Wow the Time Flies!

Well there is about 6 weeks left in my first year of teaching. Who would've thought that being so far away from home would still make the time fly. It has been an interesting winter, finally getting used to the changes in sunlight and then daylight-savings time happens and we have light until 10 and the time is still increasing. I wonder how long I can go with blacking out all of my bedroom windows. The geriatric that I am I go to be super early and get up early. I will have to change my sleeping patterns if I plan on getting my necessary 8 hours. :) I am starting to get excited about going home for the summer, I am just thinking, "what in the world I am going to do this summer so I don't loose my mind?" Mom and Dad are kind enough to let me stay at the house this summer and I am sure I will have a fun time helping Mom with the day-care and Sophie and Emma! I am excited to see everyone and I know that Dad will need some help this summer. Maybe I will get a killer tan this summer helping him. Or just a really great farmer's tan, after my initial sunburn of the year! :) I am definitely going to have to find something to keep my sane. Going from working everyday and my coworkers/friends living all in the same 100 yard area around the school too driving 30- minutes to and hour to see friends and family will be a change. For some reason I really want to go on trips around the midwest and go canoeing, maybe see a concert or go to a play and I really want to go out dancing at a college bar/club. I miss people so much that it is sometimes hard to not pace my apartments 20 foot hallway or incessantly tape my foot because I am so anxious to do something different. So be ready everyone I will definitely need you all to help keep my sanity over the summer.

Welcome Back!

Being gone a week can really mess with a routine. As a new teacher this last week was my first week away from my students so that I could attend a conference. I am having a hard time getting back in the swing of things. Unpacking, doing laundry, doing this week's lesson plans, and grading papers. I didn't realize how much my life revolves around school sometimes, especially out here in the bush. There isn't much else to do. I spent more of my weekend in the school then at home.

The whole week before leaving I made sub notes, lesson plans, and copies. After getting all the sub notes ready and then making sure that all the materials were ready for my fourth graders to have a successful week I thought I was ready to go. I then began second guessing myself through out the whole time I was gone. Calling, skyping, and texting other staff members to find out if my students had ran the sub out or if the sub was having a hard time understanding what I wrote in the sub notes. I really didn't have much to worry about, however, I feel like that was what I did. :) I came back Friday evening to a very clean classroom, all of the students work was even turned in. They even made sure to wash their desktops off. Wow, maybe I should leave more often! I didn't expect them to put their chairs up, let alone wash their desks. They even wrote fantastic color poetry!! Maybe I am having an effect on them. I will have to see what happens when they arrive in a couple of hours.

Contracts Are Here!

So I received my contract today for next school year. Super relieved. Wondering if I should turn it in right away or hold off a while longer to see if things change right away. I will probably hold on to it for a while longer and see.

On another note today is the school's celebration of being named1 of the 2, Title 1 Distinguished Schools for 2010-2011 by the Alaska Department of Education and Early Development. Some of the teachers and the principal just got back from Tampa Bay, Florida to receive the award at the national level. It is kind of exciting many of the community members are making their way to the school to help set up and serve food and prepare for the celebration. It is a big deal for sure. I am excited to see the community come out and support the school and the staff. I will however have to miss some of it for one of the classes I am taking. Hopefully we get done a little earlier tonight so I can join in.

There has been very little changing over the last couple of days. I am excited to be leaving for Anchorage on Friday after school. I should be flying in about 8 pm. It will be great to see other people who I haven't seen in a while. I wish it was for fun and not for work, but I am sure I will have my fair share of both. I can't complain too much I get paid to learn something new, and also be away from my students for a week. A much needed break :).

I will post again soon! Enjoy the weather where ever you are we are in the process of getting 6+ inches of snow. Hopefully it will cover up some of the ice that is coating everything. All of you know that I am no friend of ice not matter how pretty it is. Clumsiness is not a friend of ice. :)

Contracts Where Are You

So this is my rant for this week... I am starting to wonder if contracts are really for people who are impatient. I am becoming worse than I was as a kid around Christmas time. I can hardy keep my cool when I don't know if my contract will be renewed or if I will be needing to find a new job come the end of March. I don't want to move again, especially when I have been moving every school year sometimes twice within that school year, for the last 5-6 years. I guess I shouldn't be too concerned I feel like I do my job well and no one has told me different. But what's a girl to do when there is so much riding on it. Who knows, right!! I guess I will find out soon enough.

I started another class last night, this class is on teaching writing, which God knows I need help in. My students are a tough crowd in this area and really don't enjoy anything that might even be considered as work. I guess that is how a lot of the kids out there are now. I am hoping that this class will be good and worthwhile. I am seeing great things so far. Well until next time, I miss you all and hope everyone is doing well!! :)

The New Year is Off to a Great Start

After a much needed break in December I am back to work and everything is going great. Everyone is well on their way to being back in the swing of things after the 2 weeks off. It is hard to believe we are already half-way through the 3rd quarter. I am working on 3 classes this semester, all are going pretty well and it has kept me busy in the evenings after school a few times a week. The weather has been pretty good lately we have a snow storm about once to twice a week so it has been pretty nice to get outside once in a while. Snow days are pretty much non-exsistent here, at least for the teachers. Living right next to the school has it's perks, I am not sure if that is a plus or not yet. :)

Everything has been going rather well considering. I gearing up for the rest of the school year trying to prepare all of my students for the impending state testing. As much as I hate to teach to the test, it is really necessary to cover certain concepts they are unfamiliar with that may be on the tests. Many of my students are excited about different things coming up like the Basketball tournaments that are to be held in Dillingham and Manokotak. It is really the main source of entertainment here during the winter. The whole village comes out to support the kids, which is marvelous!! I am also getting ready for a conference in Anchorage towards the end of February. I will be there for almost a week. A very exciting break especially when I will be able to hang out with other adults and be away from kids for a little while. Who would have know that I would be excited about something as simple as having an adult conversation. :) I will definitely make the most of it.

It has been a nice transition back into classes and work. There is more sunlight now and we are gaining more by the day. Very exciting for sure, I can actually do some work after school and still go for a walk when I am done to get some fresh air and chat with one of the other teachers. Fresh air is definitely plentiful out here, and the view are amazing I am for sure in heaven looking out over the tundra and mountains in the distance. The snow frosts those mountains tops in a beautiful way. Going for a walk also means the necessary use of Yaktraks. If you have never had the pleasure of being acquainted with a pair of these marvelous inventions and live anywhere there is ice, they are well worth the investment. These handy things are a clumsy person's best friend. Those of you who know my track record I definitely fall into the category of clumsy. Since the roads up here are only gravel they get very slick when the snow melts and then refreezes. So going for a walk could mean falling on your behind and sliding rather than walking, especially for me. :) I have definitely found something that prevents the past inevitability of a fall on the butt.

I am still looking for something to do over the summer so that I don't go absolutely crazy. I have been debating trying to find a job working at a resort in the Anchorage vicinity or something along those lines. I have also considered possibly taking a trip to Italy or there a-bouts. I will have to see how everything pans out. My main idea is to not work with kids over the summer and get a nice break from the school year. If anyone has any ideas let me know so that I might get a hold of my plans. I will need to start posting more regularly, if you have any questions let me know and I will try to answer them for you.