Halloween in Hoonah

The bear was shot at 3 AM as it was up on a house porch. It was about a 1200 pound male who had been spotted around town. There are still 2 more that make occasional trips for "fast food" sealing their fate as dead bears. Once they lose their fear of people and realize that towns mean easy food- they are "nuisance" bears. On Thursday morning, it took me quite a long time to get up my nerve to walk to the school in the dark. It was not unfounded fear- the bear was shot up the hill and around the corner from the "Wind and Sea Inn"- about a 5 minute walk or a 1 minute run.

People in town were getting firewood as it was about 40 degrees with wind and rain most of my 2.5 days there. Sports, at least wrestling and basketball, are in full practice so kids are scurrying around to become eligible.


I just got home from Hoonah. I entirely missed Halloween trick or treating, but I got in on the costume contest while I was there. Community attendence at that event trumped Math Family Night. MFN had a geometry theme. Tables were tangrams, folding nets and building 3D shapes, origami, Match Mine- vocab construction activities, Shape Bingo and building with toothpicks were the activities. All the elementary teachers volunteered and the parents and kids who came had a fun time. Sometimes you just have to think only about the ones who show up- not the ones who don't.

The inservice went well. My topic was how to implement a school wide writing focus. I did some model lessons on showing writing on one day and worked with elementary staff and secondary teachers separately. We looked at student work and did some planning on students who were below, proficient, and above proficient. We parted wanting more- the sign of a strong relationship.

I hopped on the last plane out of Hoonah on Friday afternoon (4:15) and got home last night at about 1 am. I'm in the throes of a miserable cold, but glad to be home. While I was lying in bed feeling miserable, I started our Appalachian Trail Journal. Check it out. It is where we will record our 6 month AT hike. Right now we have only posted gear, about our trailname and an opening entry, but during the hike we plan to post regularly.