The houses

This is a fairly accurate drawing of a house in Akiak done by one of my students. The second story windows are wrongish because most all houses are single story. One new house built by Amish volunteers working for FIMA has a second story. Houses are on stilts because of flooding and snow. All new houses should be built at a certain height to avoid flood damage.

Our house has oil and electric heat, but many still use wood. 2/3 have running water. Most all have power. There is phone and internet service, but most villagers have cell phone service through GCI.

Beginnings

"Things are getting worse here," was something a longtime non-native resident told me yesterday. I know what she means. Its loss self-respect, confidence, sense of place. But, I won't dwell on this in my first entry.

My class:

10 boys

2 girls

Those ten boys are like ten Huck Finn's wild, free, in trouble a lot, smear of dirt on the cheek, ready to fight, spit, cuss you. Well, they're hard to love, but they are lovable all the same. If not in school they would play all day on the dirt trails and sandy river banks, torture water bugs in a puddle, break windows in abandoned houses, and occasionally swipe the family 4-wheeler to do stoppies and wheelies until 2 in the morning.

In class they are never quiet, almost. I was told Yup'ik culture makes talking quietly and being quiet a virtue, but these boys are never that. They shout, they moan, they flop on the floor and scream. "I won't do this!" "I don't know!"

I am told the children of the other villages in our district will cuss you and throw a chair. At least it isn't that bad.

I am frustrated a lot, but they are also great in some ways. Its almost as if school brings out the worst in some of them. They will always help you. "Help me carry this box home from the p. off please." They do it. They want work to do. Many have never picked up a tool. They are fascinated by weed whackers, fishing rods, computer games. They love cleaning. At the end of the day I will have kids who prefer cleaning the room to playing a game.

They love the structure of a good worksheet. Many would rather do that than the most exciting hands on math that you can think of.

Kids always want to know about you. Your name, your dog's name, your baby. What are you doing? Where are you going?

My class has endured a lot of tragedy. Really hard stuff. Often they live with grandma or grandpa or auntie. They have brothers or sisters who have died as infants do to bad health or accident.

Somedays it is hard to remember all this as a teacher. Somedays you just want to be angry with them, but  then you get a reminder of why your here and how badly your kids need help not hollering.