My Job is my Life

The Tundra Drums - Emmonak donations ‘a miracle’ of caring

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:42:42 -0500

The Tundra Drums - Emmonak donations ‘a miracle’ of caring

The Mudflats » Bedtime in Alaska - Daily Wrap Up

Sat, 24 Jan 2009 13:22:59 -0500

The Mudflats » Bedtime in Alaska - Daily Wrap Up

via typo.graphr.net Yes, it is truly a new beginning. I know it...

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:28:00 -0500

via typo.graphr.net

Yes, it is truly a new beginning. I know it will take a lot of work and time but I’m excited to see change to come to my nation!

The Mudflats » Where in the World is Dennis Zaki? - Part II

Mon, 19 Jan 2009 12:26:35 -0500

The Mudflats » Where in the World is Dennis Zaki? - Part II

Murkowski seeks pardon for Stevens: Breaking News | adn.com

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 21:55:50 -0500

Murkowski seeks pardon for Stevens: Breaking News | adn.com

The Latest Concerning Emmonak

Sun, 18 Jan 2009 04:27:37 -0500

I’m posting this on here because I think this article should get as much exposure as possible. Sarah Palin is the worst thing to happen to this state. This is the opinion of Jennifer S. Wagner. Not some anonymous, ~~pj wearing~~ blogger (well, I am wearing my jammies). I do not understand how ANYONE can be in support of her. Uggghhhh!!!!! Anyways, I’m posting this link to a great entry on a really good Alaskan politics blog.

http://www.themudflats.net/2009/01/17/rural-alaska-in-crisis-the-real-tragedy-of-troopergate/

Emmonak: Disaster in a Rural Alaskan Village

Fri, 16 Jan 2009 02:03:18 -0500

So, today I was home from work due to inclement weather (the second day in a row). Mid-morning I decided to check on George who was on the computer to see if he wanted breakfast. I found him at the computer in tears. Very concerned, I asked what had happened. He told me it was a letter he was reading and I would have to read it for myself. So, after he was finished I read it. It was a plea for help from a man living in Emmonak, AK. I will post this letter for anyone who stumbles upon my blog. If you can help these poor people please do so!! This village suffered a disastrous king salmon season and to make it worse did not receive the vital heating oil they would need to survive the winter due to the Yukon River freezing earlier than expected. As a result of this, people in this community (and no doubt other rural villages) have truly been suffering. These personal accounts talk of being unable to provide milk for toddlers, choosing between fuel or food. One father said that if it wasn’t for meal from provided by the village school his children would be starving. Many families are eating only one meal a day and are struggling to scrape together enough fuel to keep their homes warm.

So, naturally our ~~concerned~~ governor rushed to their aid right? HA HA! Nope. She has decided that this is not an emergency situation and no help has been offered. Oh right, there was that nice little thousand dollars tacked onto our dividend checks (which was nice for me and other urbanites) but not an adequate solution to the fuel shortage. But it was nice publicity stunt for the presidential campaign.

I was aghast and disgusted by the fact that there are people suffering in my state so I sent off emails to my state representatives in Juneau. A couple hours later I received a response back. I’d like to post the response I received from Lindsey Holmes…

“I saw the story. It is heartbreaking, but not surprising. We knew last summer that those villages that were going to be able to buy fuel for the winter would be buying it all when oil was $144 a barrel and per gallon prices were sky high. We knew that meant $8 a gallon fuel, or higher. Then the river froze early and we knew some villages hadn’t even been able to buy heating oil and gasoline at all. This is not a surprise. It is a lack of leadership. The Governor’s solution was to give every man, woman and child $1200 on top of their dividend. As if all parts of the state were suffering equally. I vehemently opposed that during the summer special session, and voted against the bill, even though it meant a better deal for our own district. But the goal of the summer special session was, in my view, to keep people from freezing to death in the dark. We didn’t do that. As the article mentioned, the Governor doesn’t even have a rural advisor at this point. The person resigned months ago and the position has not been filled. The legislature will gavel in again this coming Tuesday, and hopefully we will work to address this. People in Anchorage are (rightfully) complaining that our prices at the pump are still nearly a dollar over those in the lower 48. But as this article demonstrates, that’s a pretty lucky place to be in comparison with what’s happening in the small, remote communities. The legislators from those districts have been up in arms about this for months (and years). Lyman Hoffman, the senator from Bethel, has been working on a plan over the interim. I don’t know what the plan looks like, but I am sure it’s going to get attention this session. But really, emergency situations like this are supposed to be dealt with by the Governor, who has more flexibility to act quickly. Any legislative solution will take weeks at best, and more likely months. It’s not clear who she’s listening to right now, but I’m going to be on the radio tomorrow afternoon and I’ll use that and other opportunities to pressure her into action.” Lindsey

Rep. Lindsey Holmes

Governor Palin, you have been absent from your job long enough and you have shirked the duties you have been elected to. Time to get back to work.

Obama to Palin: 'Don't Mock the Constitution' | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 20:00:13 -0400

Obama to Palin: 'Don't Mock the Constitution' | The Trail | washingtonpost.com

Ben Smith's Blog: Koch backs Obama, calls Palin 'scary' - Politico.com

Tue, 09 Sep 2008 19:57:11 -0400

Ben Smith's Blog: Koch backs Obama, calls Palin 'scary' - Politico.com

"Gods don’t kill people. People with Gods kill people."

Thu, 04 Sep 2008 00:23:44 -0400

“Gods don’t kill people. People with Gods kill people.”

- David Viaene

Alaska Gov. Palin is McCain's running mate: Politics | adn.com

Fri, 29 Aug 2008 15:57:00 -0400

Alaska Gov. Palin is McCain's running mate: Politics | adn.com:

As a resident of the state of Alaska…today’s announcement is another good reason to vote for Obama. Seriously, if something happened to McCain do we want someone who has NOOOO experience running our country. Geez, that’s scary….at least Joe Biden would know what the hell he’s doing!! Besides, Sarah Palin has done nothing for Alaska….absolutely nothing- except try to abuse the power of governor to fire her ex-brother in law.

chocolate peanut butter cake | smitten kitchen

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 20:35:00 -0400

chocolate peanut butter cake | smitten kitchen

Be Prepared

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:55:20 -0400

So, I’ve been spending this week painting, touching up and refinishing furniture, constantly rearranging what will be my classroom. I will be doing a self directed Montessori internship this year which is already proving to be ALOT of work!! Everyone else in my class is basically acting as an assistant but I’ll be calling the shots! On one hand, there is nothing like just jumping right into a position and being able to use all my new knowledge, but on the other hand, I don’t get to learn under a master teacher, which means I could pick up potential bad habits. I do think everything will be fine once I get going.

So, I posted some photos of what classroom looks like as of this morning. I have one week to get it ready for Parent Orientation and Open House. Yes, I have a lot of work to do still, but you should have seen this place when I got back from Vegas! Yikes!

Just another view of my classroom.

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:54:36 -0400

Just another view of my classroom.

One view of my classroom..yes, I have a long ways to go but you...

Fri, 15 Aug 2008 14:53:03 -0400

One view of my classroom..yes, I have a long ways to go but you have to love that green wall. Thanks Georgie!

Montessori Internship

Wed, 13 Aug 2008 01:37:29 -0400

So, I think I’m going to make this a blog about my life as a Montessori teacher. I think it will be fun to document my first year!