Mark's Visit to Metlakatla

An eagle waiting at the ferry dock in Met.

Beautiful sunset!

Snow on the mountains!

And a wonderful winter kiss :)  

Butterfly carving on a rock up on Yellow Hill.

Can you see the two eagles?

Mark being a monkey!

My new dog :)

This tree was huge!!!

I had so much fun with Mark!  We had a great visit together!  :)

Snow in Metlakatla

Our first snow!  Whooo!

Oh the things children say...

Student:  What number should I write, Miss Counts?
Me:  One that is less than 100.
Student:  Okay.  99 it is.



Me:  Why did you get into trouble at Music?
Student:  I don't know....
Me:  I am very disappointed.  You usually have wonderful behavior.  What happened?
Student:  I just don't know!  All I did was breakdance!



Students:  AGH!  Run at Miss Counts!
Me:  Umph!  You're squeezing my bladder!
Student A: What does that mean?
Student B:  That means she's gonna pee on you.



Me:  Honey, this is the third day you have chosen not to work during writing time.  You will be spending recess with me.
Student: Ah man Miss Counts.  I'm gonna be in so much trouble with my mom when I tell her.
Me:  You will actually tell your mom that you spent recess with me?
Student:  Yeah, my mom makes me tell the truth everyday after school or I get into trouble twice as much.  I dunno how she knows, but she always knows.
Me:  Well, then I suppose we need to work harder in writing, huh?
Student:  Yeah, or I'll have to write even more at home.

Conversation of the Day

Me:  "Remember!  Verbs are action words!  Wooo!  Let's think of actions!"
J:  "Kick!  Or hit!"
Me:  "Oooooo yeah!  You rock!"
H:  "Geez Miss Counts!  Are you on Twinkies or something today?"
Me:  "I love Twinkies!  But not in the morning.  That would make me hyper."

I'm a proud parent of 9 puppies!

Sandi had her puppies!  They are so precious and lovable!  I can't wait to see how big they will be!

Well...

Today was rough.  I think teachers just have those days when the weight of our responsibility just punches us in the face.  The realization of how many skills we teach throughout the whole year is awe-inspiring and completely daunting at the same time.  I felt stressed today and it showed in my teaching - which in turn rubbed off on my students.  Finally, by the end of the day, it occurred to me that it was all my fault that we had had a rough day (ha imagine that).  I apologized to my students for not being myself and for not having a positive attitude.  Ten set of eyes looked back at me and one little voice spoke up, "It's okay Miss Counts.  We still love you and you still love us.  It's just what a family does."

I tell my class each day that we are a family and that we take care of each other.  Somehow, I always assumed that my students understood the family "comparison," but figured they never really thought of me as family.  Ridiculously, I felt like crying and 6 year olds are not easy to fool!  So we all shared a giant group hug and the children proceeded to compliment me on what I had done well on throughout the day (because I compliment them at the end of everyday).  At that point I understood that I can teach my students 75 sight words in 9 weeks and I can teach them to add 5 and 6 together.

But maybe - just maybe - 10 students and a teacher have a better idea on what grace and kindness can look like.

September Potlatch

We made it to the Potlatch!  Words can hardly describe the awesome experience Matti and I had!  I will do my best to explain the pictures and videos that I post.  If I miss anything or leave anything out I know David will let me know!  ;)

September 24th started with the moving of David's Grandmother's headstone at 9:00 am.

At 11 am we watched the raising of the memorial totem pole!  We did not take pictures of the actual raising because we were on one of the ropes helping to pull it up!

 David gave a great speech.  His father, also named David, was 30 when he made his first totem pole to honor his Grandmother.  Ironically, David Jr. is also 30 and raising his own totem pole for his Grandmother as well.  

David dancing the Carver's Dance to bring the totem pole to life.

Everyone then walked up to the town hall to begin the Potlatch.  The program was wonderful!  There were dance groups from Metlakatla, Anchorage, and then there was the David Boxley group from Washington. 

They fed us lunch and dinner.  The Boxley's also gave everyone a gift!  It was their way of paying us for witnessing the memorial Potlatch. 

David's father passed down a traditional Potlatch hat to David.  The rings on top represent how many Potlatches his family has hosted.

David as the big mosquito monster from one of their cultural stories.  He scared the poop out of some of the kiddos!

Some wonderful video links!

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7GgPe4UkRUM

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lJo_QkYOFqg

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CQ21wI4pTBQ

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dLhl-a1ItpQ