Friday-Last day in Kaktovik

Bye, bye Kaktovik. (Kaktovik in Fall to the right, photo by Flora)


Loading the airplane.


Friday was our last day in Kaktovik. We visited all classrooms, the principal, teachers, and staff saying "Thank you". Kristi helped backing for the Friday community meeting.


Jessie played for the last time basketball with the students. She is very good at it. I highly recommend her as coach. Special thanks to Flora the Inupiaq teacher. She helped us understanding the Native culture. It was the first time I could see how Inupiaq is taught to students. Her classes are a mixture of teaching the Inupiaq language, Native traditions and skills, done with great love and respect modified for different great levels and students needs.


We had a wonderful time in Kaktovik and we are coming back with deep respect for the Kaktovik school staff, community, and Native culture.
Learn more about Kaktovik students at the school's blog project:
http://kaktovikkids.blogspot.com/

Thank you UAF-School of Education for making this experience part of the pre-service teacher program. Our future teachers will be better prepared for differentiation and a multicultural classroom.


View of Fairbanks, AK UAF 4/4/09

Thursday

Fashion show ...


Carving is taught at the Inupiaq culture class. Walrus tasks and bones are used.



Jessie tries drumming and is in high demand as a reading teacher. The principal commended her abilities as reading teacher and ask her to help again today with the elementary kids.




The teachers took us on a tour yesterday and we hitched a snowmobile ride.


A polar fox was spotted and we talked to the survey group for the new Kaktovik Runway. The old one is frequently flooded.



Eskimo donuts. Flora and Kristi made a lot of them yesterday (flower, yest, oil, eggs, water, milk).



In the evening we went to the local hotel for dinner with the teachers. Later more....

Wednesday 4-1-09

Kristi (left) and Inupiaq teacher Flora were baking with the students "place based" delicious figures. This caused much excitement at all age groups. Mrs. Sobey, the science and mathematics teacher for HS, is preparing their students for the ACT test (tutoring a student in the photo on the right).

Thuesday, 3-31-09

The Kaktovik School has currently 57 students enrolled, early childhood (3 and 4 year old kids), pre-kindergarten to 12 Grade and employs 8 full time teachers.

Teachers teach multiple subjects and grade levels. The school building is extremely well maintained (Thanks Dave Tetreau and team), beautifully decorated, and provides a welcoming atmosphere. It shows that students, the community, and employees are proud of their school.
The Principal, Mrs. S. Kinkead, is a very supportive and knowledgeable principal and school secretary Ida Angasan is the most helpful person imaginable. Our pre-service teachers from UAF, Jessie and Kristy, are visiting classrooms and supporting the Kaktovik teachers actively. Being part of village school is a great learning experience for our UAF education students and myself.
I taught a middle school math class yesterday and attended the Harold Kavelook School Academic and Athletic Awards Night (photos and slide show).





Seeing the smile on the faces of the Native kids and parents of Kaktovik at the awards night provided a moment of deep thought about my own experience teaching in multicultural settings. I proudly thought of my Hispanic students at Homer Hanna HS in Brownsville, TX, or UT Brownsville, the kids of Paeroa in NZ, or Punte Arenas, Argentina, or my students in Germany.
What a privilege of being able to experiencing different cultures.
Observing our UAF-School of Education pre-service teachers here in Kaktovik, I know they are committed to learn and respect the culture of the Inupiaq people.

Monday-First day at School

We woke up to a beautiful arctic morning with sunshine and less wind. I walked to the school (10 min) enjoying the sleepy village. It is very quiet here and almost nobody is on the streets. We got a warning about polar bears in the area. The teachers are very welcoming. We meet Flora the Inupiaq teacher in the morning. I am very impressed by her teaching style addressing the diversity of her students. It was a lot of fun watching her kids interacting with each other, singing, dancing, and laughing. What an interactive fun way to learning a language. The NSBSD school district uses podcasts teachers help producing for learning the Inupiaq language. Click in the animal one below and learn. We will visit her again. Much to learn.

We arrived at Kaktovik teacher housing (left). I was presently surprised that I do not have to sleep in the school. Kristi had done a great job buying presents for the teachers in Kaktovik-fresh fruit.
In the afternoon, Jessie's parents invited us for a drive through the village and showed us the two local stores, Waldos restaurant and hotel, the city dump, and the school. Have a look at the slide show on the right. If you click on it it links to my picasa web album site for larger photos.

Watching ipod movies or sleeping were the most common activities on board of the small plane. We crossed the Brooks Range and after 1.5 hours flight arrived safely at Barter Island Airfield.
Kaktovik and the Baufort Sea are visible from the plane. The Native mom has much better in transportation logistics than we have.