In 1916, May Wynne, a 27-year-old teacher, traveled from Seattle, Washington, to Akiak, Alaska, to teach in a government native school. This book presents her account of the 3 years she spent in Akiak, which consisted of an Eskimo village on one side of the Kuskokwim River and a white settlement of miners, trappers, and traders on the other. Her…

This series of case studies profiles six teachers thought by colleagues, students, and the rural Alaska communities they serve to be good teachers. The case studies reported here describe the techniques that make these teachers responsive and perceptive in their interactions with Alaska Native students. The names of the teachers and the villages…

A white male professor at the University of Alaska Fairbanks taught an experimental section of a composition course with a reading list composed almost entirely of American Indian and Alaska Native authors. Vocal controversies about the readings were attributed to fundamentalist views, lack of experience in reading literature, sensitivity about…

In 1986, Colorado native Carolyn Kremers accepted an invitation to teach music and English at a school in Tununak, a remote Yup'ik Eskimo village on Nelson Island, Alaska. This memoir recounts her experiences as a teacher, and also her reflections on music, the outdoors, teaching, Alaska, and how she came to understand Yup'ik and Inupiat Eskimo…

In this anthology, rural Alaskan English teachers in the Bread Loaf Rural Teacher Network describe their experiences implementing new state education standards while continuing their commitment to learner-centered and place-based practice. The book presents narratives about teaching grounded in knowledge and understanding of students and…

This book relates the experiences of Abbie Morgan, who with her husband Ed, moved to the Alaskan village of Kulukak in 1931. Abbie accepted an assignment from the United States government to be the village teacher while her husband was appointed to provide health care for the village population and monitor the area's reindeer herd. The village of…

This book demonstrates that an indigenous teachers' group has the potential to transform the culture of schooling. Personal narratives by Yup'ik Eskimo teachers speak directly to issues of equity and school transformation. Their struggles represent the beginning of a slow process by a group of Yup'ik teachers (Ciulistet) and university colleagues…