So....Another Year Went By...

Look who decided to write again! The year has proven to be really challenging. While I think I made a good choice moving to 8th grade, I have confirmed my original findings: I do not like teaching middle school. Don't get me wrong, there were good days and my students are pretty sweet, but I have found that I don't have a lot of patience with that age group. I loved getting to see my students from last year, my whole demeanor changed when I was with a younger kid. Nonetheless, it will be quite an adjustment to move back down to elementary. 

It is April and there is still snow and ice. We can still go across the bay by Honda. While there are some perks (aka the tundra is still frozen so I can take the shortcut to school), I really want it to be spring. Although, this week we have reached above freezing! I didn't have to wear a hat or gloves outside today and I was still warm. That is a great feeling.

This year I spent a lot of time with Ryan (my boyfriend) and, of course, working. We have three weeks left in the school year and I am exhausted. I get to school much later and leave school a lot earlier. I am truly burned out. For those of you that don't know, I will not be returning to St. Michael next school year; Ryan and I have decided to relocate to the Mat-Su Valley. As much as I enjoyed living in St. Michael, I need a change of scenery. The past two years have been difficult. There have been some high points and low. In the end, there were more negatives than positives. I am going to miss the friends that I have made here and the students that I have come to love, but I know that it is in my best interest to leave.

Many of my students are very upset that I am leaving and have written me very sweet notes. One girl wrote, "Arah! Why do you have to leave? Stay one more year!" Another girl in class said, "I think I'm going to cry." And one of my favorite letters was the one that read, "I wish my teacher knew that I love her and don't want her to leave." Those were all heartwarming messages and show me that I was loved by many of my students. To top that off, an elder introduced me to her husband and said, "This is Zoe. She teaches 8th grade and does a great job with them. She's a teacher that these kids have needed." I remember that statement and think that maybe I am doing something right. 

With three weeks left in the school year I find myself packing, preparing for goodbyes, lesson planning, spending time with friends, helping with prom, planning a volleyball reunion sleepover, and shedding tears. This will be a hard goodbye as I have many memories. 

Well, my friends, I am bracing myself for the end of the year. I am excited for summer and being close to my family, but it will be hard for a new change. I am going out jobless and hoping for the best. Keep us in your thoughts as Ryan and I make this transition. 

...And I'm Back!

So it turns out that life is busy. I just completed my first volleyball season as a coach. Being a teacher and a coach has proved to be incredibly difficult. This is especially true in Bush Alaska. While most teams travel via car or bus, I had to travel nearly every weekend by plane. We left on Thursdays and returned on Sunday afternoons. Meaning, I planned for a sub on Friday (and prepped for a possible sub for Thursday too depending on when our flight arrived) and I didn't have time until Sunday to prepare for the next week. I have been exhausted. Coaching had its wonderful moments, but overall, I really did not enjoy coaching. Mainly this is due to the fact that I followed a veteran coach that is much loved. The kids always talked about her and compare me to her. It was really horrible for me and made me sick to my stomach every time. I know that is bound to happen, but I still hate it. Volleyball is over now and it leaves me with two weeks before Christmas break (thank goodness!).

Second quarter is about over...I have kept busy with volleyball, but teaching was right up there. I didn't feel like I could focus on my teaching because so much of my attention was on volleyball. So, I got behind on grading and keeping my classroom clean. I started getting to work later than my usual time, which lost me my morning prep. Simultaneously, we had a HUGE shift in administration because our Superintendent went on administrative leave. Therefore, our principal became the Interim Superintendent and we got an Interim Principal from our neighboring village (he was the assistant principal there). That was a hard transition on all of the students and teachers. It seems that we have gotten very much used to it and are able to keep chugging along.

Even though I felt like I slacked off a lot in my classroom I made a lot of positive changes. We started a program called the PRIDE Plus Program. This required students to be on time to class, be respectful, and complete assignments in order to receive a "yes" stamp. If the student does not meet one or all of the expectations they receive a "no" and have to serve 30 minutes of detention after school. There are a few more components to it, but it has worked really well! Office referrals have decreased drastically within the past month and a half. Another change that has been made is that of learning goals. In college we are taught about learning goals and that they are supposed to be posted, etc. Well, when you become an actual teacher this becomes extra energy that often gets pushed aside. Because our evaluations this quarter are focusing on learning goals, I have done a really good job at posting them and making students rate themselves on how well they understand and are meeting the goal. There are a few other smaller things that have been added to my classroom routine to make it a more positive and enjoyable atmosphere, but there is still much to do!

I have been pretty homesick lately, so I am very much looking forward to seeing my family at the break. I'm excited that my sisters will be there also! It should be a lot of fun and hard to say goodbye. My boyfriend and I will be spending two weeks away from each other (the longest amount of time yet!) as he travels to Minnesota to see his family. We're still going strong and we expect many more months together.

In the meantime, I have a Christmas program to prepare for! Last year my 4th graders played recorders, this year my 8th graders are going to play boomwhackers. It has been a very interesting experience trying to teach 8th graders to play boomwhackers and not Star Wars....It's a work in progress and I only have a week left until the show (yikes!).

Well, that is all for now; I have summarized the big things. Hopefully, now that volleyball season has ended, I will be more diligent with my blog. I wish everyone a Merry Christmas and Happy New Year! Sending my love to all.

A New Grade, A New Life

One month down in a new school year. It is going fast already! There is so much to tell....

First off, my summer was fantastic! It was weird not to work and I definitely missed being around the Band Kids, but I really enjoyed traveling. For the month of July I traveled to Washington D.C., Oregon, and California before heading back to Alaska. It was nice to see my Linfield friends (and professors) and my beloved home. There was so much to do and see and I didn't get around to all of it. In the end, the trip was very worth it and I hope to do more traveling next summer!

I came back to St. Michael in the beginning of August with two guinea pigs. Don't take me to a pet store. By looking at a guinea pig that looked so sad in her cage, I decided that she needed a home and a friend. So, now I have Oppa (Ah-puh). Pippi and Oppa became fast friends and keep each other company. It's fun to watch them run around my room together. Plus, the kids are really excited that I have TWO piggies to play with now. Speaking of kids....

I am not teaching Pre-K this year as I intended. As of 5 days before school started I became the new 8th grade teacher. My school was still looking for a teacher to fill that position and I stepped up and asked if my principal would consider me. People ask me why, so here is a short explanation.

I wanted to have my own classroom with hours that I'm used to. With new administration I also wanted to stay in the big school because I very much like their philosophies and wanted them to guide me as a new teacher. Staying in the big school and being around teachers and students that I have come to know well has been very beneficial to me. My confidence as a teacher has increased. Also, I took a class at the beginning of the summer where I learned Kagan structures. I didn't want to forget the things that I learned and I knew I would be able to implement them in my 8th grade class (I have been and it is wonderful!). Even though I am an elementary teacher at heart, I'm happy that I made this decision. Times have been hard sometimes, but when are they not? I still get to see my elementary students and I still can identify the criers. On the positive, I haven't had nearly as many behavior issues! Everyone has told me that I have a very difficult class this year (and it is difficult), but I think my class last year was more so.

Other new things this year...

I get to be the volleyball coach! I'm really excited; it is Mixed 6 so I will have boys and girls on a team. It's only a week away!

I'm also really excited to say that I have a boyfriend. He is the 7th grade teacher here and he is so wonderful. Every day is something special with him and I like him more and more each day. I've struggled through some health things and he has been there 100%. I'm excited to continue to get to know him more.

Well, friends, I have put off lesson planning long enough. Once I get internet at my house I will write more! Wishing you all well!

The Final Stretch

My friends, it is 4th quarter!! It's hard to believe that April is upon us and I really only have 6 weeks left of school (instructional weeks that is). As difficult as this school year has been, I have grown as a teacher and an individual. Saint Michael has provided me with children that love me and new friends that support me. It's an amazing experience! There have been ups and downs, but I would not trade it for the world.

4th quarter is here and I finally feel like I have a grasp on how I like my class managed. This group of kids took me awhile to figure out what was best for everyone. I'm able to teach more and discipline less. My students are holding each other accountable for things that happen in the classroom. It's truly wonderful. My students have taught me how to break down frustration on the spot without showing it. They have taught me to have a sense of humor and to laugh sometimes when it's silly. Most of all my kids have taught me to appreciate the small successes (and when I say small, I mean small). For example, one of my students took months to finally remember that the word congruent means the same! Let's just say I jumped up and down a little bit. :) One day, my entire class asked for more time to write (30 minutes instead of 20)! This includes my students who typically write a few sentences. This includes my class that complains about writing for 15 minutes! Needless to say, I am still ecstatic. I could go on about my students forever, but I won't totally bore you.

As for my secondary life....


Outside of school I play a lot of games with other teachers to fill spare time. On a typical day I am at school about 12 hours, but I sleep a lot on Saturday (and then off to work). I have basically stopped going to church here and listen only to the Podcasts that I receive from the church in Oregon that I attended. I went walking across the ocean about a month ago with my friend. We got to see all of the little ice craters and experience the sudden fear of "Is the ice cracking...?" It's been a warm winter. I've been able to wear my light jacket and gloves recently. It stays in the teens and sometimes reaches 20 or 30 degrees above zero!! It's practically shorts weather. The snow is melting and everything is getting a little slushy. My guess is that the snow and ice will be pretty much gone by the beginning of May. The warmer weather and lighter days are making all of the students very antsy and have unimaginable amounts of energy. There will still be so many changes within the next 2 months (energy, light, growth, etc.).

Other news....

I got to meet my niece for the first time during Spring Break. It's such a weird feeling to know that I am an aunt. My sister is a mom! I still haven't grasped the whole idea yet, but that baby is so very precious. I am excited to see her grow.

Regarding next year....

I will be teaching in Saint Michael again next year. However, I will not be teaching 4th grade....I will be teaching Pre-k (4 year olds). This is just a switch that the school wanted me to do for the next year. It's not my ideal age, but I know I will learn so much from being in there with the little guys. As of right now, my students don't know that I won't be teaching 4th grade. I am not telling them until the beginning of May. Thank you to all of those people that helped me make my final decision and dried my massive amounts of tears. It was a long process, but I'm glad I'm staying.

Well, my friends, there have been breakthroughs and there have been breakdowns, but in the end, I have 14 kids. They are mine. They are wonderful. I will be sad to see them move on to 5th grade (only because I want them!). Time moves quickly when there isn't time to waste.

Whoosh!

Another quarter is already halfway over! Third quarter has been running in full speed. For the past month I have focused primarily on my Battle of the Books team. I have been the “coach” for the 3^rd/4^th grade team. We have practices from 4-5pm twice a week. Last weekend I had a sleepover at the school with my team and the middle school team (my roommate is the coach for the middle school team). Although it was exhausting to watch the kids for the evening and keep up with their energy, it was fun watching their excitement over books. We were able to read and discuss questions and started to bond as a team. The kids have done a great job reading the books and are really pulling through. At the end of the week we have our first battle. It will be new to me because battles in the village take place as a Video Teleconference. I’m just hoping for the best!

Life is crazy right now. There is so much to learn and teach and it's already February! My students have been going through a phase of…I'm not really sure how to describe it. It's a lot of energy that is focused in the wrong direction. I'm hoping once the weather gets cold it will get better (it's been in the low to mid 30s!). As a girl that grew up in Alaska I understand how refreshing it is to have warmth. All you want to do is play outside! Usually this antsy type of behavior doesn't really appear until mid March or even April (break up season…I mean Spring). Since it is so warm outside right now I think that we are going to have two "Springs". I don't know how well people will follow what I just wrote. It's a little difficult to describe to those that are not familiar with Alaska. Anyway, my students just feel crazy to me. Tomorrow I am going to be taking a break from some class work and having TWO class council meetings. 

I'm beginning to figure out that I am going to have to reteach my expectations. Everything that we did last semester doesn't feel like it's working. I'm pretty frustrated and my brain is fishing for new ideas to help keep my kids focused, respectful, and responsible. As I think about it now I wonder if I smiled too early. In the past some people have told me that I am too strict or uptight, but now I'm learning that I am being way too nice. I don't know. I feel like I am drowning right now. Hopefully tomorrow's talk will make it a little better. 

On a happier note, my oldest sister had her baby yesterday! I am ecstatic! Actually, my students are too. They have been waiting for February for "Baby Month". When I told them that she had the baby they all jumped out of their seats and ran to me to see if she had sent pictures yet. They could hardly wait! I now have a niece. I can't wait to hold her next month when I travel to Fairbanks for Spring Break. 

Another exciting thing happened yesterday! A high school student that I coached in volleyball last semester gave me an Eskimo name. It was a huge honor. I wasn't sure if she was being real or not at first. She walked into my classroom with a cup of water and told me that she wanted to give me an Eskimo name. The water is to drink after you receive the name. It's understood that the water symbolizes respect. I don't yet want to announce what it is….so in my next post! 

There have been so many ups and downs this past month, but I try really hard to do as my students do: Get over it quickly and pretend like it didn't happen yesterday. Those of you that know me well should know that this is a task that I am really really really really bad at. We'll see how long it will take me to accomplish this task. 

I have added pictures below from some of my January adventures and some from earlier in the school year. More later! There are so many things that happen all at once that it's hard to keep up with it all. Best wishes to all of you! 

 We had a storm so we are enjoying the snow.

 My parking lot includes Hondas (aka 4 wheelers).

 The teachers come home from Christmas. It's a good thing we all went to the Post Office together...

 My new Guspuk!

 I was a crayon for Halloween.

 Agutaq…Eskimo Ice Cream

 My school from afar.

 Movie night at the school.

 The outside of my apartment complex. This building was the original St. Michael school.

 My students are wonderful when they are working hard!

The view from my window. 

A New Year, A New Start?

Happy 2014! I can hardly believe that another year has gone by. It’s weird to think that I have almost completed my first year of teaching. The end seems so close yet so far away. I was so glad to make it to Christmas Break. However, I got stuck in Unalakleet for 31 hours on my way to Anchorage!! THEN, I got stuck in Unalakleet another night on my way back from Anchorage! It was really quite frustrating. I felt really bad for Pippi. She was very very very glad to be back in her cage at home. Nevertheless, I was SO happy to get a break. It was nice getting to see my family and some close friends during my break. I was able to get a lot of rest and began to reflect on the first and second quarter. I came away with some new ideas and a refreshed mind. Seeing everyone in St. Michael was really nice. It’s getting to the point where I can truly call this home. The best part about returning was getting to see my kids running at me when I first arrived.

The first week of school was crazy. It almost felt like I was out of shape. My students were out of shape too. All of the rules needed to be relearned and routines needed to be practiced. It was pretty frustrating, but I’m feeling better as we enter into our 3^rd week. It’s really crummy to say, but I feel like all I am doing is scrambling to make sure my kids know enough for the SBAs in April. The pressure feels immense and I can tell that I am easily irritated with my students because I want them to do well, so when they show me less than their best it is really worrisome and disappointing.  As long as I keep everything interesting and lively it should be okay, right?

I’m still teaching music to my students, but this time we are working in more depth on rhythm and musical components (measures, time signature, note names, note values, etc.).  My kids can now read, write, and imitate rhythms! Occasionally, people will make a comment about how music is worthless. This really bugs me, but I try not to let it show. Music is so important to me and I can’t imagine not being able to play my flute or sing. I mean, can you?

Anyway, I’m feeling empowered for this next semester. Although I am nervous for my first “testing” experience, I am excited to see how the school year comes to a close.  

The Final Countdown

Well, 2nd quarter has come to an end. I am exhausted. The past two weeks the kids have been off the walls because of Thanksgiving Break and the coming Christmas Break. My head is spinning. Most days I come home from school and almost immediately fall asleep on the couch. Needless to say, I am ready for a break. I am currently sitting in my classroom waiting for parents to come conference with me. As I sit here I can't help but think about Friday: the day I travel back to Palmer. Friday seems like forever away. I have a lot to do until then...I just don't have the energy to do it. For example, I have to have at least two days of lesson plans and materials out before I leave for break just in case I don't make it back (planes might not be able to fly because of the weather).

I had a couple of interesting cultural experiences. An elder past away so I learned the community rituals. The body stays in the home in a casket for several days until the funeral. During that time, people in the village come to the home and see the family. Then, for the funeral, the whole village shuts down until the funeral is over. The church is packed with people. It's really a cool experience to be apart of village events (even though that one was very sad). Another experience I had was during the Thanksgiving Basketball tournament. The villages thrive in basketball. We went to the city gym and watched all the teams. The crowd gets super into it! It's fun to see who everybody roots for. Even my students have a favorite team and talk about it. 

Anyway, this quarter went fast. I didn't feel like I had enough time to effectively teach anything. My students struggled immensely with division. I honestly cannot figure out how to teach it in any other way. I've gone through my books, I've looked online, I've talked to teacher after teacher. Nothing seems to be working, but I have to keep moving on. Hopefully it'll come with some more time.

I decided to just focus on science this quarter. We learned about the animal life cycle and the human body. I was very impressed by how hard the kids worked and how much information they retained. Last week, the class learned about the brain. I was so excited that my sister was a guest speaker (via Skype). It was much better for them to learn about the brain from an expert rather than me. The kids LOVED her and were so curious about her and her life. It was great to see her again, even if it was through Skype. My students also discovered microscopes and had a blast exploring. I was able to get some great science shots of my students being curious.

Now, the best thing of all....The Christmas Program!! It was a success! We practiced how to walk on stage and our order. The kids practiced watching me and waiting for the commands (records up, ready, 1,2,3,4). My goodness we knocked them dead. I was definitely nervous, but I went in with the attitude that I've done all the teaching that I can do, and now it was up to them. Even the students I was really worried about did well. I am so relieved that it is over. Now, I just have to prepare for music next quarter. My students complain about it and say it's boring, but once they get it that's all they want to do. Music is too important for me to let it go though...so they will just have to get over it!! :)

Well, my friends, I am counting down the days until I hop on the little Bush plane and fly back to the Valley. I have a lot of preparation to do, but I'm ready to just do nothing. 3rd quarter is going to be long. SBAs are in April so 3rd quarter will be a race to get everything done to prepare.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!

P.S. I'm trying to get my pictures uploaded!