Not much has happened lately. I’m just working much longer days than is probably healthy and stressing out about things I should probably just let go.
I left school today and was bombarded by a flock of kids. They had obviously planned this ambush as they were well-armed with piles and piles of snowballs. I tackled a few, ran behind a snow bank, and threw a few hastily packed snowballs of my own. Twenty minutes later, I finally made it home. These are the moments that make living in the bush bearable.
Speaking of bears, there have been a LOT of brown bears in the area during the past month. A few bears got pretty close to the village and everyone was worried that the teachers would get eaten. Nobody has yet.
In other news, one of the teachers left for good. No warning, no conversation . . . all we found was a letter on an envelope. He just got up one morning and left on the morning plane. It’s being called ‘medical leave,’ but we all know he’s not coming back.
One of my friends in Barrow said that a teacher there did the very same thing last week.
It is hard out here in rural Alaska, and I realize it is unfair to judge another person in this situation. Still . . . a contract is a contract, right? And even more importantly, there is a level of decorum and professionalism that should be ever-present no matter the situation. I can’t imagine just getting on a plane without so much as a word or explanation. In the military, that would get you sent to the brig.
