For a girl who hates change...

Working at Averill Park for the last two years was one of the most valuable experiences of my life.  The things that happened in my classroom each day were nothing short of miracles, and I am forever humbled by the opportunities this position provided me with.  Watching students that were overlooked and considered failures in every aspect of their academic lives find strengths and self-value through my teaching defies words.  There's simply nothing else like it.  And dang it, having my job at AMS helped me realize that I am amazing at something.  I am meant to teach.



Students were given an apple and practiced each step of the goal setting process based on their self-directed plan.

Students learned about family dynamics during our broken/repaired flower pots activity.

Egg babies!  This sweet set-up was created by a "tough guy"!

Finding out that the best part of my life was being taken away from me due to the last-in, first-out mentality and skewed value system of others was a true heartbreak in every sense of the word.  I've often explained my new job choice in terms of a bad break-up; being laid off was similar to losing a soulmate.  I was offered traditional teaching jobs, but none that could measure up to all that I had become accustomed to at Algonquin.  Because of this I made the decision to go in a completely different direction, choosing the "bad boy" rebound, or in this case a progressive job 4,000 miles away from everything I've known in my 25 years.  Thus, I'm Nome-ward bound!

It took over a month before my conscious commitment matched the signature on my contract with the Northwestern Alaska Career and Technical Center.  NACTEC is a boarding school which provides intense and specific Career and Technical training to high school students enrolled in the Bering Strait School District for month long sessions.  This district serves about 1,800 students, nearly all Alaskan Native.  Despite the small number, the district covers 80,000 square miles and most of the schools are accessible only by small bush aircraft.

That being said, my daily routine will consist of a wake-up and room check for the 26 residential students, morning workout and survival swimming in the community salt water pool, CPR and wilderness first aid training, and more concentrated instruction in food preparation, vocational sewing, and more.  Did I mention other courses students can take include reindeer herding, outboard motor repairs, and heavy machine operation?!  In between sessions I will be flown to the 15 schools in the district to recruit, so I will also get to experience the diversity of Alaska.  To say I am excited and anxious is an understatement.

Preparations for my big move are in the works; I've obtained housing with a roommate and my round-trip ticket has been purchased.  August 9th is go time.  In the meantime I will continue to teach cooking at Emma Willard, and pack the bare essentials of my life into USPS friendly boxes.  It's astounding how much of my environment can be deemed superfluous!  As my grandfather would say, "'It won't be long now', the monkey said as he backed his tail into the lawnmower".