The leaders of this rural Alaskan school district want what any self-respecting educational leader wants: uninterrupted learning for students, all day and every day. Who could argue with that?

However. Here’s a shining example of what sometimes happens in a rural Alaska school. On this particular day, probably my third of subbing here, the phone rang about fifteen minutes for school was to start. I answered and said, “Good morning, Tiny Alaskan School,” in my most professional tones.

“This is Josiah Worthington with First Safety Inspections,” said the voice on the other end. “We are heading your way this morning and are planning wheels up at 9:00.”

“OK,” I said vaguely. “We’ll send somebody.” Questions I now know to ask, but did not do so then: Are you flying commercial or charter? What time do you expect to arrive? Do you have a satellite phone so you can call us when you land?

An hour or so later when my partner in crime (PIC) and I were both teaching for all we were worth, the phone rang again. PIC had turned her ringer off already, and I stubbornly chose not to interrupt my lesson to answer. Ditto for the second time it rang again a few minutes later. The third time, some primal instinct of self-preservation combined with the fact that I had just finished reading groups, prodded me to pick up the phone.

“Good morning, Tiny Alaskan School,” I said. It was none other than Josiah and crew, calling me on their satellite phone. They were waiting at the airport, with a mountain of fire safety inspection equipment, having sent their chartered aircraft on its way to some other errand. (Phones here only work on wifi, but that’s another story.) Anyhoo, it was close to P.E. time, so PIC took the kids to the gym and I drove to the airport. After several wrong turns (I am spatially challenged) I got there and picked them up with all their treasures.

They were nice, only once murmuring that they usually only waited a half-hour before summoning their hired bird to come back for them, and going about their fire-inspection duties quietly and respectfully. In the afternoon, while school was still in session, PIC took them back to the airport while her kids brought books to read in my classroom.

They don’t mention this stuff in teacher school.