Holidays in Scammon Bay

There are a lot of events, stories, and people I could write about, but since we're still on Christmas break, I thought I'd share what Drew and I have done over the past couple weeks. If this is too long to read, here's a summary: Christmas in Hawaii school program, church services, spending time with neighbors, video calling family, and a quick trip to Anchorage.

On Tuesday evening of the last week of school we had our school Christmas program. The theme was "Christmas in Hawaii" and students made palm trees and other decorations to make the gym look fun and festive. Each elementary grade performed a song/dance/skit, and I had a group of 8th graders do a little reading skit, and then the high school guitar and choir classes performed a couple songs. To top of the night, Santa (who looks a lot like Drew for no apparent reason) showed up! The little kids were super excited, and Santa was a good sport as he had over 100 kids come and sit on his lap for a picture.

On Christmas Eve afternoon we skyped--sorry Google hang-out-ed--with Drew's family in Washington and California and opened our gifts. It was really fun to talk with them, and especially to see our little niece and nephew.

In the evening we had Christmas Eve service at church, which was filled to the brim! I played the viola and we had several guitarists as well. Drew had been taking the youth through Advent the previous four weeks, lighting candles and talking about the message each represents, so during the service he got up several times to read just a little bit about each candle as one of our youth came up to light it. They haven't really done Advent candles here, or at least in a long time, but it went over really well. A lot of families or groups of people sang special songs, and Pastor Jason preached. It was different from many Christmas Eve services I've been to, but just as warm and joyful.

After service Drew and I continued our tradition of Christmas Eve Chinese food with frozen egg rolls we bought at the store (no Chinese restaurants in Scammon Bay!) and some home made steamed rolls. Our neighbors invited us over to hang out with them and their family, so we spent some time over there eating treats and tracking Santa online with their little grandkids. It was really wonderful to be with a family on Christmas Eve, even if it wasn't our families.

Christmas morning we skyped with my family to open presents and talked with them. The wonders of modern technology, where you can see people's reactions to your gifts hundreds of miles away!

Some other neighbors invited us over for Christmas dinner so we went over there about 5. We brought some of our own culture: Swedish meatballs, rice pudding, and peppakaker. They really enjoyed it all.

The day after Christmas we flew out to Anchorage to do some shopping and take a mini vacation. We got stuck in Bethel overnight, but fortunately the associate pastor of the Covenant church there let us stay with him and his family. We eventually made it to Anchorage and a had a great time relaxing, seeing movies, and stocking up for the next few months.

We got back to Scammon on New Year's Eve, and it was good to be home. We had a late church service and at midnight the town shot off fireworks down at the airport, and everyone went outside to shoot their guns in the air.

Now these last few days of break are just working on projects around here and getting ready for school on Monday! It's been a well-needed break, and a nice relaxing one too. Here's to the next semester!

A Snowy Sunday Morning

There's nothing like being curled up on the couch on a snowy Sunday morning with a good cup of coffee (Yes, I said snowy. It's not currently snowing, but there's a light dusting on the ground from yesterday). One nice thing about our church here is that it doesn't start until 11, and it takes about 3 minutes to walk there. And we could leave at 11 and still be on time! It's really good to get to sleep in two days a week.

Teaching here is good and exhausting. Since it's my first year there's the normal figuring out of the curriculum, grading, how to teach certain topics, getting to know the school, and keeping the kids engaged in what we're learning, in addition to the challenges of teaching in the Bush. Fortunately, I have an awesome staff to work with, and everyone is helpful and supportive. Not going to lie-- there have been days that have ended in tears, but God is good, and I've been able to go back the next day. Most of the time I really enjoy my students and what I'm teaching. Each day is different, and best of all--No more boring Spanish videos!!

Outside of school we've been getting to know people through church and just walking around town. Drew has gone hunting and brought back several geese (which we've then had to clean and cut up, but more on that in another post). I've been playing the viola in church, which is fun, and going to craft night up at the school. A couple weeks ago I went and sang with a group that gets together and sings every week or so, and we sang some hymns and gospel songs, and (I listened mostly) some Y'upik (the native language) songs.

It's a beautiful country up here. We're about a mile from the Bering Sea, right between a river and a small mountain. Out our front window, past the town, is just miles and miles of marsh and tundra, thousands of tiny lakes and bogs. There aren't really any trees around here, but there are some bushes and tall grasses that have changed color with the Fall. The days get shorter very quickly. Already the sun doesn't come up till 9:30 am and sets around 8:00 pm. It's been in the low 30s this week (those are the highs) and windy. The wind is almost strong enough to knock you over if you're not careful!

There's a lot to tell about, but I should close this for now. I hope to start writing more often, so check back soon! Thank you all for your prayers and support. We appreciate them more than you know!

First Quarter

 A picture of my classroom.

Well, I have completed my first quarter as a Spanish teacher (for those of you not in Olathe, a quarter is about 9 weeks; half of a semester). It hasn't always been easy, but it has been mostly fun. Every day we start by going over the calendar, and I ask the students for the date and the day of the week.  Then we watch a video (usually about 15 minutes, though sometimes I skip parts), and afterwards play a game or do a worksheet.
The kids have been pretty good, though sometimes I have to take away a star or two (their reward system to earn a "fun day"). I'm slowly starting to learn all 500 or so names. I can usually remember at least several per class, and today I saw a few kids at the Book Fair and actually knew their names!

(Side note: the Book Fair is this week, and I am soooooo excited. I love the Book Fair!)

Some days are rough though. I've got several classes that are challenging, sometimes just to get kids to stay in their chairs. I have several kids per day (sometimes per class) asking to go to the nurse, to the bathroom, to get a drink, to get a band-aid....honestly it wears you down, especially when 83% of the time they're really just bored.

In the realm outside of school, life is going pretty well. Drew and I have been married for almost 4 months now. Crazy. He's enjoying youth, and I'm helping him out for game nights and on the second Sunday of each month. My friend Bekah just sent me the next Percy Jackson book, which I've already finished. :)

It's a short week this week, due to Parent/Teacher conferences, so Drew and I are planning to do something fun on one of my days off. Oh yeah, and I have to be there for a couple hours of P/T conferences... wish me luck!

First Days

 
As I was looking over my blog, which I haven't changed in a while, I noticed how fitting the verse at the top was yet again. I started a blog when I studied abroad in Costa Rica, as a way of updating friends and family of my adventures. And now I'm teaching Spanish, a very new venture, which deems it quite appropriate to have the words "Be strong and courageous" in Spanish and English posted at the top. It's always a little intimidating to start a new job, and teaching is no different. Your first class comes in, they find a seat, you shut the door, take a deep breath... and turn around to see 19 faces, waiting for you to start. Watching to see what you'll do and how you'll do it. I'll freely admit, my heart was pounding more than just a little those first several times, and every time a new class comes in I'm always just a little nervous to see how they'll respond.

Thankfully I start my day with the oldest group: the 5th graders, the grade closest to my certification. I think I'll like them (I think I'll like all my grades, but of course for different reasons). The 5th graders already know a lot of Spanish, they know how to behave in a classroom (mostly), and they laugh at my jokes (sometimes).

Kindergarten will probably be the hardest class, at least at first, because they're still learning how to be in a classroom (a couple of them like to run up to the board and play with things, or spin in circles while we're trying to do an activity). Two of the K classes are small, and one has several paras, which is kind of nice, but the other two classes have 23 or so. That is a lot of very small children to look after all at once. I have a re-found respect for kindergarten teachers.

The first couple days have passed by mostly in a blur. I've introduced myself 16 times now, and have ten more to go this coming week.  I've given 16 "tours" of my classroom, and have heard 333 names. I have taught 3 lessons, and have three more tomorrow.  The nice thing is, the day goes by pretty fast, since it's in half-hour increments, though by the end of the day I'm exhausted. I'm sure, however, that once the introductions and set-ups are over, everything will run much more smoothly and will (hopefully!) be less tiring.

I am mostly having fun, and everyone at the school has been very nice and helpful. Tomorrow starts a full week, so perhaps I'll update on that sometime next weekend.
Until then, ¡Dios te compaña!

Drumroll please...

Tomorrow I have my first official day at my new job.

I will be teaching Spanish at an elementary school. What's my degree in, you may ask? English and Secondary Education. Confused? It's okay.

I never thought I'd end up teaching at an elementary school, let alone teaching Spanish at an elementary school. I heard about the job through one of my former Spanish teachers, and after applying and a couple interviews, the job was mine! It really has been a blessing: since I'm still waiting on stuff to apply for my Kansas teaching license, I wouldn't be able to start subbing right away, and since this job is full time, it includes benefits (which we may or may not need).

Even though it may not be my dream job, I really am excited to start. This is my first ever full-time job. It's only 10-15 minutes away from our apartment. And it's teaching Spanish, a language I love almost as much as English. Tonight was the "sneak-a-peek" for kids and their families, where they get to come in and meet their teachers. Nobody really came to my room, which was fine, but I got to hear some of the things kids were saying in the hallway, and some of it was hilarious. And they are so tiny! I remember my first day of mini-teaching 6th grade: I walked into the classroom and my first thought was, "They are so little." Now I'm teaching kindergarteners, some of whom barely seem big enough to be out of diapers. This will definitely be a change from working with Sophomores and Seniors for ten weeks in Chicago.

But as another teacher pointed out to me, kids are kids. I'm sure that once I figure out where everything is and what is supposed to happen each day, it will be fun. I've met most of the people in the building (though don't ask me to remember their names yet!) and everyone has been really nice.

Tomorrow is a "prep" day since it's just a half day for students. And then Thursday the real test begins. A Day.

Here we go.

Try, try again.

Okay, so I may be one of the worst bloggers ever... a lot has happened in the past few months. :) Let me fill you in:
1. I completed my student teaching experience. It was really hard and overwhelming sometimes, but I like the students I was working with (in general) and my cooperating teacher was great. I learned a lot, and I'm very grateful for the chance to teach there.

2. I graduated from North Park University. A bittersweet day to be sure, but very exciting too. My official degree is a Bachelor of Arts in English: Creative Writing, and a Secondary Education Certificate. Woohoo!

3. I moved back home (for a short time) and started working at the church I grew up with as the part-time, temporary admin for the Blue Valley site. That has been an amazing blessing. My then-fiancé got the job as the youth pastor for the Blue Valley site, and then the site pastor called me and asked if I was interested in being their admin for the summer. My job is to help with the transition from the previous admin to a different full-time admin, and to be kind of a go-for (running bulletins and offering, picking up this or that, filling out this form, ordering that book, etc.) It's actually a lot of fun. :)

4. Oh, and I got married! ;) Almost two weeks ago, Drew and I got married at Lakewood Middle School. Why in a middle school you ask? Well, because it's the place that our church (Hillcrest Blue Valley, the aforementioned site) has been meeting for the past several years. It's the church where Drew is now the youth pastor, and where we will be attending for as long as God calls us here. So we though, what they hey? Let's do it! It turned out way better than even I had thought: we had an amazing group of people to help us set up, and over 200 people came to help us celebrate on the 16th. We had a blast! Then Drew and I left for a week up in Maine, where we saw some moose, went camping and hiking in Acadia National Park, rode on a sailboat, saw a lumberjack show, walked around downtown Portland, played on the beach, and basically had a fantastic time.

5. Now we're settling into our new apartment, getting back into the swing of things. We love our apartment and it was a blessing to find, but it lacks storage space, so we're having to get very creative with finding places to put all our stuff. We're back working at church, and VBS at Blue Valley starts in a little over a week. I'm still looking for a job for the fall, though I do have a substitute position if nothing else comes through.

Now that school is over and the wedding is over and I have a little more free time (for now, ha!) I'm going to try to start writing this blog again. I know this is the 3rd or 4th time I've tried to pick it up since leaving Costa Rica, but I really like blogging, and I need to keep writing.

Well, that's all for now. Be back soon!

On Tuesday I start student teaching. I'm excited and a little nervous, which I suppose is expected. I finished mini-teaching (which is a mini version of student teaching) a week ago, and it was a good experience in which I learned a lot. Part of me feels ready to teach, to actually try out what I've been learning for the past three years. Part of me feels completely unprepared and terrified to go interact with high schoolers all day. To be called by my last name and call teachers by their first names. To come up with lesson plans and grade things and assign homework and talk basically all day. And then come home for a couple hours before going to class again. Lord help!

But I am excited, really. A lot of exciting things are happening. I'm getting married in four months minus 3 days(!). My husband-to-be has a job already lined up, in my hometown area. Wedding plans are coming along (that's a difficult question to answer, by the way. When people ask how are wedding plans coming, I usually answer "They're coming," because it's a difficult thing to really pin down...). I LOVE my creative writing senior seminar class; it's a great group of people and I'm getting to write fiction again. I have a great roommate and friends to play games and watch movies with (yes we are very cool).

And in two days I get to practice being a real teacher! Here we go!