Stop the Entourage.

 Day one was a blur. Day two things got real. I mean a 9 year old can only sit and listen to rules and procedures for so long before they’re bored out of their gourd. And I can only “punt” for so long while I wait on the rest of the textbooks and curriculum to arrive from “the Capital”. So, today painted a more realistic picture of what daily life in class might look like. There were some success stories and a few things we’d like a do-over on but together we made it through another day.

Today the wrench in the system was our scheduled visit from the Governor and a few sprinkled dignitaries. Because the Gym is the only facility on the island big enough to host such a meeting, the student and staff population had to have their lunches delivered and served in the classrooms. I actually enjoyed it. Another meal that I didn’t have to buy and I even got a balance of fruits and veggies in the deal. I threw in a Disney movie, turned down the lights and we enjoyed a little peaceful fellowship. The lunch snafu could have been totally avoided because the rain held off all inbound flights for the morning and the gym/cafeteria sat empty for most of the day.

In class we knocked out a few Internet Safety Lessons and logged our mandated compliance. As the clock crept towards our scheduled gym time, my kids grew antsy. I had mentioned earlier in the day that since we had to take sacrifice our gym time for gubernatorial purposes, I would consider a walkabout if the rain stopped.

And just like that, it did.

1:30p.m. -  I went over a few expectations about releasing their wiggles on the “frontage” road. I didn’t want anybody on the rocks. That’s the sea wall rocks that the Army Corps of Engineers threw up a couple of years back. I told them they could run ahead but no one was allowed behind me. I asked that they stay away from the houses and especially the dogs. After covering a few ground rules, I let them go.

And most of them ran.

It felt good to be outside. It felt good to be trusted with the kids without permission slips and 1^st Aid kits weighing me down. Nobody missed a medication dose or asked for an inhaler. The frontage road was an acceptable alternative to the playground and the gym. And although I call it a frontage road, I’ve not seen any of the three vehicles on the island ever use it. It’s basically just a 4 wheeler (two trail). Releasing the wiggles was just what the doctor ordered.

As we approached the end of the rocks a Bering Air flight came inbound. I immediately looked at Crystal (my aid) and said, “I bet that’s the Governor.” Yep, it was. I hope we were a welcoming sight from above. My kids waved even though they didn’t realize whom we were waving at.  I decided that we could press on a little further north and take a quick peak at the runway. As soon as I figured out that my assumption was right, I turned the parade around and headed back towards the school.

Now, we’re probably only talking less than a half of a mile. The school was in sight. But as I turned the classroom train around, I may have lost a little local control. Some kids sprinted for the homestretch. Others started to lag behind. And then my Special Ed. fella took off towards the dogs. There was a group of about 6-10 dogs chained and running circles a couple hundred yards ahead, Daniel and a few of his cronies were across the frontage road and in to the dens of the dogs before I could correct them. I saw that Daniel and his brother David were accepted amongst the pack at about the same time as Sylvia told me that they were actually their dogs. Daniel was after the puppies.

My class was spread out beyond my control. Puppies we pulled from a makeshift den and being taken from the mother. Kids and dogs covered the causeway. And as you can just about imagine, that’s when the Governor and his village escorts started to approach us on ATV’s.

The hum of the Hondas was steady. I could tell that they had speed and a destination goal in mind. I tried to pull my kids across the road but I had puppies being thrust in  my face. With Ma Beck driving and Governor Walker riding sidesaddle, the procession slowed to a halt. Polaris Rangers, Can Am’s, Honda’s, Artic Cat’s, each with a local driving and a dignitary in tow all slowed down. Not for a photo op but because my 4^th and 5^th graders were on our walkabout!

Welcome to Kivalina.

I stopped a Governor’s procession with puppies today. What did you do?

We eventually made it back to the classroom and I had a brilliant idea. I threw a lined paper template on the SMART Board, passed out some paper to the kids and had them turn to on writing a formal letter to the “Gov”. I mean, I figured I could call him “Gov.” since we’d already met out on the frontage road.

The kids did well. I pieced together a quick lesson on formal writing. They followed suit and filled in the blanks with their names, ages, likes and questions. I had to really pull any creativity out of a few of them but others wanted to know if Governor Walker had any kids? If he ever met anyone famous in Anchorage? If he liked Kivalina and would come back in the winter? I figured it was a long shot but I paper clipped them together and snuck down to the office to run the idea past my principal. Since we had already written the letters, I figured I might be able to persuade her to deliver them behind the closed doors of the secret gymnasium meeting.

She loved the idea. I put them in a manila envelope, informally labeled it, and headed back to class to finish the day.

After dismissal, some staff members, myself included, milled around in the hall for the chance to rub elbows with the “invite only” crowd. After only a few minutes of waiting, Zoe came around the corner with the “Gov.” and let him in to the staff restroom. Seems he wanted to clear the lines before his flight out. As soon as that business was taken care of, he headed for the door and that’s when Zoe stopped him and pointed at me.

“That’s the teacher whose class wrote you those letters.”

The Governor of the State of Alaska stopped. Turned around. Came over to me and shook my hand. And sincerely said “thank you – that was nice. I wish I could stay and chat but I must get home. It’s my anniversary. 39 years!”

Happy anniversary, Governor Walker. I hope you enjoyed your visit to Kivalina.