Teaching in a Small School

There will be two job openings in Hoonah mid year. One gal will be having a baby in February and another is leaving to follow her husband's job in the lower '48. Hoonah City Schools is a one school district, with 9 certified teachers, many paraprofessionals (aides, secretaries, support staff), a principal/superintendent and a tight budget. Because rural districts receive all their funding from the state, federal or special grants, as opposed to local property taxes, as the enrollment drops, the amount of income becomes problematic. Building maintenance and basic needs don't change with enrollment, so it costs as much to heat a building with 125 students as it did for 300. Everyone is stoic and there is not a single slacker to be seen. The teachers pick up the extra duties like coaching and robotics and supervise students in the library. They teach the PE and art and buy lots of their own supplies.

Hoonah is an exception in bush teaching for many reasons. Because much of the land is private and there are many jobs outside of the school, teachers tend to stay. They buy homes and raise families. A few of the teachers were raised at "The Farm" a self sufficient and separate religious community connected by road to Hoonah. In other important ways, they are no different. The teachers know families really well (for better or worse) and teach multiple grades. Good substitute teachers are hard to find. The first few months are miserable for the new middle school and high school teachers while kids test the boundaries and see if there is a weakness to be exploited. Supplies and materials are closely guarded and teachers spend their own money on training opportunities. New teachers must move there from "wherever" so they have the issues of locating housing, adjusting to the politics and teaching multiple grades. It's not for the faint hearted.

In the 3 years that I was the only teacher in one teacher schools, I really had to figure out some management strategies. It feels like you never really get to actually meet anyone's needs in your attempt to meet everyone's. Every night it seemed like I spent hours looking at the schedule to buy more time for working with Jackie on her writing or Joey on his elective class. On the other hand, kids learn to work together better and interact with all ages.