The past few weeks have flown by! We have had a lot going on. We were both surprised when we realized that it is almost Thanksgiving. The past few weeks have been spent planning, teaching, and relaxing when we have the time. It has gotten bitter cold here and the snow seems to blow all day! Jimmy and I are both looking forward to purchasing some snow goggles so that we can get to school and not feel like our faces are going to fall off. They say that they are a necessity here because the wind blows so much that there are mornings when you will walk out and not be able to see anything. It will be white-out conditions to the point where you can't see where you're walking because you can't open your eyes with the intensity of the wind.
Last weekend was a busy one for Jimmy and me. There was a death in the village, and out of respect all after school events were cancelled. Therefore, they cancelled Halloween and it was rescheduled for Saturday morning. Then on Sunday Jimmy and I both supervised the After School Program's (ASP's) pizza party gym time for three hours. After this we were both busily trying to get prepared for the week.
This week has also been a busy one filled with school events. I had two meetings during school time that I had to go to, as well as ASP. This Friday we had training all day. I think that it was a great break for our students and the teachers alike! We learned about PBS (Positive Behavior Support) and what it would look like in the classroom. It is something that is going to be implemented in the school after Christmas and I think it will alleviate some of the discipline issues that we have been having. I am actually on the committee, which is a really great experience for me. Today (Saturday) Jimmy and I both have our culture class again from 8:30-3:30. Here we are learning about the important stories that are in the Yupik culture.
We are both really looking forward to Thanksgiving. The school puts on a village Thanksgiving dinner the day before Thanksgiving. Then on Thanksgiving we are going to go to the Dean of Students' house to celebrate as a staff. I am looking forward to a short break and some great food! Another adventure that Jimmy and I just learned about is that we will be leaving for Bethel in December for a writing workshop training. Here we will be learning how to score the writing tests that each school has been working on. There are over 2,000 tests that the group of us will have to score over a three-day period.
The picture on top is actually taken today outside of the school. As you can see the snow-machines are already being used. You can even see our yellow house in the background on the left hand side. I hope that everyone had a wonderful Halloween and that you have a great Thanksgiving!
