Palmer, Wasilla, Homer, Kenai, Soldotna, Seward, or Fairbanks

[stiffnecked]

Originally Posted by tasha998

Would it be ridiculous to live in Palmer and drive to Wasilla to work if it turned out there were no Palmer openings? It doesn't seem that far, but maybe with winter driving it could be a nightmare.

You might want to start by looking at a map. They aren't very far apart.

[bongo]

Congratulations, tasha!

Before signing, just be aware that Mat-Su District is 25,000 sq miles, larger than the state of West Va, as they say.

Speech pathologists are often itinerate. Hopefully, they can narrow down the location since the district stretches from Palmer through Wasilla, Big Lake, Sutton, Houston, Willow, Trapper Creek, to Talkeetna. New teachers sometimes get placed into the less desirable positions so I would want to know what schools I'd be covering.

Have a wonderful trip up here!

[tasha998]

Originally Posted by bongo

Congratulations, tasha!

Before signing, just be aware that Mat-Su District is 25,000 sq miles, larger than the state of West Va, as they say.

Speech pathologists are often itinerate. Hopefully, they can narrow down the location since the district stretches from Palmer through Wasilla, Big Lake, Sutton, Houston, Willow, Trapper Creek, to Talkeetna. New teachers sometimes get placed into the less desirable positions so I would want to know what schools I'd be covering.

Have a wonderful trip up here!

Thank you for the tip on that! I was thinking Wasilla/Palmer but I don't really know since they just called to let me know they were offering me a contract. And since it's my first job, I don't even know what the contract will look like. I think if it doesn't state a town, I'll ask. I don't mind driving between schools, but I drive a Toyota Corolla and I'm not sure how adequate that will be, even with chains and snow tires. My only experience driving in snow is here in Oregon, where we just ignore it since it will melt in a day or two. So when it is icy, it's pretty much just cars sliding into each other. I imagine in Alaska they actually plow and sand, and I'll be buying chains and/or a different car.

I am looking very forward to the move up. We're taking the ferry, which I think sounds like a blast. Hope to see some whales, read some books, visit southwest ports, and meet lots of nice people on the way up.

[gobrien]

Alaskans rarely need to use chains.

[Frostnip]

Chains are more for driving in, like, perilous mountain conditions. What you'll want are studs or blizzak tires for everyday winter driving.

Personally I feel more confident with the ground clearance and 4wd of an SUV but plenty of people who live in built-up areas do fine driving regular cars. It really depends on the particular roads in your area and your own comfort and skill level in winter conditions.

[freezengirl]

Congratulations Tasha! Keep us posted and WELCOME!