Hello Friends and Family!
As
you can see, it has been quite sometime since our most recent blog. Amy and I have been very busy with our newest
professions, and sitting at a computer at night hasn’t really been at the top
our lists of things do to.
We
are officially more than one quarter of the way through the school year and the
kids have shown so much progress and silliness! My first three months of
teaching out in the bush has opened my eyes to the many positive sides of
teaching. I have built wonderful
relationships with each of my kids, and look forward to hanging out with them
every single day. I have been blessed
with such a uniquely squirrely group of 2nd graders (10 boys, 2
girls) as they have taught me much about self-control and patience.
Teaching
in the bush also has its unique challenges.
I continue to have severe behavioral issues from a seven year old boy,
which has caused my stress level to increase from 1 to 2 :). He
unfortunately does not have parents who view education as an asset, and is
currently in the long process of dropping out of school. Everyone within the district is trying as
hard as possible to support this child, but without consistency from the
parents, we are fighting an uphill battle.
I cannot even begin to imagine what lays ahead for this young man, and
it hurts to think about a child wanting to drop out of school, especially at
such a young age.
On
the flip side, I have continuously annoyed my kids' parents so much that they
are now starting to see how seriously I take my job. In the Yupik
culture, parents believe in independence at a very young age, hence allowing a
7-year-old boy to drop out and pretty much do what they please. That is why there is a common theme of a lack
of boundaries and seriousness when it comes to school. Many teachers say it is pretty much
impossible to talk to parents, but with my persistence, I have now been in
touch with every single one. And during
my first conferences, I had 7 of the 11 parents show up!
My
lovely wife and I went up river a few weeks ago to look for moose and do some
shooting. We went up about 10 miles and
stopped at a sandbar to shoot a few shotguns, a glock, and a few other
pistols. Amy I and were in awe of all
the fall colors and the fact that we were able to see trees for the first time
in over two months. We were able to try fresh moose, raw salmon cheek, and even raw jellyfish. We have tried to
stay as active as possible, as there are limited forms of entertainment in
Togiak Alaska!
It
took about three months, but the homesickness and loneliness has begun to sink
in. We were aware that this would
happen, but were hoping to avoid this until late winter. It is difficult for us to truly enjoy our
time off together, as we pretty much come home and have the same routine of
dinner, movie, and reading every night. That is very relaxing, but the lack of
variety can get a bit boring after about 100 days! We’re continuing to focus on
the positives and stay in good spirits as this will truly benefit the kids we
are here to support.
Thank
you for all your love and support as we continue our journey in Alaska! Your
calls, letters, texts, and packages mean more to us than you could possibly
imagine. We are incredibly excited to
experience Alaska at it’s finest over its six month winter. More to come soon.
