Expectations and Preparations

I will be leaving for Kaktovik on March 19, 2010 for a week to observe the local school and experience life in rural arctic Alaska. Anneli Gadamus and I will fly directly from Fairbanks to Kaktovik and will be picked up by her family or the plant manager at the runway once we arrive. I will be packing lots of warms clothes for walking outside and snow machining because I suspect the weather will still be between -30 and 0 degrees Fahrenheit in the middle of March. Even though I was raised in Alaska, I have only traveled on the road system of Alaska and have mostly explored South Central Alaska. My goals for visiting Kaktovik will be to learn more about life in the Arctic, life in a small rural village, and how school systems operate in small villages. I’m interested in how classes will operate with multiple skill and age levels and how the teachers at Kaveolook differentiate for each student.