After a summer that was anything but restful, I finally arrived in Craig a little over 2 weeks ago. I bought a very old, very used trailer before I left Atka, and a new-to-me used car in Oregon while in transit, so I have a place to live and a way to get around. The dogs and I were very happy to finally stop traveling and unpack.
Craig seems huge after Atka, with about 1200 residents. It's the largest town on Prince of Wales Island, though there are several other communities here. There's a grocery store and a handful of restaurants. There are 3 pizza places. I know 2 will deliver, but I'm not sure about the 3rd. Mail isn't delivered to homes here, so everyone has a post office box. If you want to run into friends and colleagues, the post office just after 4 in the afternoon is the place to be!
The school district serves Craig only. I think there are 200-250 students split among the elementary, middle, and high schools; I know the high school has about 70-80 students. The entire district has about 70 employees, from the superintendent to the bus drivers; 35 are certified teachers. A dozen teachers work at the high school either full or part time. I will be teaching special education, with a case load of about 20, which is more than I expected to have.
For such a small school, we offer a pretty good program for the kids. The full-time teachers all wear two hats. For example, one teacher has English and Art classes, while another teaches social studies and Spanish, and a third teaches History, Remedial Language Arts, Drama, and Home Ec. I won't have anything but my "study skills" classes for at least the first semester. That may be true for the whole year, but the principal and I are talking about my teaching either a Humanities course or AP Art History at some future date. Oddly enough, the state of Alaska gave me an endorsement in Humanities, so I'm actually certified to teach those courses.
My home is in decent shape for being a 43 year old trailer. Some things have been very well taken care of. Within the last 2-3 years, a new heater has been installed, a new roof was put on, the space beneath the trailer was insulated, and a new kitchen with stainless steel appliances was installed. However, the people who've lived here in the past have obviously had more skill than money. The curtains are cheap panels or cut up sheets, hanging on lengths of pipe that are mounted on blocks of wood nailed to the wall. I've started changing things to improve comfort or function. For example, the closets have a single shelf with a rod all the way across. I've ordered 3 wire units, one for each bedroom closet. The units plus the handyman to install them won't be more than $300, but it will make the closets much more usable. Of course, then I have to buy closet doors and get them installed, too, but that has more to do with aesthetics. I'll buy some vertical blinds for the living room window that's currently uncovered, but I can wait on replacing the ugly pipe-hanging curtains. Little by little, it'll all get done.
I haven't taken any pictures yet, at least not with my good camera. I'll probably come back to this entry and add some pictures once I take them. One set of pictures I hope to take is the view from my back deck, every day before school. Then I can put them together in a quick video to show how the seasons change. Who knows, I may even get pictures of some of the wildlife--bears, wolves, and black tail deer. I've seen the last in my yard a couple of times. I also watched a bald eagle fly by one morning.
I think I'll like it here, both the school and my house. Everyone is friendly and welcoming. I may have finally found my home.
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