Patience

Tuesday, March 19th

The Sunrises were pretty amazing

The teachers who have connections out of state seemed to be less enthusiastic than those who are from Alaska. I got a strong vibe from many that they were ready to leave. Not particularly because they did not like the people here, but because they felt too isolated. I know that one may be leaving because of disagreements with the district policies or expectations, but it seems like there are other reasons as well. From what I understand there are about 6 teachers leaving at the end of this school year, most of which leaving in pairs because they are married, but that cuts the staff down by about a third.

The Yup'ik classroom was huge.

And so was the wood shop.

And the metals shop

The Yup'ik Studies class was the best experience I had in the school. I got to see all of the age groups, and also see how the teachers interact with students. Both are native Yu'pik speakers and they are very well connected to the community, likely related to some students and friends to others. I feel like they were more successful because they can connect with the pre teen and teen students. The subject area is also really interesting, and relative to them. While most parents speak to their children in English, the Yup'ik language is still spoken and understood between the elders.


Speaking of elders, I had the interesting experience of seeing how involved the community is with this school. In the morning, some women come to the Yup'ik room and sit, observe, and work on their own projects silently. It's amazing how quiet and patient they are, and I think I have a lot to learn from that. The elder men often sit in the cafeteria and observe, and also get lunch provided just as the students do.

The school has amazing facilities for vocational training. Welders, woodworking tools and equipment, and the space to work on all of it is just amazing. The school is huge for the population, but it's obvious that not all of it is being used, mostly because it is not fully integrated. The school is practically deserted after 4 pm.


Something I learned by the second day was the awareness of patience. While the younger generation may not have it with many things, the older generation is extremely patient. I adore the way the elders can simply sit and observe. I feel like a child when I'm sitting and fidgeting and unable to just sit and observe like they do. I realized that the pace of life here is different. The need to fill a day from when you wake up to when you go to bed is non existent. I can't speak for the families in town, but I feel like the pace of the school day is pretty loose and not rushed.

A few more things to note:

for being a 45 minute flight away from the coast, it is mighty windy here.

The local teachers were no more welcoming the second night.

I keep hearing about how great this school is and how involved it is with the community. But the vibe I get from some teachers is a little disheartening.

The students had gotten to know me and by Tuesday and the little ones have gone from the confused and curious stage to the 'I'm going to hug you and let's play tag!' stage. I began to think that I would like to be with the younger ones rather than the old ones. More energy and willingness to learn.