Wednesday, April 16, 2014 - Day Three at Kingikmiut School
Today I worked with the third, fourth, and fifth grade class, all in one class, about 13 students total. This was my first time with this class. We created journals with pop-up pages in them, but a slightly smaller version of what the 7-12th graders made yesterday. Tomorrow and Friday, I'll be meeting with all of the students again to help them start writing and drawing in the journals they made and to add the pop-up parts. I also met with the combined class of Pre-K and Kindergarten today. We talked about journeys, drew pictures of our journeys, and then told each other the stories of our journeys that we drew. That was wonderful! They love to talk about themselves and it just brightened up my day. This class had 6 students in it and their journey pictures were really great.

The visiting artist taught a lesson in atmospheric perspective to the school staff today. The students went home early for a weekly staff meeting, but we painted instead of having a meeting. I was able to sit and talk to the teachers while we all painted, and have gotten to know them a little better now. They asked me questions and shared some insights on their experience here in Wales. Interesting, only two of the teachers here now are staying for next year. They have a big turnover every year. The longest any of them have been here is three years and the rest have only been here one year. I really like the small school atmosphere. It would be great to work in a small K-12 school.

The highlight of my day was sitting and talking with the cook and her twin sister, who also works at the school. During the early afternoon, I was sitting at a table in the gym, working on blogs, because all of the classrooms were busy and the library smelled of paint, due to the new mural on its wall. We were joined by another woman at the table for a while and I asked questions of them, about their life in Wales. We talked about family, friends, food, health, children, grandchildren, loves, and losses. This conversation was special to me because it gave me something that I was afraid that I wouldn't get while I was here for such a short time. I really wanted to know the people here, at least a little bit. So personal and precious to share such common cares. They helped me see the people of Wales, even though I may never get to meet them all or even a small number of them. I will have to think of a way to thank them before I leave.

I'm looking forward to working with all of the students for a second time. I'll be helping them write and draw about their personal journeys. I taught this lesson to a group of elementary students last month in the Fairbanks district. The journeys that students in Wales have taken in their lives is very different from most students in Fairbanks, yet the value they place on specific personal journeys are very similar. I love that the students are really thinking about their journey in life and are very able to express it, whether verbally, in images, or through writing.