New Teachers (Anchorage, Klawock: jobs, health, university)

[Rainy]

BTW my stepmother was a teacher in Bethel for a number of years and after the initial hazing period she was accepted just fine into the community, and she came from an entirely different culture; the UK. I guess the bush communities have been burned so many times by people just out to make what they think is going to be easy money by going there for a year that they are a little wary of new people.

I know that a good teacher can make a huge difference in a child's life, and I know that the bush communities deserve better than people who have no desire to get involved in the community, or get to know anyone, et al.

[Magoon]

Hi,

Since that bottom quote was mine...

You know what, I was raised to believe, and still strongly belive that it is a person's heart that counts. I don't care what color skin, what weight, height, income, address, education, a person has...I couldn't give a rat's patootie about any of that. What matters is what a person *does*, and what is in their heart.

I've lived in a country where I was just about an outcast because I was American, and that taught me a lot. I remember an old woman rudely refusing my help lifting something she couldn't lift...because I was American.

Unfortunately there are *way* too many people who are quick to judge someone just because...

Those are the people I tend to avoid. Life is too short to deal with people who have an axe to grind.

I refuse to believe that because I am white, because I am an "Outsider" because I'm a red-headed, Irish, middle-aged woman with the extra weight that I will be judged inferior on that alone.

Let them know me first before they do that.

I've lived in two very different States and East Germany. My way is to move in, be friendly, keep my thoughts to my self, figure out the 'lay of the land,' and, before I know it, I always seem to know a bunch of wonderful people. These things come by themself...they can't be rushed.

Deb

[Rainy]

Sorry if you took my response wrong, Magoon. You asked a question and I answered it. If you're trying to infer that I would be among those rejecting you because of this or that, you couldn't be more incorrect. But if you're thinking about coming here to teach, you need at least partially understand the reality of it. Sorry I gave you an answer you didn't like, but I gave you an honest one.

[Alaskagrl]

Allen:
I find it obscene and just plain ignorant that you think being white is an automatic strike against anyone, as I find it obscene that being black/native/asian/whatever would be an automatic strike against anyone.

That said, I don't really give a s##t about your racial opinion, and neither should any new teachers. Alaska will be what you make of it. You may have to deal with the rejection: what Rainy said is true, but realize that that immediate rejection is largely based on ignorance and lack of perspective, and take comfort. Once you prove you are in it because you honestly care about kids and are teaching because you want to be teaching, things should get easier, no matter what color you are.
(I'm an ex-teacher and youth worker in AK who started out an Outsider, so I do have some perspective here).

[Magoon]

Rainy,

Your answer was fine. I just will not believe being an Outsider is an automatic strike; Alaska is better than that.

Let me do something wrong, act inappropriately, burp, judge someone, or something first.

We make our own realities, and mine is: if I don't ever do anything to anyone I would not want done to me...it has been, so far, a great way of life.

Deb

[Rainy]

AKgirl, with all due respect, you have experience of SE only. There is a difference between POW and real bush communities. In fact, POW isn't representative at all of most of Alaska, and certainly not of the NA bush communities. I hope you get a chance to experience the rest of the state.

Magoon, the problem has some pretty deep roots. Some of the people living in the bush still remember the days when their children and grandchildren were taken to BIA schools in Washington state. And...there have been a lot of teachers that have gone up thinking it would be easy money for a year or so while not really giving a damn about learning anything about the culture they have chosen to live among or being a part of the communities they have chosen to live in. The bush communities as a whole have been burned more than one too many times by outsiders and their caution is perfectly understandable.

That said, you'll do great with your attitude, but just be aware that the caution that's in place was a long time in the making and will be a long time subsiding. My stepmother did just fine and you probably will as well, though at first you probably will experience some of what has been discussed here.

[Alaskagrl]

Rainy, respectfully:
I understand and agree my Alaskan perspective is limited. I was commenting more on what I thought SHOULD be the basis for judgement on teachers, not on what actually might be. If POW is more relaxed than the rest of AK, then new teachers will indeed have a tough row to hoe, and I fully admit that real interior bush life is something I've only heard about second hand from friends/acquaintances who have lived/live there.

I do believe that those who live in the "bush" deserve good, quality teachers, and from what I know of the history, that has rarely happened. However, some good teachers may just run away after seeing info like this guy's email (Allan).
However, my opinion about racial beliefs is just that...my opinion, and is not limited by geographical boundaries. IMO...To judge someone based on their race is ridiculous, no matter where you live/have lived/will live.

[Magoon]

Hi,

I think that when a teacher is a *good* teacher...it will show no matter where he/she teaches. The same is true for a not so good teacher...

Where I teach now, the situation is so bleak that I can truthfully say "I make a difference." The kids may not be top scholars, but I care, and they know they can depend on me. Sounds sicky-sweet, but kids need to know you are there for them.

I'll prob. ********** little story all up, but I read this thing somewhere and kinda took it to heart.

A man came to live in a new city. The guard asked the man to tell him about where he had lived before. The guy said: "oh, it was great, the people were friendly, and I was happy." The guard told the guy he could enter the city. The guy asked the guard what the purpose of that was, and the guard said:

If a person was content where he was, then, chances are, he will also be content here.

I couldn't teach in the Bush as I am a high school teacher...certified to teach only 2 things. I wouldn't do it justice...teaching other subjects. Maybe if I were younger I'd go back to school and take all these classes, but...I'll be too busy loving life.

The Alaskan Certification process is very difficult...this is not a bad thing, but Alaska does not accept certification from *any* other state...the standards are way higher than any state I've ever seen, so I'll be damn fortunate to find a position. Since I will be the breadwinner of the family, I'm thinking the *best* possibilities are around Kenai or in Fairbanks.

Ok, glad we are together on this now,

Deb

[Rainy]

Oh, I absolutely agree that it shouldn't be that way, but the reality is...is that it often is that way. As I said, it was a long time in the making...some Native Americans recall their own children being forcibly taken from their homes in order to attend BIA schools outside. That sort of cultural imprint doesn't go away just because it should.

Allen was blunt but typed what basically is the truth. I think...that potential teachers in the bush need to know that they might come up against this, so that they can be better prepared to make themselves a part of the solution.

[rotorhead]

The US vs. THEM attitude in AK is certainly not limited either to teachers or the rural communities, although I'm certain its far worse there. From my experience, there are a couple of factors which keep the newcomers relatively isolated until they've been there a while.

One : Alaska communities can have a lot of turnover, with neighbors moving in and out far more often than in many places. Just about the time you get to know somebody casually, they're gone back south. A lot of people love the idea of Alaska, but the first winter can be a bit more reality than they're prepared for. Did you think it was a coincidence that the word 'cheechako" has been around so long? In the bush communities the turnover in teaching jobs is like a revolving door that never really stops turning. They really don't expect that anyone will stay, so why invest a lot of time and effort trying to get to know them?

Two : People are BUSY, especially in subsistance communities. The summer is brief and critical to getting your larder stocked for the coming winter. A lot of native communities are virtual ghost towns in the summer as people head out to the fish camps. Add to that the time spent away hunting, picking berries, woodcutting, etc. and it leaves little time for relaxation when the weather is good. Urban Alaskans might not need to stock their chest freezers with fish they caught themselves but many do, especially if you've got a dipnetting permit. Time in the beautiful summer months is too precious to waste sitting around in Anchorage when you've got a cabin out at the lake.

Three : Winter may be the slow season, but a lot of folks enjoy their winter sports just as much as the summer ones. Snowmachining, cross-country skiing, mushing, etc. are largely solitary sports, or perhaps best enjoyed with a handfull of friends. Adding a newby to the logistics complicates things in a land that is unforgiving to the uninitiated, and there are only so many hours of daylight to burn. Even when folks are in town they're usually cooped up inside where it can be hard to meet people. Add to that the time lost to illness and the fact that a lot of folks just plain get grumpy when the sun gets scarce and it doesn't equal the ideal situation for meeting new people.

The upshot is that you can't expect folks to come knocking on your door and instantly integrate you into the community. If you want to get to know people, you're going to have to do the work of establishing new relationships and expect that you're going to embarrass yourself more than a few times. If you're living in a villiage where virtually everyone except YOU is related somehow, its naive to expect that you'll be treated like an equal....you're not. Being the butt of every practical joke and the topic of whispered conversations comes with the territory when you're the new guy in town no matter where the town is.