The Call

On the evening of December 9th, 2011, the only concern on my mind was making it to a church Christmas dinner on time.  It was the Friday of dead week, and I was on my way home for the weekend.  Being a graduate student, dead week is more like finals week, and the only thing dead is my brain at the end of it.  I pulled an "all-nighter" the night before, staying up until almost six on Friday morning.  After a couple of hours of sleep, I packed my things and headed for home.


Crossing the bridge into town, I was thrilled to see the usual holiday decorations had been put into place.  It was that time of year again, and I was excited to focus on the Christmas season, which was one of the reasons for staying up so late.  I didn't want to be preoccupied with any other obligations except that of spending time with loved ones.  Then ... my phone rang.


The call came across my cell screen as "Unknown."  Usually, I do not answer those.  I was running a little late to the Christmas dinner being held by my boyfriend's church at the local high school, and the thought crossed my mind to answer the call in case he was calling from a landline there to make sure everything was alright.  When I answered there was a pause. I expected to be greeted with some type of recorded telemarketing message, but that was not the case either.  It was a man from the Bering Strait School District in Alaska whom I had interviewed with in October.  He was calling in regards to a long-term teaching position that had recently come open in an early childhood classroom.


Why Alaska?  To be honest, I have always wanted to visit the state.  When career services at the university sent out the mass e-mail one week prior to interviews saying the district was stopping by I thought, "Why not?"  The interview would not only give me experience, but I would be able to learn more about the district and the contracts it offers.  In the week leading up to the interview, I did extensive research on the school's website.  The district is broken up into 15 different villages described in short videos on the school's website.  I looked into each village, as well as their instructional model, and information on what it takes to make such a move.  If you would like to learn more, here is the link.


Bering Strait School District 


The interview went well, and I found out that contracts are signed on a yearly basis, which was what I expected, but after the interview, reality began to sink in.  The thought of being gone for a year from those that I love became a little harder to grasp.  Not only would I be gone for a year, but I would be located in a place where travel in and out depends solely on the weather, which is very unpredictable.  From that point on, I decided I would not stress over something that could possibly never come to be.  So, while the idea was somewhat exciting to consider, I quickly realized it might be too much for me to handle, or even want to consider handling.


Then ... the call.


The long-term sub position was being offered as a six-week contract in the village of Stebbins in their early childhood center.  The regular classroom teacher is on some type of medical leave for the time being.  Because of the sudden need, the district was going to pay for my round-trip ticket, a hotel in Anchorage where I would overnight, and my rent for six weeks.  The only thing I was in charge of was paying to ship my food, which is anything nonperishable.  Produce and anything frozen is bought in Anchorage en route to Stebbins.


The opportunity quickly turned into something that seemed too good to pass up.  Everything fell into place in such a way that I became nervous because it began to look more and more like something I was meant to do.  I have always heard that the Lord works in mysterious ways, but why I have been given this opportunity, I have yet to find out.  Nonetheless, here I am, and I am excited to see what's to come.  I just hope that these children will learn as much from me as I am going to be learning from them and the people of Stebbins.


That is a little background information on how I came to be here.  Pictures of the journey up will follow soon!