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Thursday, October 11, 2012

To Teach is to Change Lives...

Getting started on another month-long stint of travel, I look forward to the blessing of seeing the colors of the leaves (where there are trees) and the tundra of western Alaska change from the air. Tomorrow wraps up a week in Alakanuk and Emmonak and Sunday starts a week of Marshall and Russian Mission. 


From the delta to the interior, the climate, culture, and communities change in a variety of ways. I look forward to seeing Marshall teachers for the first time this year at their sites and Raiders for the second and even third time this year. With winter approaching the Upriver sites will be bathed in gold, orange, and brilliant reds as trees shed their summer coats of green and hunker down for the cold. 

I have to say things have taken a turn for the better here in LYSD. The new teachers this year are, by and large, phenomenal educators and genuinely wonderful people. I say this not just because I have been cooked for or shared a meal with every night this week, but because they are truly special individuals. Their passion is obvious and their spirit is inspiring.


With all the shake-ups in the district office of late, I feel as though the norm across the district has been to follow their own lead and take initiative to be autonomous to a certain extent. I like the idea of this, and I love the idea of home-grown concepts. My role, namely in the realm of staff development and facilitator of LYSD resources, has become more substantial than ever. I feel well received and useful, not intrusive or unwelcome.

I thank my LYSD team of teachers for all they do. I thank them for their time spent planning brilliant lessons. I thank them for the hours outside of the "workday" tutoring, coaching, mentoring, and writing grants. I thank them for their patience with wild third graders and mothering kindergarteners. I thank them for being the teachers I look up to and always wanted to be. You are so special... to me... to your students... to your communities... thank you.

Wednesday, October 3, 2012

Busy is as busy does...

I am so stinking busy!! 

I am finishing my Master's this month, so that's a bright spot on the horizon, but then I will just start shopping and stressing about a PhD program to attend, so... bleh... 

I am finalizing a few big projects at work and look forward to getting a literacy cart prototype built and tested. Very cool!  

 >>> Flatscreen interactive display on 5 foot rolling cart with Mac Mini, battery backup, Apple TV, 20 iPads, all the accessories, and maybe a charging station (eventually)<<<

Basically I get to sleep in my own bed for a week, assuming I can find the time to sleep... 

Let's summarize. I travelled to 6 villages in September after returning from Puerto Vallarta, jumped back into travel visiting Nunam Iqua, Alakanuk, Pilot Station, Kotlik, Scammon Bay, and ended up in Hooper Bay. All staff inservice was a blast! LYSD friends and coworkers spent Wednesday night - Friday afternoon together learning how to be a better team and serve our students more effectively, then headed home to respective sites. I then hosted two wonderful friends for a site tech inservice over the weekend. Since then I have started my days at the Mountain Village School every morning and then off to the office to slave away until 5:30, 6, or even 7pm, often with no breaks, even for lunch! -Whew. 



So whats the upside? I LOVE WORKING WITH TEACHERS. I generally love my job, as well, even if their are several details I could stand changing... 

All I can do is look forward to the winter when the pace of life seems to slow as the temperature drops. I ache for a regular workout routine and quiet "me time." It doesn't hurt that I have tickets to Maui hanging on the wall in front of my desk at work either.