TowerFall2021

FALL 2021 | TOWER 19 “One of my biggest takeaways is how to better use social- emotional learning in my classroom. In order for students to succeed, I must help them regulate their emotions and cope with difficult things in their lives. I will be able to take what I have learned and apply it in my teaching career.” Alaska’s education system is somewhat different from Penn- sylvania school districts – students are separated by skill level, rather than age and grade. “Since the schools are so small, one class may have six students at several different levels, so you have to cater your instruction to their needs, and I love that. That is something I want to be able to do in my future classroom,” Remick said. Diversity and Culture in Alaska The communities within the Lake Peninsula School District are comprised mostly of Alaska Natives, who have unique cultural and geographical influences that shape their everyday lives. “Our communities rely heavily on subsistence hunting and gathering activities, which in turn shapes our entire calendar year,” said Kate Cornell, a representative of the Alaskan school district. “The Kutztown University teacher candidates come to us with a willingness to learn, and that is what makes them successful in teaching and assisting our students.” While the KU students learn about the nuances of the Native American culture in Alaska, they also bring a unique perspective to the classroom themselves. “They provide students, some who have never stepped outside of Alaska, with an introduction to another place, the opportunity to learn about somewhere they’ve never been, and someone to teach them all about a different culture and community,” Cornell said. “Our students live in a very special and unique place, and for them to be able to show an ‘outsider’ where and how they live is a huge source of pride and delight for our students.” Lessons Learned by Alumni There are more than 60 KU alumni of the Liaison Project, many of whom landed jobs because of their hard work and dedication while in Alaska. Leah Talley ’19 completed the program and was offered a position in Alaska afterward. “My time as a student teacher in Port Alsworth led to many other opportunities in just a short amount of time,” Talley said. “I was offered a tutoring position with Lake Peninsula School District, so I moved back to Alaska to my second village, Kokhanok. Then, I was offered my first teaching job in Newhalen, a village across the Iliamna Lake from Kokhanok.” Talley just completed her first, full school year in May at New- halen School. “My first year teaching in Alaska was amazing. I think it was a great school to start my career. It was definitely a tough and challenging year, like anywhere else. I grew as a teacher and as a person being here. I am staying for another year, at least – I didn’t feel that my time here was finished.” Left to right: Chrissy Hall ’16; Gabrielle Cruz ’19; Kelsey White-Peterson ’14 and Kylie Amatuzzi-Watson ’14 with other LPSD teachers; Kelsey White-Peterson ’14 and guidance counselor Rachel Rankin.