Vail Mountain School 4th Grade Class

A couple of people have complained that I haven't updated in a while (all of 6 days) so here's a little tidbit to tied you over till I have something more salivating to present. So far the different groups are all doing the same activities and I don't think that everyone wants to hear about the modules over and over again, so that's why the posts aren't everyday....just stay patient.

The kids from Vail Mountain School left this morning on their 8 hour trip back home. I thoroughly enjoyed working with these kids as they were at that age when you're just old enough to understand what you can and can't do and that the world isn't completely fun and games, but where you're still young enough to pretend, run around crazily, and act like a fool without caring what others think. It's a great age and it makes teaching them more enjoyable.

If anyone's a teacher out there and look for a really neat school to work at I would look to see if VMS is hiring...these kids get every Friday off to go skiing, they go on at least 2 over night trips a years (things like rafting, horseback riding, etc.), the teachers have parties where they can win trips to Caribbean Islands....they just built a 27 million dollar new building...sounds pretty damn cool if you ask me. Random tangent over....back to the kids and working....

I worked with two other educators for this group; Talya (a seasonal educator that's here for four months) and Jenni (a permanent staff member that's been here for about 5 years). Because Talya needs to be able to teach by herself the next time that she's with kids, I was left to observe once again. But that's okay as it's interesting to see the different teaching styles that everyone has here. I did manage to get to teach the games, which is the best part anyways.

A cute side note on the games:
The kids weren't old enough to understand all the idioms in the English language and this lead to a great deal of laughter for the adults.
One of the games that the kids get to do is throw a spear via an atlatl (think of a pre-historic slingshot....looks different but same general concept). We put out a plastic deer that was aptly named "Buck" for the kids to aim at (three girls and none of the boys actually hit it too...go girl power ;~). So my job was to give the count down for the kids to throw their spears...Ready....Aim.....Throw at will....well, of course every kids puts their spear down and stares at me and then yells: "That's not Will, that's Buck!" I hope that little antidote puts a smile on all your faces...if not stop being so serious!

This group was very inquisitive and full of questions and energy so there was never really a dull moment. One of the little girls asked me whether she could send me a letter when she gets home....they're so cute...that's also a hint for others...letters are much appreciated :~)

Now that I've satisfied my readers for at least a day I say good night and hope that all is well wherever you readers might be.

Israel and Study

There have been no kiddies here Thursday and Friday which apparently is a rare occurrence, so all the staff are very excited (they get time to work and have meetings), but it doesn't give me much to do. I'm supposed to be learning the material, but I can only read through so many dry textbooks for so many hours. The nice thing is that the weather is a little nicer (probably in the mid-to-high 60s), so I can go study outside.

On a happy note, I got accepted to the Israel Birthright program. Em (my sister) and I will be going to Israel on a free 10 day trip from June 6th-June 18th (the travel days aren't included in the 10). Since I didn't get the research internship at Crow Canyon and I currently don't have anything concrete keeping me in the US, I'm going to try and extend my trip after the original 10 days. I want to travel a little bit and I am considering working on a Kibbutz. Does anyone have any contacts in the East so if I go traveling?

This was just a short posting since there isn't much new to report right now. I hope all is well with everyone else.

St. Michaels 1: Blue Group

So I've officially been an assistant educator for one complete group as of today (well the kids technically leave tomorrow morning). Two groups arrived on Sunday night at the same time as me: a group of 22 sixth graders from Isleta Pueblo outside of Albuquerie, NM and 39 sixth graders from Tusan, AZ. The group from Tusan was so big that they split it. Shaine Gans (who I thought was a man until I arrived here cause in all my communications with her I always wrote "Mr. Gans" and she never once corrected me) and myself were the leaders of one half of the St. Michaels group: the Blue Group.

Each day consisted of two different modules, one in the morning and one in the afternoon. On Monday morning we did a module called "Windows into the past." For this there are a bunch of tables set up and on each of them are artifacts from a different time period in Puebloan and Anasazi culture (the Archaic, the Basketmaker (I and II), the Pueblo (I, II, and III), and the Modern). The kids get to look at the different items and decide what they think that they are and how they might have been used. This activity kinda sets the foundation so that the kids get an idea of what the different time periods were and the types of shelter, food, weapons, clothing, etc. that were used during each.

On Monday afternoon we did a simulated excavation (this was my favorite module). In one of the classroom there are three simulated sites created. Each one has eight units and is filled in with sand to cover what's there. Each kid gets a unit and has to excavate it to discover what's in it and what the overall group site is. It was fun and a lot of the kids enjoyed it (although I would never let some of them near a real site cause they don't understand the concept of being gentle with artifacts and having patience - I guess archaeology is not for everyone).

Tuesday morning brought with it "Pueblo Farmer Lifestyles." This module covers the Pueblo II and III cultures (roughly 600AD - 1300 AD). There's a replica Pueblo with a roomblock (series of rooms) and tower (the kiva is not there due to religious objections from local tribes) and the kids get to climb through it and look at different artifacts and lessons that have been set up inside.

In the afternoon we did "Early Farmer (Basketmaker) Lifestyles" This modules covers the Basketmaker I and II and Pueblo I periods (roughly 600BC - 600AD). The replicated pithouse was being renovated so we didn't get to go in there, but we got to do a bunch of different activities from that time period. The kids got to make cordage (rope) from yucca leaves (it was really raffia, but we pretended it was yucca which is what the Native Americans had), they got to make fire with spindle sticks (well, seeing as it was snowing and pretty humid, they all attempted, but didn't really succeed), and they got to pretend that they were prehistoric hunters and throw spears with atlatls (kinda like a prehistoric sling shot...helps the spear go further, straighter and have more force), and throwing sticks (like boomarangs).

Tuesday night there was a special evening program where David Nighteagle came and played for us his wooden flutes (he makes them all himself). The music was really beautiful.

That brings us to today...the best day by far cause we got to go to Mesa Verde!!! I finally got to see some of the sites that I spent 4 years in college learning about (I need to go to Chaco Canyon to see the other half that I studied in college). We started off by going on the driving tour along the Mesa Top Loop and getting off at different noted sites:




The first stop that we made was at a pithouse that was from the Basketmaker time period.





The next stop that we made was Navajo Canyon View. This was a fantastic view that looked out over the canyon and allowed you to see five different cliff dwellings (homes that had been built into the cliff face). The most well know of these is Cliff Palace.





The last stop that we made on the loop was to a Pueblo village (circa 900AD) that had been built upon the ruins of a pithouse (circa 700AD). This emphasized how groups in later time periods came and rebuilt homes upon the ruins of their ancestors.






After lunch the kids toured the museum and then the best part of the day: We got to walk down and explore an actual cliff dwelling. This dwelling was called Spruce Tree House and was estimated to have housed 60-80 individuals during it's heyday. The site is from the Pueblo III time period (roughly 900AD - 1300AD).





We were even lucky enough to get a behind the scenes look at some of the roomblocks further into the rock face because Shaine knew the park ranger that was on duty. We got to see one of the original roofs/floors (it hasn't been renovated or reinforced by the park service at all and is in the same condition as when it was discovered in the late 1800s).

So that was the beginning of my week. Pretty exciting. I think that I could probably teach some of the modules (definitely the simulated site one) by the next group or the one after that. I meet tomorrow with Becky, my mentor, and I'll discuss a timeline and such then.

On a sad note, I got rejected for the summer field position here. Two of the people from the department told me personally. They said that I was a strong candidate (one of the top 10), but just not good enough (my words) and that I should apply again next year. So it looks as if my tenure here is just the 2 and a half months. :~(

Alright, I think that this entry is long enough that half of you have stopped reading before you even got to this point. Sorry for the lecture mode above, but I am an educator after all. I hope all is well with everyone else out in the real world. Till next post. Oh, yeah drop me a line or send some post so I know that people are reading this and that they haven't forgotten about me quite yet ;~)

The Final Leg: Getting to Cortez

The final day of my journey to Cortez, Colorado began this morning bright and early...7am California time (it's an hour later here). I headed out from my hotel in search of the Petrified Forest National Park and the Painted Desert (they're the same park). Timing was with me and I arrived at the visitor center just in time for their 10am introduction to the park and explanation about the creation of Petrified wood (silica from volcanic ash invades the trees that have been uprooted and lodged at the bottom of river beds - 225 millions years ago when this area was like a tropical jungle - and eventually all the carbon based cells are replaced with the silica that hardens and creates the petrified wood). I listen to the guide for bit and then set out to see the park. I was on a time crunch so I only had time to stop at a few of the different lookouts and vistas, but the ones I stopped at were magnificent. The weather was nice and I had sun for most of the morning allowing me to get some great pictures.





The first area that I took a look at was called "Giant Logs" because numerous trees had been brought to this location by long since dried up rivers. Pressure from the earth had caused the trees to snap like pieces of chalk where each piece is roughly the same length as its diameter.




The road that meanders through the park passes several different views and vantage points. I took a picture of these cliffs while driving through.






I stopped at a guide marker entitled "Puerco Pueblo" which is the ruin of a 100 room building that is believed to have housed 200 individuals. The ruins also host pictographs which cover some of the stones on the outside region of the ruins.





At the end of the park is the Painted Desert which was named by the Spaniards, who called it "el Desierto Pintura" because of its brightly colored landforms. The area is aptly named for everywhere you look the rocks and sands are a bunch of different colors (reds and pinks and blues and purples and grays and yellows). It's like someone took a paint bucket filled with different paints and threw it all over the desert. There was a mile trail that was supposed to lead to some great vantage points, but unfortunately it was closed. I guess I'll have to go on it the next time that I'm there. I added a pictures of me here too (it's bad though...you've been warned so don't complain)

The Petrified Forest and the Painted Desert were my only vices today as I ran out of time and had to head directly to Crow Canyon from the park. I would have been on time (4pm) too if the locals in Cortez even knew that there was archaeological center located there. I was directed 15 miles the wrong direction to an Anasazi heritage center (at least they sent me to a Native American Center and not a church or something). After asking a few other people and consulting my map, I finally made to to Crow Canyon, my home for the next few months.






It turns out that I am the only education intern here for this session. The education department only has one intern per session. There are two other lab interns here as well, but they are house sitting for various different staff members that are on vacation so I get to have a 6 person cabin all to myself. Until April 7th (and hopefully longer if I can work it out), I'm in a cabin that has heat and light and a place to put my stuff. After April 7th, it's considered the busy season and they will most likely need the cabin I'm in for students that will come up. If that happens I get moved to the furthest away rustic cabin that has no amenities and no space (not even for clothes), but since I'll be the only one in the cabin I'll just put all my stuff on another of the beds. But here's to hoping that I can just stay where I am.

I got a quick introduction to everyone that was here, had dinner, met the kids that I'm going to be working with for the next 3 days (they arrived at the same time as me and will be here until Thursday morning), went to the kids' introduction meeting and that's about the gist of the night. It's only 8pm but I think that I'm even more tired than all the kids and they had 6 and 11 hour bus rides to get here (there's a group from New Mexico and one from near Tusan), so I will sign off for tonight.

Pit Stops: Las Vegas and Holbrook

I think that I'm starting to get used to this long distance driving thing. I've covered about 1200 miles in the last week (traveling days = 3). For some that's probably not a lot of miles, but for me, it is.

I spent the last day and a half in Las Vegas visiting my grandparents. We played BINGO (my gramps favorite thing to do) and saw "V is for Vendetta" (very good in a probable post-apocalyptic world kinda way)...this was a pretty low key visit, but it was nice to see the grandfolks before heading out.

This morning I headed out from Vegas with the destination of Flagstaff, Arizona., but when I got to Flagstaff it was still early so I decided to go a little further and ended up in Holbrook, Arizona...a small town comprised mostly of hotels and bars. Holbrook is also the closest I could get to the Petrified Tree Forest and the Painted Desert, which is where I want to stop tomorrow. I should hopefully be able to post some great pictures from there.







On my trip to Holbrook I took HWY 93 South out of Las Vegas and got the added bonus of getting to drive across the Hoover Dam. I didn't want to pay the $7 (sorry I'm cheap) to park in the tourist area, so I had to park about a 1/3 mile away and the pictures aren't as great. I got a few pictures in the car too (I think I annoyed the truck behind me by stopping every few feet to take a shot - we were only going a mile an hour anyways because of traffic). Here are a few of them.





From Kingman, Arizona I hopped on Interstate 40 and have been on it ever since. If anyone has some spare days I think that they should travel along Interstate 40 because it has some very beautiful vistas. I traveled through a couple of National Parks where there are cliffs either surrounding the road or in the distance and they're framed by shafts of sunlight that are peering through the storm clouds. It's a great image...I tried to capture some of them, but I don't think that my camera did it justice.

Pit Stop: Los Angeles

So I've finally done it. I quit my job, packed up my house and set out to explore the world with just the stuff I could fit in my car (and with a Volvo station wagon that's actually a lot of stuff). I'm currently staying at my sister's house in LA for a few days. From here I'll set out to Las Vegas to visit the grandparents for a few more days before setting out for my final destination...Cortez, Colorado. Yep, I am headed to the middle of the desert to explore ancient ruins and play in the dirt. I will try to update often to let everyone know how it's going.

I bought a new Canon SD450 digital camera for my trip and to test it out I took afew pictures of the stuff that's around my sister's home:





The above pictures are of this diner called Pepy's Galley. It's a small diner/coffee shop that's attached to a bowling alley. my sister found this place a while ago cause she wanted a breakfast joint and decided that of all the cute little resturants in the area, that the creepy bowling alley coffee joint looked the most appealing. As it turns out the food was great and the prices really resonable. So props to Em and her willingness to venture into scary looking joints.





Parking in LA is so bad, that it is actually legal to park your car half on the sidewalk and half in the street. We had to actually wait until people left for work before we could find this spot in front of my sister's apartment.




After the Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe....there was Ikea. I carted this dresser to Em's house from Oakland, and then we spent two hours creating it. Unfortunately when you lock someone in it, there is no back door to a mytical land...guess I'll have to keep looking.



Lastly, but only till I leave the house on take more crazy pictures...The Boot Jr.!...Yes, The Boot. My sister's infamous broken foot walking shoe passed away do to much abuse and the official declaration of her doctor that it was, "Disgusting!" So we said goodbye to The Boot and now welcome The Boot Jr.

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