This Year’s Changes

8-27-09

by Kip Layton Jr.

We made it through the first week of school, but something is odd. Things went a lot smoother this year than last. Of course, we had some students test the rules and they found out that the consequences are real.
This year has brought with it new items and challenges. We have over 10 boys eligible to play basketball this year, but no coach yet. They will find someone to take the job. Their season depends on it.
The students of Eek School will also participate in, among other things, NYO, Junior High Basketball, Speech Contests, and the Spelling Bee competition. It will be a busy year and I wish all the kids the best of luck.
A couple of new budget and ordering changes have occurred and we usually find out after the fact. I knew we were to get more biodegradable lunch trays to replace the styrofoam trays. It may save the environment, but it doesn’t save the budget. The day before school I was told we didn’t have any dry milk. I called the district office and they were kind enough to send some out before the first day of school. Then I come to find out that we were not actually out of milk – just out of the desired brand in boxes. Instead, we had large bags of dry milk.
Then we get into changes that will “make our work easier” or “save money and address equality.” Over the years I’ve been in education I have seen the preparation of the food served to the kids differ. Instead of making sandwiches by hand, peanut butter and jelly and grill cheese sandwiches now come frozen. They are round and individually wrapped. All you need to do is thaw or heat them, respectively.
The kids (and staff) have loved the personal touch of pancakes from scratch as they did with the sandwiches, but the other day I went to eat breakfast at school because I was told pancakes were being served. They were given out – in individually wrapped packages. Haven’t seen the cost yet. It may be less labor, but I would suspect it won’t be cheaper.
The district changed the travel per diem rules. We now need to save receipts and fill out an itemized Travel Expense Form. No more simply receiving a day or night set per diem amount. We now have PO’s sent to hotels and such. Granted, it may save the district money and maybe have more equality to it, but it sure is more paperwork.
Yep, each year brings changes. Most of them are positive and their intentions are good. The new lunch trays are not that bad. They only weigh more. There is a coach in Eek somewhere for the high school boys’ basketball team. The sandwiches are edible. I didn’t try the pancakes – couldn’t bring myself to eat them, and the new travel rules will take some getting used to.
What can we do? Why would we want to do anything to rock the boat? No reason to do that. We must go with the changes, give them out best shot, and if for some reason they don’t work out, then so be it. We try again.
Don’t forget that Tundra Teacher Tales is available in paperback or E-book at www.booklocker.com/books/973.html.

Be Happy

8-21-09

by Kip Layton Jr.

The preparation for a new school year is always a busy time. To remain sane I keep the faith and the humor in most things. It sometimes isn’t easy in this day and age to find the bright side (even a laugh) in situations, but I can’t help myself. I’ve always been that way. A couple of recent experiences come to mind.
When I was in Bethel August 4th – 6th for the District Wide Inservice there were several hundred educators roaming around. I was impressed with the organization of the event and pleasantly surprised at the learning that took place. Then the fog set in.
It wasn’t a problem at the moment because we still had another day of inservice, but we also know that the fog can stick around for a few days. There wasn’t anything we could do about it so we went about our business.
However, I never really thought about how hectic it could be at the bush airlines on days with heavy fog and they are unable to get a plane in the air. That is until my wife told me a short conversation they had with a person at one of the airlines. Apparently the person had been receiving a lot of phone calls that morning and was a bit stressed out.
My wife had called from Texas to make reservations to fly from Bethel to Eek on August 17th after she would arrive from Anchorage. I don’t know if she knew it was foggy or not in Bethel, but she soon found out. When she called the person on the other end picked up the phone and didn’t say “Hello” or “Hi” or “----Air.” He just said, “We are waiting for the fog to lift.” That was it. The guy probably didn’t see any humor in it, but we did.
Then last week while my day was hectic from the pre-school opening demands I got a call from a local resident in Eek. It was the first time I had talked to him since I’ve been back. What he said after I answered just made my day – and I told him so afterwards. He said, “How is my white brother from another mother?” There was nothing odd about that coming from him. It might have offended some people, but hey – I am white, I do have another mother, and we are “brothers” in the friend sense.
After I stopped laughing we talked of how our summer went and then we got down to the business he had on his mind. I still think it was funny and probably always will when I reflect on it.
Happy people are what makes the world go around. Remember that life is what you make of it. Problems do arise, but it is how you react to them that can make the difference. Some people may think you are crazy and laugh when you shouldn’t, but in my book I like to see the bright side of things and see humor in the unexpected. I’ll continue to do so.
Give humor a chance in your daily life and try to be happy no matter the situation. I bet you will feel better.

I’ve Returned

8-13-09

by Kip Layton Jr.

Howdy all. I made it back for another year. Sure hope everyone’s summer went well. Ours was busy. We barely had some down time.
I arrived in Anchorage July 31st. My luggage showed up later. It wasn’t bad though. The flight from Houston, TX was an hour late to Seattle. My layover was only 1-½ hours. By the time the plane pulled up to the gate and we got off it was 12:35PM. My connection was to leave at 1:05PM. The flight attendant told me not to worry as the flight to Anchorage was only two gates away.
He was right. A flight to Anchorage was near by, but not my flight. It was then that I found out Continental had hooked up with Alaska Airlines – and the plane to take me to The Last Frontier was a terminal away. The race was on.
Running isn’t in my forte anymore so I walked as fast as I could. When I got to the correct gate it was the only time I was thankful that an airline was late. They hadn’t even begun to board yet.
Even with the delay my luggage didn’t make it on the plane with me, but it arrived on the next flight about a half hour later. No big deal.
After shopping and shipping items for a couple of days in the big city I found it was already Sunday and I was on a plane to Bethel. The flight was uneventful until we got to Bethel. The plane was coming in for a landing and then it pulled up at the last second. It made a wide circle and then finally landed. I heard two stories on why we were given an involuntary air tour of Bethel. One tale was “there was a plane on the runway.” It made sense. The other rumor was that the landing gear was not down. Now that was a bit more frightening and didn’t make nearly as much sense. I don’t know which one (if either) was true and quite frankly don’t really know if I want to.
Nevertheless, we made it safely to the terminal. The rain was falling in Bethel. No surprise there. For the last few years it has been raining the first day I arrive back to the Delta after summer break.
The next morning in Eek I was heading to the Post Office and some kids stopped me to show me something I’d never seen in my 12 years in the bush. They pointed to a telephone pole with a big transformer at the top. There, nestled and balanced next to the transformer, were crows that had been electrocuted. It was intriguing to say the least.
The week went on with work and a couple of days of inservice in Bethel. Then today, Saturday, August 8, 2009, I spotted an unusual and somewhat sad sight walking to the store. It was another first – okay second for this column. I was passing a steam house and noticed that the door had a hasp and lock on it. I can understand locking a house, a vehicle, storage sheds, and the like, but a steam house?
What can they steal? Maybe the lock is to prevent usage by other people while the owners are at fish camp or vacation or some other legitimate reason. I rightly don’t know. Now maybe locking a steam house is more common now days than I think. I can understand a latch on the inside as people are bathing, but to have to resort to putting a lock on the outside is sad in a way.
Well, it is getting late and I’d best close this article. Have a safe week, fish well, work hard, and find time to play and make time for family.

A Safe, Safe

5-14-09

by Kip Layton Jr.

As with a lot of schools and businesses there is a safe in the Eek School office. It is pretty secure. One enters the combination on the door pad, pulls down the handle, and then opens the door. No problem… press, pull, open.
However, on May 1st, our safe became a lot safer.
The morning had gone extremely well. I was happy, but a bit on edge. See, an uneventful morning on the job as a site administrator usually leads to an adventurous afternoon. In this case, I found myself hunkered down on the floor by a pretty well made safe. I had needed an item from the safe so I pressed the combination and pulled – nada.
I tried it again, nothing. And again - still nothing. I kept trying different methods when I could. We even recruited stronger people to give it a shot. Guess what? Nothing.
My secretary was out for the day, but I figured that she would find out why a simple-to-open safe was not cooperating with me when she returned on Monday. The weekend passed quickly.
About mid morning on Monday I walked into the office after making some rounds through the school and found my secretary on the ground in front of the safe. She looked up and gave me the “what-did-you-do-to-the-safe” look. Right then and there I figured it wasn’t simple.
I laughed. She kind of smiled. The safe remained shut. We began to look at our options and etc. Did we recently change the batteries for the keypad? Yep, we did. Will it open if we turn the safe on its side? It doesn’t. What about pushing on the top or the bottom of the door and then trying the combination? No go.
Since the Sentry Safe manual happened to be locked in the safe, I phoned the company. Almost instantly I had a person on the line that explained exactly why we couldn’t open the safe.
Under the handle on the safe is a silver keyhole. It resembles one you would see on a vending machine. It requires a circular key. Apparently the “keyhole” is a button also. It supposedly sticks out about half an inch. I’ve never really noticed it, but the experts on the phone seemed to think that someone pushed the button lock in. You need a key to unlock the door handle so you can press the combination and without a key, we can’t open the thing. When you push in the lock, it prevents the door handle from moving. It is added security…and it works.
We knew at least one key came with the safe so we began the search. No key in the desks or lying around that we could see. However, there was an old key box behind the office door with keys in it. The problem is that the key to the key box was in the safe. I had the maintenance men break open the box. We tried a couple of keys, but none of them worked.
Our options were limited. We didn’t need everything right now that was in the safe besides the keys mentioned.
While on the phone I ordered two keys from the company. And being the real smart guy I am, I paid a little more for them to be shipped overnight.
“They will probably get here Friday,” my secretary said. Not because we barely have a night this time of year, but the USPS does its best to avoid UPS packages, even in the villages. Anyway, she was right. Our overnight key package arrived in five days. In fact, it arrived shortly after we happened to find one of the original safe keys in a drawer that was not previously searched.
It is Sunday now and all is good. We can make the safe safer or simply safe at will. The high school graduation went well. The high school prom was a success, and today hasn’t been too busy. Life is good, but tomorrow is Monday…

Still Me

4-9-09

by Kip Layton Jr.

There was a time when most of my adventures happened beyond the village on the tundra or river. It didn’t matter if I was near or far from the house. The Lord had a way of reminding me/us of the danger that can lurk in bush Alaska. And He had let me live to relate the stories.
Then I became older, had an accident that pretty much eliminated any thought of risky behavior, and now I am a bit wiser. I still tend to attract the unusual and my eyes still observe life and the environment my way. The difference now is that the attraction is limited to home, school, and the immediate confines of the village I may be in at the time. Guess you could call me more of an introvert than an extrovert, but I’m still me. I can’t escape myself, or Murphy’s Law.
I went to Good News Bay last Wednesday and stayed the night. They offered me a choice of sleeping arrangements. I chose a couch in one of the classrooms. Slept well, but probably could have been better. The next morning they asked me how I slept.
“Y’all need a longer couch,” I joked, “but I was comfortable and got some sleep.”
“Did you know that it is a hide-a-bed?”
“No, I didn’t, but I know now.”
Have you ever been to Good News Bay? It is a beautiful place. Mountains surround the village. They are everywhere. Did you know there is even one in the sewage lagoon? It isn’t really a mountain. It’s more like a mound and no; it isn’t made up of what you may be thinking. Some maintenance was done to the lagoon and the pile is just dirt – or so I was told.
When I got back to Eek it was time to prepare for next week’s testing. One thing on my list was making sure there were plenty of snacks and drinks for the students. It should have been a supposedly a simple, easy chore to carry out – call stores and get the stuff flown out to Eek.
It was easy at the beginning. After phoning one store and placing an order for drinks and snacks, it was time to call a grocery store for other items I wanted. That wasn’t so easy.
Never before had I been turned down by a grocery store until now. All I wanted to buy was fresh fruit for the students’ breaks during the dreadful testing week. I called the store and said something like, “I’d like to order a couple cases of oranges and apples to be delivered to the airport and shipped to Eek School.”
Their response left me wondering why, in these economic times, would a business turn down customers? The lady told me that they weren’t taking any orders until Monday (this was Thursday) because we’re full right now. All I could mumble was, “Okay, thanks.”
Maybe I will try to order again Monday, but testing begins Tuesday. It is now Sunday afternoon and I just got my drink and snack order I placed Thursday. There may not be enough time.
It looks like I need to follow my wife’s advice. For two days I’ve been expecting the order to arrive. I was worried that I would miss the call and not be able to go to the airport and get it. Irene told me that the agent should bring the stuff to the school and to “not worry about it.”
So, I kind of didn’t worry about it and do you know what happened? The plane landed and the agent brought the order to the school. Weird, uh?

Cama-i Trip

4-1-09

by Kip Layton Jr.

The month of March is about to end and I have neglected this column for too long. Time to get back to the weekly writings. We are in Bethel right now. Cama-i was fun. We haven’t attended the festivities in a few years. Glad we did.
The cab dropped us off shortly after the doors opened. The place was already hopping. It was time to shop. Irene always carries a list with family names and when we find something that we think they will like we buy it. She writes the item we purchased by their name and it then becomes a gift at a later date. I never see the thing again. Irene will store them away and then wrap and mail the package. If she left it to me to keep up with the item, then neither of us (or the recipient) would ever see it again. It is a good system.
We looked at all the wonderful, skillfully made crafts, clothing, art, carvings, etc and got ideas. Then headed to watch the dancing for a while. Along the way we passed the concession stand. It was crowded so we kept on. So glad we did.
We got to see a couple of dancing groups. Or does one call them teams? Or is there another name for several people together dancing? Does it really matter? Anyway, we watched about three sets (?) of dancers before our stomachs talked to us.
The crowd was gone from the food area, but so was some food. They ran out of hamburgers, hotdogs, and a couple of other edibles. How do we know? It appears the process of elimination works in all sorts of cases. By narrowing down the choices one doesn’t really need to make the decision. It is made for them. I’ll explain.
Irene ordered a cheeseburger.
“We are out of cheeseburgers,” the concessionaire (?) replied.
“How about a hotdog?” I blurted out.
“No hotdogs either.” She blurted back.
I gave her an “I-don’t-understand-why-there-isn’t-any-food-at-the-concession-stand-on-the-first-full-day-of-Cama-i-when-there-are-so-many-people-here” look.
Sometimes I hate logic, especially when it destroys my logic. “We are waiting for our stuff from Anchorage,” she explained.
Oh yeah, blame it on a volcano. One can’t argue with that.
Irene decided to be simple about the matter, “Well, what do you have?”
“Nachos.”
Irene countered, “Well then, nachos it is,” and with that we had lunch and headed back to the gym and the dancing. Glad we did.
The Akiuk Grizzlies were on stage and to us they were fantastic. The drumming and singing were super and the dancers were great. It was the first time I had seen a nine-year-old boy do solo dancing. I know all dances tell a story, but it was the first time I had seen male dancers apparently dancing a story about women. It was very entertaining and had good light-hearted humor. Wish I knew the story they were dancing, but you don’t have to know the story to enjoy the dancing.
Intermission followed their performance so we decided to go by some things. We knew what we wanted to buy to fulfill some of our gift list. Of course, we bought more than we anticipated, but that is usually the case.
Back at the hotel we regrouped, put on snow pants and such and headed to the store. Sort of glad we did. After looking at how much prices have risen since the last time we shopped in Bethel our wants were quickly eliminated from our minds and we pretty much stuck to our needs. We figured about a hundred bucks for the small amount of groceries we had in our basket. Wrong. It was more like a hundred-fifty.
Saturday night was noisy for Irene. Seems our neighbors in the room next door were quite wound up. She was glad she brought earplugs. Me? I sleep without my hearing aids.
All in all it wasn’t a bad trip. We spent more than we budget for, had noisy neighbors in the room next door, watched superb dancing, ate junk food lunch and dinners, and now have woken up to iffy weather.
Maybe we will spend thee days at the airport waiting for the weather to clear - or maybe not. Who knows? At least we pre-reserved a hotel room and hand washed some clothes last night in preparation. We might be glad we did, but I hope not.
Until next week, be safe and stay warm.

Ready for Christmas

12-22-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

Howdy and Merry Christmas to all. I apologize for not writing much this fall. It has been a busy semester at school. Things are slowing down now. I had a list of things to write about, but they are not what I would call “time sensitive” so I will include them in future columns. I’m still the same old me that keeps Murphy’s Law close at heart and Irene is still the one that seems to have become the one with interesting happenings when traveling.
Irene was to leave for Texas a week early to get our house ready for Christmas. As always, we keep a watch on the weather as our day of departure from Eek near and we noticed a storm was to roll soon so she took off to Bethel the day before her flight was to leave for Anchorage. I’m glad she did. The weather did turn bad the next morning and the jet was quite late getting to Bethel, but they managed to take off to Anchorage.
After the plane landed Irene called to tell me that they almost couldn’t land in the big city due to heavy fog. The pilot finally got clearance to land. She said that it was a very hard landing. “The airport just snuck up on them. It suddenly appeared,” she stated and then added, “When we landed everyone went (gasped).”
Once she got settled at the hotel she did what most women do with a day to kill downtown. She went shopping. Not to buy anything particular, but to see what was new. While in one shop she had to phoned me again to inform me of the latest selections in what I guess would be deemed toys. It seems that manufacturers are producing items that are… well… vastly different than when we were young’ins.
So if you are looking for that latest stocking stuffer read on.
For those who would like to demonstrate to their friends and family the strength of the Lord you can purchase a Jesus action figure. Close by is an Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder action figure complete with a sanitizing wipe and a facemask. The male nurse figure was keeping a healthy watch over the others, but he doesn’t come with a facemask or a wipe.
There were also a couple of play sets for those who enjoy crime and are intrigued by gossip magazines. You can purchase a Paparazzi play set or an Angry Mob play set. It has nine figures that are a mix of male and female. One holds a rake, another a machete, a gun accompanies another figure, a fire stick adorns yet another, and one can’t leave out the good old “mobber” with a pitchfork.
Do you like murder mysteries and forensic shows and books - how about a “Death Spread” pen? You can make your own dead body chalk lines – only this time using a pen.
By now you might be ready to stop reading. Maybe your heart is beating faster. It could be that your mind is trying to make sense of it all. Not to worry, the store also had an item for sale to help you. How about one of those stress balls you squeeze with your hand to relieve the burden sound to you? There is one for sale that is a man in a fetal position.
Living in the bush one feels cut off from the “real world.” Some say we are missing things and are out of touch, but are we? It makes one wonder what, besides friends and family, are we truly missing?

No Cash? No Problem.

10-29-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

We recently got back from Anchorage and learned a few things that will come in handy when planning our next trip. First, it is nice to know that the least expensive price isn’t always the best way to go. In some cases it will cost you more. The “service” industry is quickly losing its service.
Our costly experiences began in Bethel. The word “free” is being pushed aside. I’ve heard of airlines that are beginning to charge for items we once got free, but I hadn’t experienced it. Up until that time it was an “I’ll believe it when I see it” attitude. Well, I am now a believer.
I remember well the moment I felt the truth. I was reading a sign in the airline terminal lobby. It explained that snacks and meals would be five dollars. You could also rent what looked like a mini DVD player that was loaded with various movies, etc. You could buy $5.00 vouchers at the ticket counter to pay for them or you could pay with their debit/credit card during the flight. Cash would not be accepted. I guess the value of the dollar has sunk more than I realized.
After that, we had the fun TSA security check to endure. Irene went through without a problem. I threw our bottled water away and walked to the metal detector. The security guard signaled me to walk through. I almost did. The thing shrieked. I backed up and took off my wristwatch, walked forward, buzzed it again, then removed my belt, and made it through without setting the alarm off again. Eventually, it might be wise to fly in only swim trunks and a bag of food, snacks, and a dozen 3 oz bottles of water.
Airlines are one thing, but have you tried renting a car lately? We did and it is beginning to get interesting too. We booked our rental car through a popular web site that enabled us to find the “best” deal at the “lowest” price. Until we got to the car rental company at the Anchorage airport we were happy with our selection. For $221.00 (taxes, etc included) we had a car for a week with unlimited mileage. Too good to be true? You probably know that answer.
Did you know that if you use a debit card to pay for the purchase that they put an additional hold of $500.00? How about a second licensed driver this day and age? That will now set you back another $5.00 a day. But all was good. The gentleman upgraded our car (they always have) and gave us a big 5% discount. So actually our bill was around $7.00 less.
Only seven dollars off $262.00 didn’t seem right and the last time they only withheld $350.00 when we used the debit card. I found out that the 5% discount was only off the actual rental price (without taxes, etc) of $149.00. The $500.00 hold is because they said debit cards are hard to trace and they have had a couple of cars stolen.
I guess having the money in bank at the time of transaction isn’t acceptable anymore– and after our experiences on that trip, I know why. Our bank accounts contain only worthless cash.
Don’t forget you can purchase Tundra Teacher Tales paperback or ebook online at www.booklocker.com/books/973.html.

Out with the old? Never!

10-15-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

October 6, 2008 around 2:00PM things virtually stopped for a while at school. The Ecology class being broadcast went off the air. My phone rang with questions and concerns. One teacher even jokingly asked if he could send his students home. Other students sitting in the midst of hundreds of books in the little used library were lost. They didn’t have any idea what could be done. It wasn’t the end of the world – at least not by Armageddon standards. No – just the Internet went kaput.
I found out that the problem wasn’t centralized to only Eek. The system was down district –wide. It was put to me this way when I called the district office technology department, “The district (system) is fine. Anchorage is down.”
My initial thought was, “So.” Then I remembered that the district gets its Internet via satellite from Anchorage. Seems that our system relies on a server based in Bethel, which depends on a server in Anchorage and the big city server was having problems.
It would be a while before things were fixed.
In an instant the contrast between the generations showed itself. The kids “couldn’t” write their papers. The teachers were not able to use the classroom Smart Boards (a fancy whiteboard which is virtually a giant computer touch screen with speakers). It was like nothing could get done without the Internet up and running. Not true, but maybe because I am a member of one of – if not the - last generation who grew up without computer access, it sure seemed that way.
Adults from “our time” remember the old ways of surviving school. It was a time when learning and communication had a more meaningful personal touch. We talked to the person next to us instead of chatting through a web site. We know a library contains not only magazines with the latest gossip, but also books and newspapers and that researching a topic can still be done through encyclopedias. In fact, it is more enjoyable. You learn more. A pen or pencil and paper writes just as well when penning an essay or a letter. We also don’t mind reading an actual book instead of web pages.
Does retaining the old ways while embracing what you feel you need from the new sound familiar? Villagers, especially the Elders have always emphasized that. You never know when you may need to rely on skills learned in your youth whether it is in school, home, or on the tundra. It is technically (no pun intended) all learning.
We educators talk of having concrete, tangible items for our students to learn better. Wouldn’t that include novels, pens, pencils, and actual paper? We could also show them that there is a purpose to those little white cards in that mysterious chest in the library. They can hold and feel the novel they’re reading.
Yep, we can do a lot of things to spread the joy of the old ways, but they can argue that the new way of living is better. Why have pencils, pens, paper, novels, encyclopedias, etc when a computer is an all-in-one machine? Because in this unpredictable world you need to at least be exposed to the old ways of doing things – especially in rural Alaska.

Busy October

10-8-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

October sure snuck up on us this time. Why just last week it was September.
Each month of the year has its own character and brings with it certain expectations.
This is our 11th October in Alaska and some things haven’t changed.
Education-wise the month of October is referred to as “count month.” It is usually the first 20 school days (four weeks) of the month. During that time - and that time only - the amount of funding for the school’s next year’s budget is determined. It is calculated by the ADM (average daily attendance) during those 20 days.
Here’s how it works. If a school has 100 students, but their ADM after the four weeks is 95, then they only receive the per student money for 95 students and not 100. Presently, I believe it is around $5,000.00 per student. The count period began early this time. It runs from September 29th through October 24th. So please make sure your children attend school every day – all day.
A couple things play havoc on children and complicate the matter.
First, daylight is becoming less each…uh…day. Some students only notice this in the mornings. They stay up as if darkness never arrived, but sleep late as if it will never leave. We can’t control the sun or moon, but we can brighten our kid’s morning by turning on their bedroom light. We can instill the joy of not wasting a minute of life by waking them up early and getting them off to school.
Secondly, the PFD checks are always timed perfectly for the State’s benefit. Most of the time they arrive just before or during count month. This sets off a frenzy of traveling which results in absenteeism from the village and school. Two things happen. Soon the money is gone, but the State will still demand the taxes. And school’s ADM’s are lower meaning less money allocated to the site.
Sites on a four-quarter grading schedule realize that the first quarter ends this month. It is a good time for the staff to come together and reflect on what may or may not be working and make improvements. One item the kids and parents need to remember is that the quarter grade (good or bad) is essentially a progress grade. It is an indication of how the student is performing and if s/he is on tract to earn semester credit.
The report card could show superb performance and have everyone smiling. Or yes, the student may become ineligible to participate in extra-curricular activities if their grade is too low, but at least they will have more time on their hands to study. Thus, raising their grade.
October is always a challenge for the education system. The PFD’s, ADM’s, shorter daylight/longer darkness, and quarter grades are not the only things we look forward to. We also have the SIP (Site Improvement Plans) and our Accreditation Report to get done.
This year, as years past, LKSD secured new or renewed previous program grants to continue their commitment of improving the education for all the students of the district. We have teachers and administrators attending language planning, transition, ELD, writing/science, first and second year teacher training, and so forth. It seems October has it all – and we’re expected to do it all. No problem. We have 31 days this month.

What?

9-24-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

Last week all the Site Administrators in LKSD met in Bethel for an inservice. The information was interesting to me. There was a mix of old and new information along with small group discussions and problem solving on different scenarios.
Usually, I end up rejuvenated, refreshed, and usually go back to site ready to implement all the good things we learned after attending an inservice. There is no way it all can be done. It isn’t expected, but I did walk away with some new vocabulary that may serve me well in this politically correct society.
To protect the guilty, no names will be attributed to the intricately placed words; nor do I intend to take credit for them. My newly acquired words and phrases are in quotations scattered throughout this column. It was day two of the inservice before I thought to write them down. I don’t quite remember all of them, but I will “tell you what I think I know.”
Overall the district has a great staff. There are some (including me) that have their quirks. Sometimes I am too social and there are those who possess minimal social skills. Apparently, we can be referred to as having a “social malfunction.”
We did an exercise on evaluating teachers that required us to identify the good teachers (our “Superstars”), those who needed a bit of coaching to improve, and the teachers who needed to drastically improve. There were six fictional instructors on the chart from which to choose (Ms. K, Mrs. B, Mr. Z, Mrs. C, Mr. S, and Ms. Y). Based on the information given, our Superstars were easy to pick out. However, they turned out to be Mrs. B and Mr. S. Go figure. How do you continue to support B and S?
Sometimes we Site Administrators have to write a Plan of Improvement for an employee. It isn’t something we live for. Even if you are not the recipient of the Plan, you can probably relate to the summary of emotions that it is “not a fun kind of thing.”
One exercise required us to jot some things down we may need during the discussion. We were told to “do what we normally do” and then “to use the back side” of the paper to make notes.
We know that until someone is found guilty, he/she allegedly committed the crime. Do you know what the person is called before they go criminal? They are at risk for being “potentially alleged.”
It makes sense in a warped sort of way. That is one reason I couldn’t resist making fun of it. Society itself is malfunctioning. I think I know a lot. B and S sure encompass some things that go on. Being reprimanded by my superior is not fun. I don’t know if I will ever figure out what is normal to me so I’m glad someone told me what side of the paper to use.
You may not see things this way and that is okay. I “don’t disagree.”

I’m Steamed

9-17-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

Living in a village a person becomes accustomed to the distinct odor emitting from a steam house. It is unique and quite unlike any other smell, but it doesn’t take long to realize what it is. After my first steam in almost two years I remembered the main ingredient – burning flesh. About two weeks ago a couple layers of my skin went up in smoke.
“Taking a steam” is something that needs to be done regularly. You can’t just steam every year-and-a half expecting to emerge without some sign of inexperience. For me, I made the mistake of letting everyone know how good I could steam and my ability to keep up with the best of the body roasters. Their expectations of this kass’aq were high.
The steam house I was invited to was recently completed. Built by a local man adept at carpentry. It turned out to be solidly constructed and, as I’d find out later, superbly caulked and heat tight.
As I drove the four-wheeler down the road and toward his steam house I smiled knowing I was about to give the men a rude awakening with my ability to stand (or sit in this case) the heat.
I parked, grabbed my bag, and proudly strutted down the boardwalk toward the steam house. When I opened the door my attitude changed and my ego took a huge hit. Several men were cooling off lying on the floor and sitting on the lone bench lining the left wall. And all of them had smoke rising from their red skin. “This isn’t a good sign,” I thought.
My initial impression was confirmed a bit later when I entered the actual steam area. The temperature was already almost unbearable to me, but like any good guest I forced myself through the opening and closed the door behind me. I’d been cooking for probably less than a minute when someone joined me. I told him to take his time coming in. The longer the door is held open the more heat he lets escape. He knew that and ignored me. My skin simmered.
About the second time I came out of the “fire room” and struggled to get up one of the men got up from the bench and told me to sit there. I guess they heard my knees creaking and me grunting a little. After I sat on the bench they told me that that was my place. They were going to write “Kip” on the wall above it. “Cool,” I managed to say while dripping sweat. I knew then I’d be back.
Darkness had settled in by the time I left for the night. As I walked up the boardwalk I felt something nipping at my heels. I looked down and it was a dog I’d later learn was named Benny. He followed me to the four-wheeler and then jumped up on the seat and wiggled his body to the rear luggage rack and lay down. He was ready to go. He was quite a friendly fellow. Either that or he smelled freshly cooked meat. Didn’t know for sure, but I did know he couldn’t go home with me. I clapped my hands and shoed him off. Then I began the trip across the village to the teacher housing.
As I drove home I felt good. The red battle scars I got will go away and my pores might close eventually. I can’t wait for the next time… and the next… and the next…
(Don’t forget to check out Tundra Teacher Tales in paperback or e-book form. Simply log onto www.booklocker.com/books/973.html).

Names, Fat, and Hairy Beds

9-11-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

The first few weeks of a school year are always interesting. New staff arrives. Returning teachers…well…return. Students have to again fall into the routine of rising early and staying alert for hours, all this while getting to know their teacher(s). It seemed easier for the students who looked forward to getting a laptop computer issued to them than it did for the new kindergarteners. Priorities do differ.
I’m still getting to know the kids and remember their names. It is hard for them to understand why they don’t have a problem remembering Kip and I have trouble recalling their name. I try to explain that, thank God, there is only one of me while there are almost 90 of them. Eventually, I’ll get it straight.
Kids have always expressed themselves in an honest, innocent way. They tend to say what they are thinking - without thinking. A while back a student blurted out to one of the staff that she “had less fat in her face.” What a compliment. Wish I had less fat.
Then you have the first year teachers from the Lower 48 new to rural Alaska that, through their actions and “learning of the ropes,” bring back splendid memories of my bush innocence. Newbies soon discover that the term “snail mail” actually has meaning living in Southwest Alaska. They also learn quickly that sometimes you have to make do with what is available in the village.
Nevertheless, even as an eleven-year veteran of living the village dream, I continue to learn a thing or two from new teachers. Sometimes we get educated together. For example, one particular teacher learned that hotel and B&B space fills up fast in Bethel when there is a workshop to attend. She found that if you wait until the day before you leave you never know what type of place you may get. I learned where not to lay my head.
As she scrambled with the phone attempting to find a room for the night, I did my Site Administrator duty telling her of all the places I knew to overnight in Bethel. “No vacancy” became the norm as she kept dialing different places. Finally, she found a hotel with an available room and happily made her reservation. Afterwards, she asked me if I ever heard of the place. I told her I hadn’t and to let me know how it is in case I may need to stay there someday.
I don’t remember the name of the hotel, but kind of wish I did so I don’t stay there. She jubilantly flew to Bethel and arrived at the hotel. It turns out that a person (or persons) has the option of renting a room by the hour there rather than a full night. It also became apparent to her that sometimes housekeeping skips a room.
In her case, it slipped the maids’ mind to at least vacuum the sheets. When our adventurous teacher turned the covers back on the bed she found a bunch of black hairs on the sheets. Yuck! However, the hotel staff were nice and gave her another room – one that looked clean and had bald sheets on the bed.
The year is quite young and there is much to learn. It doesn’t matter who you are because embarrassing, naïve adventures await us all; we should laugh and learn. Sometimes you can gain a bit of wisdom. You only need to think logically.
For instance, over the years I’ve heard Elders say that when the grass is high there will be a lot of snow that winter. The grass does look taller than usual this year to me. So I have a solution. I say if you want less snow simply cut the grass.

Cable Ready Kip

9-4-08

by Kipling Layton, Jr.

As with moving to any new site there are adjustments and glitches that have to be worked out. It doesn’t matter if you are a first year teacher or if you have spent years in the bush. One thing that most educators in rural Alaska think they need to survive and feel somewhat civilized is a television. Oh - AND access to channels. In Eek people have four choices to make it happen, provided they have a TV.
The adventurous viewers simply purchase an antennae. The most popular ones are usually referred to as rabbit ears. You hook them up directly to the TV. We put up with a pair when we lived in Newtok a decade ago. With them attached to our set we received two channels, one was ARCS and I forget the other one, although PBS rings a bell.
Anyway, there wasn’t a set programming schedule for the prime time shows viewed on ARCS. Every hour was different and usually it was a ‘tease.” A show would begin and get you hooked for a couple of minutes then it would switch to another program. For instance, if a crime show was on you would see the crime before the screen changed to something else. You were left without knowing how one show would end and how the “new” show began. Rabbit ears are appropriately named for rural areas. The two ears translated to two channels and two shows.
If you look around the village you will notice another kind of antennae. They are the larger ones on the roofs of some homes. I’m not sure if they pick up more channels, but the reception is probably better.
A second option is to subscribe to the local cable network through the corporation. They run a cable to your house and you pay a monthly fee. It isn’t a bad deal. There are forty channels including HBO for a reasonable fee. We got the information and are keeping it handy as it prevents us from having to adjust our own satellite.
The third option is what Irene and I chose for the moment. We had cable run to the teacher housing from an existing satellite and hooked up with DishNetwork - mainly because we already had a DVR receiver and an account with DishNetwork. The cable was run in an hour and two weeks later we had eliminated what we hope were all the problems. I helped a lot. The maintenance man would tell me what he knew was the problem and I would proceed to let him know what I thought was the problem. It never would have gotten fixed if he had listened to me.
Then one morning last week our TV screen was black and “no signal” was prominent in the middle. I asked our neighbor if her TV was getting reception and it was. I fiddled with the cable hook-ups that evening and still got nothing. It was time to break down and call DishNetwork. Maybe I shouldn’t have because do you know what that sweet innocent female customer service representative had the nerve to ask me? “Is your TV on channel three?” It is now.
There are advantages to all of the above choices. If you only have two channels and your programming keeps getting switched it sure helps to keep your mind young trying to imagine the ending and the beginning of programs. Using a well-established reliable local cable network sure saves you headaches. Having your own satellite will enhance your problem-solving skills and show you (or just me) how easy a fix can be.
The fourth choice is to forego television all together. I know a few people who don’t care for TV. They either do not want the expense, don’t care for modern shows, or would rather watch DVD’s on their computer. To each their own in the fictional, reality, true, infomercial, soap opera, game show, news, comedy, movie, history, cartoon, children, home/garden, or sitcom programming to name a few modern outstanding choices. It is a great way to waste time, but why listen to me?
(Don’t forget to check out Tundra Teacher Tales in paperback or ebook form. Simply log onto www.booklocker.com/books/973.html).

New Home, New School Year

8-29-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

Howdy All! Irene and I are back from summer vacation and now live in Eek. I guess that is appropriate after a personally scary spring, but all is pretty good now. I haven’t used my cane in a while and am probably close to as fully healed as I will be. It feels great to be back in the administrative saddle.
The first week of school was a success. There are things to tweak, but not much. It actually went smoother than I thought it would. We had some problems with scheduling, classroom materials, and the usual stuff, but nothing major. Of course, the most confusion took place the first morning back while a member of the LKSD School Board was visiting the school. My good luck continues.
We had parent conferences Friday to go over their child(ren)’s spring test scores and how things are so far. The turn out was close to 100% due to technology. The students had to bring their parents to school so they could sign a form in order for the student to be issued his/her laptop. What a coincident it happened to correspond with parent meetings… ummm.
The district had two new four-plexes built for teacher housing, one in Eek and the other in Kwigillingok. They are nice. Irene and I arrived July 29th with the intention of moving in and getting our unit set up. I had been emailing and letting the district know our plans, but some things are beyond anyone’s control.
It seems the closer we got to the 29th the further away the final inspection date became. Before leaving Texas for Anchorage, the inspection date was July 31st. In Anchorage it turned into August 6th. By the time we got to Eek the date had manifested to August 10th. We were to stay in the old administrator’s house until we could live in the new place. However, we were allowed to move furniture and personal items into it, we just weren’t able to live there until the final inspection was complete.
Now, I’m not a construction person or an inspector of such, nor do I intend to present myself as one. That is why all I could see that needed to be done was the installation of three ranges and leveling a couple refrigerators. At the time I had trouble understanding why the builders left with so little to finish. It was like someone leaving a few drops of milk left in the carton. Just spend an hour to complete things and then be on your way.
One thing I do like about LKSD is that most departments will work with the sites to accommodate or come up with a solution or compromise satisfactory to all. They were able to arrange the final inspection for Monday, August 4th. On the 2nd a couple people come out to prepare for it.
It turned out that there were a bit more tedious items to fix than I imagined. I only saw the obvious. They had a detailed list of items to check off. It was an unfair advantage that made sense. With the help and encouragement of Irene I was able to stay out of their way. Therefore, we were able to spend our first night in our new home the night of the 4th.
Now that things have settled down a bit and the confusion has subsided I’ll let you in on a few items that stood out (in no particular order of sense). The students are patient, well behaved, and pretty much know the routines and what is acceptable. The staff is very competent and knows what they are doing. Eek is a quiet village. Irene is a good interior decorator. I’m almost able to find everything in the kitchen now. We can see the mountains on a clear day. The mosquitoes and gnats are still a problem. Frozen food for the school is still delivered during commercial fishing days when only the site administrator and his wife are around to put it away. It only takes a week for me to “break” a four-wheeler. Lastly, I noticed the time so I’d better close this column so it can be published on time.
Talk to you again soon.

Another Year – Another Move

Finally Back – If only for a Month

5-6-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

Howdy All! I finally made it back from Christmas Break, or in my case – breaks.
It hasn’t been fun, but thanks to my wife and the Lord we made it through the trying time. It could have been a lot worse falling sixteen feet. After breaking my left femur a few places, roughly ten bones in my right foot, and topping it off with a compression fracture of my back, I’m still walking.
I met a few people while in rehab that fell half the distance I did and they were paralyzed. I had a Guardian Angel and now a second chance. It can change a person.
I find myself more thankful each day and tend to go with the flow more now. It has always been my belief that life can change in an instant, but to actually experience and survive one of those “changes,� makes one more appreciative of everything, especially the ones you love.
Even though my wife has since grounded me for life (no more climbing), I am so indebted to her. For three months I was practically bedridden. She would have to help me put on my back brace to get out of bed. She was my wheelchair holder, chauffer, and shower helper. She brought me coffee and breakfast every morning in bed. She never complained. “In sickness and health,� she would say. God, I Love Her!
My parents and our son Patrick, and his wife Marcia surely helped make the ordeal smoother. From helping find a place close by the hospital for my wife to stay to building a wheelchair ramp at our house to “babysitting� me so Irene could have a break to just plain being there and supporting us. “It’s what family is for� I heard them say.
That is the key – family in time of need.
One never truly knows what they can endure until they are tested. We passed this test and I’m just glad it wasn’t the final exam.
Now, there isn’t much humor you can find in some situations, but a couple things do come to mind from my accident. After I fell my left leg hurt tremendously. I knew it was broken. I felt my left foot swelling up. One of my thoughts was, “Dang, two different legs!�
Then after the paramedics arrived and had me on the backboard with my neck in a brace one of them said they were going to straighten out my left leg. I shouted, “NO!�
He calmly responded, “It will make it feel better.�
“No, it won’t,� I corrected him.
He ignored me and began to pull slowly as I yelled. He kept on until it was straight and strapped down. Then I took a deep breath and said, “Oh, thanks. It does feel better.�
I can’t think of much other humor that took place during that time, but while passing time in an airport on the way back to Alaska I spotted a magazine article on the front cover of a hunting magazine that just about gave me a hernia from laughing after I read it.
The title? “2008 Deer Gear – 80 items that will make your fall a success.�
I didn’t buy it. I felt my fall was pretty successful.

Getting antsy, adjustments,
keeping me in line

2-5-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

Five weeks have passed since my accident. This week I’m seeing the Dr. about my legs. In almost four weeks I’ll see a neurosurgeon for my back. Then I hope all is good to begin therapy. I’m beginning to get anxious and Irene knows it.
She won’t leave me alone for a long period of time. At first I believe it was to make sure I didn’t need anything. I still need a lot of help, but I’m beginning to move around better and have become adept at maneuvering the wheelchair.
I’m also trying to tackle new things. I think Irene is now more afraid that if she left me alone for a long period of time that I’d try to do something I shouldn’t…or not watch what I’m doing and get hurt again. It is amazing how well she knows me.
Therefore, she has made a “deal� with me. She told me that if I don’t behave myself she would “paint my toenails purple.� I can’t reach my toenails with the brace and cast and I’m unable to put a sock over the toes sticking out of the cast. I am now behaving myself.
I do wish I was able to help Irene more. All I can do now is cheer her on. It isn’t easy watching her keep the house in order and take care of me at the same time. However, I’d do the same for her.
Even though Irene said, “I feel like I’ve aged 20 years this past month,� she has also stated something like, “I remember us saying in sickness and in health.� I couldn’t agree with her more.
There have been some adjustments, but not as many as I thought. We had to move a chair in the den so I could wheel around better. Our son built a wheelchair ramp into the house and he took the door off to one of the bathrooms so the wheelchair could fit through. We have a shower chair for me to sit on to clean up. The showerhead was replaced with a handheld showerhead.
The toilets inside the house are too low and won’t accommodate my extended leg. So, we got what they call a “bedside toilet.� It is similar to a honey bucket with a toilet seat, four adjustable legs, and two handrails. It is designed to be put by the bed in case the person needs to use it. We didn’t want it in the bedroom so, we put it in the garage. I now have a temporary two-car garage bathroom containing a pool table, freezers, workbench, bar-b-que pit, and other manly garage junk. It may sound ideal, but believe me I am only trying to find some humor in this situation…he…he.
I may not write every week while recovering, but I’ll try. Hope everyone is well and stays that way. See y’all soon enough.

Hi from Texas

1-29-08

by Kip Layton Jr.

As you know I am still recovering from a fall while hunting in Texas. It will be a while, but I sure wanted to extend my thanks to all who are praying for me, helping out in Atmuatluak during my absence, and those who have emailed or called.
I now wear a brace on my right knee, a cast on my right foot, a permanent metal rod in my left femur, and one of those “turtle shell� back braces when I sit up. For the next few weeks I’m not allowed to put weight on either leg. Therefore, my life is in bed or in a wheelchair until then.
It hasn’t been the vacation I had planned, but technically it has been a “break.� Or better yet…breaks.
I know I had a Guardian Angel looking after me because some things can’t be explained. Even though I broke my back, there wasn’t a spinal cord injury. I’ll walk again. My cell phone was within reach after I fell and I was able to call Irene for help. My wife seldom goes with me hunting, but she did this time and was at the ranch house when I phoned. I fell with my rifle, but didn’t get shot.
This type of accident and injuries is a first for me. Sure hope it will be my last. I believe there is a reason for everything. Sometimes the reason is obvious, but at times you have to search or guess. I’ve been told and tend to agree that this accident is a sign for me to slow down and not be as risky. Others think it may indicate my hunting days are over and for me to “let the kids do the hunting now.� I’m not sure what the future holds for me, but I do know that this accident will change me somehow.
One obvious thing is that I have lost weight. It seems to be within my “ideal weight.� However, I do not recommend this weight loss program to anyone. There are less painful ways to drop the pounds.
I do have to mention that I am blessed with such a wonderful wife. Without her, I don’t know how I could have made it this far. I’m what one would call pretty helpless at the moment. Irene helps me in and out of the bed and wheelchair. She fixes and brings me my meals. She gives me an injection twice a day. She helps me get dressed. She does so much for me. It makes me feel guilty at times.
My parents also help out whenever I have a Dr. appointment or when Irene needs to go somewhere they get to “baby sit� me.
Life does have its ups and downs. Presently, my body is down, but soon enough I’ll be back up. Then it is up to the Dr. as to when I’ll be able to return to the Delta. Meantime, I’ll keep in touch now and then.

Have faith and live with it

12-25-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

Merry Christmas and Happy almost New Year!
As another year comes to a close I again feel happy to have survived it. I haven’t experienced nearly as many death-defying adventures as I have in the past. My desire of knowingly tempting fate has drastically been reduced. My body’s limitations have become more pronounced recently and maybe – just maybe – I’ve grown a bit wiser.
Risk is a four-letter word that I had used quite often, but it has pretty much faded from my vocabulary. It has been replaced with two others - slow and easy. Life is better that way. I may not be able to literally stop and smell the roses in rural Alaska, but I do improvise. I pause now and then and smell whatever I want whenever I want to. It doesn’t take much time, especially when it is cold outside.
There is always something to do at work or home to keep me busy, but I’ve realized something after 46 years on God’s Green Earth. No matter how stressful or frustrating your work is you can’t get it all done in a day. It took God almost a week to finish project Earth. With the demands of our present society it is easy to get overwhelmed – and even harder to remember that you will get the important things done each day. Things do come together in the end, especially if you live on faith.
However, you need to prioritize your undertakings. For instance, the first item on God’s list when He tackled the impossible Earth Project was to turn the light on. It is still on. You just have to open your eyes.
Look around you and at first you will notice both bad and good. Now peer a bit closer and you can make out the good in everything. Sometimes emotions will blind your thinking and all you can do is dwell on the negative aspects of the situation and how it affects YOU without regards to others.
Take today, December 15, 2007, for example. I’m in Nunapitchuk chaperoning the Junior High Basketball Team. A few weeks ago, I had told the coach and site administrator that I would be happy to chaperone when needed. It turned out that this was the time and what did I do? I immediately thought of how my helping out would affect my schedule and my plans. My enthusiasm wasn’t very high, but then someone told me that if a certified teacher didn’t go, then the trip would be canceled. The other teachers had plans or didn’t want to go. I felt a bit guilty and agreed to go.
Now that I am here, all is good. I had never been to Nunapitchuk before, but have always wanted to. I’m glad I came. So yep, be careful of what you say. You have to live with it. It is like I tell my students, “You said it. It was your choice. So, quit whining and live with it.� It is good advice that I also need to remember.

I need a break

12-12-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

Recently I’ve noticed that I am not the only one anticipating the Christmas Break. The students are also looking forward to the mid-year recouping period. We teachers are trying our utmost to get the kids to finish and/or make up their work as the semester comes to a close. Their young brains seem to be overloaded at times with schoolwork and excitement, but they still function rather well.
It isn’t easy for me to comprehend their energy. My ancient mind seems to fossilize now and then which gives them ample opportunity to flex their creativity and remind me that I am not as smart as I may think.
For instance last week we began incorporating a few Seasonal Crafts into the lessons to help the blah décor of the classroom. On one of the walls there are two old chalkboards separated by a narrow window. Using tape, a teacher aide covered the chalkboards with colorful paper and edged it with a stylish border.
Mid-week one of my students had finished his work and proceeded to color a design on a sheet of paper. When he was through he pointed to the papered wall and asked me if he could staple it up there. I was assisting another student at the time and without thinking I blurted, “Sure.�
A couple minutes later he called my attention to his success. His paper was stapled to the wooden trim of the window. Before I could ask him why he chose that particular spot he smiled and informed me that, despite what I thought, you can’t staple paper to a chalkboard.
There is also a large paper Christmas tree taking up a good portion of another chalkboard located on a second wall. The kids have been decorating it with hand made construction paper ornaments. At first they only cut out circular shapes and colored them. Then they progressed to gluing beads on the ornaments before taping them to the tree.
It was evident early on that the tape could only hold so much weight. The top of the “ornaments� would fall forward. It was only a matter of time before they fell off. It was time for Kip to come to the rescue.
I had remembered a trick that makes paper a bit sturdier and thought it might work. If the ornaments were not as flimsy then they would stick better. That was the theory. I squeezed some Elmer’s Glue in the center of a newly cut-out ornament, wet the index finger of my right hand, held the edges with two fingers of the left hand, and then with my the moist finger I spread the blob of glue all over it. The idea is that when the glue dries it will form a clear, waxy film. Thus, reinforcing the paper.
It looked like it would work until I pried my fingers from my sticky masterpiece. The thing immediately curled up. Apparently, glue contracts some when it dries. I can still hear them laughing at me. I didn’t understand it. I guess the teacher who showed me the process long ago knew some trick that she willingly did not care to share.
I had my shot. It was now the student’s turn to demonstrate her problem-solving skills. She finished another ornament, grabbed a glue stick, walked to the paper tree, rubbed some glue directly on the tree, and then pressed her ornament firmly on it.
Yep, after a week like that I feel a break is in order.

The Slanting Tundra Life

12-4-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

Things change so much in our neck of the world. Nothing seems to stay on an even keel, including the tundra’s permafrost.
We, who choose to live in homes (or the end of a school building in my case) built on the ever-unstable tundra, know our residences sink and rise throughout the year. It is a given.
Presently, my “house� has sunk into the tundra a little on one end. I have to put 20 oz. bottles in the refrigerator door. Otherwise, they fall over if I place them on the shelf. Two closet doors are hard to open, but one storage room door doesn’t scrape the vinyl as much as it did in the fall. Although our dining table’s legs are loose, the table is pretty stable. I have it against a wall on the down slope of the house.
Cooking with a round skillet on a stove that tilts to the left is fun. Until recently, I had the skillet handle to my left. That put extra weight on the wrong side. I had to lift up on the handle a bit when frying food so the oil would be evenly distributed. This allowed me to use the whole skillet bottom to cook instead of only the left half. Then I got a bright idea. I turned skillet so the handle to on the right. The handle weight evens out the skillet enough so I don’t have to hold it at all.
Sometimes pipes freeze and rupture. Sometimes you are unable to unlock a deadbolt without lifting or pushing down on the doorknob as the seasons change. But there are also a few good things that are discovered while living the slanting tundra life.
Thanks to the snow you find air leaks – at least I do. After the storm I went to our back porch arctic entryway and saw snow inside. That itself isn’t a surprise. It happens. The odd part was that now I have more housework to do. The light in the arctic entry is not bright. I had done a “man cleaning� of the place (swept the floor) when I first arrived. Now, thanks to snow blown in, I am able to see the various spider webs above the door and in the ceiling corners. The snow adhered itself to the webs. It now looks like I have snow starfish living there. Now I have to sweep the walls and ceiling.
Although probably not possible, it would be nice for contractors to know which side a building will sink over time. Then they could adjust their construction accordingly. All the doors could be mounted to swing toward the inevitable slant. Refrigerators and such would be installed against the “lower wall.� Heck, maybe they could invent stove burners that can be adjusted to help the pots/pans stay level when cooking. These are just some thoughts on how to solve an unsolvable problem.
For now and probably the foreseeable future the tundra will continue to shift with the season temperatures, even during mid-season. Two weeks ago we experienced winter storms, freezing temperatures, and snow. Excitement was building in anticipation of driving a vehicle on an ice road to Bethel. I was getting used to which doors opened easily. Then last week it warmed up and rained. A good percentage of the snow is gone now and the river isn’t as frozen. I’m sure that has set peoples’ travel plans back a few weeks.
I’m not complaining at all, just stating a few facts of bush life. You have to be flexible and have a sense of humor living “out here� because things do change, sometimes pretty rapidly. So, be safe this winter/spring season.
(Be sure and check out Tundra Teacher Tales in paperback or e-book at www.booklocker.com/books/973.html. Also: Tundra Teacher Tales blog at www.tundrateachertales.blogspot.com).

Seasonal thoughts

11-26-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

I sure hope that your holiday season began with a large and delicious turkey on Thanksgiving and spending time with the ones you love. Did you put the shopping on the back burner – at least until the sales started – and actually talk to others during your family gatherings? Because a good, in-depth conversation affords you the opportunity to spread the joy of giving by letting people know exactly what you would like to receive.
Seriously though, the best gifts cannot be bought. They are free, never-ending, and very fulfilling. I’m referring to love and respect of your fellow neighbors. This includes the realization that everyone is different in his or her beliefs and personality, each have their own reasons for believing the way they do. However, sometimes things are taken too far.
Christmas vacations, feasts, and parties are now “Holiday� vacations, feasts, and parties. Celebrating the Birth of our Lord may be dwindling, but by golly the commercial aspect is still there. Exchange of gifts will take place as always. I’m not knocking the giving at all. I too take part in buying things for others and receiving gifts as well, but I do my best not to lose sight of what Christmas truly means to my family and me.
A recent article I ran read on the Internet centered on the objection of Santas using the phrase, “Ho, Ho, Ho.� Apparently, it seems that some people have the idea that the young kids who sit on Santa’s lap will immediately think that Santa is referring to prostitutes when he says, “Ho, Ho, Ho.� Instead, it was suggested that they use “ha, ha, ha� in place of “Ho, Ho, Ho.� I guess they figure it is better to laugh at kids (ha, ha, ha) than speak the universally recognized “Ho, Ho, Ho� which, by the way, is an interjection used to express joy or surprise.
I’ve seen articles that are banning Christmas cards in schools. It deals mostly with the religious aspect of cards, but one school came up with a lame reason. They said that it was best for the kids to make one big card together. That way kids don’t “waste paper on lots of little ones.� Thus, they are saving trees and doing their environmental duty. I think that one big impersonalized card would use just as much paper as several small personal, loving, expressive cards addressed and given to the ones they love.
There are other things that are stir controversy, but none more than when religion, politics, and money come into play. Christmas time seems to incorporate all three of them. That makes it a hot and vulnerable topic.
Christmas is considered a holiday and people celebrate this time of year in various ways. If someone wishes to display crosses and manger scenes around their home or have a menorah in full view, then that is their right. We don’t have to conform or change our ways. If a person does not wish to take part in a school play or eat certain foods that is also their right. Let’s not judge or punish personal beliefs that are perfectly legal.
It is impossible to make everyone happy. I’ve tried for years. The impossible is apparently built into my character, as I will most likely continue trying to please everyone. However, in doing so I won’t compromise my personal beliefs – and I don’t expect others to either.
This is still America and whether you agree or not, it will always be a Nation that was founded under God. We have (and He allows us) the freedom to believe or not believe in a higher power. So let us keep the freedom and not impose policies and laws that hinder our inalienable rights.

Yep - Winter is Here

11-23-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

It looks like winter is finally here. Although it took a while this year, the signs of an impending winter have been around for a few weeks.
The boats have been out of the river for a while. But that didn’t stop subsistence gathering. I’ve witnessed people fishing through what seemed like very thin ice. There was one dedicated man I noticed almost daily ice fishing. One day he sat on what looked like an overturned bucket on the ice jigging for fish while water flowed down the open center of the river. A few days later there was a net strung under the ice. Around the same time it looked like he was standing on water. Apparently he was standing in a few inches of overflow fishing again.
As the temperature began to drop and others began venturing on the thinly frozen river to try their luck, I wondered and asked, “Why the rush to gather food? They would have all winter to fish.�
I found out that this particular river in this area freezes solid. You can’t fish it in the dead of winter unless you are fishing for river bottom. People have to travel a few miles to fish. When that happens I just might feel comfortable enough to walk out on the “river.�
Another sign that winter had arrived is the ability for people to travel across the tundra by snow machine or even four wheelers. Add the holiday season celebrations and it is good for villages. Instead of only attracting the local population and people with enough money to pay for a flight to the various events, people from surrounding villages are able to make the trip and enjoy the festivities rather inexpensively. Several people can pile into a sled pulled by a snow machine and the fuel cost can be split between them. That leaves funds for a good time and brings in more attendees. It is a good thing for all.
The ability to make runs to the trash dump is another item worth mentioning. I’m not exactly sure where the dump is for Atmautluak, but I’ve heard it is up river and then a good walk from the shore. Spring, summer, and fall you have to put the trash in a boat and then haul it over the tundra to the dump. It isn’t an easy job when the river is open and quite impossible when the river is in the process of freezing up. Therefore, the trash had been piling up for a couple of weeks. Not anymore. The trash has now been taken to the dump cross-tundra style.
Hunting large game is simpler during the winter months. Hunters can put all their gear in a sled and head out. When they wish to make camp they just stop and set up. They can also pull right up to a catch and not have to pack the animal out on foot. It is convenient, easier, and usually more productive.
Winter does bring its share of difficulties. No season is exempt from their share of difficulties. I don’t carry a whole slew of emergency items on my person (except when traveling), but I do like to have a lighter and a flashlight with me at all times. The lighter comes in handy if locks are frozen. The flashlight is good for the short winter days. They do tend to be of use.
Almost daily you see or hear someone banging on a snow machine or four-wheeler. It is a given that bearings, axles, tracks, or the like will freeze up at some point. The best way to loosen them is hitting the area with a heavy tool like a hammer. Most of the time it works without damaging the equipment, but guys like fixing things that way whether it does the trick or not.
Yep, winter is among us. Let’s all be safe and look out for one another.

Lore Learning

11-13-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

The other day we were clearing Yup’ik books and materials off a shelving unit in my classroom. The items were being moved to one of the Yup’ik First Language rooms in another building. During the ruckus one of the special education aids found a few copies of a very interesting and enlightening book. She set them on my desk to show me.
I immediately picked one up and thumbed through it.
You old-timers may remember the work and even may have had a hand in putting the book together. I think it is fantastic. It is titled, “Yup’ik Lore – Yuut Qanemciit, Oral Traditions of an Eskimo People – Yupiit Cayaraita Qanrutkumallrit.�
The copies are blue, hard back, first editions published by the Lower Kuskokwim School District in 1981. The books are filled with over 250 pages of stories collected by Bethel Regional High School Students between 1975 and 1980. The students had taped Elders from Bethel and surrounding villages as they told stories of Eskimo history, culture, customs, Eskimo know-how, myths, legends, and plain short stories. These were then collected, transcribed and organized in a book. “Yupik Lore…� appeals to kass’aqs as well as natives; even numbered pages are written in Yupik while the odd numbered pages have the English translation. You open the book and have the same information in two languages. Not bad.
As always, if one takes the time to listen – really listen – to an Elder a lot can be learned about how generations survived in the unforgiving bush. The book is interesting. Below are some things that were written and what I learned.
I now know how to get rid of a ghost by placing my hand on its head and with only the weight of my arm to push it into the ground. If I use any force the ghost will just pop back up. Hope I never have to use this.
Spears, bows, and arrows were the way to catch game at one time. It was more physical and intricate than using a gun. I’d starve.
Aged urine was used to wash clothes. Then they’d rinse them with water. It stated that “They got just as clean as if they had been washed in soapy water.�(p. 135)
Of course fur and skin clothing and footwear was all the rage at the time. In fact, it was the only style of the day, and for good reason. I own a hat made from beaver fur. My head has sweated when I’ve worn it outside in 20 below weather.
Food was scarce, but more nutritious in those days. People were careful not to waste food. It was a huge chore to go out and fish, trap, and hunt to feed a family. Things changed. The “…diet now includes white man’s food, (and people) act as if they don’t have to be too careful about food� because “Today people act as though everything were readily available to them…� (p. 111). I believe there is truth in that statement.
A neat winter survival tip I learned on page 139 was that if you fall through the ice and into water then “dip your hat or mitten in the water and then slam it hard on the ice. When it stuck to the ice (you) could use it for support and get yourself out.� The writing also advised to drink urine to warm you or someone else up that is freezing.
These are only a few of the many, many tricks of the Eskimo captured forever in a superb book. There is so much more information hiding in the pages. I haven’t finished reading it yet, but will. The trick for this kass’aq is to remember the valuable advice if I ever need it.

Voc. Ed. in Atmau

11-6-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

It is difficult for a lot of the schools in rural Alaska to offer vocational programs. Buildings and equipment are expensive and qualified vocational teachers are at times hard to find, but now and then luck can be on the side of education.
Thanks to a grant a vocational instructor is “making the rounds� to a few villages in LKSD. I’m not exactly sure how the particular schools were chosen. All I know is that Atmautluak was one of them and will have a vocational program until around Thanksgiving.
Driver’s Education and Small Engine Repair will be offered. Originally, welding was to be offered as well. The students were to learn the trade using a simulator, but there was a problem getting the machine to Atmautluak. That is okay. If you can get two out of three things accomplished in the bush you are doing good.
The courses will not be based on the hours a student spends in a classroom as semester-based subjects are, but rather to receive high school credit one has to master the objectives of the class. Technically, they are like the district’s phase system – a type of standards-based curriculum.
These vocational opportunities will not take away from a student’s daily class schedule. It will only add to it. They are offered in the evenings and on Saturdays. This will also help the students be responsible and follow through on their decision. Oh, and I hear a few adults in the community would like to take part in Driver’s Ed. I assume they will have the chance. However, I don’t think I will be one of them.
As it is, people who have had the pleasure of riding with me while I’m behind the wheel probably wonder how I even survive when I’m driving by myself. They are not with me watching where I’m going (or to tell me where to go).
When I do have passengers, they usually have the seatbelt tight, hands securely gripped on the door handle or dashboard, and their eyes are looking out for me (or them?). I continue to be in awe at how large a person’s eyes can get and how much stress a heart can take. Anyway, I’d hate to sit through the class and be reminded of all my faults. For me, I don’t see the point. Besides, my license is still valid. Why mess that up?
I’m not sure if adults will be allowed to go through the Small Engine repair course. I didn’t ask. Maybe I should. Although I wouldn’t be the teacher, the students could learn a lot by having me work on an engine – mainly how not to fix it.
To say I’ll probably keep my distance from the classes and not be nosey would be like…well…lying. I know I won’t be able to resist checking out the equipment and engines, but I’ll try to keep in mind what my wife tells me when we go shopping. Whenever we enter a store “just to browse� that has items displayed on open shelves she states with a loving smile, “Look, but don’t touch anything.� She is keenly aware of how well coordinated I can be.
In regards to the small engine repair class - if I were to touch one of the engines that needed repair, I’d probably total it. It can happen with me and that’s no lie.

Halloween Happenings

10-31-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

Happy Halloween Everyone!
Each new village I move to has their own way of recognizing this scary time. I hadn’t really thought about what would be going on that day, but leave it to the students to remind me.
A week or so ago I noticed some Halloween artwork displayed in classrooms and the hallways. I began to feel my students were left out and it was my fault. Therefore, I started planning some activities that would bring my classroom up to par with the others.
Soon there were a few things on the wall. That was a beginning.
The next day a couple of my students asked me, in as few words as humanly possible, “What you Halloween?� I said, “What.� They repeated, “What you Halloween?� Again, I responded, “What?� It wasn’t that I couldn’t hear them; I wanted to make sure my almost deaf ears were listening correctly. I resorted to asking one of the teacher aides what they had said. She told me they had said, “What you Halloween?� I’ll never learn to just keep my mouth shut. Finally I got what they were asking. Translation: do I have a costume and what is it? You gotta love their vocabulary. I do.
I told them that I was born in my costume and grew scarier over the years. That got a laugh, but it didn’t satisfy them. In reality I had no idea. I wasn’t planning on wearing a costume. So, I guess I’ll go to school dressed as a teacher on Halloween. That will teach them.
At a staff meeting last week the issue of a Halloween Carnival was on the agenda. We had wondered what, if anything, would take place. From my understanding (which I hope is right) the Atmautluak Tribal Council will host a costume and a pumpkin-carving contest amid some games and other activities at the school. There isn’t a door-to-door trick or treat. Instead, the whole community gathers in the school gym after the event and forms a line. Everyone goes down the line with a bag to trick or treat. Each person puts something in the bag. It sounds good and I would imagine keeps safety in check and gets everyone home at a reasonable hour.
One of the new teachers asked how many would be there? We were told that there could be 200 – 250 people. I immediately wondered to myself if I had enough candy, but that thought was put to rest when another teacher spoke. Apparently others were thinking the same thing. He suggested that you be one of the first to go through the line collecting goodies. Then you simply stand back in line and hand out the candy that you got. He provided us with a good laugh and solved my problem in the process.
I’m looking forward to experiencing this community’s way of celebrating Halloween. However, November 1st is a school day and the buildings will be full of kids on a “sugar high.� Am I a happy camper about that? You bet – because I’ll be on the same high. It will be sweet!

First Trip as Coach Kip

10-23-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

This year I volunteered to coach the school speech teams. The whole junior high speech “team� (consisting of one student) and I recently returned from a district competition in Bethel. It was my first time as Coach Kip, but the student’s third year competing.
The trip went really well. It helps when the student you are responsible for is himself a responsible, respectable young man. Some people (yes, even teenagers) are trustworthy.
During the coach’s meeting at the LKSD district office my “team� hung around and visited with friends from other villages in the lobby. We then located a quiet place for him to practice his speech for there was a lot of competition.
Roughly 150 students from 18 or so villages were entered in the various English and Yup’ik speech categories (Humorous, Expository, Dramatic, etc), all vying for first place in their group. The competition consisted of four rounds spread over a couple of days. During the first three rounds the students performed their speeches in front of two judges behind closed doors.
The judges used a rubric to score the students and only the ones who scored in the top third in each category moved on to the third round. Then the field is narrowed down to only a few. They proceed to the final forth round where they perform their speeches one more time in front of judges AND an audience of students and coaches. This round determines who places first, second, etc.
My “whole� team had made it to the third round and he was happy. He told me that it was the furthest he had gotten in any of the competitions he had entered. He may not have made the final round, but his attitude sure earned him first place in my book. From the beginning, he didn’t wish ill will on anyone – only the best.
A couple hours after the final round there was an awards ceremony complete with a pizza dinner. It was followed by a dance at Bethel Regional High School – a dance so different than I remember when I was their age.
I recall that the males were on one side of the room and the females on the other. The dance floor separated the two genders. The males spent their time trying to get the nerve to go ask a female to dance while the females would gently sway to the music wishing for an invite to dance. Eventually, most would find himself or herself on the dance floor with a partner. However, there were some people by the end of the night that didn’t dance at all. They went to the dance, stood around, and then went home. Believe me, I know.
Of course the coaches and other adults chaperoned and monitored the entrances to ensure a safe environment for the event. That wasn’t any different, but the dance was. People congregated on the benches and couches socializing while others danced – with whomever or went to the dance floor alone and had at it. If they wanted to dance they simply would. If they chose to socialize, that was fine too. It didn’t matter. I was in awe and somewhat envious of their carefree attitude. They attended the dance to have fun and by golly they did.
In mid November I, as coach and the male chaperone, along with a female chaperone will escort the high school speech team to Bethel for their competition. The only difference with this trip is the team is coed, but I’m not worried. The team members have shown me through their actions that they respect each other and authority, rules, and policy.
I’m looking forward to accompanying the high school team of young men and women from Joann Alexie Memorial School in Atmautluak to Bethel for their speech competition. It should go just as smoothly.

Time for School

10-17-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

The first quarter of the school year is coming to a close. It is a time to reflect on what the students and I have learned and what skills should be addressed again. Because in life you will make mistakes and not understand some things that happen.
Ready? Let’s go to school. Below are today’s schedule, objectives and synopsis of what will be covered. Classes begin now.
Period 1: Government – Fairness/Equal Distribution of Funds
For the second year in a row our school met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) as set forth in the No Child Left Behind (NCLB) law. This dropped us back to a level zero. We are good to go now. Although it isn’t required to make a School Improvement Plan, it was done anyway. Writing down and working toward goals works, so why stop now?
The government recognized and rewarded our achievement by taking away thousands of dollars from the budget. That will put a damper on the very programs that helped us get knocked off the school improvement list. We are expected to continue the upward rise in test scores without the money. Makes sense – government wise.
Period 2: Science – Effects of the Weather
When it is a warm day some students seem lethargic. They are tired and it takes some encouraging to get them on task.
However, wake up to cold temperatures and you have kids that are full throttle. They are constantly on the move. I assume they are trying to stay warm.
Period 3: Mathematics - Time
The art of telling time should be reviewed, as some students only know portions of hours and minutes through the day. They don’t have a problem with knowing how late they stayed up before going to bed or how little sleep they had. They have also mastered knowing when a class is over, when breakfast and lunch start, the exact time school is let out for the day, and when any extra-curricular activity they may participate in begins.
What should be emphasized for some are the times that classes start so they are not tardy.
Lunch-30 minutes (most eat within ten)
Period 4 – History
We all know that history is the past. The students know that too. What we may want to do is to let them in on the old saying that, “History repeats itself.�
If you wore a light jacket last year when it was 25 degrees and you were cold all day, then the same will happen again unless you dress more appropriately. If you run on a slick boardwalk you will eventually fall down. If you push another person, they will push back. If you don’t do your assignments, you will not get good grades - and so on.
Period 5-Language Arts
Although frustrating to learn at first, reading and writing are a necessity. You will use these skills until you die and in everything you do. To get a driver’s license you need to know how to read road signs and the written test. Purchase a certain candy bar or pop requires reading. To hook up a dish receiver cable you should know how to read the connection labels.
Writing has changed. As a teacher I find that what is acceptable grammatically now wasn’t when I learned. The present generation was raised with technology from birth are bilingual. True English is their second language. Their first language seems to be Email Lingo/slang comprised of mostly short acronyms.
Period 6 – Elective – Free Choice
Yes, times have changed. It seems as though anything to save a second and/or make it easier to multi-task is now acceptable. Do I feel out of touch? Sometimes. Do I wish to dramatically alter my ways to “conform?� Not really. It is their generation.
Our generation grew up in the 1960’s and 70’s. We too were misunderstood and even shunned by some in the generation that proceeded us. It is a fact of life. The best lesson we can teach is to respect others’ differences, and pursue your own dreams. It is your life. - Your choice.

Getting Used to Me

10-9-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

One of the things I was told when I took the job in Atmautluak that there is a TV satellite dish that the teachers can tap into. All we’d have to do is run cable to our home, get a receiver, order programming, and pay our own bill. That eliminates any misconceptions or bill discrepancies. It is fair and logical. Not a bad deal.
A couple of weeks ago it was time to run a cable to my house. We (meaning the site administrator while I watched) first drilled a hole through the outside wall and inserted a co axle cable. Then “we� put an end on the cable. The site administrator (SA) went outside to connect the cable leaving me to attach the other end to the satellite receiver.
We tested it, but couldn’t get a signal.
Thinking the cable was bad; we found another cable to try. After we switched them we went into my house. He put a new end on the cable, crimped it and then began to connect it to the back of the receiver. At that time I chose to open my big mouth without thinking. As I watched him attach the cable to the back of the receiver I happened to say something like, “We didn’t have it there last time. We put it here,� I said pointing to a different outlet.
I thought he was going to faint. I thought about it myself. He kindly explained that I had put the first cable where a TV Antennae should go and that the connection with the word “Satellite� written by the satellite symbol was where the satellite cable goes.
He connected the cable in its rightful place and we gave it a shot - still no signal. The SA then went to his house and hooked up the cable to an unused splitter.
Back in my house we saw the familiar bright red line on the TV screen meaning no signal. Then he pushed a button on the remote and it worked. We were only picking up the odd numbered transponders, but at least we figured the cable was okay. He explained that for some reason that splitter won’t allow even numbered transponders. That is why they don’t use it. But, he had an idea to take care of the situation.
I was going to Bethel soon so he asked me to pick up another cable. At the present we were using two different lengths of cable to go to a main junction box where all housing cables begin. He told me to get one long enough to go all the way to the main junction box. Using one long cable instead of two would be better. I measured the distance and phoned in the cable order so it would be ready.
Apparently, I heard “new cable,� but not “main junction box.� I came back with enough to run the same way we had run the other two. Thanks to me the SA’s brilliant idea became void. But, at least we had a new cable to run halfway.
While we were at it, the SA logically decided to go ahead and run three cables to take care of all the housing. That way we only had to do it once. He found and tested three cables. They all worked beautifully. Two of them were the ones we had originally strung to my house. It wasn’t my place to say anything, but I couldn’t resist. I laughed and told him, “It will take you a while to get used to me.�
He didn’t dispute that fact.
After installing the new cable to my house and running the other three cables it was time to test my receiver again. We were in front of my TV looking at the familiar bright red line showing no signal.
We were at a loss on why nothing was working and the SA was heading off to go hunting. He showed me where he connected all the cables and basically said he would leave me with it to figure it out. Talk about faith. With my help it had only taken us four hours to do an hour job – unsuccessfully.
Nevertheless, he left to go kill something leaving me to scratch my bald head. I guess I needed a good scratching because I ended up figuring it out. I don’t know how I did it, but I got a good signal to my house and also a neighbor’s. My all-afternoon hour job was done.
Maybe one theory to my success is that I am used to me and know how to handle myself.

A Friend’s Passing

10-2-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

I had a column in the making, but it will have to wait for another time. I just got word that a friend of mine, Alexie Nicholai, passed away this morning, September 28, 2007. He was around my age.
The odd thing is that I was just talking about him to someone this afternoon while waiting at the airport in Bethel to catch a flight back from a CPR training I attended.
Now, I’m not going to write about thinking of my own mortality. We all do that from time to time. Rather, I’d like to reminisce a bit about Alexie.
I first met Alexie when I was site administrator in Oscarville from 2000-2003. He was the maintenance man at school and as far as I know he still held that position. He’d work hard and make sure things were running smoothly. All the while he’d be upbeat and have the attitude that he could fix anything. Generally, he could.
People say it is best to keep boss/employee relationship as it is and not grow into friendship. That has always been one of my weak spots and it has brought so many good people in my life. Our friendship grew. He’d invite me to steams, rescued me when I did something dumb, and gave me the confidence to travel by snow machine to Bethel on the frozen river or tundra.
Since Oscarville doesn’t have an airport one has to either cross the river to Napaskiak and catch a flight or use the river to get places. After winter sets in you can travel on the tundra. However, during freeze up or break-up the river is basically closed – or so I thought.
Alexie and others who grew up in the area would somehow make it to Bethel during those times. He casually explained it to me one time, “You (Gussaks) are stuck. We (natives) are never stuck.�
He also taught me that distance is seen differently between the cultures. Getting from point A to point B may be “within walking distance� or “just right over there� to him, but it could be three miles.
Alexie would use the term “a bit� frequently. “I’ll be there in a bit,� is one thing I remember. I use the word “bit� often now. It can refer to five minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. No one knows and that is what makes it great. If no one can put a time limit to “bit�, then you can’t hold a person accountable for not being on time.
Even though I haven’t run into him for a few years the memories have always been there. Alexie may not have known how he touched our lives and left an impression, but I believe he does now.
One day we will all meet our demise. No one knows when that time will be. It can be five minutes, hours, days, weeks, months, or years. So to Alexie I say, “I’ll see you in a bit. You may not be within walking distance, but you are just right over there.�
Irene and I would like to extend our sincere condolences to the family to Alexie Nicholai. They will always be in our thoughts and prayers.

My Blooming Flower

9-25-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

“I never win anything,� I complained to the guy sitting next to me as I wrote my name on a ticket and dropped it in the container with the rest of the entries. We were at a special education inservice in Bethel and I was about to swallow that sentence.
My name was the first one drawn and I got to go pick a door prize from the many on a table. All of them were wrapped and a triangular package caught my eye. It was flimsy when I picked it up, but I have always been told, “Your first choice is usually right.�
Remembering that line I proudly walked back to my seat knowing I made the right decision. Then I tore off the wrapping and unfolded a fuzzy, green, plastic, blow-up flower with a clear back and a suction cup in the center.
I figured you blow the thing up making it look like it was in bloom, moisten the suction cup, and stick it on a window. Now, when I put stuff in or on a window it is to show the item to those outside. If I did that to my flower only those indoors would get the whole blooming affect.
I took a couple of pictures and sent them to my wife. She didn’t seem all that interested in keeping my beautiful flower. Then I emailed another teacher who had won not one, but two door prizes. Her reply basically said that “it would bring out (or get me in touch with) my feminine side.� That was all I needed.
There had to be something more to it. I’d have to ask people and actually show it to them to find out. I could have simply wrote a short email to the special education department for an explanation of my fabulous prize, but that didn’t occur to me until now when I got to this point in my column.
The flower rested comfortably out of sight in a closed file drawer for a few days. Every time I opened the drawer I’d see it and wonder what it’s purpose was. I couldn’t very well give it away if I didn’t know. Besides, I might want to hang on to it if I found out it had a useful function.
An answer came during a meeting at school. I don’t recollect how the subject came up and now I don’t care, but I ended up showing the flower to the group. After a few laughs I got a surprise. I came away with a logical explanation. Someone told me that it might be a bath pillow. I could stick it on the edge of the tub and rest my head on it. Now the fuzzy, green, plastic, blow-up pillow had a use – and it was mine.
I’ll have to try it. A nice, long, hot bath (minus my feminine side) will probably feel good.

Here’s some Good News

9-18-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

Through the years I’ve been in the Kuskokwim Delta I have lived in, visited, or just seen from the airport several villages and school sites in LKSD. They are Oscarville, Napaskiak, Napakiak, Akula, Akiuk, Nunapitchuk, Atmautluak, Chefornak, Kongiganak, Kwigillingok, Newtok, Nightmute, Toksook Bay, Tununak, Tuntutuliak, Mekoryuk, Kilbuck, and Bethel Regional High School.
Others like Kwethluk, Eek, Kipnuk, Quinhagak I have only seen from the air while flying to other villages. Then there are the two that I’ve heard a lot about and have wanted to visit – Goodnews Bay and Platinum.
September 7, 2007 I was presented with a last minute opportunity to accompany the Atmautluak Cross Country team to Goodnews Bay for a meet. The planes would pick them up in thirty minutes. I didn’t think twice and was ready to go in fifteen. The planes arrived were on Bush time. They landed about forty-five minutes late. That was fine with me. I was still going.
It was a windy, turbulent take-off, but after we got a few hundred feet in the air it was a pretty smooth ride. I sat in front. It is neat up there and I can watch the radar and see where we are in relation to our destination.
About an hour later the mountains came into view. I glanced at the radar and to me it looked like we were veering off course. Being a nosey person and knowing that the pilot has the training and license I asked him why we seemed to be “off course.� I can’t remember his exact words, but it boiled down to avoiding the unpredictable winds that whip around the mountains. It worked for me.
A few minute later we landed. As we climbed out of the plane the wind and rain met us face-on. We quickly threw our luggage in a waiting SUV and were driven to the school. After we got settled and ate dinner I investigated the school, met their new staff and visited with the ones I knew who were still working there. Before long it was lights out for me.
The next morning we were greeted with a wonderful breakfast and time to spare before the Cross Country meet would begin. While the teams and coaches walked the course, I decided to check out the village, beginning with the store.
I hadn’t got far from the school when a villager offered me a ride. Again, I didn’t have to think twice and hopped on his four-wheeler.
The store in Goodnews Bay was impressive. It had such a great variety of items. I could have easily gone broke, but I restrained myself.
After checking out the store I slowly walked back to the school snapping digital pictures along the way. It didn’t take much imagination to see how beautiful the place is when the rain and clouds are gone and the sun is shining.
The Cross Country competition began around noon. I’m glad the kids were running and not I. The course’s route took them up and down two mountains, to the airport, by the shore, and back to the starting line. I think it was around 2 miles. I got tired just watching them.
Soon afterwards it was time to get ready to catch our flight back. It was one time that I kind of wished we had gotten weathered in. There was more I wanted to see and do in Goodnews Bay. I didn’t have the chance to walk the whole village or the beach. Neither was I able to see Platinum due to the low clouds.
Maybe I’ll get to go back to Goodnews Bay at some point. Maybe I won’t. At least I have the memories and a few pictures. I can reminisce and think about it – probably more than twice.
(Tundra Teacher Tales is available in paperback or an immediate E-book download. Go to www.booklocker.com/books/973.html. Also check out www.tundrateachertales.blogspot.com if your little ole heart desires).

First Bethel boat trip

9-11-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

It is a fact that one’s survival rate in Bush Alaska not only depends on the weather and other factors beyond your control, but also the company you choose to have an adventure with.
Last week I got the opportunity to go from Atmautluak to Bethel by boat. It turned out to be a nice trip with splendid company and an alert, safe driver. Quite opposite than if I were at the helm.
We met at the boat about 11:30AM on September 1st. I was bundled in my winter coat, as it was the coldest day so far since I arrived. Having told them I didn’t have a life vest, they were gracious enough to supply one for me.
I got into the boat, picked up the life vest, put my arms through it, breathed in and managed to clip the top strap. With my heavy coat underneath it was a bit tight, but would have to work.
From the air the river resembles a snake forever making an “S.� It looks the same from a boat. We were constantly turning left or right on the surprisingly smooth water. I was told it takes about an hour-and-a-half to get to Bethel and we enter the Kuskokwim at Napakiak.
That turned out to be about right. It took a little longer to get to the big city of Bethel, but we had four adults and three kids in the boat. We also had the pleasure of a small rain shower between Napakiak and Oscarville.
The driver slowed down a moment while we unfolded a tarp and put it over us. Then he throttled up and left us to fight the thing to keep it down and not have it blow out of the boat. But we were staying dry.
After docking at the Brown Slough we went shopping. I lugged my box full of food to the boat stopping a few times to set it down and rest my arms. A short time later the others showed up. We loaded all the groceries, piled into the boat, put on our life vests, and sat down.
The ride back was different – at least from my observation. Within thirty minutes the kids were asleep. The youngest one caught my eye. His mom laid him on his back with half his body on her soft backpack. As he was drifting off to nautical dreamland his left arm would raise up whenever we bounced over the wake of a passing boat. Then slowly fall down again. His eyes never opened. Before long it ended and his arm stayed put. He was out along with the other two kids.
Atmautluak came into view about 5:30PM. We had made it back without getting lost, breaking down, or sinking. It may have had something to do with me being the furthest from the engine.
I thanked them for letting me tag along thinking it would be the end of their kindness. I was wrong.
Not only did they refuse my offer to pay for some of the gas while we were in Bethel, they even put my box of groceries on their four-wheeler and delivered it to my house. Someday I will figure out how to repay them.

New School Year Obstacles

9-5-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

Every year I, as with many teachers, look back at the end of the first couple weeks of school and wonder how I survived. Not that there are 30 kids to a classroom in rural Alaska like some urban schools, but there are unique obstacles to overcome in isolated villages.
Therefore, I made a short list addressing a few problems and offering my expert advice based on personal experience. It is far from complete, but here it is in its non-entirety.
First, don’t sweat. I mean it. A daily bath isn’t always guaranteed. Especially, if a water pipe broke the day before school starts and you have to haul water from the river each day for three days. That was a bummer. I sweated carrying five-gallon buckets of water. A shower was in order, but couldn’t do it without running water.
Instead, I relied on my vast bush experiences to get me through this dreadful time. My solution was to pour the river water in a wash pail (large plastic salad/serving bowl in my case), set it in the bath tub, get in the tub and give myself a steam bath wash without the steam. The Westerner term would be “sponge bath.� It’s cold and you may feel like a penguin after a refreshing swim, but at least you won’t stink up your classroom.
However, there is the issue of clean clothes. I got lucky. Only had to hand wash under clothes one time. I was down to my last shirt and jeans when the water line was fixed.
Secondly, be sure to draft a preliminary class schedule. If teaching Special Education like yours truly, be aware that it will change – several times. I had to consider the other teachers’ schedules and disrupt their day as little as possible. I’d say I’m on my tenth draft by now, but perfection comes with practice.
Thirdly (and in theory) you should get a good night’s sleep to begin each day alert and ready to take on the daunting task of teaching. In reality, sleep may only be a short snooze and alertness can be faked depending on the strength of the coffee. It depends on the individual.
Fourth, know your students’ names. Connect them with faces - their face. Kids are pretty forgiving and politely tell you their real name when you get their names wrong. But there is a limit. I’ve noticed the limit of forgiveness for calling someone by a different name is around four times. After that it is best not to attempt the name of the student. Kick back a while. Either someone will call the nameless student by his/her name, or they will hand in their assignment with their name printed on it. It works pretty well unless they speak and write their name in Yup’ik.
The fifth and final thing I’d like to address about the beginning of a school year is have some sort of organization for remembering things. I try to write items in my planner or on the small note pad I carry in my pocket. I spend the first few minutes of the day compiling the information into one daily list. Then I rip out the used note pad sheet(s), throw them away, and begin my day.
Just make sure that you have transferred all the information you need before tossing them in the trash. That way you don’t have to think of something else when you get to the “fifth and final thing� in your column.

Prodigal Teacher has returned
Tundra Teacher Tales

8-28-07

by Kip Layton Jr.

It has been two years since I wrote Tundra Teacher Tales from the Kuskokwim Delta, but I’ve returned and I am teaching in Atmautluak. The journey back to LKSD turned out like it usual – from speedy and stressy to slow and relaxed.
Within ten days (while in Texas) I inquired about a job with LKSD, was hired, mailed some boxes, and was on my way north. When I got to Anchorage the speed of life went down a gear. I still did a bit of shopping and shipping of the items from Anchorage, but there was no rush. And you know what? I still got it all done with time to spare.
Then, as usual, the pace slowed quite a bit more when I landed in Bethel with a list of things to do before going to Atmautluak. With what little time I had, I didn’t think I would get it done, but somehow I did. Now I’m in the village where the word speed doesn’t seem to be in the vocabulary. It is a nice change.
When I made reservations with Hageland they had told me that the Atmautluak flight leaves at 5:00PM. We left at 4:50PM. “That’s cool,� I thought, “It is only 18 miles away. I’ll be there by the time we were scheduled to leave in the first place.�
I got to quit thinking.
We’d been in the air a few minutes when I spotted a village on the tundra. As we flew over it I turned around to the native lady sitting behind me and asked, “What village is that?�
“Atmautluak,� was her response.
“Thanks,� and I turned back around.
It turns out that the airline’s regular route does take you to Atmautluak, but after it stops Kasigluk and Nunapitchuk first. Their route is plainly printed in this paper and elsewhere. I should read more.
Oh well, I got to Atmautluak at 5:45pm. Found out that the store closes at 6:00pm. The Site Administrator told me to run down to the store if I needed to, pointed to where I’d be staying, and said that he and the airline agent would unload my luggage. That was nice.
After the store I got my keys and headed home. Then I opened the front door.
The place I am staying in was a teacher’s house for a time, but was used as a classroom last year. I guess you could have called it a “School House.�
It was basically a classroom with a kitchen, laundry room, bathroom, storage room with a chest freezer, and a small back room with a full bed set. However, within a few days the classroom materials, metal desk, work tables, white board, etc. were out and it took on a homely look with some furniture and a queen bed.
There is only one thing missing – a wall. The house had two bedrooms, but they took out one wall for the classroom. So when you enter the house you see our bedroom. It is like an efficiency apartment with a back room. That is okay. A new wall will be built soon. You can’t have everything at once out here.
The most convenient thing is that my “house� is located at the end of an older school building. My classroom is right next-door. All I do is open my door, walk two steps and open the classroom door. I don’t even have to go outside. Perfect for the occasional blizzard.
Like always when one makes a fast move their packages don’t tend to do the same. Therefore, I borrowed a pot, pan, and sleeping bag from other teachers to get by. After a week, I am down to just the sleeping bag. A few boxes had arrived, seven haven’t. In them are sheets, a shower curtain, and other things, but it is now home for a while. I had packed a large and small towel in my luggage so I wouldn’t have to drip dry after a bath (remember, no shower curtain) or dry my hands on my pants.
So far I am enjoying Atmautluak, the people, students, and staff. The post office and one of the stores is within a hundred yards or so of the school. It’s not a bad deal and when Irene (my wife if you forgot) arrives, all will be good.
Meantime, I’ll just keep busy teaching and writing.

Adios

by Kip Layton, Jr.

It is time.

This is it.

I am writing my last column for The Delta Discovery while living in the Kuskokwim Delta. After seven years with LKSD, it is time to move on. Following our summer stint in Texas and a July Las Vegas vacation, we are off to the small community of Clarks Point. It is one of Southwest Region School District’s sites and is situated in the Bristol Bay Region.

During my tenure with the Lower Kuskokwim School District, we have lived in three different villages. All of them unique in their own way. We will carry with us so many memories, experiences, and lessons about living life on the tundra. I wrote about the coastal village of Newtok when we left for Oscarville in 2000. In May 2003, we said good-bye to Oscarville and hello to Kwigillingok, another village inches from the ocean.

Now it is time to bid farewell to Kwigillingok and its residents. We have thoroughly enjoyed our time here. The people and students are great. We will miss everyone.

We’ve been told that they will miss us also. In fact, several people have asked me, “What would it take to get you to stay?” It is a good feeling to know that we apparently touched peoples’ hearts enough for them say such nice things.

They also showed their appreciation and love in other ways.

Irene and I were given a hand made book titled “Kwigillingok School and Living” by Kwig 1st, 2nd, & 3rd graders, 2005. It consisted of colored drawings of Irene and I in our house, me going to the steam and flying away, the school, my office, and other things that went with the title. I will cherish it forever.

During the graduation ceremonies, the Valedictorian included something I had once told him in his speech. It was a line that I didn’t think had that much impact, but when you are in the education field sometimes you have to simply and bluntly tell it like it is without a bunch of hoopla. I said, “Do you want to graduate? Then get to work.”

He remembered and excelled. Things like that make me proud.

I had a speech in my back pocket in case I was asked to speak. That didn’t happen, but they did briefly put me in the spotlight of the ceremonies. One of the men that frequently steams at the same steam house I do called me up to the podium. He presented me with a Certificate of Maqinertuli — Certificate of Hottest Steamer: Kip Layton.

The certificate was perfectly designed. The background was a fire red on top fading to a hot orange and then to a warm yellow glow on the bottom. There was a picture of the steam house on the left and one of me stuffing my face at lunch on the right. Centered below the pictures are the words:

From: Kwig Steamers

Alvin Jimmie, King

Tommy Andrew

William Igkurak

Peter Jimmie

Ben Daniel

Owen Lewis

All I could say was Thank you, smile, and hold it up for all to see. I will definitely miss steaming with the Kwig Steamers.

I didn’t get to hunt and fish as much as I would have liked while here, but the weather and personal schedules don’t always jive. Although I did go bird hunting last year and experienced dip netting on a frozen river this last winter.

It has been fun and it looks like I will continue to be in touch. I’ve talked with Greg Lincoln, the owner of The Delta Discovery, and there is a good chance I will write from my new home in Clarks Point come August.

So until then, I wish everyone well.

Do and become

by Kip Layton, Jr.

I am writing this column at 5:00pm on May 14th. The activity at the school has finally slowed down a bit. A couple of big-time annual events are taking place this weekend.

In three hours, the Kwigillingok High School Prom will begin. Around six o’clock everyone will go home. The students will return with a rhythm at 8:00pm and won’t stop shaking until Midnight.

The event time is different this year. If I am not mistaken, the Prom is an hour longer than last year. In addition, we happen to have a real live professional DJ to rock the gym tonight - Pat DeSmet from Bethel. People have told me today that it is the first time a DJ from “outside” has been to a Kwigillingok Prom.

The dance hasn’t even started, but I feel the kids will love Pat. He arrived with roughly 1,000 lbs. of equipment and lights. The show he puts on in Bethel is the show that he puts on in the villages. He doesn’t shortchange the rural communities. Word may travel quickly through the village berry vine, but if no one knows that there is a DJ on premises by eight o’clock, then they will.

Pat and I were talking outside the gym earlier and the students had music blaring inside on the court. The music was kind of loud and I indicated as much to Pat. He stated that it would be much louder tonight. I figure everyone that is sitting half a mile away on their couch at home watching TV tonight should be able to at least feel the vibrations.

I’m sure as the dance progresses; the midnight cutoff will become only a suggestion.

************************

Tomorrow the Kwigillingok High School Class of 2005 will graduate at 2:00pm and it should be interesting. The maintenance men put the stage together yesterday and students decorated the gym. Today, there was significantly less work taking place. Most of the work was done Friday and it being Saturday, a lot of the students that usually help out went hunting.

Also absent are several community/staff members who usually take a hold of the ceremonial organizational reins. But they’re attending a funeral today in Bethel. We are hoping they return this evening to lend a hand in the morning. The aftermath of the Prom has to be cleaned up and the gym has to resemble a mini auditorium by mid afternoon.

I’m keeping the faith that things will go fairly smooth despite all waiting until the last minute on a variety of things. It is amazing how things do come together out here, even if it was with seconds to spare, but it is still nerve-racking. Heck, I can’t even picture there being a rehearsal with the little time that’s left.

I think everyone will watch an unrehearsed graduation. The trick is that whatever happens make it look like it was planned and practiced.

************************

I will probably be asked to speak. Therefore, I have put together a short speech. I’ll close with the following highlights of the speech and direct it to any class of 2005.

To all graduating seniors everywhere I say congratulations. You are holding a High School Diploma. It took eighteen years to get it. Make it worth the wait. Be what you want to be. Live your dreams. Go off to college or stick around the village. Join the military or be in the Guard. Go to a trade school or join an apprentice program. You can do all this without losing your roots. Just don’t live your life stuck in neutral. Go out. Do and be happy while always remembering that it really doesn’t matter what you do as long as you “Become.”

Time Still

Passing

by Kip Layton, Jr.

Lately, hunting has been on my mind as much as the students have. Since I do not know exactly where to go for a successful hunt or how to get there in this dangerous time between thaw and total breakup of the ice, I work. That is, unless I am invited to tag along with a knowledgeable person.

I anticipated an invite last Saturday to go bird hunting. It never came. I phoned the person’s house about 1:15pm that day to see if he was going. It turns out he had already left. I was not really a happy camper, but then again I knew he had a good reason for leaving me behind and I would ask him when he returned.

That night in the steam bath, he told me why he didn’t invite me. He said that they went across several open water lakes on their snow machines. He didn’t tell me that I would have sunk or he didn’t trust me or that he didn’t wish to spend his time pulling me out of a lake. He didn’t have to say. He had read my articles and he knows me. I believe snow machines were named that for a reason, snow. They are not named “water machines.” Yep, this friend is knowledgeable.

The only thing that I didn’t care for is that he had the audacity to mention he caught twenty birds. That was just plain mean. I sure hope he enjoys them. I bet he didn’t even think about me at all. I had worked on my fabulous four-page site administrator checkout list on and off during the afternoon - and I thought about him out there.

That was April 30th.

Today is May 11th and still no hunting trip. It seems to be a busy time for all. I went to Bethel last Friday and stayed overnight to take care of some check out items at the District Office. I returned Saturday afternoon.

Sunday Irene and I celebrated Mother’s Day and my Birthday a day early.

Irene left Monday for four days of classes in Bethel. That doesn’t mean I will relax. She has packed most of her stuff for our move. I need to stuff some boxes with a lot of my stuff.

Hunting may not happen until next week. I have honey-do lists this week and the Kwigillingok School High School Prom and Graduation are this weekend.

Then, the following week is the last week of school and I will spend a lot of time desperately trying to keep kids in school and wait until after school lets out daily to go hunting.

Finally, I will finish help packing and mailing our final items.

Time will pass fast and if I am unable to go out on a hunting trip or even a fishing trip before Irene and I leave, then at least I can cherish the memories of past ventures hunting on the tundra - where time moves a bit slower. In fact, it stands still.

If only I’d followed

my own advice

by Kip Layton, Jr.

In my last column, I had mentioned that a late winter snow blast along with high winds graced our presence. It had begun Thursday. The wind speed slowly picked up throughout the day. By Friday morning, the winds had increased to gust upward of 60mph.

I figured the wind was wailing as I went to bed because I had woke up a couple of times. The bed was moving. It seemed Mother Nature was trying to blow our house off its pilings.

We had experienced it before so I didn’t worry about it. Besides, I couldn’t hear a thing. It was just me, our dog, sleeping through what seemed like a silent earthquake. What more does one expect from Alaska?

Until I put my hearing aides on in the morning, I didn’t realize how hard the wind was blowing. I could hear it whistling through the cracks around our back door and blowing the squeaky boiler vent flap open and shut. There were also the creepy unidentified noises coming from the attic. The sounds made the house seem like one big wind chime that was being blown against an old tin barn that happened to have a trapped scared cat inside.

About 7:30a.m. I decided to try to walk to the school. I went out the door and down the steps to the icy snow. My shoes would not get a grip on the ice so I went back into the house and stretched my shoe chains over the smooth, worn out soles of my favorite shoes. Then I went back out.

The chains helped my feet get a grip while taking baby steps on the snow. I had to keep leaning my body forward into the wind. It took a lot of leaning. In fact, I bet I was one degree for every year I have lived (I’m 44) before I was able to increase my pace. All was well until I got the bright idea to try walking on the clear boardwalk.

It was classic “two steps forward and one step back” sort of trip. The boardwalk was a lot slicker than the snow-ice I had just left.

After a few minutes, I couldn’t take it any longer and made my way back to the snow. The school building was only a few feet away now and served as a nice wind block, but only for a short distance. Finally exhausted, I made it to the school steps.

I grabbed the handrail and pulled myself up each step. A teacher was heading to her house and was opening the door as I came up the stairs. She was nice enough to hold it open for me. I don’t know if I would have had the strength to grasp my keys, let alone pull the door open against the wind.

The phone was ringing when I got to the office. “Are you having school today?” was the question, and a logical one at that. I told him I would announce it on the VHF after conferring with the local school board chairman.

The chairman and I talked and decided to go for it. We would see how many students showed up and announced for them not to walk to school. They needed to get a ride to school.

Most people ride up on snow machines or four wheelers anyway so we figured it would be fine. It was. We had a whole slew of kids arrive. School was in session. It looked like it was to be a good day.

Then, after doing his morning rounds, my maintenance man asked me, “Is the snow machine still by your house?”

I told him it was and we went about our business.

Later that morning I was relaying my morning walk experience to some students. I told them how I slid on the ice, went back up and put on some non-slick gripping chains, then leaned into the wind and fought my way to school. What I didn’t realize was how utterly unobservant and ignorant I can be at times until I was way into the story.

The snow machine that was parked by our house came to mind and I began to laugh. It was parked at the bottom of the steps that go up to our house. I had walked right by it in the wind. In fact, I almost had to hold on to the attached sled to keep from falling.

My morning would have been easier if my brain apparently hadn’t been blown away. All I had to do was start the snow machine and ride to school, just like we told the kids to do.

Plan? Schedule?

What gives?

by Kip Layton, Jr.

I sit here on April 21st, one month to the day from the official start of spring, looking out the window at 45mph winds and blowing snow. Nothing beats a spring blizzard to get me thinking.

My lovely wife made just made it out on a plane about 11:00 this morning. The storm rolled in about noon. She is in Bethel for a couple of days and I was thinking about what she said a few weeks ago. The weather was iffy at the time and she had plans to go to Bethel. She came up with, “I am scheduled to leave...” instead of, “I am leaving on...(the time and flight).”

“Scheduled” became our new travel word to summarize our plans whenever anyone asked because you are not flying until the plane actually lands, you board, and it takes off. Therefore, I decided to analyze the difference between scheduled and plan and how they affect life in rural Alaska - from my perspective.

But first, let’s define their meaning from good ole Mr. Webster.

According to the dictionary schedule means “A list or written chart which shows the times at which events will happen.”

This is an easy one. Most everyone has a schedule of sorts. A lot of them are formed around certain routines and timelines. For instance, there are things people wish to get done before going to work such as having a cup of coffee, brushing their teeth, and of course, getting dressed.

The only things that I routinely schedule on a daily or weekly basis are meetings with parents, students, staff, and the like. Other than that, I just have a “to-do” list to refer to. It is hard to make a schedule that easy to follow. Circumstances change so much.

I am constantly canceling and postponing meetings. Villages may be small and not all that populated, but chores abound that put a damper on making appointments. It can be a frozen pipe or no babysitter to not having a ride to the school or a snow machine that won’t start. There are a variety of things that can prevent people coming to the school. Or a student may need extra help with schoolwork and that can put off a get together with them or a school staff member.

In my book, that wipes out the “shows the times at which events will happen” and only leaves “a list or written chart” as the definition of schedule.

But if you ask yourself, “How does one design a schedule that fits Webster’s interpretation?” The answer would most likely be, “Through a plan of course.”

Plan is defined as “A scheme or method for achieving something.”

In the education field, I’ve tried both methods and schemes. Depending on the situation each has worked its magic, but sometimes trying to plan a schedule and follow it can be an illusion. When the day is over you usually see something different in the end that is contrary to what you expected to happen. As you reflect on the outcome, it is almost impossible to know exactly how it happened. It is tricky.

Through it all, I do my best to stick to a rough schedule that I planned, but that doesn’t mean it is what He had scheduled for me in my life plan. What gets me through and keeps me sane is knowing that no matter how I perceive my situation, I am where I am supposed to be and doing what I am supposed to be doing at every moment in time.

That is not an illusion or scheme. It is His method, His plan, and I am on His Schedule. And every once in a while we are in sync.

Anticipation and

knowing the basics

by Kip Layton, Jr.

This time of the school year is filled with anticipation for all, but for different reasons.

The sun has been bright for a few days and the daily temperature has risen slightly. Irene went to Bethel last Thursday and told me that there were still trucks on the river and she didn’t see any open water. So, it isn’t enough to make a significant impact on the ice melting yet.

But it does have an effect on attitudes.

It is getting harder to get students to school on time as they stay up late. I guess after they go home after curfew, they stay up until dark and then go to sleep. It is hard for them to wake up at dawn (7:30am). We are encouraging them, but the closer summer gets, the harder it will be to get them to school on time.

The darn seagulls don’t help. They arrived back in Kwigillingok last week and a few days later someone told me they saw a flock of geese. It is just a matter of time before we will have to use a GPS to track down tardy students. Like me, they would rather be hunting on nice days and will go out to the tundra instead of going to school. But unlike me, they don’t get paid to go to school. So in a way, it makes perfect sense.

The students are not the only ones antsy. I am too. In fact, I went to the post office the other day just to drive the snow machine and enjoy the day. The village speed limit is 20mph. I went maybe 10mph. It was a good ride.

On the way back, I had to play. The seagulls had landed on a frozen lake I drive over to get to the post office. They were gathered kind of off to the left of the path. As I passed them, I begin to think that I couldn’t pass up the opportunity. I turned the handle to the left and sped up to twenty mph and headed directly toward the bunch.

I knew there was no way I’d hit them. It wasn’t my intention. My goal was to just have some fun. And a tiny bit of childish fun I did have. The seagulls were kind enough to prolong my stunt and didn’t fly off until I was pretty close to them. I think they knew what I was doing and flew only a few feet off the ground as I plowed through the area they once stood. It was fun.

Can’t you picture me driving a four wheeler or running through a group of bears after we move to Clarks Point? Well, if you ever do happen to get that picture then please have me see a psychiatrist.

You might want to make the appointment early because I have just somehow been committed (no pun intended) to have the privilege of something I have never done before in my seven years living in bush Alaska.

Never before have I chopped the wood and lit a steambath, but tonight I got the invite to do just that.

Yeah!

It is only fair since I use the steambath frequently. I should have been offered the opportunity long ago to experience the complete Eskimo steambath through making it and then baking, but no one had been kind enough to offer the axe to me. Either that or it took seven years for someone in the Delta to trust me with swinging it.

Oh well, Irene and I have only five weeks left before we take out. I guess I need to know the basics before we leave Kwig and strike out on our own.

The countdown

has begun

by Kip Layton, Jr.

Word travels fast, but I thought that I would speed it up a bit.

If you are not aware by now, I will not be with LKSD next year. We are moving to Clarks Point, Alaska where I will be the Principal/Teacher of their small K-8 school. So, I guess it is countdown time on my six-year-old column, at least written with the local Kuskokwim Delta perspective.

Clarks Point is a village fifteen miles from Dillingham in the Bristol Bay region. Who knows what educator/columnist (me?) might move in and start the words flowing from a different perspective. But the way it is now; after this column, I have six more. My last one while living in the Kuskokwim Delta will be published on May 25, 2005.

While our new place will still be by the water, the weather will not be as extreme. The house we will be living in is situated on a bluff and comes with drinkable running water, 3 bedrooms, 2 baths with flush toilets, washer/dryer, and other modern conveniences.

I’ve heard from a few people in Kwigillingok who have been to Clarks Point or the surrounding area. Every one of them has told us we will like it there, but have also warned us of something I haven’t really thought about living on the desolate tundra.

There is an old southern saying, “Walk tall and carry a big stick.”

But from what I can gather, when Irene and I take walks through the trees and unfamiliar territory of Bristol Bay, then the saying should be amended to, “Walk loudly, sing, and carry a gun.”

I’m told we could encounter bears and if my singing doesn’t keep them away, then the sound of a rifle blast just might.

There is more to say about our move and what we will leave behind, and I will think of stuff as the weeks go on. Meantime, there is a lot to do.

We already have boxes full of items ready to mail to Clarks Point. There would probably be fewer packages if I had answered “yes” to Irene’s question; “You want me to pack your stuff?”

She is so much better at “weeding out” things than I am, especially my valued possessions I use once every few years. My question is, “Why?” We are moving to a larger house. There is plenty of room for all my important junk.

I’ll tell you why. Because there is no reason I should be hanging on to some things that I do, and I know that. I don’t know if she knows I know, but one of Irene’s strengths is to remind me of reality at times, junk is junk. Junk isn’t “valued possessions.”

And every time we move, I am reminded how little I make use of some dust-ridden items and it would be a good idea not to pack them. I do see her point, but I still choose to whine a bit before I part with the item. It is my way of saying good-bye to my unused valued possessions.

Testing...testing...

by Kip Layton, Jr.

We are right in the middle of the dreaded “Test Week” in schools. Students in third grade through grade twelve are taking mandated tests. It is one of the necessary evils of education.

It is the government’s required method of measuring student progress nationwide that will be used in what they think are valid statistics. Granted the tests do give an indication of what students are learning, and I can understand why they chose to have schools administer the exams, but as with all systems, nothing is full proof.

The new Standard Based Assessments (SBA) and the High School Graduation Qualifying Exam (HSGQE) are noble efforts and a way to see “on paper” progress. The data is helpful in finding a particular area of weakness that needs to be addressed and the strengths will also appear in the results. If analyzed and used correctly, the scores can enable a school to focus on their particular needs to improve learning.

But are the tests an accurate measure of student progress? That is debatable and always will be. That is what makes our country so great, not everyone thinks or believes the same thing. There are opinions everywhere. I guess that is why the governments think so highly on written tests for measuring progress.

Let me explain. Personally, I believe the best way to see if students have learned something is to watch them perform, but there are also problems with that. Students cannot “perform” everything to be measured and observance is so subjective. Some instructors are more lax than others in “observation scoring.” The learning objectives may be the same, but the key word is “measurable.”

Some people state that the tests only show how well a student takes a test. That may be true for some, but until something else better comes along to measure how well students are doing, then we will continue to use the present tests.

There is a lot more to say on this subject, but space is limited so I will close with the following.

I hope that all students in the nation that are participating in the fun take the tests seriously and do their best. Kwigillingok School is a Level 2 school for the second year in a row. This means the school met Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) last year. Therefore, it remained at the same level.

If we do not meet requirements this year, then we go to level three. There are five levels and each level brings with it more state and government interference. So much that I have heard of schools at level five being forced to start over. Basically, the whole staff is “let go” and if there is a Yup’ik language program in place, it is out. It isn’t a pretty sight.

But if we make AYP again this year, we are off the chart completely. In other words, not leveled. And somehow, the government looks at being out of balance (unlevel) as a good thing.

A Cultural Tour

by Kip Layton, Jr.

Every year Kwigillingok School has Cultural Heritage Week. It is an attempt to help carry on traditions and have students learn and make Yup’ik items that they are not able to otherwise.

There were ten or so Elders instructing and guiding students. Each had their “Specialty” and they were used accordingly.

Let’s back up and take a tour. We will start at the gym and walk down the hall that heads south. On the first floor, it is divided into five classrooms and a library. Some classes take place upstairs, but not during Cultural Heritage Week. This wing houses kids beginning their “transition year” from Yup’ik instruction to English delivery and continuing until their graduation.

The first classroom on the right is vacant of any cultural activities this week. It wasn’t needed and we stored all the laptops and other items that would tempt the students to not do their projects.

As you can see, the next classroom is used for Beading. Notice those women over there? They are known in the village for their knowledge of how to make bead bracelets, necklaces, earrings, and other jewelry. They are teaching this group of novice beaders how to make sturdy and stylish accessories they can be proud to wear.

This next, and last classroom on the right is a bit more active. If you go into the room, you will see two women elders helping a slew of female students. They are working away helping each girl select material, cut out the pieces, and sew a beautiful Qaspeq (pronounced “‘kus puk”). They are nice, loose-fitting, comfortable shirt (okay, blouse) and can be made with or without a hood to cover the wearer’s head.

Now we will turn around and head North and investigate the rooms on the other side of the hall.

First one empty of activity, but full of desktop computers.

The second “room” we come to is the Library. It is bustling with male students cutting out their Qaspeq (a shirt in this case). The boys will continue to another project while the elder women sew the pieces together.

The last room before we get to the gym has fur flying. Kids of all ages are learning how to make Eskimo yo-yos, slippers, mittens, and even baby boots. Women elders also guide them.

There are two activities going on in the gym. A group of students are making fish traps from chicken wire while others are working their physical bodies with a bit of NYO instruction.

Before we head outside, take a left after we get through the gym and let me show you what the younger (K-3) ones are up to.

Did you like what you saw? I bet you could have bought one of those birdhouses or large beaded necklaces. But that is okay, at least you know the proper way to play with a genuine Eskimo yo-yo.

Now, get your coat on. It is a bit chilly. Don’t forget your sunglasses. The glare is intense. We are headed outside to another building. I’ll show you what is happening inside.

Here, we have a couple of men leading these boys in the fine art of making an Uluaq and building sleds. Last year, the boys also produced harpoons, but not this time.

Maybe they will next year.

Okay, that is...oh, wait! I almost forgot two things.

First, if you had peeked through the small window on the kitchen door as we passed, you would have seen the cooking group stirring up various dishes. The kids were having fun. I assume you’d also see a smile on the instructor’s face if the flour was washed off.

On Monday, a group of students, along with a few elders and a certified teacher went on a “Tundra Travel” trip to learn about survival, etc. This was supposed to happen every day, but plans had to be changed. The village lost two elders last week and travel is restricted by tradition in times like these out of respect.

The whole thing is going well and will be topped off with a little western culture. The kids will dye eggs before going home for the weekend.

So, there you have it. I hope you enjoyed the tour.

Come back again, you hear?

(Irene and I extend our condolences to the families and their relatives who lost their love ones last week. We will keep you in our prayers.)

Eagles at rest

by Kip Layton, Jr.

Well, it’s over. The Kwigillingok Eagles High School Basketball team’s season has come to an end.

March 12, 2005 the Eagles won the District Championship and earned the right to compete in the State Tournament in Anchorage. We were soon to find out that that was the easy part. Getting to Anchorage in time was going to be the team’s greatest challenge of the year.

For some unknown reason the State tournament begins five days after the District Champion teams were determined. It may work in a city environment where all one has to do is hop in a car and drive to the stadium for practice or competition. But in rural Alaska, it would be best if there was at least a week between the two tournaments.

Let me use Kwig as an example.

The team flew home Sunday morning, March 13th. The boys were happy, but worn out. It had been a long three days of intense play. Now it was time to make sure they arrived in Anchorage in time to practice Wednesday, March 16th for their first game Thursday morning at 8:00AM.

It seems someone else had the bright idea of Spring Break the week of the State Basketball Tournament, and do you know where everyone goes who decide to travel east out of Bethel? I don’t either, but almost all fly. And their first stop is Anchorage.

I know. I know. Anchorage is big enough to handle a few tourists from the Delta. That wasn’t the problem. The dilemma was enough available seats on the plane to accommodate twelve players, a coach, and a chaperone.

The earliest that the Eagles could fly would be Wednesday evening. They would arrive in Anchorage around 5:00PM. This would prevent them from practicing and observing other teams’ tactics. That didn’t seem fair, but it was the best that could be done. All seats on earlier flights were full.

Monday, March 14th was filled with the coach trying to get earlier flights or more seats on planes to get the team to Anchorage a bit earlier. By noon, he had a few options that would conceivably work - provided everyone was able to get to Bethel.

Tuesday began with fog and low flying visibility, but the boys came to school with high hopes. They all brought their luggage. As the day wore on, hopes were fading except for the coach. He said, “I never give up hope.”

Morning turned into afternoon and afternoon into evening. By 4:00 pm, everyone knew they wouldn’t get to Anchorage that night. It was now a “Let’s just get to Bethel” type goal. But evening turned into night and night into Wednesday. The bad weather continued to haunt the boys.

Phone calls went around and around from the local airline agent, to the airline in Bethel to the coach. The airline wanted to fly, but FAA rules prevented it from launching. Everyone was just waiting for that minimal window of opportunity and they told us that 8:30PM was the deadline to land a plane in Kwig.

Time clicked on and I went home 7:15 PM. I had my hearing aides off so I didn’t hear the phone, but about 8:15 Irene told me she thought she heard a plane. I checked the answering machine and sure enough, there was a message from the coach saying a plane was coming to get 9 people. The others would leave in the morning.

I walked to the school and asked some students gathered outside if the plane did land. They confirmed that eight players and the coach were gone.

Thursday morning Grant Air sent another plane and picked up the rest of the team and a chaperone.

They finally made it into Anchorage Thursday evening and were able to play their first game at 9:00PM that night. ASAA was nice enough to switch a couple of games as the Eagles were originally scheduled to play Thursday morning at 8:00 AM.

The Eagles were defeated their first game and ended up playing their second game early Friday morning. They lost that game too.

It had only been about 37 hours since the first players left Kwigillingok. They played on a strange court without practice or rest and only lost by a few points each game. By the time the second match was over, I bet every Eagle felt like they had been plucked.

But I learned some things last week. I have always been a pretty good finagler, but I think I’ve met my match. Some things the coach had in the works were unbelievable and top secret. If only the boys had made it to Bethel by Wednesday 4:30PM, they would have flown to Anchorage right away.

Kwig’s basketball coach doesn’t give up. He may take a battle break when the sun sets and go home to sleep for the night, but he wakes up ready to continue the fight the next day.

It is my opinion that if the “Weather Gods,” as the coach put it, were not in control, the overall results might have been different. Had the Eagles got the chance to practice and rest before their first game, they may have flown a little higher. Either way, at least they are safely home to roost until next season.

(I wish to thank everyone involved in helping our team get to Anchorage. Win or lose, the Kwigillingok Eagles deserved to go and without your help, it wouldn’t have been possible.)

K-K battle

by Kip Layton, Jr.

Well, as I write this column on a windy Saturday morning, it is hard not to think of the several high school basketball teams 77 miles away in Bethel competing in the LKSD District Basketball Tournament because one of them is the Kwigillingok Eagles.

Today, a few teams will play their hearts out for first and second place. Kwigillingok Eagles defeated Newtok to earn the right to battle their neighbor Kongiganak (winning over Akula) for the district title.

I wish I could attend and cheer them on, but it would probably make them a little nervous. I had told the both the boys and girls high school basketball teams before they left that, “I am not paying for you to go lose. So win.”

They’ve done great so far without my presence and I hate to mess up their winning streak. Half of Kwig’s residents and several staff members are there. It seems to be enough.

It would be cool if the Kwigillingok Eagles get the school budget in a big bind by taking first in the District and get to compete in the State Tournament in Anchorage. I have no idea how we will pay for it. It may boil down to me telling them, “You’re an Eagle — Fly.”

Yes, the Kwigillingok team has beaten the Kong team a few times this basketball season, but only by a point or two. Either team can walk away with the ultimate bragging rights.

The hardest thing was to wait for game results through phone calls or emails. Since the tournament began people called me and asked how to get the games broadcast over the radio so people could follow along.

It all started when someone heard the Chefornak games on the air and called me. I didn’t know the answer, but told them I’d look into it. After repeated calls to the radio station Thursday evening, I finally got a live person to pick up the phone Friday morning and speak.

I asked about the cost of getting Kwig’s games broadcast over the radio and she said that they needed a week’s notice and couldn’t help me. Basically, I was out of luck.

Later that day someone told me the games would be broadcast Friday night. It turns out that one game was heard over the radio, but not Kwig’s.

The excitement of the “K-K” Battle will be dying down by press time and the winner will have been decided. I had explained to a Kwig resident over the phone this morning the teams’ records and that either team could win. He said something so surprising and with such great attitude that I had to include it.

It put the whole game in perspective when he said, “It doesn’t matter (who wins), Kong is a part of Kwig anyway.”

Be prepared

by Kip Layton Jr.

When living in bush Alaska, I’ve noticed how some cultural traditions are habits and a way of life. “Preparing for the next season” is one of them and it seems like that time has arrived.

I’ve recently heard talk by some men of going out on the tundra and looking for wood. By this, they mean dead trees of any length and any size to use over the summer months for steam baths.

Driving a snow machine or four wheeler across the wide-open, grassy tundra during the summer is not a very smart thing to do. Therefore, gathering wood from the tundra has to be done during the winter months.

It was also mentioned that some people are running low on the food they got last summer and fall while hunting and fishing. The timing is right on. Apparently, they will be able to gather more game in a few days. I was invited to go ptarmigan hunting the weekend of March 11-12.

I do not know if I will be able to go. With only two months left before school is out, I’m busy preparing for my summer season also.

Most of the work is school related. There are the State High School Graduation Exams and the new Standards Based Assessments for the students to take coming up in April. Next year’s budget has to balance with less money and more demands. The school calendar needs to be finalized and supplies need to arrive for Cultural Heritage Week that starts March 21st. Those are just a few things happening on site.

At home, we made plans to visit Las Vegas again this summer and have a couple more short trips to hammer out. Other than that, the only preparation for the summer is to throw some clothes in a bag and head out the door.

Yep, some things become habits and you don’t have to worry about them. Wood will be gathered, the birds will fly, and fish will be caught, but right now is the unpredictable “in between” time.

Will the school run out of water? The school’s two water tanks are down to less than half of one tank. It either has to rain a lot or get warm enough to run a hose to a water source and pump water into the tank.

Will people run out of food? I’m sure some will come really close to running out of last season’s catch, but the tradition of sharing with each other will help those less fortunate to hang on until the shooting begins again.

Will enough wood be hauled back to last until the next freeze up? I don’t know. It depends on how many times the steam bath is lit and how much wood is used when starting the fire. Only they know for sure.

This column is only a minute portion of what goes on when people “prepare for the next season,” but the concept is ingrained in every culture. It is just more prominent when survival hinges on proper and successful preparation.

A short educational history

by Kip Layton, Jr. (actually Irene)

I’ve often wondered when and how western education became a part of a child’s life in bush Alaska, but never asked. Irene did. She is taking an Early Childhood class and had to interview a couple of Elders about the history of education in her community. Then she educated me on what she found out from them.

Below is the paper she wrote for class. I found it a fascinating brief history touching upon the high points of the educational history of Kwigillingok and how the western influence changed Native Americans’ lives forever.

I did try to find a way to paraphrase it and take all the credit, but couldn’t find a way without plagiarizing the paper. So, here it is in its entirety – enjoy.

Community History of Young Children’s Care and Development

By Irene Layton

Before school began in Kwigillingok, the people lead a nomadic lifestyle. Wherever the parents went, so did the children. In the spring, the people moved close to the beaches to be near seals, ducks, and geese. During the winter, they migrated to the tundra to get blackfish from rivers. The tundra was also a popular place in the summertime for berry picking. At one point, the government tried to introduce a herd of caribou to this area. Unfortunately, the wolves liked it as well and the plan failed.

About 1912, church missionaries arrived in the area. They built a mission house and a church. (The original house still stands to this day, sort of). They realized that some schooling was needed for the children. Whenever the natives were in the area, the church was used as a school.

In the beginning, all children were in one grade. It wasn’t until later that they were separated into age appropriate grades. Students only went to school until 4th or 5th grade. If they wanted to continue with their education, they had to go away to boarding schools. At this point in time, boarding schools were only a two-year program and very few children chose to leave.

There was a brief period of time in this area when the children were forbidden to speak Yup’ik. If caught, they were punished. This made the children not want to talk so they would remain silent until they were away from the teachers and school. They would then speak in their native tongue.

Sometime during the late 20’s or early 30’s the Bureau of Indian Affairs (BIA) built a structure that would serve as an office building and a place where classes could be held. The government provided the teachers.

During the early BIA days, there were preschool services but they were held in a house near the building. Kindergarten, which was held in the BIA building, was referred to as Prep School and was taught in English and Yup’ik.

When the BIA building was built, women in the community started working outside the home. Usually the grandparents took care of the children, but if the husband did not work then he would take care of them.

The current school building is approximately 20–25 years old. Grades pre-school through 12th grade are held there. There are also offices for Migrant Ed and Tumkanka (a program serving kids 0-3 years old in their home).

This shows that education has come a long way in rural Alaskan communities.

Pretty interesting, huh? Maybe next week, I’ll write something.

A flight to remember

…or forget

by Kip Layton Jr.

As told and experienced by Irene Layton.

Valentine’s Day is supposed to be filled with Love and Happiness, but on February 14, 2005, it was almost Lost Love on the Tundra.

You might have heard the story of the small Yute Airline 207 five-passenger plane that landed with only two wheels instead of three in increment weather at the Bethel Airport a week ago Monday. Only now I’ll write of the tale with first hand information from one of the passengers, my wife, Irene.

But a little background and what I know.

For two full days (Saturday and Sunday) brought one winter storm after another through the Kuskokwim Delta. No planes flew during that time. It left five staff members stuck in Bethel and our high school boys and girls basketball teams, and two other employees stuck in Napaskiak.

Irene was scheduled to fly out Sunday to attend a weeklong class beginning Monday afternoon. Being the experienced bush woman she is it was wise of her to make the reservations early in case the weather delays your trip. That way you are able to make it to your destination on time. She didn’t make it out Sunday and was to try again Valentine’s Day morning.

That day dawned with what looked like okay flying weather. The first flight to Kwig usually arrives between 9:45 and 10:30AM. I hadn’t heard anything by 10:10am when my secretary told me that a Yute plane was going to land in ten minutes. He had heard it over the VHF.

I phoned the local agent and asked if there was a seat open. After he said that there was I told him to hold it. Then I told my secretary to find Irene’s ride to the airport. I called our house and the phone was busy. It was busy for 5 minutes so I rushed over to the house and asked Irene if she wanted to take the Yute Airplane that was on its way. “When will it be here?” she responded.

“In five minutes.”

“AH!” came out of her mouth as she rushed to gather her purse, laptop, and checkbook.

I grabbed her suitcase and we were out the door. We saw the snow machine pulling up to the school as we hurried to the building. After a small kiss and the whispered “I Love Yous,” she was out the school’s side door, on the snow machine, and on her way to the airstrip.

I went to my office and phoned Grant Air to see if they were flying. They said, “No.”

I told them that Yute came in. He said something to the effect, “They (Yute) have been risking it lately and I wouldn’t put my family on it.”

That worried me for an hour or so. That was enough time for Irene to make it to Bethel. If anything bad had happened, I figured I’d have heard about it by then.

At 12:20AM, I was at home eating lunch. The phone rang and my secretary was on the other end. He said, “Call your wife at Bentley’s.”

I did and she told me her story in a broken voice.

She started with, “I now have your flying adventures beat.”

“What happened?” I responded now realizing how shaky her words were.

“After we left Kwig, the plane went to Kong. It tried to land, but hit a berm or something. That is when we lost one of the wheels. We knew right away when we hit something because we all felt it. It shook the plane. The man next to me looked out the window and then looked at me and made a circular motion with his hands and then threw his hands in the air. I knew then that the wheel was gone.”

All I could do was listen as Irene spoke and become angry that I couldn’t be there with her in her time of need.

She continued to tell me that when they got to Bethel the pilot did a fly-by. “I guess it was for people to check the extent of the damage.”

Irene said that they flew around for fifteen or twenty minutes before the pilot told them they were going to attempt a landing and it will be bumpy. I never prayed so hard before in my life. I asked God to take care of my family if anything happened to me. “I watched everyone tighten their seatbelts and hold the back of the seat in front of them. I even put my computer in the seat pocket hoping it would be okay.”

“We had a good pilot. The landing was bumpy, but we didn’t skid or anything. You could hear everyone let out a sigh of relief when the plane stopped. The emergency vehicles had surrounded the plane before we even got off. They had us go to the ambulance to get checked out. Everyone was okay.

Then we got our luggage and left.”

All I could do was listen as Irene spoke. I didn’t know what to say except that I was so happy she was fine and that she shouldn’t have had to go through that. It is my job as the husband to have the near-death experiences, not hers.

It also angered me that I couldn’t be there in her time of need, but God always has a plan B. This one came in the form of a wonderful lady named Sue. She works at Bentley’s B&B.

I’ll let Irene tell it, “When I got to Bentley’s I couldn’t hold in my emotions any longer and I broke down and started crying. I want to thank Sue for her patience and helping me get through that moment.”

Sue - Kip thanks you also.

In closing, some have said that the plane crashed. Others say it crash-landed. A few lighten the incident and state it was an emergency landing. It really doesn’t matter. The fact is the darn plane landed on only two wheels WITH MY WIFE ON BOARD.

I thank the Lord that Irene and everyone else walked away from it.

That goes to show that Irene was right. Her flying adventure on Valentine’s Day, 2005 tops any hairy rides I’ve had in bush planes. She wins. I do not wish to top that.

Weather window isn’t wide

by Kip Layton Jr.

Well, another week has gone by where the weather has been in control from day one. A week ago Sunday, the weather turned bad for flying. One of our teachers and another’s in-laws were in Bethel trying to make it out. As I talked with the teacher on the phone, I found out that another employee was also waiting to come out.

That afternoon, the storm let up a tad and they were going to fly out. There would be two small planes coming. When they were getting close to the village, a teacher and I went up to the airport to meet everyone. Not long after we arrived at the airstrip, a plane landed with just one passenger, the employee. We asked where the other plane was and the pilot said it turned back due to weather. They were going to be stuck in Bethel.

Monday morning brought little change in the weather and no planes. As the day progressed, there were times when the weather cleared in Kwigillingok, but was bad in Bethel. Other times it was the other way around. And in between the sporadic good weather at one place or the other, it was terrible all over. The people stuck in Bethel spent the day “airline hopping” trying to catch a flight.

I heard that the day started with one airline letting the passengers check in, but they wouldn’t take their bags until they were sure the plane was going to fly. Their bags were never checked in. That was to be the day’s omen.

At another airline, they were already walking from the terminal to the plane when an airline employee called them back saying the flight was canceled.

Finally, with daylight dwindling, they resigned to the fact of spending another night in Bethel.

Tuesday morning’s weather was somewhat better, but not great. My stuck teacher called me and said they were going to spend the day around the airport again taking in the familiar sights.

Then a couple of hours later, the skies cleared a bit more and the phone rang. The pilot was going to give it a shot to make it to Kwigillingok. Thirty minutes later, the plane landed with everyone we were waiting on.

All was good for a couple of days when there were no real traveling plans that would affect the school. Friday was a different story. The basketball teams were to travel to Napaskiak. The weather had a different take on the matter. The team members hung around after school was let out praying for the weather to clear so they could go.

I’d like to know what they said to the Good Lord because by 4:00PM, the planes were in the air and on the way. When I pray, it seems God has to think about the answer for a long time before revealing it.

In their case, three small planes arrived within an hour and all the scheduled students, coaches, and chaperones managed to leave by nightfall.

Today is Saturday and the storm has returned with a vengeance. Unless it blows through by this afternoon, then the basketball teams will not be back until Sunday and I’m sure that would break their little hearts.

It goes to show that out here the window of opportunity (good weather) can open and shut pretty fast. It takes practice and know-how when to gauge the best time to jump through it before it slams shut.

I should know because I’m still in practice. Each time I try to take advantage of a small window of opportunity when it comes to the weather, I only get half way out. Either I forgot to remove the screen or the pane slams down on me leaving me stuck. Both are painful, but I will keep practicing.

Don’t change, it’s healthier

by Kip Layton Jr.

Last Thursday, I left work at 9:00am and went home sick. Of course, I told my wife, “I’m not sick. I just don’t feel that well.”

Looking at me curled up under the covers in bed, she didn’t buy that excuse and went straight for the thermometer. After a couple of minutes with the thing under my tongue, she had the proof she needed. I wasn’t going anywhere.

Most of the day and night was spent right where she left me. I can’t recall the last time I slept so much. With the wife’s “encouragement” and as a precaution, I kept taking cold medicine through Friday.

It is now Saturday morning and I am feeling much better. My brain is clear of cold/flu pill ingredients and I am now able to analyze why I got sick and how to avoid it the next time.

There has been a wave of strep throat, colds, flu, and other delightful, irritating sicknesses lately in the village. So, you might say that it was a matter of time before the germs latched on to me. That is what I thought at first.

But what if there were other reasons? Was there something I had done lately to change my body’s immune system? I think there was. I am going to tell you what I changed in my life so you do not have to make the same mistakes I did. It may help you to maintain your present level of health.

It is known that the human body has an extraordinary ability to repair itself and fight disease. But did you know that if you “freak out” the body, then it loses all sense of immunity? It is true. I’ll prove it to you.

Last year I got my first flu shot in over a decade. A month later, I caught a cold during the Christmas Holidays. This year, I got another flu shot and ended up taking a sick day a month later. Granted it wasn’t the flu, but would I have contracted something otherwise?

As a New Year’s Resolution for 2005, I mistakenly thought it would be a good idea to begin a mild morning exercise program and do some stretching, abdominal crunches, and a few push-ups. I mentally thought I was doing some good, but was I in that bad a shape to begin with?

As my faithful readers know, I like to drink coffee throughout the day. Again, I thought that it wasn’t doing my body any good and decided to cut back. I’d try the hot tea route my wife took up over a year ago. I started cutting back on coffee Wednesday. Began getting sick that night. I avoided coffee Thursday morning and tried the tea thing. It wasn’t long before I was in bed all day.

Friday, I gave it one more shot and drank some hot tea before work. About mid-morning I felt the cold resurfacing. I took an aspirin, but it didn’t seem to work. By noon, I had a cup of coffee and felt good. The tea I had tasted good, but it didn’t do the trick. This only means that my body isn’t “All Natural” and needs a different kind of health regimen to keep it going.

I now know that I get plenty of exercise at work, the flu shot is a waste of time, and coffee is a good thing. So, for the time being, I vow to resist change and maintain my present level of health by being “unnatural.”

To begin or

not to begin?

by Kip Layton Jr.

Okay, where do I start? Do I begin with the new fuel tanks that were installed last week?

In October, a barge arrived with 3 twenty-five thousand-gallon fuel tanks and 1 four thousand-gallon tank along with all the manly toys (a crane, giant forklift, small bulldozer, and a backhoe) to put in a new fuel farm for the school. Last Thursday, they had an electrical and cable line taken down to drive the crane between teacher housing and within thirty feet of the school. Once there, the crane operator pulled the right levers and pressed the correct buttons for the machine to pound 6 pilings (large metal beams) to what seemed like twenty feet in the ground leaving several feet sticking out of the ground.

When that was done, the welder lit up his cutting torch and sliced the beams to equal height. Next, he welded a plate on top of each beam. Then the crane went to work again and placed crossbeams on the plates. After they were securely welded, the crane finally lifted the “small fuel tank” and set it on top of the cross beams and a final welding bead was done to hold it for years to come.

By 5:00PM, the crane was backing out and the downed cable and electrical lines were put back up. Oddly enough, things went pretty smooth that day.

Friday, the workers spent the day preparing another dozen or so pilings they forced into the tundra on Wednesday that will support the three large fuel tanks. Saturday brought out the crane and by noon, all three tanks were in place. I keep waking up each day wondering what will happen to delay the project, but nothing yet. If I keep thinking the worse and not a thing happens, then I will be greatly pleased and thankful when the project is done. I’d rather it go smoothly than not because if things happened to slow or delay the completion of the fuel farm, then I will only be relieved when it is finished and not as happy as I’d like to be.

That is one way to start the column.

Or I can begin with the basketball games that Kwigillingok School hosted this past weekend.

Last Monday the plan was to have Quinhagak junior high team and Kongiganak high school boy’s team come to Kwigillingok to play. The Kwigillingok high school girl’s team would fly to Tuntutuliak to play there.

By Wednesday, the plans had expanded. Kwig’s girls were still going to Tunt, but we were now going to have Kipnuk high school boys join the party in Kwigillingok.

Then Friday arrives and we have picked up Chefornak high school boys too. It was going to be fun. Then the weather closes in a bit and delays everyone.

The planes with the Chefornak team turned back as did the one coming to pick up our team heading to Tunt. Kong, on the other hand, just changed their transportation mode and showed up on snow machines.

The weather cleared later and by 6:30PM we had Chefornak boys here and our high school girls in the village of Tuntutuliak. Kipnuk couldn’t make it.

It all worked out well. All the teams got to play, a lot of spectators showed up to cheer the players, and the guests were extremely well behaved and respectful. Hopefully, we can do it again soon.

Those are two ways I can start the column, but if I chose to begin with either one, then I would probably write forever and wouldn’t know where to end. So I guess this is as good a place as any to write the last word for the week.

Tundra Teacher Tales

by Kip Layton Jr.

Dear Lower 48:

Howdy from Alaska. I hope this finds you safe and warm during your recent winter trials.

I just finished reading an article about the “blizzard” that wrecked havoc on your Midwest and now has the Northeast of your anatomy in mind. We know how you feel, but it could be worse.

My wife and I live in a small Eskimo village in southwest Alaska. It is nestled close to the Bering Sea and our definition of a blizzard is quite different than yours.

See, in our neck of the world, 10-12” of snow is a common winter occurrence and the reported 60mph gusts is a breeze. You have tall skyscrapers and other building to block the wind. We have nothing. We did, but the grass is now covered with snow.

I do believe that driving a car in those conditions is not the smartest thing to do. I’ve done it before, but when you live in a place without automobiles, it isn’t a problem. Walking is a different story. It can be tough.

I am the principal of the K-12 school in Kwigillingok, Alaska, and our house is approximately 150 ft. from the school building. To get there, we have to walk on a 3 ft.-wide wooden boardwalk that is elevated up to 4 feet above the ground. There are no handrails to hold on to during the daily walks (or trudge if you will) and it is done in any kind of weather. I haven’t fallen off yet, but I have slipped and fell a couple of times.

The article also mentioned several school closings and I thought I’d let you know that we do close school occasionally during winter storms, but only when we can’t quite see the school from our house or when the wind chill is at least 35 below. Then I announce the closing on the VHF radio.

Last winter we encountered an exception to the guidelines when we had to call off school for the day because of 76mph winds. There was no way I was going to try to walk to school. Heck, I couldn’t stand upright on my porch.

All I can say is you just have to bear with it. There will be those who will go out into the storm trying to get home from work or just because they think it will be a “neat” thing to do. It isn’t.

I’ve been that dumb too at times just because I wanted to be able to say, “I’ve done that.”

The storms are dangerous, and if you get lucky a few times and survive “experiencing the adventure,” then you grow smarter – and older.

Trust me. Stay indoors and spend time with your family or watch TV, read a book or magazine, play on the Internet, or whatever, just don’t go out. It is the best way to wait out terrible weather.

Well, I gotta go. Take care of yourself and I’ll see you this summer.

Sincerely,

Kip Layton Jr.

(Kip is the Site Administrator in Kwigillingok, Alaska and the author of Tundra Teacher Tales, available at booklocker.com/books/973.html. He can be reached at kfljr@yahoo.com)