Alaskan Adventure
Have
any friends in Alaska? If you don’t...you’ll have one now. I just accepted
a 3rd Grade teaching position in Mountain Village, Alaska. The name of my school is Ignatius Beans. (No
kidding…awesome name, right?!) It is on the Yukon River, in the far western
part of the state. I will be in one of the ten villages that surround the area,
which is home to a Native American, Eskimo tribe known as the Yupik.
In
talking with my new principal, they are a wonderful group of people and kids,
but who face a great deal of challenges and poverty. It will definitely be a
challenge, but an ‘amazing’ opportunity and experience. We are also in what is
known as ‘Bush Country’. It is not
connected to any of Alaska’s road network so I will be flown into my village. Everyone gets around by foot, snowmobile,
boats or ATV’s. I guess one bonus is that my commute will be short, as my
school will be 100-yards from my apartment and I won’t have any excuses for
being late for, or missing school.
I
will be blogging throughout my time there, so feel free to check in here see what
this new adventure is like and how things are going.
Below
is a link to a YouTube video that gives some background on the Lower Yukon
School District that I will be working for.
It’s 14 minutes long and gives a good snapshot of the school, the kids,
the parents and the area. Check out as
much or as little as you like.
https://www.lysd.org/domain/463
So
my bags will be packed and I’ll be hopping on a plane August 1st. There
will be a plethora of unknowns and I’ll have to learn as I go, but I am very, very
excited to meet my new, little students, all the new villagers and teachers,
and see another beautiful part of our country.
Stay tuned!
