Life of the Party

     Sometimes I believe I'm indecisive. I was going to spend my summer on the lake and working my part time job, but things have changed. I am currently participating in Cultural Summer School. I have the luxury of working in a community that values their past and will embellish their students in it. This year the program has offered native plants as a topic. Of course this is what I was wanting to help with. We have discovered what plants can be used as medicine, editable, or for dyeing.      Our students had to go out and collect samples from outside to add to their plant books. They learned that Maples can be used as food and that the leaves can be brewed. I looked this up on the internet and couldn't find this information anywhere, but our fellow instructor insured us that this is true. My students ranged from first to seventh grade and we had all ability groups. I was lucky enough to have two students that I have previously taught this year....

    I just want to say that I'm truly thankful for my job and its location. As I was leaving campus I had the chance to see the elk. They are so graceful and have learned to completely ignore the cars. These comedians held traffic up for nearly thirty minutes.             Some of the younger ones weren't tagged or collared for data information. I think these were last year's babies. Normally, they travel in larger herds, but these guys seem to be okay in this small group. These pictures were taken directly in front of the school.            This is a picture of the entire herd. This is the smallest herd that I have seen this year. Most of the herd consisted of young elks. When we tried to get by them they would just out in front of the car. I had the chance to observe their aggressive behavior, when a motorist beeped their horn the elk charged the car. These elegant creatures make appearances daily and...

     I was always taught that there were two types of trout in the creek. A trout was either a stock fish or a native one. Stock fish are seen as the "lesser fish" and they are usually very small and sickly. My grandmother decided to go fishing without me and caught her limit. her biggest fish was a native that is worth mentioning. Below you find a picture of it.        The fish is mostly brown hence the name, "brown trout." This native trout is going to be the bulk of our conversations for months. She was smiling ear to ear when she walked through the door. We are outdoor people who enjoy fishing and getting dirty.  Grandma has spent her evenings looking for green worms on trees for days. She finally had a bucket full of them and this is the result of hard work. 

      Every year my grandmother has made her famous strawberry jam. It isn't really famous, but we have called it this for years. She spends hours in the kitchen slaving over a hot stove and pressure cooker.  Every small town has it's (set in stone) traditions and my families just happens to be jam. This year will be different, and somehow I feel incomplete. Strawberries will not be ripe for a few more weeks, but we have already started the process of finding containers and making sure they are all clean.       Grandma starts out collecting sugar in small batches. They local grocery store always gives her a hassle if she buys the sugar in bulk. They think she might be using it for something illegal. Come on now! Really? She is a little old white haired frail woman who wants to cook in quantity. Once she has her sugar, she beings looking for local farmers who have surplus berries. I have been on several outings where we have done nothing but talk to p...

       It's tank top weather guys!   I decided that this summer will be spent fishing and working my part time job at BP. Hopefully I will get the opportunity to relax after summer school is over. It's the simple life for me...        I believe I might even go to the beach. 

                  First off you need to know how many days you will need to pack for. You will need to know the conditions and environment, in which you will be visiting. I great word of advice would be to always pack some sort of light rain jacket. It never hurts to plan for rain. Lay out all your items and keep a count of “outfits.”   How big is your suit case? The downfall of packing usually consists of not knowing how much you can pack.                 Are you going to fold your clothes? Have you ever tried rolling the cloths? Usually, this will save you some space as well. Never be afraid of over packing. You never know if you will need the extra stuff. Underwear is a must and having too much of it cannot be a bad thing. Put your bigger items on the bottom of the suit case. The smaller items can go on the top. Y...

          I guess we are supposed to be married by the age of twenty-five, or we become “strange.” The fact that I am 24 and not married has really been a blessing. The elders in my closed minded community would greatly disagree with me. It is their understanding that every woman is to be married and having children. Many of my peers have already completed this milestone and are living the “true life.” I’m just not ready to move into a trailer park and call it quits.           There has to been more in life than this. I want to explore and have freedom. We seem to be in this mindset that all females are homemakers or caregivers. I think we as a society have tarnished what young women could be. I will not bind myself to a trailer park and have children. I am more than these typical small town girls. I have come to the conclusion that we only live once and why waste that precious time. My g...

       Every morning consists of the same ritual. We wake up, eat breakfast, and watch News 13. We are very set in this tradition. This morning there was a gay couple shown on the TV and for the first time in years no one had anything negative to say. I found this to be remarkable.         Small towns are usually rumored to have bias opinions on those who live an alternative life style. I was actually amazed that it is becoming a “norm.” Maybe thing are really changing and one day we will be up to speed. I was actually glad that NEWS 13 had made this couple a spotlight in their early morning report. Thank you!

       We have a week until school lets out, and the students will be finished with EOGs here in a few days. So I was asked, "What now?" That was the key question of the day.  We have been prepping all year for this crazy test, so now what to we do?

Well, we did it. My students have a week of fun to look forward to. I cannot believe how fast this year has passed me by. All the agitation and stress has really been worth it. This summer still seems like a life time away. We have already begun our tourism months and the motorcycles have taken over. My early morning commute is often delayed by slow moving people from Florida who have never seen a curve before. The speed limit will be around 50 mph, but they are driving 30… Small town summers are exactly what I expected them to be. I will be working and gardening all summer. Hopefully, the lake will warm up and I’ll be swimming a majority of the time. I will not be thinking about school or my kids. I will not be doing endless lesson plans and rushing to get things completed. I will be relaxing and working at the BP. I have often wondered what like was like for a teacher when there was no school. I guess I will finally get to find out. Your whole day is usually circling curriculu...