Looking at possibility of teaching job?

[AQHA]

Alaska is a big and diverse state. The complaint I hear from many Bush-Alaska teachers is that there is very little community support of the schools and the people in the villages are racist towards the teachers. I have seen this racism (or small mindedness) go both ways. One mistake new teachers make is not getting out and getting involved in the community, in spite of those who discourage it.

As for the pay, $40,000 or $50,000 may seem like a lot to one who is living in Anchorage but the villages are very different and much more expensive. One visit to the bush does not make you an expert on this subject. Teaching in Anchorage, or Fairbanks for that matter, is not so different than teaching in the lower 48. Teaching in a village cannot be easily put into words.

[Melissa78703]

Originally Posted by AQHA

Alaska is a big and diverse state. The complaint I hear from many Bush-Alaska teachers is that there is very little community support of the schools and the people in the villages are racist towards the teachers. I have seen this racism (or small mindedness) go both ways. One mistake new teachers make is not getting out and getting involved in the community, in spite of those who discourage it.

As for the pay, $40,000 or $50,000 may seem like a lot to one who is living in Anchorage but the villages are very different and much more expensive. One visit to the bush does not make you an expert on this subject. Teaching in Anchorage, or Fairbanks for that matter, is not so different than teaching in the lower 48. Teaching in a village cannot be easily put into words.

And yes, 50K is NOTHING in the Bush. It is VERY expensive there. You have to remember that if you want to get your teeth cleaned, that's a plane ride into town. I worked in an educational setting, and it was a joke that a year in the Bush sent most of the teachers running back to the states ...

[warptman]

You just have to keep an open mind while living out here. Sure, things are expensive but if you plan it out right, you can live out here. Never let a post or two on the horrors out here scare you away. They have a one year contract, try it for a year and see if you like it or not. A lot of teachers leave after the first year because they either burned bridges or tried changing the way people live out here.

[Dreamers]

I taught in Cordova AK for one year, and LOVED IT! I would still be there, but we had a family emergency and we had to move back to NC. But now that everything is settling down, we are in the process of making our plans to move back for good. Teaching in AK (bush or the city) it doesn't matter. You just have to remember, you are the new person, you are the one that has to fit in. So many teachers go to AK to "educate the poor natives"! With that attitude no wonder they run back to the lower 48! I and my family were welcomed with open arms, made some wonderful life long friends and can't wait till we are back! My philosophy in any new teaching job is that YOU have to prove your self not the other way around, and you have 2 ears and 1 mouth, so listen more than you talk!! If you can get the parents on your side and get their trust you have won the battle, especially when you are a Special Education teacher (like me).

Dreamers

[bongo]

Eureka! This would be THE year, 2008-09, for a PE teacher to get a foot in the door in Anchorage with ASD! Anchorage is opening up 24 new PE positions this coming year to provide more physical ed for students & to provide more planning time for teachers, as per new contract. There was even a shortage of a few PE teachers the beginning of this year. So you may be able to do a simple phone interview to get on for one of these newly created positions for next year.

I am an ASD teacher & love teaching in Anchorage. I love Anchorage since I can ski, hike & bike out my back door onto miles of groomed ski trails & hiking trails. ASD treats us very well. We teach in a very diversified district with 90 languages spoken in the homes of our students. The commute anywhere in town to schools is short.

As someone else may have said, I think starting pay for just a BA will be around $41K.


With a secure job in Anchorage you could then get a feel for the rest of Alaska. It takes a while to get the lay of the land, so to speak.

My recommendation is that you apply for an Alaska teaching certificate through Juneau Dept. of Education as soon as possible. There may still be a required Alaskan history/culture class that you can take via distance ed.

[Xa'at]

Originally Posted by bongo

My recommendation is that you apply for an Alaska teaching certificate through Juneau Dept. of Education as soon as possible. There may still be a required Alaskan history/culture class that you can take via distance ed.

I wonder if that class is through the University of AK Southeast? UAS has several excellent education programs, but overall I've not been impressed with distance ed. The teachers are great, but the functionality of the technology itself hasn't really caught up with the idea. Without perfectly functioning, uninterrupted broadband internet (which admittedly is probably easier to come by back east) the audio feeds are difficult to understand at times and the program crashes constantly. Add in the fact that email (the conduit from you to the teacher for turning in papers) is notoriously unreliable and it makes for a very frustrating experience...

[bongo]

EED - Teacher Certification

The 2 courses are still required as of now. The reason to take them distance ed. is that the applicant can come to Alaska with an Alaskan teaching certificate in hand, which not only makes one more marketable, but make the transition easier with all the extensive paperwork completed & license in hand.

When I took the classes distance ed. years ago it entailed watching a video or 2, reading a couple of books, & writing reaction papers to the materials. Yes, it was U of A SE.

One course is Alaska Hx; the other Multicultural Ed, mainly Native cultures in Alaska.

There are links to the required courses on the above district website.