There once was a girl from nebraska,

Who was offered a job in alaska.

Via kansas, australia, and oregon,

Another adventure was born again,

And she got on a plane when they asked her.


embarking...


Marshall

a village of about 300 people

fly-in only, unless you have a boat

mostly Yup'ik culture

120 of which are students

16 of which are my students

5th and 6th graders

learning on the Yukon River

Tuesday, August 24, 2010

it begins

Ten days of teacher inservice in anchorage and we were on our way, each of us flying away to our villages . The flight was incredible. It's true-this place really exists. And it's spectacular. 

We landed in Marshall and were soon at the steps of our new home. The Yukon River is literally a stone's throw away. It's a shame about my view. :-) 

I am living with another new teacher to the village, Anna, who has taught in Brooklyn for ten years. It's debatable which one of us has a louder teacher voice. We get along famously. It's as if we've know each other for years. Strangely, people are way more interested in New York than Oregon. What gives? 

We weren't in our house 20 minutes before the kids started knocking on our door, wanting to meet (or perhaps just see) the new teachers. They already knew where we were living, who we are, what we'll be teaching. As you can imagine, word travels pretty quickly. Their giggles and smiles were all the greeting we needed.