I am still in Shishmaref, Alaska...teaching third grade. But that, too, is "winding down" as I'm 99% sure I will call it quits in May when the school year is over. So, let's "talk" about that decision....
I started teaching in 1978. I was laid off for three years after the "infamous strike" in East Jordan in 1980. During that time, I taught two years of Co-op Nursery School and did some subbing in the public school. I'm figuring I have approximately 36 years in my teaching career. A lot has changed and I'm not convinced it's for the better. In fact, I'm not happy with what I've experienced in education and I certainly feel sorry for the kids. Teaching was a lot of fun at one time and the staff worked well together and enjoyed what we were doing. Most everyone was willing to go that extra mile to make things fun so that the kids enjoyed being in school, too. I'm talking about all the "extras" we put into our job because we didn't feel so stressed-out. I have hope that with the recent signing of a new education bill..."Every Child Achieves"....(doing away with NCLB...No Child Left Behind) things will improve. Having spent time in a bush village school, it's obvious that "one size does NOT fit all" (and I'm not referring to the weight I've gained since I've been up here). Part of my frustrations here are with the curriculum. Oh, my....let me just say....I viewed the local Bilingual program's past curriculum and if the government would back off and let these folks teach what is valid for this culture and location....these kids would benefit beyond belief. The curriculum that I had the opportunity to go over (which has been pushed out of the school more and more "in favor of" packaged programs from the Lower 48) was awesome....and culturally-relevant. I am left to sadly shake my head at what we are losing here and elsewhere.
There's more leading to my decision to leave Shishmaref and education....it wasn't an easy decision. I won't use this forum to "gripe" and besides, my close friends know what I'm talking about. Sometimes, you just have to ask yourself, "Are you happy with what you are doing right now? Remember that life is short." I will say this....I should probably thank some of the people that have irritated me the most because they probably helped me close a door....which led to another one opening somewhere else! I am anxious to see what lies ahead in my future because I'm sure it will be wonderful and/or interesting.
Anyway, between having my every move observed, evaluated, mandated, and dictated....and having to deal with things beyond my control....I'm done...20 weeks from today.....Wednesday....so we can definitely sing the traditional "Wednesday Song"! Ha....we can sing! That reminds me of the sign I posted above my third grade classroom door back in East Jordan when I officially retired in Michiga. It said, "The Fat Lady's Singing." Well, folks, I'm tuning up for the second rendition of that song!
It's important to point out that there will be people I will sorely miss here in Shishmaref. The experiences I have had over the last five years will stay with me forever....or at least as long as my memory holds out! Seriously, a door closed back in East Jordan five years ago and another one opened up here in Shishmaref. It was the fulfillment of a dream that began with my trip to China back in 1993. I'll toss out a "thank you" to Shirley Bishop for putting the initial bug in my ear about teaching in a rural Alaska village. I will be forever grateful to all of my friends and family for the encouragement and support I received along the way and also to all the good people of Shishmaref.
Here's a picture of me signing my contract to teach in Shishmaref back in 2011:
Speaking of which....I have to scoot for awhile....to get into the gym for the fifth night of Christmas Week festivities. Now THAT'S definitely a memory I will want to keep. What a hoot! We definitely don't do anything like that back home!
And I'm back.....! I'm sure I have explained in earlier posts about the Christmas Week festivities in Shishmaref. In case you are not aware, here's what happens. Each day beginning the day after Christmas, there are dog team races and foot races. In the evening, the community comes together for the awarding of places and gifts. The IRA sponsors these activities and they give each and every participant a bagful of goodies. Then each person is given an empty garbage bag which is then filled with gifts from the community members. This goes on for a couple hours. Afterwards, there are games for the women to play and then the traditional Eskimo games for the men. I am especially looking forward to tomorrow night when the "Two Foot High Kick" is held. It's amazing how high some of these men can kick. You can search online for images of this event held throughout Alaska. According to Wikipedia, the men's record in the event is 8 feet 8 inches and the women's record is 6 feet 6 inches.
On my day of racing, I "walked" (my knee is still messed up from my first year up here) in the "ELDER" (I earn some respect up here merely by my age....ha!) Women's race with another villager. We had a fun time prodding each other along. Here's a picture of the evening ceremony:
The losing men's team in Eskimo football will have to give out coffee and cookies tomorrow night in the gym. There will be more awards and gifts given out for the final day of dog team races and foot races. Tomorrow's dog team race is called the "Run, Harness and Go" which involves five dogs that the racer has to harness up on the spot. That's not an easy task when the dogs are ready and raring to go. One of the local villagers puts on a fireworks show, too, to cap off the evening (Although he could shoot them off shortly after 4:30 p.m. because it would be dark enough!).
Oh, man....that reminds me! On the second day of events, it was the women's dog team race. I found myself fearing for my life!! Bessi was racing 11 of her very energetic dogs. I had passed by her dog lot on the way out to the frozen lagoon where the race begins. She and Warren were harnessing their dogs which were barking up a storm. As I continued out to the lagoon, I realized it was quieter now behind me which meant that Bessi was bringing her dogs out to the starting line. I turned around just in time to see them heading right for me. EGADS! I jumped out of the way only to see that Bessi's sled had flipped over on its side and she was tightly holding on....and swinging out towards my direction. I had to jump back even more which isn't easy when you're bundled up as much as I was! As she zipped by me, she flipped the sled the other way right next to Warren on the snow machine (known as a snow-go up here). It was a scary scene. Those dogs were extremely strong. Warren had to zip ahead on his snow-go to get to the front and slow them down....and this was all before the start of the race....which, not surprisingly, Bessi won! Here's a picture of Bessi's start in the race:
Here are a couple more pictures of Bessi....I'm really going to miss her. Through the years, she's been a wealth of cultural information and understanding. I'll give some credit to Warren, too....even though he harasses me nonstop....but then again, I give it right back to him!
I have to add this picture of Warren. It sums up our mutual good fun teasing. This was when I managed to contract C.diff which was contagious. I was finally able to return to the village after getting home for Christmas in 2012 and being medically "grounded" until the early part of February, 2013. This is Warren greeting me upon my return:
While I was waiting for Bessi to come back from the trail, I walked further out on the lagoon to check out an ice fisherman. He was using the net method of fishing. By the way, the smelt up here are much bigger than the smelt we're used to back in Northern Michigan. Take note of Minnie looking up in the sky. We saw a jet flying overhead....which is common back home.....but not up here. We seldom see jets flying over....probably because we are so far north.
When I start thinking of all the things I've experienced up here, well...it warms my heart.....which is good because it can get mighty cold up here. That brings up another story....another true story....all of my stories are true, albeit different from what we deal with in the Lower 48. I guess I will warn some of my Lower 48 friends that you might believe in animal rights and be vegetarians or whatever, but please don't soapbox to me about certain issues without understanding what these folks up here have had to do to survive. I am not saying that I don't believe in animal rights....I do. But up here, these folks live a subsistence lifestyle which means they hunt for their food and very little of the animal goes to waste. You don't see caribou heads mounted on a livingroom wall as a trophy but you can buy a caribou antler carving or some walrus ivory jewelry. The profits buy gasoline and groceries that can't be found in the wild and fuel to heat homes. Up here, a gallon of gasoline is about $7.00 a gallon. Anyway....here's the story...
My son, Dan, emailed me to tell me he had been snowblowing his driveway recently. His hands were freezing in the "normal" gloves we use down home. He then remembered the sealskin mittens I had sent to him and he put those on instead. He remarked on how incredibly warm his hands were inside those mittens. I reminded him on what these people deal with up here with the well-below-zero temperatures and wind chill and that furs are a life-saver up here. I can attest to that myself with an experience I had a few years ago up here. I had taken off my "Cabela" gloves to briefly take some pictures in the village. It was a -20 degrees out and I was able to get only six pictures taken before my hands were impossibly cold. I struggled to get my gloves back on and warming up was not to be. I went back to my house and put on my sealskin mittens and before long, all was well. I realize that once I'm back in the Lower 48, there won't be a huge need for such warm mittens (I don't plan to snowblow my own driveway!). But I will treasure them and know and understand how Native cultures survived. Here's my beautiful pair of sealskin mittens made by a very talented friend, DeeAnn:
Check out a "few" of the carvings and crafts I have purchased since being in Shishmaref...which, by the way, is known for the quality of their Native crafts and artwork. I would say I've contributed to the economy of Shishmaref many times over!
I think that I will bring this post to an end....although I do have a gift of gab! I am thinking that if I don't post it soon, I may have trouble because I can hear the crowd gathering back in the gym. When that happens, everyone gets on their hand-held devices and getting Internet connections is not easy. Yes, I may be in a cultural haven up here.....but technology rules as well....sometimes to the demise of happy, healthy living. I suppose that's true no matter where you are.
I wish all my friends and family, near and far, a happy, healthy new year. I want to give a shout-out to my brother-in-law, Mark Molldrem, who is dealing with Stage 4 melanoma. Mark is part of the reason I've decided it's time to go home. You can't get back family time and I pray that his radiation and immunotherapy treatments have worked....we'll know soon. I want some time to go to Cherry Berry with Mark and to marvel at the beauty of his yardwork in Wisconsin and hug the trees! I want to laugh with my own sisters.
Plus, it's time to go back home to my own offspring:
I'll remember this...
And this....
And this....
I probably won't miss this....
Thank you, Elizabeth and Family, for being such nice, kind people. I will remember you as well. I sure wish I could have met Herbie (Shishmaref Cannonball) in person. (P.S. That's my son, Dan, on the left!)
HAPPY NEW YEAR, everyone! And to the good folks in Shishmaref....THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart for sharing your culture, your children, and your hearts with me. I will be forever grateful.
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