I was startled last week when the connection hit me: I'm preparing report cards, so that means it must be the end of the first quarter of the school year! Holy Moly! and I haven't even sent a photo of my room yet! So here you go: Kotzebue Middle School is straight ahead. June Nelson Elementary School is on the left, and the high school is on the right, not pictured. All three are connected, with the cafeteria as a protective space keeping the little ones away from those scary middle and high schoolers.
The middle school is divided into pods. Here is the 7th grade pod. Mine is the room with the light on. I was a bit dumbfounded when the vice principal said, "Send me a copy of the 7th grade schedule" during inservice week. Huh? But that's what we did. Each grade at the middle school has its own schedule so we don't run into each other in the hallways. We decided when our lunch would be and how long our classes would last. Our first period is 10 minutes longer than the rest because there are so many tardies here. Also, we have announcements over the intercom first thing after the pledge of allegiance. I cannot tell you how thrilled I was the first time (and every time) one of my students yells, "Now in Inupiat!" and they pledge again in their native language.
I took this photo on a Sunday so the chairs are up, but you can see that there is no window to outside in my room. Panic struck when I saw this as I recalled the year of the boarded up modular windows and the year I did time in the wood shop, but the windows you can see here actually are enough to keep me from losing my mind. Next door to me is science, and next door to her is math.
This is my social studies class in our classroom. You can see the back wall has a library - much of which was already here. The kids are using Mac laptops - each grade at the middle school has a rolling laptop lab with 19 computers, more than enough computers for one classroom. Each high school student is issued their own laptop so they no longer carry around textbooks. The district doesn't even buy high school textbooks - it is all online.
Strange thing about Kotzebue - there are more men teachers than women. I remember a reading conference I went to where the hotel had to relabel one of the men's rooms to women's because of the 100 to 7 ratio of women to men. Well that is not the case here. This photo is what we women have to deal with every day! Makes me miss Steve, Tyler, Jason, and Dan all the more every time I walk in!
The ramp and stairs of each public building in town are made of some pretty impressive spiky metal. As we leave the school I'll give you the rundown of my job. I walk to school in the dark - and I mean nighttime dark with brilliant stars and sometimes fading Northern Lights, around 7:15. We have prep - all three schools - first period from 8:10 - 9:00. Then our 6 period day starts. I have 7th grade language arts periods 1, 2, and 5. Literacy class (only 12 students!) is 3rd period. My 4th period class is a high school Employability Skills class that 5 students dropped the first week. Not great for my confidence level at a brand new job in a subject and grade level outside my endorsement. Then we end the day with social studies. We are studying the United States. When I asked the little darlings what we celebrate on the fourth of July they all yelled "Independence!" When I asked, "Independence from what?" They looked perplexed for about three seconds and then yelled, "Slavery!" I explained the whole Declaration of Independence thing and then asked, "What year did all this happen?" Their immediate response? "1959!" I have my work set out for me!
I think your school looks beautiful. It seems new and clean and very bright. Nicer than my middle school. Is that a big skylight thing outside your classroom? With that and the windows to the hall you should have good light. Until it's dark 24 hours a day :-)
I had a windowless office across the hall from a guy who built a wall of filing cabinets in front of his desk. When he retired and the cabinets were removed I was amazed at how much more light I had now the windows across the hall were visible. In fact it is now office policy that no one can block the windows.
At least your kids know when Alaska joined the union, which is pretty important.
Reply
Diane
10/30/2012 01:31:36 am
I daresay that they know as much about the U.S. as most of the U.S. population. Having said that, I waited in line for 20 minutes to vote absentee at the City Clerk office this morning.
I love your sharing the day. Thank you. Margaret will have to tell you about Boo Weekend.
Reply
Elizabeth
11/13/2012 06:53:55 am
I love that you're going digital -- and on Macs no less -- all the way at the edge of the continent! Rock on Kotzubue!
Can you post a recording of the kids doing the Pledge of Allegiance in Inupiat?