Point Lay, Alaska
This spring I was hired to teach Preschool and Kindergarten at Kali School in Point Lay, Alaska for the 2010-2011 school year. I knew when I accepted the job that it would be an andventure for me and my family. I have now been here for a week and I am loving this adventure we are on. I have had several questions from family and friends about what life is like here. I thought the best place to start would be at the begining: flying to Point Lay, meeting people, our new house, and my very first classroom.
After a full week of new hirer training at in Barrow they came and took us to the air port to fly to Point Lay.
When we got to the Barrow Airport we were the last ones on our flight to arrive. They instently started checking our lugage. It took me a few minutes to get around all of the bags and people to get to the counter. When I got to the desk I asked if they needed to see my ID. The lady's respons was no and that she knew who I was. Our lugage and all of us were checked in without any ID nor were we given boarding passes.
While we waited for our plain to come in the kids started a game of Duck, Duck, Goose with Ben and Susan, the other "new teachers," that where headed to Point Lay. The 12 passenger plain landed we walked out to the plan everybody picked a seat and we took off. We could watch the instraments and the pilot as we flew. It was interesting to see how little there was for the pilot to do once we took off.
When we laned in Point Lay the pilot hopped out and walked around the plain to open the door for us. We stepped out just as two trucks drove right up to the plain. They introduced themselves as Bill, Chad, and Lenord. Bill called out our names to give us keys to our houses. Chad and Lenored pulled the bags off of the air plain and where asking to know witch bag belonged to witch teacher, or family. We had to hurry and hop in the trucks because the pilot had started the engens and was going to take off weather we moved or not.
Chad drove us from the air port. We followed Bill because none of us knew where we were going to be sleeping that night.
After we we figured out where everybody would be sleeping that first night we realized we would need food to eat. Bill offered to get us a pizza and then we could pay him back.
While we were waiting for Bill to get back with the pizza we went out side and there was a group of kids, K3-9th grade, walking by. They all stopped and asked us all kinds of questions. "Are you a teacher?" "What do you teach?" "Will you be living at this house?" "Teacher my house is just over there." I was surprised at how friendly and curious they ALL were.
Our first night in Point Lay we eat Pizza, that we would have for breakfast the next morning, too. We sat in the appartment waiting for Bill to show up. I noticed that it looked like he was driving around in circles.
I stepped outside and walked over to Susan's appartment to see if we could get to our boxes that were had been placed in her front room. Bill pulled up and we got everything loaded and headed to our new house.
When we got to our house we waited for a few minutes for the perevious tenet to get home. We then spent the the next few hours moving her out just so we could get to our food to feed our kids lunch.
Our house is built on stilts and I would guess the construction took place some time in the 1970's. Every room, but the kitchen and the bathroom have wood pannaling on all four walls. The kitchen and the bathroom have dark brown cabinets that smell old. I am greatful to have a place to call home. We've hung up the family pictures that we brought.
Monday, I saw my first classroom for the first time.
My first impression was to do my happy dance because the room is huge and it has a small bathroom right there in the room for the kids to use! I then had to run to meeting.
When I got back to my room and accually looked around I almost started to cry. At second glance I bagan to realize how deap and how tall the mess was that was left for me. ( I honestly don't think the teacher that left the room that way was trying to be mean. We have differnt ideas of how our classroom should be.) I was very proud of myself. I headed home before I could cry. But I did stop by the principal's office on my way out to ask about asking for help to remove some of the stuff that was in my room. Yet again I did not cry!! I have heard several times already, from other teachers that have walked in the room, that it is looked better.
After all of the training we have had this week I began asking more questions. I have come to realize that if I have a question about core curriculum that should be in my room I ask, "Wait, I have that?" I honestly thought that I didn't have half of the things that I was suppose to have. Then a very kind teacher helped to go through some things and we realized that I did have the material that I need to teach it just wasn't in the place we thought it would be.
After a full week of new hirer training at in Barrow they came and took us to the air port to fly to Point Lay.
When we got to the Barrow Airport we were the last ones on our flight to arrive. They instently started checking our lugage. It took me a few minutes to get around all of the bags and people to get to the counter. When I got to the desk I asked if they needed to see my ID. The lady's respons was no and that she knew who I was. Our lugage and all of us were checked in without any ID nor were we given boarding passes.
While we waited for our plain to come in the kids started a game of Duck, Duck, Goose with Ben and Susan, the other "new teachers," that where headed to Point Lay. The 12 passenger plain landed we walked out to the plan everybody picked a seat and we took off. We could watch the instraments and the pilot as we flew. It was interesting to see how little there was for the pilot to do once we took off.
When we laned in Point Lay the pilot hopped out and walked around the plain to open the door for us. We stepped out just as two trucks drove right up to the plain. They introduced themselves as Bill, Chad, and Lenord. Bill called out our names to give us keys to our houses. Chad and Lenored pulled the bags off of the air plain and where asking to know witch bag belonged to witch teacher, or family. We had to hurry and hop in the trucks because the pilot had started the engens and was going to take off weather we moved or not.
Chad drove us from the air port. We followed Bill because none of us knew where we were going to be sleeping that night.
After we we figured out where everybody would be sleeping that first night we realized we would need food to eat. Bill offered to get us a pizza and then we could pay him back.
While we were waiting for Bill to get back with the pizza we went out side and there was a group of kids, K3-9th grade, walking by. They all stopped and asked us all kinds of questions. "Are you a teacher?" "What do you teach?" "Will you be living at this house?" "Teacher my house is just over there." I was surprised at how friendly and curious they ALL were.
Our first night in Point Lay we eat Pizza, that we would have for breakfast the next morning, too. We sat in the appartment waiting for Bill to show up. I noticed that it looked like he was driving around in circles.
I stepped outside and walked over to Susan's appartment to see if we could get to our boxes that were had been placed in her front room. Bill pulled up and we got everything loaded and headed to our new house.
When we got to our house we waited for a few minutes for the perevious tenet to get home. We then spent the the next few hours moving her out just so we could get to our food to feed our kids lunch.
Our house is built on stilts and I would guess the construction took place some time in the 1970's. Every room, but the kitchen and the bathroom have wood pannaling on all four walls. The kitchen and the bathroom have dark brown cabinets that smell old. I am greatful to have a place to call home. We've hung up the family pictures that we brought.
Monday, I saw my first classroom for the first time.
My first impression was to do my happy dance because the room is huge and it has a small bathroom right there in the room for the kids to use! I then had to run to meeting.
When I got back to my room and accually looked around I almost started to cry. At second glance I bagan to realize how deap and how tall the mess was that was left for me. ( I honestly don't think the teacher that left the room that way was trying to be mean. We have differnt ideas of how our classroom should be.) I was very proud of myself. I headed home before I could cry. But I did stop by the principal's office on my way out to ask about asking for help to remove some of the stuff that was in my room. Yet again I did not cry!! I have heard several times already, from other teachers that have walked in the room, that it is looked better.
After all of the training we have had this week I began asking more questions. I have come to realize that if I have a question about core curriculum that should be in my room I ask, "Wait, I have that?" I honestly thought that I didn't have half of the things that I was suppose to have. Then a very kind teacher helped to go through some things and we realized that I did have the material that I need to teach it just wasn't in the place we thought it would be.
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