July - Just Smoking my Salmon and Paying Bills

Spring time came and left so fast I don't know where it went. I got my supply of dried and frozen salmon and now the weather turned rainy just in time. All I'm doing now is smoking the fish until they are done. Our spring came late due to cool temperatures during the end of May. For that reason we didn't go spring fishcamping up river for white fish. I'm hoping we get our supply by the end of the month. I'm excited for berry picking soon and they will probably be late too. Despite the slow summer the times are fast. I can't believe it's already July. Staying home tends to stir my mind. I keep worrying about bills and being able to buy gas. Last week our electricity bill was due and I checked to see how much we used in May. We actually payed a little over two hundred dollars for electricity. Gee! It must be that I have been freezing my food. Most of the bill probably is due to three deep freezers I have. I also have a cable t.v. bill, cell bill, motor loan bill internet bill, and top it off my credit cards and student loans. It would be nice if someone helped me pay for the bills because I feel left out when my co-workers leave on vacations or buy vehicles and all that. As long as I am keeping up with my bills and clothing my kids I am happy. I am ready for a burger. I want to go to a fourth of July carnival and look for people who are cooking and buy a burger. I'm so getting grouchy. I miss my grandson. This is what happens when I stay indoors. Listen to my thoughts. Well I feel better now that I wrote them out. Whisper my name in your prayers.

It was such a wondrous sunrise this morning. All the worries and anxiety dessepated when I saw the bright orange sunrise alongside our tundra horizon. SBA testing week is this week. I have been anxious for this day, wondering if our students are ready. Did they learn what is expected from the state? When I look over at the grade level expectations I see that they aren't complicated at all. Teaching our language and trying to make it fit in grade level expectations is a lot of work. Trying to translate, re-type and transcribe takes time but worth the effort. 99% of my class speak English first. Only one child has the Yupik first language. Sometimes if feel bad for the students when they don't know their own Native tongue. I hope I am teaching them as much, to say that they can understand and write the language in hopes to keep our language alive. It's not that I'm doubting myself it's just that I wish Yupik parents can speak more Yupik at home instead of talking English. It would greatly help in school.

Yup'ik Author from Atmautluak, AK

Hello Everyone, Today I am excited to announce Carl Pavilla published his book Unsuspected and is now in print. It's a Fictional book based on Yup'ik stories. Had to share.... He is from Atmautluak, Alaska. It's now online only on Publication Consultants. If you search the book title you'll find it.

I started teaching Yup'ik 1st and 2nd grade last year. It has been a learning experience for me. I was kinda second guessing myself when I first started. I had to learn how to think down to their level. It was a big change. I taught English third grade transitioning into the English program from the Yup'ik program. Now I am a teacher who is teaching Yup'ik. I had struggled a lot when I first started. I didn't know where to start and what to do. I had to start from scratch. I am so thankful for the informing instruction class through assessments that I took from Carol Barnhardt. They trained me well. Now into my second year, thanks to the CORE reading instruction I think I know more of what I'm doing. Besides the younger age level I learned that the younger the students are, is when it is most easiest to teach reading. I just love it when they finally get it. I think it clicks later on. I had four boys that didn't know their Yup'ik alphabet and finally after Christmas break they finally got it. Did they finally need a mental break from me? Did they need to rest more? I don't know, but I was so happy to see them progress so much after the break. Besides all this I am content right now. I am a mom now most of the time. I feel like I neglected my own children for so long. That is the sad part, but besides this I hope they forgive me. It was hard but I made it. All I need is a little understanding from my own home.