Our Summer in 2025
- Prof C
- Aug 24
- 15 min read
Updated: Aug 25
by Ashley
My apologies for being so negligent in keeping this blog updated, for those who are still following along on our journey. On the one hand, it's a good thing. I've been so immersed in our day to day doings, that I haven't thought much about sitting down to write about it all. On the other hand, now I have so much to write about, that one post would be the equivalent of a novella. To begin, I'll pick up where my last entry left off.
Our summer was actually pretty fantastic. As I said in my last post, Jadyn and Emily went down to Texas for a month, and it really seems they enjoyed their time there with friends and family. That time for us here was a lot quieter, but allowed for good focus time with Avery and Josh. And of course, when they flew back, they brought a pair of grandparents with them. Joe and Brenda came to visit again, and I must say their time here was rather different than last summer. On their last trip, they came in June, when the weather was more sunny, the mosquitos were not at their peak activity yet, and we were knee deep in revamping the school library. Most of our days last summer were spent working, while enjoying down time towards the end of the day. Things in the village were pretty quiet then too, since not a whole lot happens community-wide in June.
This summer however, they came at the very end of June, and stayed for most of July, which is notably different out here, climate-wise. Although we had a few hot and sunny stretches, most of July was actually rather rainy and cool. And the mosquitos are at their absolute worst at that time. Most of our hikes or evening walks were sabotaged, if we forgot to wear our mosquito net hoodies. We also didn't work at the school at all. That was a purposeful decision, as we wanted to relax and take more time off from the constant presence of improving our workplace. That is the danger of literally living where you work: it's always there, with the work to do staring you in the face. So we filled our days with games, movies, sightseeing, breaking in the new ATV, attempting to fish, daily plane runs, sitting by the fire when the weather and bugs allowed it, and just enjoying a slower, quieter pace.
That actually takes some getting used to...not being barraged by places to go, things to do, or random visitors. There was one element of work, when Philip and Joe rebuilt the front deck on our house. The one we had was approaching 20 years old, and the railing was rotting, with exposed nails. The district sent out the materials to replace it, and I must say, the finished product is very, very nice. No surprise, considering the craftsmen who worked on it. They even modified it to designate a space for the smoker.
Avery also turned 13 this summer, and in many ways, it surprises me how young she actually is. Most times, she acts older than her age. She's really done well out here, teaching herself many useful skills, like trapping, soap making, sewing, crocheting, cooking, watercolor, and learning any other random pursuits that present themselves. I'm always in awe of her assertiveness and tenacity. We were able to celebrate her birthday with all egg-based dishes: quiche, a s'mores pavlova, and coffee creme brûlée. Real treats out here considering the price of eggs and the price of shipping them out here.
We did get to take Joe and Brenda out on a fun day excursion with some friends of ours, to the neighboring village of Nulato, about a 2 hour boat ride from here. The day was beautiful, with mostly sunny skies, a decent but not overwhelming wind, and a comfortable temp somewhere in the 70s. We had fun exploring some of the offshoots from the Yukon, spotting plenty of duck species, hawks, and even a regal bald eagle, who seemed quite proud to pose for us. When we got to the village, we walked around the lower part, which is referred to as the old town. Several years ago, a wildfire forced a relocation of most buildings upward into the surrounding hills. The school is still located in the lower part, so we had some fun checking it out, and comparing it to ours. The student population is larger than ours, somewhere in the neighborhood of 70 kids. Walking around the grounds, I really appreciated the location of our housing, which has the nicest view of the river in Kaltag. The Nulato teacher housing is really clustered together, with the only views being those of other housing, the school, or a solitary dirt road. We also noticed how overgrown the grounds were, since most of the staff leaves for the summer. That's actually quite common for most of the village schools in our district. Our family is among the very small minority who live in the village year round. As such, Philip has done a diligent job in keeping the grass and wild plants tamed around our school and teacher housing.
In fact, he's done such a good job of it for the last two summers, that the district reached out to him and asked if he would consider doing the same for the Nulato campus. He turned them down. We talked about it, and if you know us at all, everything is considered from a philosophical point of view. Yes, he could earn some extra money taking care of other sites over the summer. But what's notable about our campus here in Kaltag is that we're demonstrating for our staff and students what it looks like to take pride in something that is in your care. It takes work and commitment, to envision a better version, and then work to make that vision a reality. If someone had come in and done the work for us, there'd be no attachment to it, no ownership. Nulato had a rough year last year, so rough in fact, that over 75% of the staff left. That was the state of our school, when we first arrived in Kaltag, almost two years ago. It's been a hard, exhausting, frustrating path forward, trying to create a campus that is safe, welcoming, and actually enjoyable to be on. But we're doing it, as a team here. It's not just our little family. We purposefully pull in our aides and other staff, our students... any who attend the school daily, to use their strengths and abilities to contribute to a greater good. If you hire that process out to someone else, you deny them the opportunity to craft their own vision, as well as the opportunity to forge the relationships necessary to work together. Too deep, you say, for the decision to turn down a summer maintenance job? Perhaps. But there's always a core truth somewhere, deeply embedded in any given superficial circumstance, isn't there?
July is also the time when softball is in full swing here in the village. There are multiple tournaments up and down the river, and this year, Kaltag hosted two of them: one for Little League (a large age range of 8-14, co-ed), and a big one for the men and women's teams; a memorial tournament for a student who passed away shortly before we got here. Fourth of July weekend was the Little League tournament, and Avery played as pitcher, pitching the entire time. Avery, being one of the oldest, was great at leading the younger players and encouraging them.
They played against the teams from Galena and Nulato, and ended up coming in second place. It wasn't the greatest experience however, as some external drama tainted the atmosphere of the tournament. It really took the wind out of the students on our team. Philip and I were quite frustrated for them, because during the last quarter of school, for their P.E. time, Philip had worked on softball drills, improving fundamentals, working on resilience, and trying to teach them game strategy. During the tournament play, the improvement was notable. Even their sportsmanship, and willingness to rebound from mistakes and support each other was so much better than last summer. With three teams in the bracket, and the way the winners of each game worked out, there should have been a playoff game to determine who took first place. The tournament was supposed to stretch out over two days. But since those in charge wanted to wrap it up quickly, the playoff game didn't happen. Another village team, which our team had beaten, was declared the winner based on runs scored, which also didn't match the actual recorded score. Even the individual awards for game play were largely denied to the Kaltag crew, and given haphazardly to players from the other villages. The sportsmanship award went to a team who spent the whole time mocking players and goofing around on the field. What broke my heart was watching our team slowly walk off the field, in separate directions, with their heads down. They had worked so hard, and done so much more than before, and all of it was ignored because of external issues, that had nothing to do with the kids on the team. It highlighted the importance of the decision that Philip and I have made to keep our dealings neutral with any and all who live here. Our objectivity allows us to work with any individual, regardless of family ties or history. So often, drama between the adults is taken out on the kids.
The adult tournament, however, was better. Three other villages came to play (Huslia, Galena, and Nulato), for a women's bracket as well as a men's. Philip and Emily played on one of the men's teams, and I must say, it was a great showing. Historically, there have been two men's teams from Kaltag: the older guys and the younger guys. The older team is usually stacked with all the power and experience, and last year, they creamed the younger team, showing no mercy. This year, the championship game came down to those two teams, and it was a fight to the end. (Ems and Philip gave their contributions to the younger team, with some great fielding and some humorous base running.) The older team edged out a victory by one run, and as heartbreaking as it was for the younger guys, they notably earned the respect of the older men. I have a feeling it won't be too long before the younger ones take the trophy. The improvement in sportsmanship and rebounding from mistakes was notable for them as well, compared to last year, which made a huge difference in how they played.
We also used the tournament as an opportunity to try out the school's new cotton candy maker. The concessions went over well!
There were actually two weeks in between the two tournaments, and in that time, a friend of Avery's from Texas came to visit for a few days. It was surprising that this visit came to be, since it's not easy getting out here. It was a quick visit, which we tried to fill with sightseeing, hiking, riding around on the ATV, and games. I was glad they had time to see each other face to face. It's still hard, being out here away from friends and family, and even though face time and phone calls are great, they're just not the same. We celebrated Joe's birthday while they were here, which was a pretty low key celebration, compared to the usual large family gatherings that were traditional in Texas. We made brisket with sides, and Joe's favorite, chocolate cake. Of course, Philip made a cheesecake as well, so that Brenda could have her favorite. The rest of us were grateful for both.
I was also teaching summer school during this time. Our summer school is three weeks long, four days a week, and my entire 1st-5th grade class came, along with a few extra students from other villages who are in the same school district. I never really knew who was going to show up each day, but we had a lot of fun, keeping academic skills to the basics, and spending a lot of time studying changes outside, and learning Native traditions and language to accompany summer time activities. It flew by so fast, but I was pleased with how much they remembered from our previous year of learning together.
We wrapped things up on a Thursday, and the following Friday afternoon, Philip and I flew out, along with Avery's friend and her mother, to Fairbanks, where Philip, myself and our principal were to embark on a week-long training in Portland, Oregon, that our district wanted us to go to. I wasn't fond of the timing, since Joe and Brenda were still with us, but at least it gave them some time with the kids, without us around. (We know they partied hard while we were gone...). I must say, after our week there, I am not a fan of Portland. I'm sure it was once a beautiful place to visit, but our experience there was rather unnerving. It has become an epicenter for the battle against opioids, and that was evident as we walked around different parts of the city, sometimes seeing people shoot up on park benches, or any given city corner. The heavy presence of law enforcement, even at a donut shop, really didn't make for a relaxing time. It's sad to see people in such despair, knowing how hard it is to help them. It was a stark reminder of why we try to teach our students resilience. Life is hard, and it can beat you down, unless you know how to fight back.
It was also really hot. Having been in Alaska for awhile, that humid 95-degree weather was sweltering. There was a splash pad feature in a park right across from our hotel. We were walking back to the room, when we passed it, and Philip stopped for awhile, watching the fountains and the kids that were playing. I could tell he was debating whether or not to go join them. He walked over, and was toying with running into the middle, when the fountain stream changed, and a jet of water pushed him from behind. He was committed at that point. The kids (and their parents) were rather amused, and he spent the next few minutes playing around.
We also enjoyed the Japanese Botanical Garden, as well as the Rose Garden, despite the heat. Portland has some very fat squirrels there. However, the best part of our sightseeing was our anniversary dinner at Le Pigeon, a French fine-dining restaurant. That was an amazing culinary experience, and the table sitting next to us provided some intellectually stimulating conversation as well. The real kicker was when we found out that a couple two tables down from us paid for our entire meal. Apparently, they had overheard that it was our anniversary, and perhaps they heard us talking about our kids and the fact that we are teachers in an Alaskan village. We're not really sure why they felt moved to cover our bill, but we made sure to pass that on in our tip to our young server, who I'm sure had her own story of working hard to get wherever she wants to go. It was a really nice moment, one that doesn't come along very often.
Our "training" was a conference put on by Safe and Civil Schools, with our session focusing on behavior interventions for resistant students. We hoped going into it, that we'd pick up some useful nuggets, but our expectations were not very high. You attend enough professional development sessions as an educator, and you begin to realize they're all the same. A lot of fluff, and very little practical substance. And most times, you're treated as though you are an elementary student, both in the tone and antics that the presenter provides. That in fact proved true this time as well. It was four very long days, with the same presenter, droning on about "evidence-based practices" that in reality, work better in a controlled lab setting, rather than a classroom filled with human beings. The underlying philosophy of this particular organization is very much in line with Hobbes' philosophy on how people should be governed, rather than Locke's philosophy, with emphasis on learning how to govern one's self. There seems to be a fear of unstructured time in classrooms amongst most of the pedagogy floating around right now, and yet I've found the blank spaces in between instruction to be some of my most fruitful. Yes, structure is good and necessary, but not so heavy that the learning environment becomes sterile. There needs to be room to breathe, both for instructors as well as students. We need to be able to chase tangents, and use real life circumstances as learning opportunities. We need to be okay with not having all the answers. The good news is I managed to use my time well, planning the upcoming school year, and making my first round of to-do lists for when we returned, and Philip was able to complete some of his grad school work.
Which brings me to a family update: Philip finally decided to pursue his principal certification. He's gone back and forth over this decision for awhile, not wanting to go back to school (or pay for it), or officially be in a position of such authority. Yet, the needs of our school over the last couple of years, as well as the next potential couple of years, made the decision to pursue it as necessary. He's essentially been fulfilling those duties anyway, so he might as well make it official. It's a two year program: one year of classes, and one year of internship. The need for strong principals, who are good at working through conflict, is great. I know most teachers have their fair share of horror stories from working under bosses who either have too much backbone, or not enough. Even now, we're working with leadership on our campus who still has a tendency to bow down to the whims of district, at the expense of what's best for the staff or students. I'll get more into that in my next post, but let's just say that we weren't far from turning in our resignations over an issue that happened days before the start of this school year...
But for now, back to how our summer finished out.
At the blessed end of the conference, we flew back to Kaltag, grateful to be home. We spent the last week enjoying Joe and Brenda's visit, and when they left, the house notably felt emptier. I think we all went through a bit of mild depression, the kind that comes after you've had a full house, and the absences that follow are more intensely felt.
The pang of homesickness reared up again, and for awhile, things seemed less appealing here. It didn't help that drama was already trying to brew for the upcoming year, and Philip and I took note that we felt way too exhausted considering the school year hadn't even begun. But, the days passed, and life settled back into its normal rhythm. The following week, we had a team of biologists from the University of Alaska Fairbanks come out, to continue taking samples of a contaminated soil site that they've been monitoring for the last ten years. They let us tag along and watch their procedures, even getting our thoughts as to why certain plots are experiencing the plant growth that they are. I am admittedly a nature nerd, and ever since I got here, I've been studying local plant life, learning how to identify it as well as note growth correlations, and seasonal changes. I actually felt like I was able to give some helpful contributions with my theories. In college, as an undergrad, my original major was Environmental Science, and even though I chose to go into education, that whole field of study (it's a big one) is still a passion of mine. Especially living in Alaska, right now, with signs of warming happening four times faster than the rest of the globe, there are exciting and alarming observations I've been able to make. But, again, I suppose I can save all that for another post. (Another reason why I shouldn't let months pass in between posts.)
It was also during Joe and Brenda's visit that we learned that our dog Phoebe, whom we left back in Texas due to space constraints, passed away. To say that Jadyn and I took it rather hard is an understatement. We were putting together plans to fly her here, to stay with us. We figured we could make it work. I never felt okay about leaving her behind, and I always imagined her confusion as to why her pack left her. She passed rather suddenly, shortly after the girls left Texas. My hope is that it was old age, and not a broken heart. We'll never know. She was a great dog, and I wish things had ended differently. She is missed.
We spent our last week of vacation soaking in sleeping late (hard to do with so much light during the summer), fishing, beach combing, evenings by the fire pit, and eating more desserts than we should. All in order to stockpile energy for the year ahead. And this year is going to have a slightly different dynamic than last year. Jadyn decided to stay here in Kaltag, while continuing her UAS classes online. It wasn't an easy decision for her, but the cost of room and board was too much, especially considering that most of her in-person classes on campus had a handful of students at most, with professors frequently deciding to meet online instead of in class. It didn't make sense to pay so much for what seemed be more of an online degree anyway. She got a job at the school, and she's now working as our Special Events Coordinator. She's already done a great job of taking over our media relations to the community. She also serves as a classroom aide when needed, helping in the more difficult subjects for the high school class. The goal is for her to save money, and then reassess what she wants to do next year, after Emily graduates. But in the meantime, of course I have to admit that I like the crew being together again, even if it is just for another year. Inevitably, I want them all to fly the coop, and find their autonomy away from us. I think the years of 18-22 are some of the toughest, when the lines of childhood and adulthood are blurred, and you're trying to figure out who you are and what next steps to take.
I'll elaborate more in the next post on some of the things I mentioned in this one, to keep this post from being overwhelmingly long. (I'm still amused by the AI tool that displays how many minutes it takes to read any of these posts.). I hope everyone is doing well, and until next time, take care!
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