What a difference a week makes! Bring on Quarter 2!

Ok, I apologize for my super-emo blog from last week. It was not uplifting in the least, and even I am depressed when I re-read it. I will try to keep those types of "vent" blogs to a minimum, but come on, it's my first year teaching - - I feel like I should be cut a little slack!

So, a week later and a week wiser, I am ready for the second quarter of school to begin. Well, I am ready as I'll ever be, I suppose. Do we teachers ever feel 100% prepared? All I can do is try!

We had a fun little quasi-vacation in Unalakleet for teacher in-service this past week. We flew in Monday, played a mean (if not victorious) game of volleyball in the all-district staff tourney, went to workshops all day Tuesday and Wednesday, and flew home Thursday afternoon. In between all of the work, we were able to snag some play time with friends from our own site and around the district.

Friday was a teacher workday back home in Stebbins, and I spent my day preparing myself physically and mentally for the new quarter. I rearranged my classroom which drastically improved the atmosphere and majorly boosted my morale, and I created new seating charts for my classes which helped me to visualize what my classes would look like and get me mentally prepared to greet my students for the new quarter. I finished the day with some mad collaboration time with my middle school compatriots, as we sketched out what our soon-to-be-instated after school intervention time would look like.  All in all, a productive day at the end of a busy week.

Other highlights of my week included:
-My new handmade seal and beaver fur hat purchased in Unalakleet which has totally changed my life re: outdoor apparrel,
-A honda ride to neighboring St. Michael on Friday to test the integrity of said hat; it passed with flying colors. Rarely when outdoors have my ears been so not cold. Miraculous.
-Bonding time with my fellow Stebbins staffmates in Unalakleet = priceless.
-Way too much good food, including: homemade cinnamon rolls (Ben), lemon cake (me) and German Apple Cake (Kaisa).
-A refreshed and motivated attitude re: the second quarter of school. I am feeling much more comfortable with my job and teaching practice, even just a week removed from my minor breakdown at the end of the first quarter. Bring it on!

Modeling my fabulous new hat

Side view. No seals or beavers were harmed in the making of this hat.

....JUST KIDDING

Furniture re-arranging SKILLZ. I got 'em from my MAMA!

Facing the back of the classroom

Roman has become the king of the awkward sleeping position...on this couch, in particular. So funny.

Well, there you have it people...Life in Alaska goes on. I just finished getting my plans for the week wrapped up, and all I have left are copies to be made in the morning. Thank you, as always, for reading!

XOXOjane

One Quarter Down, Three To Go...

Is it possible that I actually am done with the first quarter of my first year as an official teacher? It sure doesn't feel like it...the stack of 'to be graded' and 'to be entered' student work I have been hauling around hither and yon in my teacher tote is a daily reminder that I do not, in fact, have it as 'together' as I would like. Let's just say, purchasing the complete series of Sex and the City on DVD was a good idea in theory, but it hasn't done much to bolster my work ethic. When I leave school with my bag-o-papers, with the best intentions of spending the evening grading like a fiend, all of that motivation disperses as soon as I hit my doorstep. At that point, all I want to do is put on my sweats and fluffy robe, brew a hot mug of Starbucks Via, and curl up with Carrie and the girls. This lifestyle choice is going to come back and bite me in the butt sooner rather than later, of this I am sure. My tendencies toward procrastination have only been magnified since graduating from college, it would seem. I work my tail off in my classroom every day, just trying to stay a step ahead of my students. There are days when I close the door behind them feeling like I am God's gift to the teaching profession, and there are other days when I feel like Roman the Poodle could have taught the lesson more effectively. Lately, it seems like the latter, more often than not. I am starting to get bogged down with all the minutiae like toggling and test scores and intervention plans and standards and proficient vs. not and on and on and on...and suddenly I am the one feeling less than proficient!

We have this upcoming week off of school for teacher in-service. We will travel to Unalakleet tomorrow and stay until Thursday, then we will return to Stebbins and work here on Friday. It will be nice to have a week to sort of 're-set' myself as best I can, though at this point not only do I have weeks of work to get caught up on, I have weeks yet to plan. So while this break that isn't really a break will be a not unwelcome respite from my darling chicklins, I am still stressed to the max and looking for any excuse to crawl back in bed with my chocolate and my coffee and my escapist television.

I apologize to those of you who came looking for adventure and excitement on this page and found this instead...but if I can't vent on my own blog, where can I? I still love my job, I just don't love the way I am doing it right now. This one's on me...I need to seriously kick myself in the butt, or hire someone else to kick me, instead of waiting to hit that inevitable procrastination wall like I always do, where I have the motivation but I don't have the time. Someone please save me from myself!

The sun is out again today but it is freezing cold and the wind is howling. It seems appropriately tundra-esque, all things considered. Love and stressed out, chocolate covered kisses from your girl here in Alaska (and big, hairy, poodle smooches from Ro) - -

XOXOjane

Update Time!

Hello loyal followers, I am pleased to bring you yet another thrilling installment containing the very latest updates from my amazing Alaskan life! It is October, and already the first quarter of school is coming to an end. I can't believe how fast this year is going! Some days I feel like I have accomplished very little in the past two months, and other days I am just amazed by how much my life has changed in so short a time. Teaching is going well for the most part. I am still working on finding my groove in the classroom and in my teaching practice, but each day brings more confidence and that much more experience. There have definitely been days where I wonder if I am really doing OK or if I am just doing a really good job of faking it, but on those days I know I can turn to my wonderful support net of friends and co-workers who are more than happy to prop me back up.

The weather has definitely turned in the past few weeks. It actually snowed a bit a few weeks ago, and temperatures are consistently in the 30s. The sky is blue, though, and the sun is still shining most days, though our daylight is shrinking rapidly. I am trying to enjoy it while it lasts - stocking up in preparation for the long winter, I guess.

Roman is enjoying his new life in Alaska, though I know he misses his poodle family. He has made lots of new human friends, and is a favorite of the staff and the students. To say that he is the most popular poodle in Stebbins is in no way an exaggeration! He enjoys his newfound celebrity and all the attention it brings :)

Volleyball season started for me two weeks ago, though it barely seems like it, as my team has shown up only sporadically. It frustrates me because I take volleyball perhaps a bit too seriously, but still - coaching is such a nice stress release, it would be a welcome addition to my day. We still have time to get it together before competition begins, so I hope my kids decide to make the commitment to come to practice every day. If not...well, Lord knows I have plenty of other things to keep me busy!

Overall, life is good. Stebbins and bush life in general seem to be agreeing with me, which is a pleasant surprise. It's nice to feel like I know where I am going with my life - this is something I can see myself doing for a few years at least. I am finally somewhat able to answer one of the most frequently asked questions I get about teaching up here: "How long are you going to be there?"At this point, another year (or more?) seems more than doable...provided I do, in fact, make it through the winter ;)

XOXOjane