I have officially made it through 3 days as a teacher and I haven't had a parent complain yet so we are on the right track! Molly and I decided that we are going to start a "Martha" Diary to jot down all of the funny incidents that happen to us with the kids while here in the village. I think by the time we are done we will have more than 3 notebooks full. I feel like I could fill one up with just the things that have happened this week.

Monday: The day started off really well! Molly and I got up and got ready and were really positive and excited for our first day as real teachers! We said a prayer before we left hoping that it would help us calm the nerves....well I hoped it would calm my nerves anyway. We got to school and I felt like I was running the rest of the day. I am sure all teachers feel that way but I am not used to it. I had many kids crying that morning because they didn't their moms to leave but as soon as we got them involved it wasn't too bad. It was really weird with the moms in the room and trying to teach the kids and getting them involved. The rest of the day went ok, except I had two kids while we were on the playground run off because they didn't want to be in school anymore. We got them back into the classroom and participating again so that was good. They really don't prepare you for this sort of thing in school. Someone told me that I have learned the science of teaching now I am learning the art. That is for sure!

Tuesday: The day started great! The kids listened through the lesson in the morning and participated!!! They also stayed in a line and were semi-quiet in the halls! After lunch was a different story! I think the lunch ladies put something in the lunch that makes them go CRAZY!! They didn't want to sit or listen to anything I had to say. We went into center time and it wasn't too bad but then a couple of kids wanted to go home and I wouldn't let them. They became very hostel and started throwing things and yelling. One yelled at me to shut up and another followed his example and started yelling too. I had another walk out the classroom and try to leave....the kids seem to have this tendency to want to leave my classroom. I am starting to think it is me. :-/ When I got them all calmed down they started to climb on my bookshelves. I didn't want them getting hurt and they were not listening to my words so I lifted them up (good thing I don't teach 6th grade...they could pick me up!) When I picked the student up they pretended to punch me, I was not going to take any of that so off we went down to the principal's office. They got sent home, one of the kids did come up and say sorry for the way they were acting under mom's instruction. I felt glad that the mom was on my side!! Yay for parent support! All while this was going on I had a few students that were sent home with lice. Only instead of going home they went to a friends house, so I had a parent call me wanting to know where their child was. Needless to say, I was really tired after school. I went home and took a nap!

Wednesday: The morning again was great! The kids did their work and participated with the lesson, it was amazing! I was so excited! I even got to challenge a couple of my students and they met the challenge!!! I was so happy and excited about it! Then lunch came....dun dun dun and again like yesterday they don't feel like they have to listen after lunch. So today we tried some different things, we stomped around shouting the days of the week....I will admit that was my favorite thing today. We also rapped the days of the week. I still had one kid that does not want to be at school. They came in halfway through the day and then wanted to leave right after lunch. I ended up telling them that they have only been here half the day and that the attitude needed to change, a little harsh but hopefully it helps. It seemed to for a little anyway. Today I got to talk to my mentor. She seems really nice and helpful! We talked a little about helping my class and I got some really great ideas. I am excited to see how they work out.

Well that has been my week so far, hopefully more GOOD adventures! Keep praying that I survive!

The Village

So it seems like time stands still here. Things happen on a when I want to basis rather than it needs to get done basis. Well everything else except school. No matter how much I want it to run on the when I want basis it will still come tomorrow morning! I am really nervous about school starting. Everyone keeps telling me that things are going to be just fine and I really hope they are right!

Well enough about the mushy gushy feelings part of teaching this week has been really fun getting the classroom ready. I decided to make the theme of my room a jungle, well half of my room. My class is going to be Miss Nichole's jungle animals and our reading corner is a jungle too. It was really fun making the tree for the jungle. I really hope the kids like it too.

This is a reminder for the kids that we need to sit and listen as the teacher is talking

Me and Molly building a tree for the corner

The start of the bulletin board

It looked like a giant finger trap

The trunk up in the corner

Molly adding leaves

The starts of the tree

Added a few more "branches"

The end result

Me and Molly playing a game called headbandz with the principals kids

We ate a berry crisp and it turned all of our mouths black, but it was really good and made with fresh berries that we picked

I tried an experiment...bagels 

More bagels...they actually turned out well!

I have decided that Drew is going to become a fatty because of all of the new recipes that I am finding. Along with Bagels last night I made honey-lemon chicken. It was so moist and sweet but a little tart because of the lemon. If he doesn't blow up I am going to because I can't stop eating my cooking. 

We had a potluck here this week to help the community meet the new teachers here are some pictures from it...

Helping in the kitchen...I actually fried the fish that we ate and no one got sick!

Josh, one of the other teachers

The cafeteria full of people ready for some food

Another view of the cafeteria

The food

Some of my kids

I love these people so much already, they are so sweet and kind and generous. I am so grateful for my Heavenly Father helping me to get out here. I feel like I have grown so much already this first week I have been here and I can't wait to grow more.

First Week

Well my first week in Alaska is officially over. It has been a very eventful week. The first day I was there I met up with another girl from Arkansas named Paige. We decided to go out and sightsee that first day. Right across from the hotel was this out door market. It was really cool to see the different crafts from the artists around Alaska. Here are some pictures

The fresh fruit stand

Guys making balloon things

There is a saying here that if you cut Alaska in half Texas would be the third largest state....it makes me laugh

After we went to the market we just walked around and had fun. I left Paige at the hotel that night and went and stayed with a girl that is a member of the church up here. She took me and Paige to church the next morning and it was so different than anything I was used to. So that members of the church can have meetings they have church over the phone. You call in and have a phone conference. It was so weird but so Amazing to be able to know that there are people out there that are in the same situation that I am going to be in that still have strong testimonies. It was a testimony meeting where there is no set talk or sermon and people from the congregation share their feelings and what they know about their Redeemer and Savior. It was such a strength to me and I really felt that I was not alone.

The rest of the week was so fun and exciting and challenging. A whole week of training made me feel like I was back in school and my test is going to be if the students learn and pass on to the next grade. We got to go to the Alaska History Museum and eat dinner one night and it was really cool to see the things that they had there. I ate salmon that I liked so hopefully it won't be too bad in the village and I will be able to survive. Molly and I went shopping on Wednesday and got enough groceries to survive at least 3 months. Due to planning and our knowledge of how to cook we spent a third of our budget and even had the money to have the people ship it for us! We also went on a hike Wednesday. It was so beautiful but really hard, it reminded me of my hike up Mount Timpanogos...really hard but worth it in the end. 

Trees on the way

In the middle

At the beginning 

Looking down from the top

The top looking across

After Wednesday the rest of the week was the same as the first a lot of meetings and then having fun at night. Saturday morning we all got up and headed to the airport. We made our first flight but our second flight from Bethel to Marshall was delayed by quite a few hours, but we finally made it. It is so beautiful and welcoming. I know I am going to love it here!

I Made It!

So I have officially made it to Alaska, 2 hours later than expected. I got to my first flight from Salt Lake to Long Beach just fine but just before we were to land in Long Beach we were told that there were some maintenance problems with the plane and we were going to have to get rid of some weight so we were going to have to fly around for about 20 minutes to burn some fuel. I wasn't the most thrilled with this news but what can you do when you are thousands of miles in the air. Good thing the people next to me were really nice and talkative. I was really worried about landing because my next flight was leaving soon after I landed and I didn't want to be late to it. We finally landed in the Long Beach airport and it was nothing like I have ever seen before. We got off the plane right onto the tarmac and had to walk a fair distance to get to the actual building. At this time I am freaking out because I am about 10 minutes late for boarding and I am worried that they are going to leave me. As we are walking toward the buildings I see a flight that is boarding to head to Alaska! I was like hey maybe that is my flight and people are still boarding so I think I will be ok! Well I get into the airport and find out that wasn't my flight and that my flight had been delayed for 2 hours. I was happy that I wasn't going to miss my flight but...now what am I going to do for 2 hours. One thing that was weird about this airport was that in order to get to the other "terminal" you had to leave the secure area and walk outside and around and go back through security. So here are some pictures of the outside of the airport,

Palm trees!

What it looks like walking to the baggage claim

Places to eat outside

The tall things in the back are part of the airport

The "building" you go through to get to security again

More of the "building"

Walking to the gate after going through security

Walking to the gate

So I went through security and sat at the gate for two hours. After I got through security again I though to myself I could have gone and wandered around for a while before I went and sat down. Oh well I got to meet this guy that lives in Alaska. He was really interesting telling me all about his back problems, his heart problems, his gambling problems, his family problems but he was doing well :) I finally got on the plane and headed off to dream land from Cali to about Canada. After that I couldn't sleep but that's ok because the view was really cool. It looked like the sun was starting to come up and the colors were the most amazing colors I could have seen. They were so rich. I tried to get a picture but I couldn't get one that did it justice. So I finally got to the airport and got on the shuttle and got to my room at about 3 AM. Here are some pictures of my room.

The living room

The kitchen

The bedroom

The bathroom

I am hoping that my second day is not as exciting as my first!

  

Last Day

Well today is my last full day in Utah before heading off to Alaska. I have actually gotten a lot done today! I got a book for the plane, went out to lunch with my dad and brother, went shopping with them, and I finally got to see the shop where they filmed the show Little Chocolatiers (TLC show about little people who made chocolate things). It was really fun! I also did my FINAL load of laundry and got it all packed. Today I also got a new coat and hat. This family that I go to church with just had one of their daughters move up to Alaska and they had a coat that they weren't using and gave it to me! They also had a "wonderful" hat that they gave me as well I think it is going to be my new favorite accessory! 

Here is a picture of me all ready to go! 

The tote with all of my stuff getting zip-tied and after that it was duct taped!

What the living room looked like before I packed

What the living room lookes like after I packed 

I am really starting to get nervous. Going to a new place is really hard especially when you get there at midnight and you don't know anyone. I do know one thing, God never forsakes and he will be there for me when I get to Alaska and he is here helping me now. I am so grateful for a loving Heavenly Father!