Wow! It’s so hard to believe that next week is November! It seems like October went by in the blink of an eye! I’ve been so busy these past two weeks; days seem to go by so fast. Last weekend, Collin and I traveled to Bethel with 7 wrestlers to participate in the 2015 Bethel Scramble. I loved watching the kids wrestle and they were really fun to watch over in general, as well. We left Akiachak for Bethel Friday afternoon. We had 4 junior high boys, a high school boy, and 2 high school girls compete in the tournament. They weighed in Friday afternoon and the tournament started that evening and didn’t let up until around 10 that night. There were about 215 elementary, junior high, and high school wrestlers there that weekend, and around 465 matches were wrestled. Saturday morning, the tournament resumed and the awards ceremony took place that night. Most of our wrestlers won at least one of their matches, and one of the junior high kids took 3rd place in his weight class. A surprising amount of girls wrestle here, and some even won their weight divisions. After the awards ceremony, we walked to a nearby convenience store to load up on snacks and drinks, and went back to chill in one of the classrooms until bed. The students behaved really well and were quite funny to talk to and get to know. Collin is a great coach, and it’s fun to see him interact with his team. After staying the night once more at the school, we flew back to Akiachak Sunday morning, just in time to relax a bit before another long week of teaching.
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Monday morning was the start of a very interesting week for me. The principal came in my room Monday morning with a new student who moved from another village. Then, another teacher came in to tell me a student of mine moved to another village. Apparently this is pretty common. Families move to other villages and back again all the time, so I wouldn’t be surprised if the student I lost came back before the year is over. I’m sad that he left. He was doing so well and making a lot of progress. The new student I got is fitting in well so far. He was shy at first, but has opened up some and talks to me now.
Friday I had a breakthrough moment with one of my students. It made me realize that I’m actually teaching and my students are learning! One of my students has been telling me since the first day of school that he can’t read. On Friday, during reading groups, he finished writing before the other students in his group, and I gave him the reader to preview while I helped the other students finish up. Without prompting from me, he opened his book and blended each word, said each word, and then read the entire sentence without my help! I AM SO PROUD OF HIM! It was the best moment of teaching so far. It feels like all my hard work is finally paying off and my students are beginning to “get” it! It is really exciting.
Never mind about the Stitch Fix post, haha. I was too busy this week to take pictures of the clothes I decided to keep to do a separate Stitch Fix unboxing post. I kept a grey and white Aztec printed blanket cardigan. It was pricey, but something I wanted, so I decided to splurge. Upon closer examination I realized it was 10% cashmere, which explains the cost. It was worth it though, I wore it to school and it was soft and warm. I also got a plaid button up top that I kept because it was soft. The colors on it are not ones I usually wear, but they are great colors for fall and look good on me. The last thing I kept was a pair of thick black leggings. I wear leggings a lot under dresses and tunics, and the thicker fabric these have will keep me warmer in the harsh Alaskan winter. Also, my other pair of black leggings is getting pretty shabby. I’ve had them since 8th grade! I sent back a purple tunic that was nothing special, especially for $88. The other thing was a floral scarf that Collin said reminded him of a couch. Since couches aren’t all that cute, I sent the scarf back to Stitch Fix. All in all, my first box was pretty good. Stitch Fix listened to my requests and sent great items. It was nice to get a box full of clothes sent to the village, especially since the closest mall is 400 miles away! I get lots of compliments on my outfits, so it was nice to get some new items to incorporate into my wardrobe, so I can continue to bring style to the village, haha. :) This box was full of kinda pricey items, so I adjusted my style profile, and will hopefully get more affordable items in December, when my second box comes. If you’re interested in trying Stitch Fix for yourself, click HERE!
We’ve been in school for 19 days now, and the students and I have gotten in to a nice routine. This week I tested the students to get their benchmark literacy and math skills, so now I know where they all are and can better meet their needs. I love being my 11 students’ teacher. We have our ups and downs, just like any class, but I wouldn’t have it any other way. Our district has inservice days on the next 2 Mondays, so we have 3 4 day weeks in a row, with last week being Labor Day weekend. I’m not gonna lie, inservice days are pretttty boring, but it’s also nice to get a little break from the kids and have a shorter week with them, because man, they wear me out sometimes. I even went to bed at 8 on Thursday night, so I could wake up refreshed and ready for my students!
I meant to blog earlier this week, but by the end of the school day, I’m too exhausted to do anything but relax. (It’s a good exhausted, though.) This week, I went berry picking with another teacher, or tried to at least. We went out on the tundra and ended up finding about 7 blueberries. The natives have been saying the berries haven’t been as plentiful as in the past. They are also saying that it is getting colder quicker than it usually does which makes the berries go out of season faster. That’s not the case for all of Alaska, though. The other teacher was telling me that one of her student’s mom’s got on a plane to go pick berries somewhere, and came back with bucketfulls. My meager pickings were kind of disappointing; as I was hoping to make some blueberry muffins, but it was still a neat experience, and the few, small berries we got were pretty tasty!
And just like that, my second week of teaching is in the books! This week was smooth sailing compared to last week. My students have gotten used to me and our classroom routines and procedures. I have been firm, fair, and consistent dealing with behavior issues, and my students know what to expect when they break rules. They also know what to expect when they do well following the rules! This week went by really fast, and I’m sure the rest of the school year will, too!
Well, I did attempt to blog after the first day of school, but my iPad, slower internet, or a combination of the two decided not to upload it right. So here I am on Sunday night before the second week of school, looking back on how my first week as a teacher went. All in all, I think it went rather well. My eleven first grade students just came from 2 months of having no structure, little discipline, and the ability to do whatever they want during their summer vacation. Adjusting to rules and procedures was tough for them, but I was patient and consistent, and it started to pay off by the end of the week. Classroom management is something I think I will continue to struggle in as I find techniques that will meet both my needs and my students'. I'm not at the point I wish I was at, but I've had a lot of assurance from my principal and the other primary teachers. I really enjoy the sense of family that everyone in the school has. It is awesome to have support and nice to know I'm not alone.
I've been in Akiachak for about 3 weeks now, getting settled in and acquainted with the other teachers, school workers, and villagers. So far, I absolutely love it here! The Kuskokwim river is beautiful, the villagers are amazingly helpful, and the school staff is very supportive. The first day of school starts tomorrow, and I'm very excited to meet my 11 firsties! I've spent the last few weeks setting up my classroom, planning lessons, getting our house unpacked and organized, and getting to know the people around us. Last weekend we went fishing with a Yupik couple and a few other teachers, and Collin went with our neighbor yesterday, so our geezer is nice and stocked up with salmon! Here's a look at my classroom and I will try to let you know how tomorrow goes soon, I'm sure it will be a busy, fun-filled, and exciting day! I graduated from K-State a couple weeks ago. It was a fun and exciting day with family and friends! I am waiting on K-State to fill out some paperwork, and when I get that back I can complete and send in my application to get my Alaska teaching license. Yesterday, Collin and I mailed our first tote of belongings to Alaska. It was a bunch of classroom decorations! Soon, I will set up a PO Box and we will be able to start sending our clothes and other personal belongings. In 10 days, I will be heading to Akiachak for a week for new teacher orientation. I will get to meet the other teachers new to the district, explore the village I will be living in, see my classroom, school, and house, and learn more about the native people. I am super excited, but also a bit nervous. This will be my first time flying on an airplane, and with 4 connecting flights and about a 14 hour journey, I'm sure it will be a very interesting experience! Check back in the middle of June to see how orientation went and see pictures of what I was up to!
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Hello!My name is Jessie Jones and I am a second year first grade teacher in Akiachak, Alaska. Archives
September 2016
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