The first days of school

What do you remember about your first days of school?

As a student:  walking into classrooms that were unfamiliar, meeting teachers for the first time, getting syllabus after syllabus and learning what was to be done for the year.  Catching up with friends that you had lost contact with over the summer and getting back into the clubs and activities that didn't occupy your time while you were lazy during those long summer months.

As a teacher:  all of the prep time it took to get to that first day of school.  Meeting all the new students, trying to remember a TON of names and faces only to have to ask them again the next day.  (or the next minute) and worrying about where your resources were going to come from.

Before

After, from the front, my desk & student help area to the left

As a teacher in Alaska:  The first day; I only have 5 students so far?  Really!?  The other two are due to show up a little later but then I'll only have 7!   Wait, all the subjects?  Oh boy, that's a TON of prep time ahead of me.  Math, they are all in different levels, 2 History levels too?  Wait, Science, 2 of them as well?  How many standards, strands, etc?  How do I know when they are proficient?  Signing on the first time on the first day and the internet is down (quick email *which still worked oddly due to the bug) which was back up quickly.  Profile sheets for every subject.  Literature books too?  Oh gosh, I'm overwhelmed.  Thank goodness there was technology and Physical education.

Science area, books are now off desks because kids are here.

Technology.  I got this one in the bag.  Thank you WOU.  Oh ya, forgot one little part, I had not used a SMARTboard in 3 years.  Guess what, when a student tells you that "you can circle and tap to erase" you feel pretty dumb.  Yes, you can and it works really well if you can reach the top of the board.  It was hung for the last teacher who was nice and tall.  I have a great yard stick that has no metal points that I use for the top of the board and I basically write on the bottom 2/3rd's.  It's all good though and they were excited with what else I showed them the rest of the day.  Plus, when I introduced them to their MacBooks, showed them Photo Booth and then remotely accessed one of them to put onto the board while they were playing they figured out that I can see everything they do at any moment.  Oh honest statement;  "Oh!  That will keep me from doing a ton of stuff then!"

My books for all the different levels the kids are in, not even all of them

Physical Education.  A no brainer.  I've been doing this for years.  A year of student teaching and 3 years of teaching.  Nothing more than a band-aid needed.  Well, that streak is out the window!  What happens today?  The second day of school?  A great big broken arm.  Both bones in the right forearm, visible deformity and one trooper of a kid.  You get to be flown out of town for something like that.  He was awesome about it and is doing well at the last update.







The kids called me "Bone Breaker" for the rest of the day and continued to make me feel like a heel with comments all in good nature.  Time for science, better put those goggles on, don't wanna put out an eye, you know what happened in PE today.

It's all good, I just feel terrible.

On the upside, the class is up and going and seems to be doing well.

WOU Day

Each day brings with it new things to add to the list. One that has been forgotten and put on the back burner is the trip over to WOU for Eric. He's going back into school so that he can finish up his degree. This is a big reason why it's easy for me to go to Alaska for a few years. We know he's got a few of them to go and that I can be busy there while he is busy here and then we'll be able to decide what to do from there on out.

Today is a visit day for him. We are going to see an advisor to figure out just what he needs to accomplish and in what order and how long we can expect these things to take him. 1:45 today should be a very informative time. I think we are going to head over a bit early in hopes of catching a nice lunch at the ever infamous Yang's!

Aside from that, not much is on the list today. I think it will be a good day to come home and work on the guest room for Colby and pack a little bit. Knowing what I can wear for the next few days will help in getting everything else clean and ready for Alaska suitcases and bags. One more box just might go in the mail. We'll have to see about that because the boots I bought in Boise are awful big and will take up a lot of space. Good thing they aren't so heavy, maybe they'll go in the bag with the gun and heavy ammo. Only time will tell.

For now though, a trip to WOU and some packing and cleaning will expend the time for this day. So long, I have much to do!

9 days and counting.............

Graduation day support

Yesterday was a pretty big day. Family came out to support me as I walked across the stage with 739 people to receive a degree. Many of those people I did not know, had never met and might only come across them in passing again. The walk through professors was a walk through my past. It spanned back through a time where I was just out of high school and headed into college not knowing much and trusting some of them with my life. (Coach Caster and the hammer throw!) I saw professors whom I admire, respect and have grown to love. Many asked how I was doing and then asked about the teaching I'll be doing in Alaska. For those who might just be joining, I hope you enjoy the journey.

To my family who came and supported me (by getting sore bums and backs while playing iPad) yesterday day in the stands, thank you. The graduation was long but I was happy to have you there! Plus, wasn't the name reader's voice totally worth it?! It was like a wonderful song that kept on forever. I wonder how long he had to practice those obscure names to get them just right?

On the flip side, I keep receiving information from my school district. A friend of mine and I who are arriving in Anchorage together are going to be flying from Anchorage to King Salmon together as well. I like that idea. We received a letter/email that gives us a $50 credit for Lake and Peninsula School District (LPSD) logo clothing. That's the next step for me today, I love sporting the school colors/logos! Then there is the idea of more packing. Wait...more...how about I start with figuring out what I am really going to pack, what I am going to ship and figuring out what address I need to ship it to!

My passport came yesterday. It's pretty official looking, though the picture looks more like a mug shot than an ok travel picture. I know you aren't supposed to smile in it but a smirk would have at least been nice. Darn it, I'm saddled with that picture now for 10 years! Oh well, as long as it gets me where I want to go if I ever need to leave the country, it will work for me.

So many things happened yesterday, life changing, transcript changing, moving forward onto the next step. I sure hope I am ready because it just keeps getting closer.

54 days...