Teaching in North Slope

[Fran14]

Thanks dm. I think you took me all wrong. I was just curious about the housing. They said there was housing provided. I grew up without inside plumbing...and have lived in some really small apartments...Where are you going? You have some good suggestions. I think I may have jumped into this too fast. I just retired June 29 with 35 years of teaching experience....and have been very emotional...teaching has been my life!!

[dmderosa2k]

No I pretty much understood what you were saying but there are people who think like that and they fail miserably. If you go in there with the missionary or mercenary mentality then you will be hating life. I am not saying you are like that and with your experiences it might not be too bad for you. My suggestions are more for young people right out of college. They sometimes suck those people in who can not handle it when they realize what they have gotten into. I am not going back yet. I am waiting a year to get my ducks in a row and get my finances straight before I take that big jump. I want to be going to a place that I will not regret. I got to set my mentality in the right place. The only thing I would consider right now is something in the southeast ferry system or the road system. If you are willing to put a great effort and show the people you are in it for the long haul it will be very rewarding.

[dmderosa2k]

try http://www.alaskateacher.org Lots of wonderful info there and people who can answer very specific questions. They will be honest with you also.

[dmderosa2k]

After thinking about it, I think you should go for it. You have nothing to lose. You are retired so I am assuming you are drawing a pension. You also have lots of experience with classroom management (or you would not have done it 35 years). The more experienced and older people seem to really enjoy it and do better. It is the younger people who feel they need to be entertained, who will hate it.

[Fran14]

Thanks, again DM. You are right..I certainly don't need entertainment!! Reading, Sleeping and Eating are about it!! The school district said I would need to be there by August 6. I've got a ailing cat and an old dog to worry about. (plus my husband). He would do any type of job...I just want him to stay busy.

[dmderosa2k]

There was a couple in the village I was at. She had many years of experience and her husband was retired. You would have thought he had nothing to do but he found things to do and even became a substitute which kept him busy during the day. The remarkable thing was that he got into the community when he had nothing to do and actually got to know a few people. A lot of teachers do not do that and I think it leads to resentment. Like teachers may sometimes seem to act like they are better then everybody else because they make a lot more money then the others do. Some people will just flat out hate you and there is nothing you can really do about it but you certainly can make friends with some people as some people actually had white spouses so there is not the racial issue that some people may say there is. It just that many teachers just do not make the effort to get to know folks. I made that mistake and it hurt me.

[4578]

Won't be working unless he is a professional person with a college degree, and even that is no guarantee. Native hire preference says it all

[AQHA]

Rent for teachers on the slope is about $900 a month. Cable is about $80. The housing is not as good as other Bush villages around the state. The north slope school district is having a hard time filling their teaching positions so they are not really honest when they are trying to get their teachers. The main complaint I hear from new teachers is that they were lied to by the H/R department. Average teacher is only with the nsbsd for 2.5 years. That says it all.

[robinhood]

Originally Posted by dmderosa2k

There was a couple in the village I was at. She had many years of experience and her husband was retired. You would have thought he had nothing to do but he found things to do and even became a substitute which kept him busy during the day. The remarkable thing was that he got into the community when he had nothing to do and actually got to know a few people. A lot of teachers do not do that and I think it leads to resentment. Like teachers may sometimes seem to act like they are better then everybody else because they make a lot more money then the others do. Some people will just flat out hate you and there is nothing you can really do about it but you certainly can make friends with some people as some people actually had white spouses so there is not the racial issue that some people may say there is. It just that many teachers just do not make the effort to get to know folks. I made that mistake and it hurt me.

So teachers seem to get paid more than most occupations up there? It sounds like the place for me then. Down here, teachers are one of the lowest paid occupations there is. My husband doesn't have a college degree, and any job he's ever had made more money than I do.