Holiday Season- Anything Can Happen in The Village

My kids with their Halloween masks

I haven't blogged in a while, so I felt like taking this opportunity to talk about how we spend the holidays in the village. Halloween is a big deal to most of the kiddos. We spent the day in my class making masks and learning about where Halloween comes from. The Saturday after, there was a nice Halloween Carnival at the school, where the Natural Helpers and I set up a Haunted House for everyone to enjoy. It was a lot of fun. I found these really cool posters where elders had described Halloween when they were young. I thought that was really interesting! The first poster pictured below describes a traditional kind of mix of Halloween and Thanksgiving. The second poster pictured below explains how they received very little candy like we do now. 

My favorite part is the "Halloween Spirit" licking 

the ashes off of the person's face as they sleep.  

Halloween Carnival

Halloween Carnival

Halloween Carnvial

"Qaariitaarvik" is Yup'ik for Halloween- explaining the traditions from an elder

Flooded river

It's been an interesting few weeks. The river should normally freeze up sometime in October, but by the time November had begun, it still hadn't even started to freeze. One night, our assistant principal knocked on our door to let my roommate and I know that there was flooding happening, that we might loose water and electricity. Immediately we filled up water buckets and anything else we could find. We were getting  so much rain and snow and the water wasn't frozen yet, that it was flooding like it does in the spring when the snow and river melt. It caused quite a bit of problems. We've had to get a new water pump because of it and had a few days where the water has been turned off for a while so that they could try to fix the problems. Hopefully, they've gotten everything fixed. 

Preparing for the flood

Some of the flooding

Preparing for the flood

Snowstorm after the flooding

A beautiful sky on a nice day

Watching the volleyball team
in the Championship game

The snow has finally settled in and now the rivers are frozen enough that people are venturing out on their snow machines. I haven't gotten mine out yet, and don't really know if I will or not until after we come back from Christmas. The ice isn't as thick as it normally gets yet, and locals have said if you go out, to stick to the paths others have already made. There are quite a few spots with some overflow, which isn't too dangerous, but I would rather avoid it all together!

This week, being Thanksgiving, we had a little event called Little Dribblers for those students who are too young to play school sports. The preschool age students through third graders played ball against each other Wednesday afternoon. It was lots of fun and a lot of parents showed up. It was standing room only. I had a lot of fun talking with my kids and playing while we watched the other groups play. Now that Christmas is coming up, the Natural Helpers are planning some events and we have the school Christmas Program to prepare for. We won't be moving into the new school over Christmas break, so we won't be packing up, which is a little bit of a blessing, since I've already arranged to go to Arkansas for the break. But we still have three weeks until then and if the month of November has proven anything to me as of late, it's that anything can happen in the village!

The gym packed for Little Dribblers

Naturally, We Help!

This year I have been blessed with the opportunity to be a sponsor for an organization in our school known as Natural Helpers. Growing up in an area where Natural Helpers is not widely known, I wasn't really sure what I was signing up to do exactly. I knew that the Natural Helpers had organized the pep rallies and had also somehow been involved in the Haunted House at our annual Halloween Carnival, but really wasn't sure what else needed to be done. That is, until last week when all Natural Helper sponsors and student leaders met up for some training.

1st and 2nd graders wrote us welcome notes

Beautiful sunset

Natural Helpers is an organization to help prevent suicide in schools. Out here in our villages, it is a little more than that, delving into continuing to remember our culture and who we are. Many of our students speak very little Yup'ik language and can make very few traditional items. Hence, alongside bullying and suicide preventions, we are working on remembering who we are as Yup'ik peoples.

It was too rainy for a campfire, so we improvised

Having sat down with other Natural Helper sponsors, I feel much more prepared and am excited about the different things we have planned for this year! We will, like I mentioned earlier, be doing a Haunted House at the Halloween Carnival next week. However, we will also be doing many classroom presentations on safety and other important factors, such as bullying, depression, and suicide. Also, we will do monthly visits with elders in our village and at least one semi- cultural activity each month. These will include making dance fans, beading for the girls, and making manaqing poles for the boys and many other things. I am really looking forward to this opportunity to learn more about the culture.

I was given wings!  

Snow shoes on the side of a house

Thor and Superman stopped by to tell us we are all heroes

While we were doing our training, we did a practice run of visiting elders. I was a little nervous because, although I love being around my grandparents and other elderly relatives, old people have always scared me. I worry that I will hurt them or that something will happen and I won't be able to help them with it. However, the lady we visited was an absolute doll!! She had some hearing loss and some short term memory loss, but she was very sweet. She told us a little about her childhood and told us several times, to not forget our visit with "Winnie, not the Pooh!" (Her name was Winnie).

With no fire, we had to come up with a new way to make s'mores

Lastly, a lady from our village came with us to share some very interesting things with us. You see, in our village, about eleven or twelve years ago, there were a bunch of suicides. The speaker told us about how many organizations came out to help, and things would get better for a while, but then the organization would leave and everything would go downhill again. So, the people in our village took matters into their own hands. They went back to their ancestry and began to implement ideas and activities from their culture in the area. They taught the children by being involved in their lives and showing them that there were things to live for. They showed the children in the village who they were by showing them what their culture was all about. It was quite an interesting story. The speaker went on to say that our village wants to make this plan- the one that the people in our village created- a practice that doesn't just fix the problem and leave. They want it to be something that continues on forever. So, we will be working along side the people in our village to make sure that students are finding a way to deal with their problems other than committing suicide. I look forward to working with them and seeing how their ideas impact the students' school work and behaviors.

Our theme= "Hope On";
We learned in the newest Superman movie that
this is a symbol of hope on Krypton, hence our theme for the weekend.

It was most definitely one of my favorite learning experiences since I've been here. I look forward to the fun times we will have this year with the Natural Helpers and the wonderful things we will accomplish and learn from each other.

No Pilots in Pilot Station

View of Pilot from the school building

Well, I'm sitting here in the classroom I've slept in the past two nights and am going to sleep in again tonight doing nothing, so I thought I might as well post some pictures of this village on my blog.


This week is District Wide In-Services week. Most people were able to stay in their villages. I, however, was one of a few people who decided to take the trek to Pilot Station to do more Constructed Meaning training for elementary grades. I had never been to this village before and though I had CM training last year, thought it would be very beneficial to be trained in how to use it with the lower grades.

Walking down the road

The beach

Along the beach

As we were coming into the last thirty minutes of training before going home, a voice came over the intercom. "Attention: There will be no flights out tonight due to crosswinds in the area..." I thought it was a joke. We were supposed to be heading home in an hour. Sadly, though, I realized that I would not be sleeping in my own, comfy bed. I would not get to go unpack my bush order groceries that had arrived that day and the day before. I wouldn't be taking a shower in my own bathroom that night. I was stuck in Pilot for another night; no pilots were coming to Pilot Station.

The classroom I slept in, pretty big!

Pilot's road up the hill

It's okay, don't despair too much on my behalf. For one of the teachers took the opportunity to show us around the village. She showed us her house, which surprised me how different it was from mine and any other house I had been in. It was quite small and a duplex. There were just two bedrooms, a small kitchen area, a bathroom, and the living room. The washer and dryer was shared with the other house in the duplex. Now we have a duplex in my village as well, but it is a newer type housing. This person's housing was a little bit older and more rugged looking. The interior was a wooden look. The window in the living room looked down over the village and you could see all the different colored houses.

Cliffs along the beach

Then she took us down to the river, where we walked along the beach next to the cliffs. Pilot is on a large hill, much bigger than the one Mountain Village is on. Going from my village, which is flatter than a tortilla, to Pilot was a lot of work. My legs aren't as used to hilly land anymore. Nevertheless, I enjoyed all the sites and talking to some of the kids from another village that I hardly ever get the chance to visit.




In other news, last weekend it snowed on and off and when I woke up Monday to go to school I saw snow sticking to the ground. Although it melted by the end of the day, I'm sure I will wake up every morning to snow quite soon.

Cliffs in Pilot

Porcupine skin

Another view of the cliffs

It's been an interesting last couple of days. I've learned lots and had lots of fun. I've loved getting together with teachers from all over the village and talking to them and getting to know them and what goes on in their villages. I hope you enjoyed reading about my most recent adventure in the Great White North!

Berry Picking in the Bush and Much, Much More...

Dancing at Teacher Eskimo Dance

I never thought of Helen as a very talkative woman, but after yesterday, I learned that this Native woman has many, many wonderful stories to share about her life growing up in the village. Just about every weekend since the school year started, she has taken my roommate out berry picking with her and her husband, and yesterday they asked me to come along as well! It was loads of fun and I have much to say about it, but unfortunately, my camera battery died. So, before sharing about my berry picking experience, let me tell you about the Teacher Eskimo Dance and the Jr. High Cross Country meet.

Father and Son dancing, Wife in the back

A bunch of teachers and Natives dancing

At the end of the first week of school, the village held a Teacher Eskimo Dance like every year to meet and greet the new teachers. We were told it would start at five and be a potluck, but by the time we went up to the T.C. (Tribal Council) building, it was almost seven and so it turned out to be more of a snack table. The new teachers introduced themselves and then we sat and talked to people while watching the dances. Two teachers, who are married and have two beautiful children, danced, and had their older son, who is about two, dance with them. It was super cute to see him getting into the culture and dancing with the Native people, and they seemed to enjoy it as well. I was able to see many of my students from last year and talk to them. I also danced in a couple of the songs. I'm not very good at it, but it is lots of fun to try to follow along. My favorite dance we did was the last one, the "Snow Machine" song. The dances describe what the song is talking about, so for this one (which is a little more modern of a song) we were moving as if we were on a snow machine. It's movements are fairly simple, and by the time we left I had it down.

Me Eskimo Dancing

St. Mary's bus; Jr. High Cross Country Meet

Kids heading out for cross country

Yesterday was supposed to be the Jr. High Cross Country meet in St. Mary's. We were all prepared for it, then, on Thursday, the cross country coaches got a phone call saying their plane would be there by noon to get the kids! Fortunately, they were supposed to be back that same night, so they didn't have to rush home and get clothes, but they did have to rush to make sub plans for the rest of the day. One of the team members that was in my class last year asked to borrow my camera, so I was able to get these pictures without going myself. One of our boys got second place in the meet, which was very exciting. The High School Cross Country meet is SUPPOSED to be next Saturday, but after what happened this week, no one is going to be surprised if that changes.

Just a small amount of the berries I picked

Net all set up :) Last picture I took
before my camera died

Lowering the net for fishing

So, now to berry picking yesterday. Growing up we had some blackberry bushes that grew along a fence line down the dirt road we lived on. When I thought of berry picking, that is the picture I had in my mind. However, the berry plants here grow close to the ground. To pick the berries, I sat and scooted from one area to the other. They are also quite small, so even though I picked what felt like a lot of berries, I only managed to fill about half a gallon of a ziplock bag. My roommate filled her 1 1/4 gallon bucket to the brim. It was lots of fun and very peaceful. It did, however start to cool off and sprinkle on us right before we finished up. We went to two different spots very close to the village of Nunam Iqua. One was already occupied by another Native from our village and her daughter. It also had lots of bugs so we went across the river and picked on the other side. While we were picking we saw an otter swimming in the river, it was cute. Before we settled in to pick berries, we set up a net to catch fish. Helen told us while her husband was setting up the net stories her grandmother had told her. She said in her grandmother's day, people were buried in the fetal position, and when they started burying people laying down her grandmother was upset. Her grandmother said, "Why bury them laying down, that's not how they were born!" I thought their way of burying people sounds like a good idea, but I guess that's just me. We didn't catch any fish during the day, just a couple of willows. Before heading home for the night, however, we met up with some friends and had a campfire going. One of the men had a son who had caught a seal that day, so they gave us the two of the livers. We cooked them up next to the fire and at them. They were really good! The Natives were teasing me and my roommate saying that we need to eat more Native food and then we won't be so cold. We sat around the campfire talking and laughing for a while, then took off to see if we could find some seal before it got too dark. We had seen a seal on our way out berry picking before we set up the net earlier in the day, but he had gotten away. By the time I got home I had made the decision that this was my favorite day I had had so far living out here. It was a wonderful time. I hope to get to do it again next weekend. Maybe next time my camera won't die on me!!

Round 2: Life Back In The Village

Panoramic view from Flattop

My first glimpses of being back in Alaska

As a new year of school begins, I find myself back in the biggest and most beautiful state! A lot has changed around here: The snow melted, all my students from last year are at least a foot taller than what they when I last saw them, and our district has changes in curriculum and behavior plans I'm trying to learn. With so many changes, one can become overwhelmed quite easily. But despite all this, I still know that I can look forward to helping grow the minds of my new students as a second year teacher. 

Back to Flattop for another attempt to climb it

This year I will be teaching first grade, which is a big jump from seventh grade last year. A lot of people have asked me about the reason for this switch, so let me explain. Last year our seventh grade class was one of the biggest the school has ever seen. It was so big, in fact, that our Instructional Leader was worried that the students wouldn't all fit into the same class. That's where I came in. I took half of those seventh graders and taught them so that there weren't as many in one room. Towards the end of last year, our Instructional Leader informed me that this year's seventh grade class wouldn't need the same accommodations, but the new first grade class would. I therefore, could take a first grade class if I so desired. I thought this was a marvelous idea. It wasn't until later that I was informed of a sixth grade opening, but by then I had already made up my mind that I wanted to teach first and for those of you that know me (or my father and his family), once I make up my mind about something, I'm not going to change it. 

Part of the climb on Flattop

This is as high as we made it, the rainbow was very beautiful!

Coming in to my second year of teaching out here in the village has given me quite a few opportunities. The first of which was to do some exploring around Anchorage. Last year while I was there I was busy with training and wrapping my mind around the fact that I was going to be living in Alaska, that I didn't have much time to explore. But this year, I was able to meet up with other teachers and do some fun activities.  I also had a much better idea how to shop and what to send out to the village to eat. Shopping was a lot more enjoyable and a lot less confusing. 

We went for a drive and followed the train tracks

 

Groceries I brought out with me that I couldn't push back. 

 The second opportunity coming into my second year has given me is to already know what I'm coming into. It felt wonderful to already know my house and to come in with everything already here and set up. Also, walking down the roads in our village or the hallways in the school, I saw lots of people that I already knew and they knew me and it was a wonderful feeling to give them a hug and hear them say, "Welcome back," or, "I'm glad you're back!" 

This is how my classroom looked when I came into it

View of the Yukon River at the dock

Finally, being a second year teacher out here gives me the opportunity to let the new teachers in on the secrets of life out here. All three of our new teachers are veteran teachers, but being in rural Alaska isn't quite like being anywhere else. I can help them out, give them advice, and try my hardest to make this transition as easy as possible. 

Hanging out at the bonfire

Last weekend we had a teacher bonfire, with almost all of the teachers except one and their families gathered at the dock eating s'mores, marshmallows, hot dogs, and having a wonderful time together. This week school will start. My classroom is almost completely set up and ready. Soon those little gatherings will be necessary to keep ourselves from going crazy. But this first one was just a Welcome Home gathering. A chance to catch up with our "Village family," find out about what others did this summer and to get us excited for this brand new year in the village. No, our new school isn't finished yet, and we aren't sure when it will be. But the new year still holds many new faces, new lessons, and a whole lot of new experiences!

Decorations in my classroom