the Head Lifeguard for the City of Marquette!

Therefore, I was able to start setting up my classroom at Watersmeet this week - this is my favorite part!  Organizing, cleaning, rearranging, and decorating... all super exciting things.  This week (Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday), we have professional development from 8am - 3pm, so I am planning to arrive at school by 6:15am central time in order to get everything accomplished that needs to be done before students arrive next Tuesday for the first day of school.

When I arrived on Monday, the desks were in a grid (which I usually hate).  My phone, computer, and desk were in three different corners of the room.  The last Math teacher appeared not to have cleaned out the desk in the three years she was there, so I found some interesting things.  For example, these were in the back of one of the drawers:

They expired in 1988.  Kinda gross.  Don't worry, they landed safely in the garbage can right after the picture was taken!  I went through and consolidated half empty boxes of supplies and managed to get rid of two garbage cans worth of stuff just from the area behind my desk.  By the end of the day, I had the desks separated into four columns with a wide walkway in the middle and a basic layout for the rest of the room.

Today, I finished getting the classroom layout all set up.  I had the technology guy move my phone and computer to the corner with my desk.  One of the random empty tables was pushed up against the wall in my back corner so I could have a computer table and a grading desk.  I like to keep things separated so that I don't feel overwhelmed with too many things on a tiny desk.  This afternoon, I laminated all of my new posters and had them hanging in place.  I went through all of the extra supplies (80 extra dry erase markers, 300 pencils, and numerous office supplies) into three small storage tubs.  One of the maintenance guys, Harry, even found me a new chair that doesn't groan and squeal every time I move!  A final set up of the room:

The view from my area.

The view from the doorway.

A close up of some of my favorite posters.

The view from my front teaching zone.

For the rest of this week, I am planning to clean out and organize the back room (you can kind of see the doorway on the left side of the last picture) as well as start planning my lessons.  Luckily, I was able to meet with the last Math teacher and she was wonderful enough to show me the files where she kept all of her lessons and projects, so I'm not feeling overwhelmed anymore.

I am so excited to finally have a job that I love doing and enjoy going to every day!

Tununak's School Newsletter

Hello from Tununak!

Finished my first full week teaching at a school of 130 kids grades K-12.  I am teaching 7th Math, 7th/8th Science, and High School Brit Lit, Alg. 1, Biology, and Physical Education.  Its been a crazy experience :D

Here's a newsletter my principal made today!